Shows
Sweater Weather#34—Ducks, feat. Marc Herman Lynch*TW: This episode includes discussion of sexual violence.* Today we talk Ducks, Kate Beaton’s celebrated graphic memoir — winner of Canada Reads, a New York Times Notable Book — about her two years working in the oil sands of Fort McMurray, where men outnumber women fifty to one. Harsh economic realities forced Beaton to leave her Cape Breton home for northern Alberta, where she found strange beauty in a desolate landscape, and human connection in the midst of sexual harassment, danger, and even violence. The book gorgeously and heartrendingly depicts a time, place and culture. For our discussion, we're joined by Mar...2023-07-141h 15
Sweater WeatherSweater Weather Live! Talks Ducks with Marc Herman Lynch, Sun. Apr. 23 at the Memorial Park LibraryReserve your free tickets at our Eventbrite page. Join Naomi and Aaron of the Sweater Weather podcast for their deep-dive discussion of Ducks, the award-winning graphic memoir by Kate Beaton about life in the Alberta oil sands. They'll be joined by special guest Marc Herman Lynch, a literary scholar, comics enthusiast, and novelist. This event takes place Sunday, April 23, in the Alexander Calhoun Salon at the Memorial Park Library in Calgary, Treaty 7 territory. Recording will begin shortly after 2 pm. 2023-04-1900 min
Sweater Weather#33—Ian Tyson, feat. Jeremy KlaszusSaddle up your quarter horse and grab that flask of whiskey for this ride through the life and works of country music legend Ian Tyson. Born in Victoria, BC, in 1933, Tyson’s recording career spanned six decades, from his time in the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene as one half of the folk duo Ian & Sylvia, to his years as a solo country artist working from his ranch in Longview, Alberta. With our guest Jeremy Klaszus, ghostwriter of Ian Tyson’s 2010 memoir The Long Trail: My Life in the West, we discuss Tyson’s love of horses, his tumultuous romances, and hi...2023-04-071h 34
Sweater WeatherSweater Weather Live! Talks Ian Tyson with Jeremy Klaszus, Sunday Mar. 5 at 2 pmReserve your free tickets at our Eventbrite page: www.eventbrite.ca/e/sweater-weather-live-talks-ian-tyson-with-jeremy-klaszus-tickets-528972780827 Join the audience for Sweater Weather Live! talks the life and music of country legend Ian Tyson. Our special guest will be Jeremy Klaszus, editor-in-chief of The Sprawl and ghostwriter of Ian Tyson's memoir The Long Trail: My Life in the West. This event takes place Sunday, March 5 at 2 pm at the Memorial Park Library in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory. 2023-02-2500 min
Sweater Weather#32—Anne of Green Gables, feat. Cheryl FoggoIn 1908, thirty-four-year-old Lucy Maud Montgomery published a novel set in the fictional Prince Edward Island town of Avonlea. Her heroine: a loveable and drama-prone red-headed orphan, adopted by an elderly brother and sister who turn out to need her as much as she needs them. The book is Anne of Green Gables, of course, a novel that made its author famous and helped turn PEI into an international tourist attraction. With our guest, writer and filmmaker Cheryl Foggo, we learn how much of Maud’s life resembled Anne's, and how much it didn't—from scorned admirers to kindred spirits to b...2023-02-181h 37
Sweater WeatherSweater Weather Live! in Calgary, Sunday Feb. 12 at 2 pmJoin Naomi and Aaron for this live recording of the Sweater Weather podcast as they discuss the enduring appeal of the classic novel Anne of Green Gables. They'll be joined by writer and documentary filmmaker Cheryl Foggo. This event takes place Sunday, February 12 at 2pm in the salon of the Memorial Park Library in Calgary, on Treaty 7 territory. Book your free tickets on our Eventbrite page to reserve your spot! : https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sweater-weather-live-talks-anne-of-green-gables-with-guest-cheryl-foggo-tickets-5121557004872023-02-0900 min
Sweater Weather#31—The Other Side of NickelbackIn this audio documentary special, Aaron dives deep into the history of Nickelback, the most commercially successful and critically despised Canadian band of their generation. In the aughts when Nickelback dominated the air waves and sold out stadiums, bashing them publicly became a competitive sport for tastemakers and social media users. What spurred this unprecedented love/ hate relationship with Nickelback, and how did this band from Hanna, Alberta, find themselves at the centre of a cultural, class and political conflict? If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new...2023-01-1537 min
Sweater WeatherSweater Weather Live! in Calgary, Sunday, Jan. 22 at 2pmJoin us for our next live recording of Sweater Weather as we talk Anne of Green Gables with our special guest, writer and documentary filmmaker Cheryl Foggo. We'll be downstairs at the Memorial Park Library in Calgary, Sunday, Jan. 22 at 2pm. Book your free tickets here to reserve your spot. An after party will be held at the Civic Tavern (one block from the library) immediately following the recording. Hope to see you there! 2023-01-1100 min
Sweater Weather#21—The Kids in the Hall (Full Episode)In the spirit of the season, we've brought out from behind the paywall our full episode on The Kids in the Hall. Happy holidays, everyone! Support us on Patreon ~~ Inspired by the recently released sixth season of The Kids in the Hall, Naomi and Aaron discuss this legendary sketch comedy show. We follow the Kids' paths to becoming comic actors, and how the show was too dark to enjoy when we were kids ourselves. We breakdown some of their most notorious sketches, including Cabbage Head and The Chicken Lady, and pay special attention...2022-12-241h 17
Sweater Weather#30—The Hockey Sweater, feat. Maxime Raymond BockOne fateful day in the winter of 1946, a boy in the village of Sainte-Justine, Quebec, opened his Eaton’s package to find, instead of a coveted Montreal Canadiens jersey, the dreaded blue of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That despised hockey sweater was destined for literary, if not sports, fame. That boy became author Roch Carrier, who has published some thirty books, run for political office, and headed numerous government agencies, including the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Library of Canada. But it was the NFB’s 1980 film adaptation The Sweater, lushly and wittily animated by S...2022-12-161h 31
Sweater Weather#29—Sarah McLachlan, feat. Kris DemeanorYou will remember her—singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, studied music from the age of four, started winning singing awards not much later, and was offered her first major record deal at seventeen. Throughout the nineties, she won a boatload of Grammys and Junos for her work on the albums Solace, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, and Surfacing, and she founded and headlined the all-female music festival Lilith Fair. In 2006, she starred in the SPCA’s iconic commercial that broke all our hearts and raised millions, and soon after founded a music school for under-served children. Musician,acto...2022-11-261h 01
Sweater WeatherSweater Weather Live! in Calgary, Tues. Nov. 22The first ever live recording of Sweater Weather is happening Tuesday, November 22 at the Rose & Crown Pub in Calgary at 7 pm. Reserve your free tickets here at Eventbrite. We'll be fumbling towards the ecstasy that is the life and music of singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. And if you're not already swooning in the arms of an angel, we'll be joined in our discussion by musician, actor and writer Kris Demeanor. The Rose and Crown (1503 4th St. SW) will be offering food and drink service during the show. Recording begins shortly after 7 pm, so please...2022-11-1402 min
Sweater Weather#28—The Tom Green ShowIn episode 28, we revisit the antics of shock comic Tom Green. In the early nineties, Green rose to local Ottawa fame with a rap album, a radio show, and a program on public-access television. In 1998, The Tom Green Show gained a national following on the Canadian Comedy Network, and in 1999 it jumped to the American big time on MTV. Green was the network’s golden/meat-covered boy, a box office success in the films Road Trip (2000) and Charlie’s Angels (2000)—before being waylaid by testicular cancer, a short-lived marriage to actress Drew Barrymore, and the critical lambasting of his direct...2022-11-121h 18
Sweater WeatherThe Sweet Hereafter, feat. Abdul MalikScreenwriter Abdul Malik (Peace by Chocolate, CTV’s Transplant) joins us to talk about Atom Egoyan’s 1997 film, The Sweet Hereafter, one of Canada’s most celebrated movies and the pinnacle of the Toronto New Wave moment. We revisit the melancholic, majestic, and morally compromised town of Sam Dent, a fictional community in BC’s interior that has lost almost all its children to a school-bus crash. Ian Holm plays a carpet-bagging lawyer with his own emotional baggage, while Sarah Polley portrays a young girl who survives both the bus accident and her father’s abuse. In this stark winter lan...2022-10-151h 19
Sweater WeatherAre You Afraid of the Dark? feat. Tasnuva HaydenWe've got one question for you, Sweater Wearers: Are You Afraid of the Dark? This Montreal-produced kids' horror series aired on YTV in Canada, on Nickelodeon in the US, and on networks around the world—including in Norway where our special guest, poet Tasnuva Hayden, watched eagerly every Saturday night circa 1992. We light the proverbial campfire and toss some metaphorical magic powder on the flames before discussing some stand-out episodes. There's one about dead Aunt Dora, an elegant equestrian from the 1950s who possesses her 16-year-old niece and makes her speak with a mid-Atlantic accent; another about a clown na...2022-09-271h 08
Sweater WeatherThe RehearsalFrom high school improv with Seth Rogen in Vancouver, to a spot on the CBC classic This Hour Has 22 Minutes, to his Comedy Central series Nathan For You, Nathan Fielder’s comedic vision has expanded from silly, semi-cruel satire to mirror-funhouse meta-reality TV. We discuss his latest, the HBO docu-comedy The Rehearsal, and ask whether it’s "reality" and whether it's comedy, whether his methods are immoral or merely show us our own dark, TV-shaped hearts, and whether Fielder, a former magician, has just pulled off a brilliant sleight of hand. If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supp...2022-09-071h 04
Sweater WeatherGeneration XToday we’re talking about the novel that named a generation. In 1991, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Vancouver author and visual artist Douglas Coupland became a sleeper hit, an objet d’art that no student living room could do without. How, exactly, did this weird book manage to capture the zeitgeist of twenty-somethings struggling to find meaning in the shadow of the Boomers? What were its influences and what cultural floodgates did it open? Is it a good novel? Also, Aaron remembers an unfortunate youthful encounter with Douglas Coupland at the Canadian embassy in Paris. If...2022-08-241h 09
Sweater Weather#20—Degrassi Junior High (Full Episode)We'll be back with a new episode next week, but in the meantime enjoy this content from behind the paywall, our FULL episode on Degrassi from earlier this summer. --- Aaron and Naomi talk about the classic teen drama Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989) and its immediate sequel, Degrassi High (1989-1991). We discuss the show's fascinating production history, our vivid memories of watching it as kids, and the labour conditions for the actors. We also dig into the details of one of our favourite episodes, "All Nighter," and even re-enact a scene. You won't want to...2022-08-171h 34
Sweater WeatherAlanis MorissetteIsn't it ironic that we finally decided to cover this essential Canadian artist? Alanis Morissette was one of the most successful musicians of the 1990s, selling 33 million copies of her album Jagged Little Pill. We trace her career from child actor to international rock superstar to Instagram mom. We consider the mass appeal of her music, with its cathartic rage, ear-wormy melodies, and therapeutic confessions. What does Morissette's popularity say about Generation X and the older Millenials who make up her fan base, past and present? Wait a minute...how is any of this "ironic"? If you...2022-08-021h 07
Sweater WeatherDanger BayNaomi and Aaron speedboat through the CBC family adventure show Danger Bay (1984-1990). We discuss the show's infinite animal menagerie, its 1980s environmentalism, and the protagonist, Dr. Grant Roberts, who is both a Professional-Class Hero and Dad of the Year. We also rehearse our favourite lines of dialogue from Danger Bay, including Doc Roberts shouting: "We need a lactating otter!" This is the free 31-minute version of the episode. To access the full 73-minute version, subscribe to the show on Patreon. Subscribers gain access to all full-length episodes of Sweater Weather—that's about twice the content! ...2022-07-1930 minSweater WeatherThe Kids in the HallInspired by the recently released sixth season of The Kids in the Hall, Naomi and Aaron talk about this legendary sketch comedy show (1988-1995). We discuss the Kids' paths to becoming comic actors, and how the show was too dark for us to appreciate when we were kids ourselves. We breakdown some of their most notorious sketches, including Cabbage Head and The Chicken Lady, and pay special attention to their unfairly maligned feature film, Brain Candy (1996), which is actually very good! Finally, we consider the dangers of cultural nostalgia and decide that we'll do it anyway. This...2022-07-0533 min
Sweater WeatherDegrassi Junior HighAaron and Naomi talk about the classic teen drama Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989) and its immediate sequel, Degrassi High (1989-1991). We discuss the show's fascinating production history, our vivid memories of watching it as kids, and the labour conditions for the actors. We also dig into the details of one of our favourite episodes, "All Nighter," and even re-enact a scene. You won't want to miss Naomi's uncanny Melanie impression! This is the free 46-minute version of the episode. To access the full 94-minute version, subscribe to the show on Patreon. Subscribers gain access to all full-length...2022-06-2146 min
Sweater WeatherLeonard Cohen & the Cold WarHow Leonard Cohen's life and art was shaped by the Cold War-- and the political uses of his most famous song, "Hallelujah." This episode is based on an article I wrote for The Breach titled "Leonard Cohen, Cold War Troubadour": https://breachmedia.ca/leonard-cohen-cold-war-troubadour/ Support Sweater Weather: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=7353597 Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/t-AC7Gvx7HU Visit our website: https://www.sweaterweatherpod.com Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/canadiansweater Follow Aaron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SincerityCity...2022-02-0231 min
Big Shiny TakesRosie DiManno and the Italian-Canadian Experience (ft. Aaron Giovannone)The Big Shiny Takes Institute is back with a great episode with the incredible Aaron Giovannone. We read a lot of terrible columns, but we rarely get to take a deep dive into the psyche of one of the country's more established columnists. Aaron brought an essay Rosie Dimanno wrote in the late 90's about growing up in Little Italy in Toronto. We go into it, and talk about the points she fixates on, and the points she may have missed. This is a super fun episode and you shouldn't miss it! ...2021-11-221h 11
Harbinger ShowcaseHarbinger Telethon vol.3 w/ Alberta Advantage, Paris Marx, News You Can Use, Sweater Weather, The Hoser, The Maple and Darts & LettersCelebrate Harbinger's first anniversary w/ a stacked deck of incredible guests to lament the hopeless and harrowing 2021 Federal Election on part 3 of an absolutely epic 12 hour-long Twitchstream telethon featuring The Alberta Advantage, Tech Won't Save Us host Paris Marx, the 30-months-in-the-making News You Can Use reunion with Drew Brown, Tannara Yelland and James Wilt, Sweater Weather's Aaron Giovannone, Darts & Letters' Gordon Katic, The Maple managing editor Alex Cosh, The Hoser co-founder Kevin Taghabon, Gender Troubles' Eve Espenshade and Emma Austin, Andre Goulet and the Harbinger Board of Directors' Kai Nagata.Hear the Alberta Advantage: https://albertaadvantagepod.com/...2021-09-202h 53Harbinger ShowcaseHarbinger Telethon vol.3 w/ Alberta Advantage, Paris Marx, News You Can Use, Sweater Weather, The Hoser, The Maple and Darts & LettersCelebrate Harbinger's first anniversary w/ a stacked deck of incredible guests to lament the hopeless and harrowing 2021 Federal Election on part 3 of an absolutely epic 12 hour-long Twitchstream telethon featuring The Alberta Advantage, Tech Won't Save Us host Paris Marx, the 30-months-in-the-making News You Can Use reunion with Drew Brown, Tannara Yelland and James Wilt, Sweater Weather's Aaron Giovannone, Darts & Letters' Gordon Katic, The Maple managing editor Alex Cosh, The Hoser co-founder Kevin Taghabon, Gender Troubles' Eve Espenshade and Emma Austin, Andre Goulet and the Harbinger Board of Directors' Kai Nagata.Hear the Alberta Advantage: https://albertaadvantagepod.com/...2021-09-202h 53
Sweater WeatherCottages, Cabins & Class, feat. Tonya DavidsonSupport this podcast. Cabins and cottages have come to represent summer in Canada-- even though most Canadians spend the summer in hot cities. What does the fascination with cabins and cottages reveal about class, inequality and colonization in Canada? This episode we welcome Tonya Davidson, a sociologist at Carleton University and co-editor of the essay collection Seasonal Sociology (University of Toronto Press, 2020). We discuss her essay in that collection, "Summer in Cottage Country." Visit Sweater Weather's website | Follow Aaron Giovannone and Sweater Weather on Twitter. 2021-07-3141 min
Harbinger ShowcaseCanada, Global Capitalism & Socialist Possibilities w/ Sam Gindin (Sweater Weather ep1)On an early episode of Sweater Weather host Aaron Giovannone speaks with Sam Gindin, co-author of modern classic The Making of Global Capitalism (2012), as well as the more recent but no less essential The Socialist Challenge Today (2020) both co-written with his long-time friend and colleague Leo Panitch. From 1974-2000, Sam was the director of research at the Canadian Auto Workers union, now Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada.Sam is an internationally recognized authority on political economy and social movements, and he frequently writes and speaks about socialism in a global context—but he’s Canadian, so I...2021-07-241h 10Harbinger ShowcaseCanada, Global Capitalism & Socialist Possibilities w/ Sam Gindin (Sweater Weather ep1)On an early episode of Sweater Weather host Aaron Giovannone speaks with Sam Gindin, co-author of modern classic The Making of Global Capitalism (2012), as well as the more recent but no less essential The Socialist Challenge Today (2020) both co-written with his long-time friend and colleague Leo Panitch. From 1974-2000, Sam was the director of research at the Canadian Auto Workers union, now Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada.Sam is an internationally recognized authority on political economy and social movements, and he frequently writes and speaks about socialism in a global context—but he’s Canadian, so I...2021-07-241h 10
Sweater WeatherFUBAR II & FUBAR: Age of Computer, feat. the Alberta AdvantageSupport Sweater Weather! I’m joined once again by my friends from the Alberta Advantage podcast: Clinton, Karen and Joel. We conclude our epic discussion of FUBAR, the classic Canadian and Calgarian comedy franchise, by discussing FUBAR II: Balls to the Wall (2010) in which our protagonists, Terry and Dean, head up to Fort McMurray to work in the oil sands, as well as the TV Series, FUBAR: Age of Computer (2017), when the boys try to make a go of it in the online economy. The struggles of Terry and Dean as working class men really come to th...2021-07-2351 min
Sweater WeatherFUBAR, feat. The Alberta AdvantageSupport the show. This week I'm joined by my podcast comrades from the Alberta Advantage: Clinton, Joël and Karen, for a deep dive into the classic Canadian and Calgarian comedy franchise FUBAR. It’s been nearly 20 years since the first FUBAR film brought us the endearing headbangers Terry and Dean. In our discussion we appreciate FUBAR’s depiction of working-class life and its wicked humour. And of course, we ponder what it really means to giv’er. This is the first of two episodes dedicated to the FUBAR franchise. Keep your eyes peeled for our nex...2021-07-1548 min
Alberta Advantage PodcastThe Fire and the Ashes with Andrew JacksonSupport this podcast What can be gleaned from a lifetime on the Canadian left? Economist, policy advisor an author Andrew Jackson joins guest-host Aaron Giovannone to discuss Andrew's new book, The Fire and the Ashes: Rekindling Democratic Socialism. What fires might be taken from the altars of the past? How has the NDP changed since the 1960s? What was it like to face the neoliberal turn in British Columbia? What role did policy research historically play within the NDP? What should the role of the labour movement be today? Check out...2021-06-2930 min
Sweater WeatherThe Secret Lives of Drivers, feat. Marcello Di CintioI talk to author and journalist Marcello Di Cintio about the lives of people who drive taxis for a living. He tells their stories in his fascinating new book, Driven: The Secret Lives of Drivers. This is episode 15 of Sweater Weather with Aaron Giovannone. Visit the Sweater Weather website: https://www.sweaterweatherpod.com/ Donate on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=7353597 Donate on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/canadiansweater?locale.x=en_US Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aarongiovannone.substack.com/welcome Follow on YouTube: h...2021-06-2648 min
Sweater WeatherThe Communist's Daughter, ft. Leah Cameron On today's episode, I talk to Leah Cameron, a television writer in Toronto. She is creator, director and co-writer of The Communist’s Daughter, a comedy series loosely based on her left-wing family in Toronto in 1989, now available on CBC Gem. This is episode 14 of Sweater Weather with Aaron Giovannone. Watch The Communist’s Daughter: https://gem.cbc.ca/season/the-communists-daughter/season-1/38ebdd8f-20ad-4d8f-a86c-c1d121cb0d3f Visit the Sweater Weather website: https://www.sweaterweatherpod.com/ Donate on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=7353597 Dona...2021-06-1230 min
Sweater WeatherLiterature & Social Change, ft. Tom WaymanWhy do we need an honest portrayal of work and employment in literature? What is the point of poetry? How has postmodernism affected arts and education? Today we are visited by Tom Wayman, the author of more than 20 books of poetry and prose, as well as a professor emeritus at the University of Calgary. Today we talk about his collection of essays, If You’re Not Free at Work, Where Are You Free?: Literature and Social Change (Guernica, 2018). Tom also treats us to a reading of a couple of his beautiful poems. Read Tom Wayman's bo...2021-05-251h 20
Sweater WeatherCapitalism & Geopolitics, ft. Radhika DesaiThis episode we’re visited by Radhika Desai, professor of political science at the University of Manitoba. She is the author and editor of several works on political economy, including Geopolitical Economy: After US Hegemony, Globalization and Empire (Pluto Press, 2013) as well as Revolutions: A Twenty-First Century Perspective, which was a special issue of Third World Quarterly in 2020, co-edited with her colleague Henry Heller. How have neoliberal economies fared during the Coronavirus crisis, compared to planned economies? How does capitalism structure the geopolitics between states? What is the role of the US dollar? And we discuss the re...2021-04-141h 49
Sweater WeatherNorman Bethune & China-Canada Relations, ft. Paul JayThe early years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War produced a new consensus among western elites that it was now a good thing to do business with China and develop cultural relations. A fascinating film from 1990 illustrates this moment of history, Bethune: The Making of A Hero, starring Donald Sutherland as Norman Bethune, the real-life Canadian communist doctor who died in China in 1939 providing medical aid to Mao’s 8th Army as it battled the invading Japanese. Bethune was a swash-buckling humanitarian who became a revered figure of the Chi...2021-03-1658 min
Sweater WeatherNorman Bethune & China-Canada Relations, ft. Paul JayThe early years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War produced a new consensus among western elites that it was now a good thing to do business with China and develop cultural relations. A fascinating film from 1990 illustrates this moment of history, Bethune: The Making of A Hero, starring Donald Sutherland as Norman Bethune, the real-life Canadian communist doctor who died in China in 1939 providing medical aid to Mao’s 8th Army as it battled the invading Japanese. Bethune was a swash-buckling humanitarian who became a revered figure of the...2021-03-1658 min
Sweater WeatherAnti-Unionism in Canada, Part 2, ft. Stephanie RossDonate to the show: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=7353597 This is part 2 of my discussion with Dr. Stephanie Ross, associate professor and director of the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University. She is author, co-author and co-editor of several works on Canadian labour and unions, including Building a Better World: An Introduction to the Labour Movement in Canada (Fernwood, 2015) and Labour Under Attack Anti-Unionism in Canada (Fernwood, 2018). In this second part of the interview, we talk about life within unions in more detail, especially about the inequalities that unions sometimes reproduce while trying...2021-03-1346 min
Sweater WeatherAnti-Unionism in Canada, Part 2, ft. Stephanie RossDonate to the show: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=7353597 This is part 2 of my discussion with Dr. Stephanie Ross, associate professor and director of the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University. She is author, co-author and co-editor of several works on Canadian labour and unions, including Building a Better World: An Introduction to the Labour Movement in Canada (Fernwood, 2015) and Labour Under Attack Anti-Unionism in Canada (Fernwood, 2018). In this second part of the interview, we talk about life within unions in more detail, especially about the inequalities that unions sometimes reproduce while trying...2021-03-1346 min
Sweater Weather/9/ Anti-Unionism in Canada, Part 1, ft. Stephanie RossThis week I talk to Dr. Stephanie Ross, associate professor and director of the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University. She is author, co-author and co-editor of several works on Canadian labour and unions, including Building a Better World: An Introduction to the Labour Movement in Canada (Fernwood, 2015) and the book we primarily discuss today, Labour Under Attack: Anti-Unionism in Canada (Fernwood, 2018). Do Canadians and workers support unions? What are the sources of influential anti-union ideas? What do labour organizations themselves do that sometimes fosters anti-union sentiment? We address these thorny but important topics today. 2021-03-0250 min
Sweater Weather/9/ Anti-Unionism in Canada, Part 1, ft. Stephanie RossThis week I talk to Dr. Stephanie Ross, associate professor and director of the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University. She is author, co-author and co-editor of several works on Canadian labour and unions, including Building a Better World: An Introduction to the Labour Movement in Canada (Fernwood, 2015) and the book we primarily discuss today, Labour Under Attack: Anti-Unionism in Canada (Fernwood, 2018). Do Canadians and workers support unions? What are the sources of influential anti-union ideas? What do labour organizations themselves do that sometimes fosters anti-union sentiment? We address these thorny but important topics today. 2021-03-0250 min
Alberta Advantage PodcastAre the NDP Liberals in a Hurry?Support this podcast Are the NDP merely liberals in a bit of a rush? Team Advantage examines Gary Teeple's 1972 essay, 'Liberals in a hurry': socialism and the CCF-NDP. What role does the Fabian Society have in shaping the thought of the CCF, and later, the NDP? Can real socialist change be made through technocratic changes or parliamentary methods? Is moralizing about capitalism's ill effects a useful way of bringing about political change? Sweater Weather is a video & audio podcast about Canadian culture, politics & economics from a socialist perspective, hosted & produced by...2021-02-261h 06
Sweater WeatherA Century of Canadian Socialism, feat. Ian McKayIn episode 8 of Sweater Weather, I talk to Ian McKay, professor of history at McMaster University and director of the L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History. He is the author and co-author of numerous books and articles about the Canadian left, including Reasoning Otherwise: Leftists and the People’s Enlightenment in Canada, 1890-1920, as well as Rebels, Reds, Radicals: Rethinking Canada’s Left History. This is an absolute gem of an episode, a must watch for every Canadian leftist craving a comprehensive historical perspective on socialism and social movements in this country. We begin our discussion, howe...2021-02-131h 27
Sweater WeatherA Century of Canadian Socialism, feat. Ian McKayIn episode 8 of Sweater Weather, I talk to Ian McKay, professor of history at McMaster University and director of the L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History. He is the author and co-author of numerous books and articles about the Canadian left, including Reasoning Otherwise: Leftists and the People’s Enlightenment in Canada, 1890-1920, as well as Rebels, Reds, Radicals: Rethinking Canada’s Left History. This is an absolute gem of an episode, a must watch for every Canadian leftist craving a comprehensive historical perspective on socialism and social movements in this country. We begin our discussion...2021-02-131h 27
Sweater WeatherTrailer Park Boys: Great Show or Greatest Show? feat. Clinton, Rory and Tyler from The Alberta AdvantageThe boys from The Alberta Advantage—Clinton, Rory, Tyler—visit Sweater Weather to gab about the boys from the trailer park—Ricky, Julian and Bubbles. That’s right, we’re talking Trailer Park Boys! It's one of the best Canadian television shows ever, and one of the few to find an international audience. And while its heyday was 2001-2007, Trailer Park Boys has an enduring appeal to leftists because of its depictions of class, community, and for just being so damn funny. Rory is our resident East Coaster and he shares his deep knowledge of Nova Scoti...2021-01-171h 41
Sweater WeatherTrailer Park Boys: Great Show or Greatest Show? feat. Clinton, Rory and Tyler from The Alberta AdvantageThe boys from The Alberta Advantage—Clinton, Rory, Tyler—visit Sweater Weather to gab about the boys from the trailer park—Ricky, Julian and Bubbles. That’s right, we’re talking Trailer Park Boys! It's one of the best Canadian television shows ever, and one of the few to find an international audience. And while its heyday was 2001-2007, Trailer Park Boys has an enduring appeal to leftists because of its depictions of class, community, and for just being so damn funny. Rory is our resident East Coaster and he shares his deep knowledge of...2021-01-171h 41
Sweater WeatherCould the Conservatives Wipe Out the NDP? feat. Steven C. HighWill the next federal election spell doom for the NDP, out maneuvered by the Conservatives for working-class voters? I talk to Steven C. High, professor of history at Concordia University and author of the recent article for Canadian Dimension, "Right-wing populism and the realignment of working-class politics in Canada." See the full interview here: https://youtu.be/Pj2N4vMOoYk Steven High's article: https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/right-wing-populism-and-the-realignment-of-working-class-politics-in-canada Support Sweater Weather on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=73... Sweater Weather’s website: https://www.sweaterweatherpod.com/ ...2021-01-1614 min
Sweater WeatherCould the Conservatives Wipe Out the NDP? feat. Steven C. HighWill the next federal election spell doom for the NDP, out maneuvered by the Conservatives for working-class voters? I talk to Steven C. High, professor of history at Concordia University and author of the recent article for Canadian Dimension, "Right-wing populism and the realignment of working-class politics in Canada." See the full interview here: https://youtu.be/Pj2N4vMOoYk Steven High's article: https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/right-wing-populism-and-the-realignment-of-working-class-politics-in-canada Support Sweater Weather on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=73... Sweater Weather’s website: https://www.sweaterweatherpod.com/ 2021-01-1614 min
Sweater WeatherDeindustrialization in Canada and Beyond, feat. Steven C. HighHow has deindustrialization impacted the working class in Canada and around the world? In what ways is deindustrialization, a side effect of global capital constantly seeking cheaper labour, shaping the politics of our time? Will the next federal election spell doom for the NDP, out maneuvered by the Conservatives for working class voters? This week I talk to Steven C. High, professor of history at Concordia University, who has published extensively on deindustrialization and the post-industrial transformation of North American cities. His books include Industrial Sunset: The Making of North America’s Rust Belt (U of...2021-01-1349 min
Sweater WeatherDeindustrialization in Canada and Beyond, feat. Steven C. HighHow has deindustrialization impacted the working class in Canada and around the world? In what ways is deindustrialization, a side effect of global capital constantly seeking cheaper labour, shaping the politics of our time? Will the next federal election spell doom for the NDP, out maneuvered by the Conservatives for working class voters? This week I talk to Steven C. High, professor of history at Concordia University, who has published extensively on deindustrialization and the post-industrial transformation of North American cities. His books include Industrial Sunset: The Making of North America’s Rust Belt (U...2021-01-1349 min
Sweater WeatherCanada, Global Capitalism & Socialist PossibilitiesI’m delighted to talk to Sam Gindin, co-author of The Making of Global Capitalism (2012) a modern classic, as well as the more recent but no less essential The Socialist Challenge Today (2020) both co-written with his long-time friend and colleague Leo Panitch. From 1974-2000, Sam was the director of research at the Canadian Auto Workers union, now Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada. Sam is an internationally recognized authority on political economy and social movements, and he frequently writes and speaks about socialism in a global context—but he’s Canadian, so I was keen to hear...2021-01-011h 10
Sweater WeatherCanada, Global Capitalism & Socialist Possibilities, feat. Sam GindinI’m delighted to talk to Sam Gindin, co-author of The Making of Global Capitalism (2012) a modern classic, as well as the more recent but no less essential The Socialist Challenge Today (2020) both co-written with his long-time friend and colleague Leo Panitch. From 1974-2000, Sam was the director of research at the Canadian Auto Workers union, now Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada. Sam is an internationally recognized authority on political economy and social movements, and he frequently writes and speaks about socialism in a global context—but he’s Canadian, so I was keen...2021-01-011h 10