Can we call Medicare universal if it doesn’t cover every aspect of our health? Like Pharmacare and mental healthcare, our private dentalcare system leaves millions of Canadians without basic coverage and does outsized damage to working Canadians. In partnership with the Coalition for Dentalcare, we’re joined by Dr. Brandon Doucet to explore the long term affects of corporate profit in the dentalcare system, the societal and human benefits of bringing dentalcare under the Canada Health Act, and w...
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 22
On today’s episode, we’re joined by journalist and author Hadas Thier to discuss her book A People’s Guide to Capitalism, which puts the very real problems of capitalist economics in plain English and we explore the purposeful attempts by economists to complicate the language surrounding the economics that affect our daily lives. We also explore some of her writing for Jacobin and her ongoing project this year to tell the stories of real people that are overlooked in the financial crisis and jus...
Jan 12, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In our first episode of 2021 we explore if there's just any reason whatsoever to be hopeful and how we can make this a year of great change. NDP MP Niki Ashton is one of many elected officials caught up in the wave of punishments for travel during COVID. But is there moral equivilency between vusiting a dying relative and a vacation in St. Barts? In the first 35 hours and 17 minutes of 2021, Canadian CEOs earned as much as the average Canadian worker earns all year. Is their work 200x more produ...
Jan 07, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Jeff Bezos, and companies Amazon & Blue Origin, have a vision of humanity colonizing the solar system. They sell a future where we they can deliver on all of our needs, delivering every product imaginable from our new homes on Mars or Titan. The reality is much starker than the utopia that Bezos is peddling. His vision of the future of humanity keeps us all bound to the wage slavery and exploitation of capitalism, while the elite profit from the unlimited bounty space has to offer - making f...
Jan 05, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 19
COVID-19, the fight for better, and all the bad news can get you down. We get it, this fight can be overwhelming and we aren't immune to the struggle. COVID-19 vaccines are now coursing through Canadian veins, does this mean it's back to life before? Do we really want that? 441,000 Canadians received "education letters" from the CRA, notifying them they may have to pay back their CERB benefit. Meanwhile, Canadian businesses are laughing all the way to the bank.
Dec 22, 2020•56 min•Season 2Ep. 19
The NBNDP will elect a new Interim Leader this Saturday after a crushing defeat at the polls. We’re joined by Chris Thompson, a candidate for the job, to talk about his role in building party infrastructure and the long road ahead. We reported in November that the House of Commons voted unanimously for NDP MP Heather McPherson’s motion to extend student loan reprieve through the summer. We cheered, millions of Canadians sighed with relief, and then.... nothing happened. Nearly a month after the ...
Dec 10, 2020•53 min•Season 2Ep. 18
The Liberals gave delivered the Fall Economic Update, chock full of corporate welfare and without mention of the problems that plague working Canadians. The NDP response reflected the politics that we deserve, and the Conservatives grandstanded on issues that matter to mostly no one. How can we move forward? COVID-19 has shown us that global problems require global solutions. Nation states are simply not positioned to solve the challenges that transcend boundaries, our international institutions...
Dec 09, 2020•45 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Literature and poetry has the power to shape our identities and provide the path to liberation. Matt Sandler joins Rodger Moran to explore his new book The Black Romantic Revolution: Abolitionist Poets at the End of Slavery and the idea of decolonizing romanticism. Black abolitionists appropriated romanticism in the face of racism to define their cultural identity and promote radical ideas about a collective future. Today, this tradition still helps to shape the political identity of the black c...
Dec 09, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 17
We’re joined by Amir Amirani, activist & the filmmaker behind We Are Many, a documentary that looks at the global protests sparked by the build up to the Iraq War. In 2003, tens of millions of us took to the streets, demanding a change in course in public policy. While the war machine continued on, forever altering the future of the Middle East and our world, those protests also sparked in our societies the belief that we can make a change. 17 years later, many of us are still fighting for j...
Dec 01, 2020•53 min•Season 2Ep. 15
COVID-19 has turned policy and society on its head. In this week’s drop we discuss major policy issues affecting the lives of millions of Canadians. Friend of the show, NDP MP Peter Julian & the NDP Caucus introduced bill C-213, and if passed, it will finally bring universal pharmacare to Canada after 23 years of undelivered promises. Student loans prevent Canadians from entering the economy, buying homes, and even having children. This week, NDP MP Heather McPherson put forth a motion to ex...
Nov 26, 2020•53 min•Season 2Ep. 14
The Jetsons and Star Trek have promised us a future where automation frees us from the restraints of wage slavery. Even Goldman Sachs issued a report warning about needed policy for an automated future where 30% of us won’t have employment due to automation. So why hasn’t it planned out that way? We sit down with economic historian and social theorist Aaron Benanav, who says don’t believe everything the tech industry would lead you to believe about the future of work.
Nov 24, 2020•48 min•Season 2Ep. 13
The votes are in and the Liberals, Conservatives, & the Bloc voted unilaterally “No” on the NDP’s Action Plan which included a wealth tax, an excess profiteering tax, and a buffet of policy that would fundamentally transform the lives of Canadians. We look at the vote and the motivations behind it. NDP MP Leah Gazan spoke passionately about the need for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income from the House of Commons floor. Are legislators listening? Do they care? Then we’re joined by Toronto cor...
Nov 19, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 12
We sit down with Labour MP, democratic socialist, and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor in the Corbyn Shadow Cabinet for more on how he became a socialist, his start in British politics, COVID-19, and Brexit. We discuss Labour’s devastating defeat last year, what was learned, and the future of the left in the UK. Then we hear from him on the expulsion of Jeremy Corbyn, and his hopes for a united Labour Party.
Nov 17, 2020•47 min•Season 2Ep. 11
On November 5th, the NDP proposed their Action Plan on Opposition Day in the House of Commons. Ignored by Canadian media, and overshadowed by the electoral spectacle to our south, the debate clearly defined who is fighting for the people and who is not. This debate serves as a warning and a glimmer of hope. We must do better and it is clear that we have a lot of organizing to do to realize our goals. The lines have been drawn, let’s get to work.
Nov 12, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Kody Hayes of the startup Peach Plugin sits down to discuss the idea behind a conditional basic income, the democratization of data, and the inordinate amount of profit and power being generated by the tech giants at your expense.
Nov 10, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In today’s episode, the unexplainable hypocrisy of Jason Kenney and the UCP shutting down debate on a resolution to remain a part of the Dominion and the abject failure that Alberta’s government is... unless you’re an oil company. The Canadian Labour Congress has endorsed Bill Morneau for OECD Secretary General... We want to know what kind of promises were made?
Nov 05, 2020•47 min•Season 2Ep. 8
The cult of consumer capitalism is destroying our planet, our society, and our happiness. British philosopher Kate Soper joins us to talk about the imperative to change our way of life. We explore different ways to find value and meaning in a world outside of endless Amazon packages, the meaning we’ve been deprived of that truly makes life worth living, and the connections to each other that we’ve lost along the way. Most importantly, we discuss how we can bring about this change and begin to re...
Nov 03, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 7
It’s been a incredibly busy week in Canadian politics and current affairs and this episode is full to the brim. We explore the results of the BC, SK, & federal by-elections and ask the question, does the NDP have a national strategy? We dive into the new release from our comrades at the Centre for Canadian Progress and discuss their new report, Paying into the Community Chest: The Case for a Progressive Wealth Tax for Canada, and what the policy could do to transform our society. Alberta hea...
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In today’s episode we’re joined by legendary activist Reverend Al Sharpton. We explore his roots in organizing beginning in boyhood, working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s SCLC. We explore the Black Lives Matter movement and how far the struggle still has to go, what global solidarity looks like, and what we can do to change our world.
Oct 27, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In just 2 days the people of BC will go to the polls to decide their next government... during a pandemic. We’re joined by two of the DSC endorsed candidates in the race, Jenn Neilson, Green Party candidate for Victoria - Beacon Hill and Kelly Tatham Green Party Candidate for Vancouver - Mount Pleasant. We discuss their races, their values, and the need for a change of course in our society and our politics to one of caring, compassion, and justice for every Canadian.
Oct 22, 2020•49 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Through a lifetime of activism and organizing, rooted in his beliefs for a more just world, Rabbi Michael Lerner believes that we must build a leftist movement based on love of our fellow person to truly transform the world. We sit down with him to discuss his lifetime of experience, from being one of the “Seattle Seven” to his work with the Democratic Socialists of America, and his pursuit of justice to heal and transform our world.
Oct 20, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 3
For decades governments have promised real change but decline to act boldly from the seat of power. Trudeau’s actions last week on hunger and climate are just two more examples of the tepid response we can expect from great promises watered down by neoliberalism. It’s easy to be critical from the sideline. But it is those in the fight, those who dare greatly, that will know what can come from the struggle. We’re joined by our BC correspondent, Naz Eslami to y’all all things BC Elections and what...
Oct 16, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 2
in the Season Two premiere, we’re joined by Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin to discuss the climate crisis and a Global Green New Deal. They make the case that not only is a Green New Deal not as Jason Kenney says, “a pie in the sky ideological scheme” it is a necessity for our planet and for Canadian workers. We dive deep into the future of the Alberta tar sands, the workers in oil & gas, carbon tax, and why we must take action now. Chomsky says it all comes down to leadership, and there’s no...
Oct 13, 2020•49 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In the season one finale, we’re joined by Toronto correspondent Tash Wahed and explore the issue of housing in the Big Smoke. We postmortem the devastating Green Party of Canada Leadership election results, Elizabeth May’s meddling with democracy, and the notion of a federal ecosocialist party. The DSC is changing the national dialogue and building Canada’s Historic block based on Antonio Gramsci’s vision of cultural counter hegemony. Love us or hate us, our movement is here to stay and smears a...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 34
We sit down with Neil McLaughlin, professor of political sociology at McMaster University and long time socialist organizer, to discuss his long career in socialist politics. We explore organizing with Michael Harrington, the battle for socialism in the age of Reagan, and how a Canadian boy found himself as the the Chair of the Youth Section of the Democratic Socialists of America. Neil McLaughlin studied at Cleveland State University and the City University of New York. He was educated as an in...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Throne Speech, Throne Speech, Throne Speech was all we heard for weeks. "No idea too big or expensive"' they said! What we got was a speech that sucked the air out of government for weeks only to deliver recycled policy at a time when Canadians need transformational vision. Our Quebec correspondent, Ashwin Nair stops by to talk the uptick in COVID, transfer payments, and systemic racism in Montreal. Then we plow into BC Elections and the debacle with the BC Ecosocialists, Interim Leader Stuart P...
Oct 01, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 32
We’re joined by the Reverend Canon Dr. Kevin George, the rector of St. Aiden’s Anglican Church in London, Ontario and co-host of the Vicar’s Crossing podcast, to explore the intersection of faith, social justice, and our collective responsibility to one another. We explore how his Newfoundland roots gave him a perspective on our responsibility to care for one another, the tradition of Christian Socialism in Canada, and how a background in faith communities can be a catalyst for activism and soci...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 31
New Left Radio listeners will be familiar with the struggle for the rights of womxn, the LGBTQIA2+ community, and the New Brunswick government’s blatant disregard for the Canada Health Act, we’ve been covering it for in depth for the last month. This week has brought big changes in the battle to save Clinic 554 and for the freedom to protest in New Brunswick with announcement that Clinic 554 will be closing due to funding - an outcome that PM Justin Trudeau promised would not happen under his go...
Sep 27, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Over 10,000 Quebec home daycare workers are on strike to demand better wages. Doing the hard work of childcare deserves a living wage, not the sub minimum wage they’re making now. BC elections are here! John Horgan and the NDP are following in Blaine Higgs footsteps and making a power grab during the pandemic. Unlike in the recent New Brunswick elections, BC is facing a significant COVID outbreak. We’re joined by Maritimes correspondent Mackenzie Thomason to discuss modular nuclear reactors in N...
Sep 24, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 29
The DSC endorsed Green Party Leadership candidate Meryam Haddad because we believe she represents a movement for change and stands for voices demanding solutions to the problems that face Canada. Last night, the Green Party establishment expelled her from the race for “bringing the party into disrepute” just days before voting is set to begin. This is an affront to democracy and everything a party that claims to be built on grassroots stands for. It is in direct opposition to millions of Canadia...
Sep 23, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 28
