Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. This week, we spoke to Yves Engler, a fellow with the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, about the Liberal government's $40 billion "modernization" plan for NORAD. We discuss the binational military command's history, how it undermines Canadian sovereignty, and how weapons dealers benefit from public spending on the program. Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane....
Jun 24, 2022•38 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. In this episode, we spoke to John Cartwright, chairperson of the Council of Canadians, about a new organization called Community Solidarity Project that is helping to mobilize communities to counter reactionary groups linked to the so-called 'freedom' convoy, and to fight for a better future. Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane....
Jun 17, 2022•31 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. The Maple's Ontario election reporter Nora Loreto returns to the show to discuss the key takeaways from Doug Ford's victory in a record-low turnout election, and what Ontarians can expect from the next four years of Progressive Conservative government. Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane....
Jun 10, 2022•38 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. We spoke to eco-socialist lawyer and activist Dimitri Lascaris about why he has decided not to run again for Green Party leader, and the hostile atmosphere towards dissent on Western foreign policy that contributed to his decision. We also talk about the response to Dimitri's decision from his supporters, and the future of the party. Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane....
Jun 06, 2022•44 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. This week, we spoke to Matthew DiMera, founder and publisher of The Resolve, a new journalistic project that is building a platform for Black, Indigenous and people of colour journalists to tell their own stories directly to BIPOC audiences — not filtered through a white lens. We discuss systemic racism in Canadian newsrooms — including those that purport to uphold anti-racist principles — and the challenges ...
May 30, 2022•59 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. This week, we spoke to PressProgress reporter Stephen Magusiak about Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's surprise announcement that he is resigning as leader of the United Conservative Party. We discuss Kenney's grim record, and what's next for him and the UCP. Follow Stephen on Twitter @Magusiak. Head over to PressProgress to follow his reporting, and sign up for PP's newsletter here. Music credit: "Fluidity," by...
May 23, 2022•44 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. We spoke to Maple contributor and independent journalist Jeremy Appel about the six candidates running for Conservative Party leader, and the different factions of the party that they represent. We also discuss whether or not the winner will be able to hold together the Conservative coalition until the next federal election. Follow Jeremy on Twitter @JeremyAppel1025 and subscribe to The Orchard. Read Jeremy's...
May 16, 2022•48 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. We spoke to Joyce Arthur, executive director of Abortion Rights Coalition Canada (ARCC), about the U.S. Supreme Court's leaked decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and how this might influence the future of abortion access in Canada. Follow ARCC on Twitter @AbortionRights or visit their website. National Abortion Federation: https://nafcanada.org/ Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights: https://www.actioncan...
May 09, 2022•38 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. We spoke with The Maple's new Ontario election reporter, Nora Loreto, about what we can expect from this election cycle as Ontarians get ready to head to the polls on June 2. Sound design by Sophia Sanford www.sanfordsanford.com ; @_sanfordsanford . Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane....
Apr 25, 2022•36 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. A read out of one our favourite recent articles titled 'Poverty Wage Plutocrats: A Guide to Canada's Grocery Chain Oligarchs,' by Mitchell Thompson. The article was read out by The Maple's managing editor, Alex Cosh. Read the original article here. Follow Mitchell on Twitter here. Let us know what you think of this episode format by emailing us: hello@readthemaple.com. Sound design by Sophia Sanford www.sanfo...
Apr 18, 2022•15 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. This week, we spoke to Brent Patterson, executive director of Peace Brigades International - Canada, about the federal government’s plan to purchase 88 new F-35 fighter jets from American weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Sound design by Sophia Sanford www.sanfordsanford.com ; @_sanfordsanford . Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane....
Apr 04, 2022•44 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. This week, we spoke to Yurii Sheliazhenko, a peace advocate based in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, and Yves Engler, a fellow with the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and Canada’s role in fuelling the geopolitical tensions at the heart of the conflict. Music credit: "Fluidity," by tobylane....
Mar 18, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. Why did police treat the far-right occupation of Ottawa and supportive convoys across Canada with kid gloves? We spoke to community organizers Audrey Redman and Jaggi Singh about their experiences countering the convoy protests in Edmonton and Montreal, and why police sympathy with the convoy's far-right politics highlights a systemic problem. Follow Audrey, @AudreyJRedman, and Jaggi, @JaggiMontreal, on Twitt...
Mar 07, 2022•43 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. Police have moved in to clear the occupation of Ottawa by the so-called "freedom" convoy, but what was it really like for residents living in and around the downtown area, and what do the far-right politics of the convoy's leadership mean for the future? We spoke with Riley, an Ottawa resident who has lived through the occupation, Maple contributor Cassandra Kislenko, and Humber College professor Tyler Shiple...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $1.75 per week. In this week's episode of the Great Gilded North podcast series, we spoke to Cassandra Kislenko about Canada's role in the murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cassandra Kislenko is a non-binary settler journalist working and writing on Treaty 13 territory in Tkaronto. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Read Cassandra's original article for The Maple her...
Feb 07, 2022•44 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. This week, The Maple's managing editor Alex Cosh spoke to Passage staff writer V.S. Wells about the "partygate" scandal currently unfolding inside the U.K.'s Conservative government, whether this might be the end of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's career, and what the debacle tells us about so-called "populist" right-wing politics. V. S. Wells is a writer and journalist originally from the U.K. They currently ...
Jan 23, 2022•37 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $7 per month. This week, The Maple's managing editor Alex Cosh spoke to health policy researcher Andrew Longhurst about the B.C. NDP's inadequate response to the Omicron surge, which has already driven short-staffed hospitals into crisis mode. We talk about whether the B.C. government is "following the science," whether it is doing any better than right-wing Conservative governments in other provinces, and the NDP's longer...
Jan 17, 2022•43 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $1 per week. https://www.readthemaple.com/subscribe-options/ Take out a gift subscription for a friend or family member. https://maple.outpost.pub/gift_subscription#/ We're taking a short holiday break. See you in January!...
Dec 21, 2021•2 min
Support The Maple by subscribing to our daily newsletter for as little as $1 per week. In this week's episode of the Great Gilded North podcast series, we spoke to independent journalist Jeremy Appel about how oil and gas barons are working behind the scenes to stymie Canada's climate goals. Jeremy is a journalist based in Calgary, and his work has appeared in The Sprawl, CBC Calgary, Jacobin, Passage and the Forward. He also co-hosts the Forgotten Corner and Big Shiny Takes podcasts. Find him o...
Dec 20, 2021•42 min
Warning: This episode contains references to acts of violence against Indigenous Peoples and may not be suitable for everyone. Nova Scotia-born Izaak Walton Killam made his millions through pulp, paper and hydro-electric projects across Latin America. His Montreal-based International Power company controlled a monopoly on electrical power in El Salvador and charged extremely high rates on the country’s exploited workers. When Indigenous peasants began an organized uprising in 1932, Killam called...
Dec 13, 2021•44 min
The Canadian military’s efforts in the Second World War are often mythologized so as to portray opposition to fascism as a cross-class trait, shared by workers, bosses and politicians alike. The disturbing reality, however, is that well into the late 1930s, a significant section of Canada’s elite admired fascism in Italy and even in Germany. We spoke to journalist Mitchell Thompson about his recent article digging into the history behind the rich and powerful figures who gave vocal support to Hi...
Nov 25, 2021•25 min
Local news begins to disappear. Coverage on important issues wanes. Year after year, headlines emerge about which media giant is buying smaller outlets. Readers encounter the same stories in several community papers, only to discover the publications are all owned by the same company. Writer Sam Smart joins Maple Managing Editor Alex Cosh to discuss her story for the Maple titled "The Ruling Class' Domination of Canadian Media" about how Canada's media is dominated and has been destroyed by weal...
Nov 19, 2021•21 min
This week, Annamie Paul announced that she will be stepping down as leader of the Green Party, following months of infighting and disappointing results in last week’s election. Paul described her embattled tenure as leader as “the worst period of my life,” and has blamed “racism” and “sexism” as underlying the attacks against her leadership. On the other hand, back in May, some in the party strongly criticized Paul’s lacklustre statements regarding Israeli airstrikes against the people of Palest...
Sep 30, 2021•26 min
As we rapidly approach election day on Monday, September 20, the polls indicate that Justin Trudeau’s early election gamble may have been a dud. As things currently stand, a majority seems to be out of reach for the Liberal Party. The tightening of the polls in recent weeks has prompted some Liberal campaigners to plead with voters who identify as “progressive” to vote strategically for the Liberals in hopes of shutting out Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives. In so-called British Columbia, however, it...
Sep 17, 2021•51 min
The Maple's managing editor Alex Cosh is joined by the Green Party’s Paul Manly. They discussed the situation at Fairy Creek, policing, international climate solidarity and whether the Green Party’s infighting is damaging its ability to impress the urgency of the global climate crisis onto national political conversations. Support our journalism: www.readthemaple.com/subscribe-options/...
Aug 31, 2021•36 min
Recently, The Maple spoke with Cheryl Cameron at Dogwood B.C. who said that the time for toeing party lines is over, and that instead voters should be looking for "mavericks" — people who are going to push federal parties to do better on tackling the climate emergency and hold them accountable in the House of Commons. We sat down with filmmaker, educator and climate activist Avi Lewis, who is running for the NDP in the West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country riding. This interview has b...
Aug 26, 2021•23 min
This election, party leaders are on the campaign trail pitching their plans to make life more affordable for Canadians. Amid a national crisis, unaffordability continues to squeeze working-class renters especially hard in the housing market. This month, the parliamentary budget officer found that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national housing strategy is having only a “limited” impact on addressing housing needs. As well, the PBO said, the affordability gap – or the difference between the cost...
Aug 24, 2021•13 min
