Shows
Unpacking the NewsFernwood Publishing Presents: The Fight for Public DentalcareDental care is excluded from Canada’s universal healthcare system with services provided based on the ability to pay, leading large segments of the population to neglect care resulting in poor oral health and all its consequences.On a new Unpacking the News dentist and public healthcare activist Brandon Doucet joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation examining the little known history of dentistry in Canada, how private business interests have prevailed over public health, current trends in the industry like corporate ownership and cosmetic dentistry and more from his new Fernwood Publishing release ‘Abou...
2023-07-1741 minUnpacking the NewsRealizing a Good Life: Men’s Pathways Out of Drugs and CrimeElizabeth Comack's work in the sociology of law and feminist criminology and as a member of the Manitoba Research Alliance, a consortium of academics and community partners engaged in research addressing poverty in Indigenous and inner-city communities, has informed 14 books she's written or edited including ‘Coming Back to Jail: Women, Trauma, and Criminalization’ and ‘Racialized Policing: Aboriginal People’s Encounters with Police’. On a new Unpacking the News she joins host Andre Goulet to talk about her latest book from Fernwood ‘Realizing a Good Life: Men’s Pathways Out of Drugs and Crime’.Find the bo...
2023-07-0341 minUnpacking the NewsChow, More Than Ever: The 2023 Toronto Election (w/ The Breach, Big Shiny Takes + more)An amazing array of independent media convened at Christie Pits park this month as Replay’s Shama Rangwala, The Breach coordinating editor Emma Paling, analyst Chuka Ekjam, cartoonist Haus of Decline and Big Shiny Takes Institute senior fellows Marino Greco, Eric Wickham and Jeremy Appel sit down with host Andre Goulet to break down the candidates and issues, hopes and dreams and traumas and fears of Toronto's 2023 Mayoral byelection.Plus stay tuned until the end of the episode for a very special 40th birthday best wishes segment recorded for Harbinger pa...
2023-06-1938 minUnpacking the NewsBriarpatch Presents: Who Is the NDP For....?Former Saskatchewan NDP leadership candidate Kaitlyn Harvey and Edmonton city council candidate Navjot Kaur join journalist Haseena Manek and host Andre Goulet for a conversation exploring the exclusionary reflex of provincial NDP parties in the 2nd in a series of episodes produced in collaboration with Briarpatch celebrating the magazine's 50th anniversary year.Read Maneek's piece at https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/who-is-the-ndp-forFind the new Fernwood Publishing release 'Making a Home' at https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/making-a-home
2023-06-051h 03
Unpacking the NewsLive at the 2023 Mobilizing Data for Justice conferenceOn May 5th through 7th the 2023 Mobilizing Data for Justice conference brought together activists, community leaders and critical researchers from around the world for skill building, community outreach and research collaboration at Concordia University's downtown campus in Montreal.Invisible Institutions' Megan Linton and host Andre Goulet spoke with multiple presenters including conference lead organizer Dr. Chris Hurl, the Information Mobilization and Public Accountability Collective of Toronto's AJ Withers, Winnipeg scholar and activist Kevin Walby from the Centre for Access to Information and Justice, RenovictionsTO's Patricio Davilla and Montreal's
2023-05-221h 00Unpacking the NewsExploring the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress w/ Press ProgressFrom May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS' daily show every morning live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot! Each episode will feature interviews and reports from the floor of Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode with prairie labour journalist Emily Leedham and host Andre Goulet exploring what to expect at convention this week, her new Press Progress piece about the PSAC-AFPC action 'Public Servants Forced Government to Improve Deal By Going on Strike' and more.Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and...
2023-05-0823 minUnpacking the NewsPP vs. The CBC (w/ The Independent’s Justin Brake)Trailblazing progressive podcast UNPACKING THE NEWS is back after a 30 month hiatus for an all-new Season 2! In this kick-off episode BERRYGROUNDS' Justin Brake joins host Andre Goulet to explore how his work as The Independent interim editor will be afflicting the comfortable in Newfoundland and Labrador society and politics, his background in unapologetic, confrontational journalism and how Pierre Poilievre’s attacks on the CBC distort the reality of public broadcasting in so-called Canada. Watch for new episodes this spring and summer co-produced with Briarpatch contributors celebrating the magazine's 50th anniversary, Fe...
2023-04-2648 minUnpacking the NewsAnnouncing UNPACKING THE NEWS SEASON 2 launching April 2023!We're back! Returning after a two and a half year hiatus Unpacking the News is a weekly progressive podcast featuring in-depth interviews and panel conversations on Canadian society, culture and politics with journalists, academics and activists from coast to coast. Hosted by André Goulet in Montréal, this season will include episodes co-produced with:Council of Canadians campaign organizersBriarpatch contributors celebrating the magazine’s 50th anniversaryFernwood Publishing authors discussing new book releasesa week-long daily live series recorded at the 2023 Canadian Labour Congressa live episode recorded at Concordia University's Mobilizing Data for Justice conferenceand much more over a 15 episode seas...
2023-04-2101 min
Darts and LettersCanada’s Dumbest Public Intellectuals (ft. Kate Jacobson, Hilary Agro, Big Shiny Takes & Andre Goulet)
Canada’s intellectual culture is now like a barren soil that struggles to give life to even the simplest flora. They’re just not that smart. We make too many right wing cranks, self-help charlatans, blood-thirsty reactionaries, insipid centrists, and third-rate Hayekians. But which are our worst? We invite our new friends from the Harbinger Media Network to help scour the national intellectual wasteland to find Canada’s dumbest public intellectual. The idea is simple: each guest makes the case for why their pick is the best at being the worst. Plus, Andre Goulet talks about the Harbinger Network and th...
2021-11-271h 13
Kino Lefter129 - Squid Game and Late Capitalism (From The Korea File) with André Goulet and Paris MarxEvan's on vacation this week, so enjoy this episode of The Korea File where host André Goulet chats with Evan and Paris Marx of Tech Won't Save Us about Squid Game, the limits of anti-capitalist art, and Fortnite. From The Korea File:"On a celebratory 100th episode host Andre Goulet welcomes Harbinger Media Network podcast pals Paris Marx of leftist tech worldview critique show Tech Won't Save Us and Evan MacDonald of socialist film review show Kino Lefter to explore the historical parallels and context of Squid Game, examine the show's cultural capitalist critique, regret i...
2021-11-0556 min
Alberta Advantage PodcastMINI-EP: Building Left Media with Andre GouletSupport this podcast Andre Goulet of the newly-launched Harbinger Media Network joins Team Advantage to talk about the problem of reactionary podcasts that unfortunately top the charts. How might we expand the reach of fledgling left-wing podcasts and help get our ideas into the mainstream? To learn more about Harbinger, visit harbingermedianetwork.com and follow @harbingertweets. Follow Andre Goulet on twitter @andremarrgoulet, and tell him Kate sent you.
2020-10-0612 minUnpacking the NewsBack to School at Podcast HighIn the SERIES FINALE, join host Andre Goulet and a cross-country conclave of comrades for the first day back to school at Podcast High! Hear conversations with Chris (Left Behind), Gabrielle (les Ficelles/Ricochet), Tyler + Roberta (Alberta Advantage), Evan (Kino Lefter), Paris (Tech Won’t Save Us), Eric (Big Shiny Takes), Umair (Oats for Breakfast) and Rob Rousseau (49th Parahell) as they navigate the hallways and classrooms of a new school year and explain why a Universal Basic Income, a green transition for Alberta’s energy sector, a federal jobs guarantee program and more should all be on the...
2020-09-151h 00Unpacking the NewsThe Intersect: Prisons and PandemicPivot Legal Society's Meenakshi Mannoe (Vancouver Prison Justice Day Committee) and Montreal academic and activist Ted Rutland (The Anti-Carceral Group) join host Andre Goulet to discuss decarceration, abolition and the past, present and future of Prison Justice organizing in an era of COVID-19.Find out more about how you can support prisoners and Prison Justice activism athttp://prisonjustice.ca/ and https://www.noprisons.ca/Get involved with The Anti-Carceral Group athttps://www.facebook.com/anticarceralgroup/'COVID-19 Pandemic Plan Needed for Canada’s Jails and Prisons' audio is courtesy of AP...
2020-07-2940 minUnpacking the NewsThe Intersect: How to Defund the PoliceAs the movement to defund police continues to gain momentum across North America, a coalition of more than twenty Montreal community groups are calling for a 50% cut to the police budget in one of Canada's safest and most over-policed cities. But where would these cuts happen? And how could funding be re-directed?On this episode Black Lives Matter Montreal organizer Marlihan Lopez, Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal coordinator Jessica Quijano and Stella executive director Sandra Wesley join host Andre Goulet to discuss what defunding and demilitarizing the police would look like, how this process can lead to de...
2020-07-1546 minUnpacking the NewsThe 20th Century: Mackenzie King and the Canadian Subconscious (w/ Kino Lefter)On a special Canada Day crossover host Andre Goulet teams up with the sensational socialist film crit of Kino Lefter's Abdul, Laura and Evan! Join the gang for a hallucinogenic history tour as they unpack Matthew Rankin's surreal 2019 not-quite-biopic 'The 20th Century', featuring beloved bachelor and long-time Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.Thrill to analysis of the artificiality of the Canadian subconscious! Shudder as the deepest fears about our country are made manifest! Marvel at the greatest crime against national dignity ever attempted by a motion picture!Support independent Canadian cinema by watching 'The 20th...
2020-07-011h 21Unpacking the NewsThe Intersect: Fighting for a Free Transit FutureWhat kind of challenges come with organizing in the midst of a public health crisis? On a new episode of UtN's summer series 'The Intersect', Free Transit Edmonton's Juan Felipe Vargas Alba and Free Transit Ottawa's Julia Szwarc join host Andre Goulet to explore the rapid growth of the Free Transit movement and how it intersects with police violence, labour, class and race.Audio on this episode features Herman Rosenfeld, author of ‘Toronto: Challenging the Impossible' on CityNews Toronto. Find out more or get involved at https://freetransitedmonton.ca/ and https://freetransitottawa.ca/This co...
2020-06-1044 minUnpacking the NewsThe End of the Beginning of the End (w/ Martin Lukacs)On episode 127, investigative journalist Martin Lukacs (The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Justin’s new role as the nation’s camp-counsellor-in-chief, the lobbying leviathan and Liberal corporate cronyism, misplaced praise for an insufficient NDP response to the CERB bailout, new developments in the Wet'suwet'en fight for land title recognition and much more. Read more about how the fax machine is a vital weapon in Montreal contract tracers' war against COVID-19 at:https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/using-a-fax-machine-the-painstaking-work-of-contact-tracers/See how the the impact of COVID-19 on C...
2020-05-1445 min
Unpacking the NewsPandemic Pals: Calgary (w/ Kate Jacobson + Sean Willett)On episode 127 Kate Jacobson and Sean Willett of The Alberta Advantage join host Andre Goulet to discuss zero dollar oil, recognizing America as a failed state, fake country balkanization in an age of pandemic and more. Plus: dismantling so-called "Canadian" values and a Marxist analysis of Dr. Panda's pseudo-fascism.See the 'Canadian Values' poll athttp://angusreid.org/modern-morality/ Learn more about the coronavirus with Dr. Panda athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUlCIFE45M&t=32sListen to The Alberta Advantage at https://soundcloud.com/albertaadvantage
2020-04-2749 min
Unpacking the NewsPandemic Pals: Winnipeg (w/ Emily Leedham + James Wilt)On episode 125 Emily Leedham, James Wilt and host Andre Goulet talk COVID19 in Manitoba, call out the CERB for leaving undocumented workers behind and explore why the left’s response to the recent Winnipeg PD murders and to police killings everywhere should be to call for the abolition of the police.Plus: releasing a major book on the future of public transit in the middle of a pandemic, Harvey's burgers as the ultimate form of quarantine self-care and: are cats the anti-Twitter? You can buy 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars? Public Transit in the Age of...
2020-04-2051 min
Unpacking the NewsPandemic Pals: Ottawa (w/ David Moscrop)Sequestered in the nation's capital, political commentator and academic David Moscrop (The Washington Post, Maclean's) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the nationalization of the economy and the paradigm shifting CERB, the strength of Canadian political institutions in the face of an unprecedented crisis and what the Trudeau government can learn from the radical transparency and virus realpolitik of the South Korean government.Plus: the Department of Global Affairs says that Saudi Arabia’s human rights record of unlawful killings, forced disappearances and torture is “problematic". So why has the ban on arms sales to Mohammed bin Salman’s thug...
2020-04-1339 minUnpacking the NewsPandemic Pals: Newfoundland (w/ Drew Brown)On episode 123 journalist Drew Brown (The Independent, VICE) joins host Andre Goulet to lament the loss of Newfoundland shed culture, analyze the gigantic hole in Trudeau’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit plan and explore why the global pandemic may be an extinction event for journalism. This episode was recorded on April 5th, 2020.Check out Tom Baird's COVID-19 math athttps://theindependent.ca/2020/03/31/crunching-the-numbers-on-covid-19/ Read the Canadian Center for Policy Alternative's breakdown of CERB aid athttp://behindthenumbers.ca/2020/03/18/what-to-make-of-the-federal-covid-19-aid-package/ Find out more about why the crisis may be an ex...
2020-04-0635 min
Unpacking the NewsPandemic Pals: Vancouver (w/ Charlie Demers + David Harris)On episode 122 it's picnics, panics and positive energy as Vancouver comics Charlie Demers and David Harris join host Andre Goulet to talk rent freeze, economic collapse and what the coronavirus crisis looks like from a Pacific Rim perspective.Hear multi-diagnosed comedian buds Charlie & David open up weekly (and weakly!) about mental illness and mental wellness with a range of guests on 'Fight or Flight Crew', available wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.spreaker.com/show/fight-or-flight-crewThis conversation was recorded on March 28th, 2020.
2020-03-3038 min
Unpacking the NewsPandemic Pals: Montreal (w/ Rob Rousseau + Marla Williams)On episode 121 pundit and podcaster Rob Rousseau (49th Parahell, The Insurgents) and friend of the show Marla Williams join host Andre Goulet to discuss the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, to flag the threat of increased surveillance and government overreach during the crisis and to provide some solace, support and solidarity in the midst of troubled times.Plus: why it's more important than ever to lean into civic and democratic responsibilities and why hope and humour can be effective means for coping with the chaos. Audio of Mayor Valerie Plante courtesy of the Montreal...
2020-03-2544 minUnpacking the NewsHow I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love COVID-19On episode 120 of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes comedian John Hanchar back to the show after a year abroad in China to try to make sense of a frightening and confusing week as Canada enters a new era of global health crisis. Audio on this episode includes an excerpt from Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' and this Tuesday's Justin Trudeau press conference.This conversation was recorded on March 17th, 2020.
2020-03-1836 minUnpacking the NewsBlockades, Occupations and White Liberal HypocrisyOn episode 119, it's a trip down the memory hole to those heady, halcyon days of late February when occupations and blockades were sweeping the country. Join activist Ethan Dennett and host Andre Goulet for a conversation on the solidarity and celebration of the BC Legislature occupation. Plus: hear Ethan and Andre explore why Canadian liberals and the Edmonton Eskimos both suck ass.This conversation was recorded on March 9th, 2020.Audio on this episode is courtesy of CBC Vancouverhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIZ6h9gjGb8Support the show at...
2020-03-1324 minUnpacking the NewsCrisis Democracy in a Fictional CountryOn episode 118 of Unpacking the News ex-journalist and Comms Director at the BC-based public interest group Dogwood Kai Nagata joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the political fallout from the blockades and occupations, a federal government confused by its own hypocrisy and the RCMP’s historical pattern of violence against Indigenous communities.This conversation was recorded on March 11th, 2020.Follow us on Twitter at @kainagata @andremarrgoulet and @unpackingthene2Audio courtesy of CBC's The Nationalhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwf20Yie3tU For more info on recent Dogwood campaigns go to...
2020-03-1140 minUnpacking the NewsQuebec's Quiet Dystopia: Fake News, the Values Test and Law 21On episode 117 guests Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours and Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry help host Andre Goulet navigate life in the quiet dystopia of la Belle Province as the panel discuss the new values test for Quebec immigrants, Premier Francois Legault's weird allegations aimed at the Kahnawake blockade and the latest on the state-sanctioned second class citizenship of Law 21. Hear Gabrielle, Ludvic and independent journalist Martin Forgues on a new season of Ricochet's flagship french-language show le Plancher des Vaches wherever you get your podcasts.Audio on this episode courtesy of CBC's The National (10/30/19)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
2020-03-0436 minUnpacking the NewsThe New Left Canadian Media InsurgencyOn a media double feature episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes Geoff Sharpe, co-founder of online advocacy org North99, to explore the rise of left/socialist media in Canada and the United States and why professionalizing indie media in this country is more important than ever. Plus: why Arnold Viesen can't rap, how John Baird's Conservative leadership run is bound for failure and a celebration of the one year anniversary of the SNC-Lavelin scandal.Then, Chris Markevich joins the show to discuss his epic, ambitious new podcast 'Left Behind: Socialism in the Age of Right...
2020-02-1250 minUnpacking the NewsTension and Solidarity at the Regina Refinery LockoutOn a Labour double feature episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes Winnipeg-based organizer and broadcaster Emily Leedham (Rank & File: Prairie Edition) to discuss her experience on the frontlines of the Unifor Local 594 blockade at Regina's Co-op oil refinery.Then, Montreal journalist Jon Milton discusses Concordia University's February 11th 'Transform Your Workplace, Save the Planet' conference and the broader mission of building bridges between organized labour and the Climate Justice movement.For access to bonus interview content with Emily and Jon, become a $5/month patron of the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenews
2020-02-0547 minUnpacking the NewsDonut Discourse + the Wet’suwet’en Pipeline StandoffOn a 'short and tweet' mini episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet serves up a selection of decadent hot takes exploring all sides of this week's dumb donut discourse.Plus: live video from the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff in northern B.C. and information on how you can help support journalist Jerome Turner's important work inside the Unist’ot’en camp.For the full video go tohttps://ricochet.media/en/2884/that-basically-is-genocide-in-itself-video-coverage-of-the-pipeline-standoff-on-wetsuweten-territoryHear the Oh Donuts story athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh3GFFVpCWoSupport this sho...
2020-01-2307 minUnpacking the News2020 Division: Foreign Policy Fails and a Fractured Political Year AheadOn the first episode of 2020, host Andre Goulet greets a new decade with SFU/UBC polisci academic and politics pundit Stewart Prest to investigate the Liberal government's frustrating foreign policy record, including an update on Huawei scion Meng Wanzhou's extradition case and Canada/China relations and exploring why ex-foreign minister Chrystia Freeland's support for the South American far-right has been a moral failure. Plus: a look at where party politics stand in early 2020 and what to expect for the year ahead.This conversation was recorded on Monday, January 13th. Support the show at https...
2020-01-1552 minUnpacking the News2019: The Way We WereIn a year-end retrospective, host Andre Goulet and associate producer Savanna Craig explore the very weird memory palace of the year 2019 with selected audio curated from a few of this year's 39 episodes including:* ep79 'Falling in Love With Andrew Scheer' (2/14)* ep86 'Welcome to Hellberta' (4/23)* ep93 'Early Summer Fall Election Preview' (6/19)* ep98 'Why the Globe and Mail is Wrong About Genocide' (8/24)* ep102 'Systemic Racism, Canada and Justin Trudeau' (10/2).....and more! Unpacking the news will be back in early 2020. Happy New Year!
2019-12-2649 minUnpacking the NewsThe Cold War Tragedy of Canadian Communist Fred Rose (ep110 preview w/ Tommy Schnurmacher)Political commentator and talk radio legend Tommy Scbnurmacher is the author of ‘Canada’s Not a Real Country’ and a new memoir ‘Make-up Tips From Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother’s Life'. On a preview conversation of episode 110, Schnurmacher and host Andre Goulet go deep on a frequently forgotten fixture in an earlier era of Canadian politics to answer the question…...who was Fred Rose?This conversation was recorded on December 10th, 2019.Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/unpackingthenewsHear audio from Historica Canada's 'The Canadians: Fred Rose' and Lulu Belle and Scotty's...
2019-12-1127 minUnpacking the NewsInclusion and Gentrification in the Smart City (Face au Future ep1)Presenting the first of three special French-language episodes of Spacing Magazine's Future Fix, this is 'Face au Futur' hosted by Katia Gaid and produced by Andre Goulet.How do post-secondary institutions, and specifically their campuses, fit into the smart city landscape? The Université of Montréal's new Campus MIL gives us an idea. Geneviève O'Meara, Université of Montréal spokesperson talks to us about how Campus MIL inclusively and responsibly re-purposed old industrial lands with temporary urban interventions, tech installations, bike lanes, safe walkways, and other features that even landed them a LEED certification. But Sasha Dyck, a res...
2019-11-2726 minUnpacking the NewsWexit and Jason Kenney's War on AlbertaOn ep108 Progress Alberta executive director and 'The Progress Report' host Duncan Kinney joins Andre Goulet to explain how Jason Kenney's 2019 budget is an opening salvo in the United Conservative Party's war against Alberta civil society. Plus: in spite of massive media hype and hysteria, does support for Wexit actually hold up? (Short answer: nope) For more from PA go to https://www.progressalberta.ca/ and subscribe to The Progress Report wherever you get your podcasts.Support this show at patreon.com/unpackingthenewsThis conversation was recorded on November 11th, 2019.
2019-11-2030 minUnpacking the NewsCall it a Coup (ep108 preview w/ Duncan Kinney)On an episode 108 preview, Progress Alberta executive director and host of 'The Progress Report' podcast Duncan Kinney joins the show to ask why Canada's foreign policy establishment is supporting Bolivia's military-led coup against a popularly elected socialist leader. Tune in next week as Duncan and host Andre Goulet unpack Wexit and explore the cruelty of Jason Kenney's 2019 Alberta budget. This conversation was recorded on November 11th, 2019.Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
2019-11-1305 minUnpacking the NewsFake Victory: Election 2019 Analysis From Coast to CoastOn ep106 of Unpacking the News, a cavalcade of comrades and commentators from across the country join host Andre Goulet to explain why, in the aftermath of the demented fever dream of Canada's 43rd federal election, everyone's a loser.This episode includes conversations with activist Hugh Stewart (Dog Island) in Halifax, political science scholar Maike Sondarjee (Le Placher des Vaches) in Quebec City, academic Christo Aivalis (Youtube's 'Left Politics, History and Culture') in Kingston, organizer Kate Jacobson (The Alberta Advantage) in Medicine Hat and Ricochet editor Derrick O'Keefe. This conversation was recorded on October 22nd, 2019.
2019-10-221h 05Unpacking the NewsSingh’s Surge, Broken Democratic Norms and an Election About RaceDepraved debates, a Singh surge and a frustratingly full frontal attack on democratic norms from Maxime Bernier and Rebel Media.... On episode 105, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and attorney Laurence Ricard join host Andre Goulet to explore week 5 of Canada's 43rd Federal Election.Plus: correspondent Savanna Craig and activist Sania Malik discuss Quebec's Law 21 and it's impact on the campaign and socialist, housing activist and NDP candidate Christine Paré explains how she's taking the fight to Justin Trudeau in his own riding of Papineau in Montreal.Provide critical financial support for the future of the show at p...
2019-10-152h 01Unpacking the NewsDebate Fails, Toxic Discourse and the Myth of Scheer as the EverymanSingh’s strength in the face of adversity impresses, the BQ tweets the quiet part out loud and American Andrew Scheer is....not actually an accountant? On episode 104 of the podcast journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and sociologist Julia Posca join host Andre Goulet to explore week 4 of our grim and grotesque 2019 Federal Election psychodrama.Plus: correspondent Anna Bianca Roach speaks with Rank and File's Dave Bush to talk about Ontario’s Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign, what voters who care about labour rights should be looking for when they cast their ballot and how labour issu...
2019-10-081h 52Unpacking the NewsLiz May, the Climate Strike and the Rise of the GreensIf televangelist and PPC candidate Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson's claims that Maxime Bernier is the second coming of the biblical king Jehu are accurate, what can we expect from next week's Leadership debates? To explore this hot topic issue and more, journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, politics scholar Maika Sondarjee and host Andre Goulet sit down to discuss a wild and wonderful week for Elizabeth May's 'untraditional' Green Party of Canada, the polling fallout from Trudeau's racism scandal and why the Bloc Québécois' appeal to boomers is yo, a totally rad strategy.Pl...
2019-10-011h 33
The Korea FileTKF host Andre Goulet on Singapore's 'The Podcast Show'In a break month for content, The Korea File is proud to present Singapore-based Shida Osman in conversation with TKF's Andre Goulet on 'The Podcast Show'. TPS show notes describe the conversation as follows: “Consistency, would be the key to a successful podcast”,says Andre Goulet, podcast host of The Korea File. The conversation unveils why he chose Korea, what happened to the punk rock band that he played in, his love for Korea's architecture and why he chose Bulgogi, in the “This or That” game.Hear more of 'The Podcast Show' at https://soundcloud.com/thepodca...
2019-09-2635 minUnpacking the NewsSystemic Racism, Canada and Justin TrudeauAfter a week of secrets revealed and hypocrisies exposed journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, politics scholar Maika Sondarjee and host Andre Goulet discuss the slow-motion implosion of the Liberal campaign, how Canadian media is dramatically unequipped to handle the discourse Trudeau's 'blackface' history demands and why this country's unwillingness to grapple with systemic racism has become the underlying theme of the 2019 Federal Election.Plus: correspondent Anna Roach speaks with labour organizer Thomas McKechnie on the movement to unionize Foodora in Toronto. Provide critical financial support for the future of the show at patreon.com...
2019-09-241h 25Unpacking the News2019 Election Analysis en Francais (le Plancher des Vaches ep1)'Le plancher des vaches' is an election podcast that aims to explore the dead angles of traditional media coverage of electoral campaigns with vivid analysis from journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and politics scholar Maïka Sondarjee.New episodes are recorded every Sunday at Ricochet's offices at la Halte 24-7 in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood. Production by André Goulet, Katia Gaïd et Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours.Check this space as Martin, Ludvic and Maïka continue the conversation in English with André Goulet on Unpacking the News every week.
2019-09-1847 minUnpacking the NewsElection of a Thousand LaughsFeel the excitement of a 2019 Federal Election well-underway as journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and politics scholar Maika Sondarjee (co-hosts of Ricochet’s new election podcast ‘Le Plancher des Vaches’) join Andre Goulet to consider the week in review. Hear the panel lament ill-fated tarmac omens, analyze the kind of shout-y Maclean’s debate and agonize over Andrew Scheer’s terrible new campaign song. Plus: a brutal first week for the Greens, Bill 21 and the Quebec vote and the provocative potential of Jagmeet Singh’s secret swagger. All this and more on episode 101 of Unpacking the News....
2019-09-1834 minUnpacking the NewsOur Pals at The Post Millenial (ep100)On episode 100 of Unpacking the News, National Observer investigative reporter Emma McIntosh joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the connections between The Post Millenial, "free speech" website Free Bird Media the rise of far-right Canadian political and social punditry.Check back here next Wednesday for weekly episodes featuring interviews and round-table conversations exploring the 2019 election chaos and support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenewsRead Emma's piece athttps://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/08/22/news/he-used-work-site-promoted-racists-now-he-edits-canadian-news-outlet The full video for the opening audio on this episode 'Hypocrisy much? CBC personalities suggest Post Millennial is biased...
2019-09-1133 minUnpacking the NewsManitoba Election a Referendum on AusterityBrian Pallister's Progressive Conservative government has rammed through a barrage of major right-wing changes in Manitoba over the last three years including service closures, funding cuts, privatizations and union-busting. On this week's episode journalist James Wilt joins host Andre Goulet to explore the casual cruelty of a series of major PC policies initiatives that have fallen under the radar.Plus: the origins of the collapse in support for the Manitoba NDP and what it tells us about the decline of the federal party as we stare into the abyss of 10/21 election.Read Wilt's piece "The Devastation...
2019-09-0442 minUnpacking the NewsWhy the Globe & Mail is Wrong About GenocideOn episode 97 of Unpacking the News, hosts Andre Goulet and Savanna Craig are joined by local pundit and Executive Director of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal Nakuset to discuss the absence of hope in Attawapiskat, the recent conflict incited by racist city government in Oka and why the Globe & Mail's editorial board is 100% wrong about the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls report's conclusions regarding genocide.For more information on the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal go to http://www.nwsm.info/This episode was recorded on July 26th, 2019.
2019-08-1443 minUnpacking the NewsWet Hot Chocolate Milk SummerOn a hazy mid-summer episode of Unpacking the News things turn humid as host Andre Goulet, educator/musician Adam Hickey and Time Out Montreal editor JP Karwacki discuss Andrew Scheer's politicization of national food nutrition policy, Justin Trudeau's (accidental?) condescension towards Indigenous communities at a recent fundraiser and the sublimely theoretical Green Party support for a non-existent Conservative climate plan. Plus, exploring the latest polls, lamenting the absence of progressive housing policy in Canadian political discourse and why the New York Times is 100% correct in labeling Jagmeet Singh a "historical contender for Canada's top political job"....
2019-07-3143 minUnpacking the NewsSeance at Lougheed ManorOn a super spooky summer vacation episode of 'Unpacking the News', prepare to gasp in terror as host Andre Goulet and Joel Laforest of 'The Alberta Advantage' podcast commune with the ghost of the late, legendary Peter Lougheed (PC Premier, 1971-1985)! How did the pair gain access to the late ex-Premier's haunted house of horror in Edmonton's tony Glenora neighbourhood? What are the '6 Principles'? And who needs a 9-bed 5-bath mansion anyways?Prepare to shudder in fear as Lougheed explains why, through the medium of a simple ouija board (and in contrast to contemporary trends...
2019-07-1723 minUnpacking the NewsUnequal Opportunity: Sexism in Canadian JournalismPredatory professors, contemptible colleagues and taking heat from far-right trolls: on episode 94 hosts Savanna Craig and Andre Goulet welcome The Link's former Coordinating Editor Savanna Stewart and Creative Director Aysha White for a conversation exploring sexism in Canadian journalism.Then, Emily Leedham (Rank & File: Prairie Edition) joins the show to discuss strategies for fighting back against the far-right in Canadian media and weighs in on her own experience as a woman in independent journalism.Theme music, Timecrawler's 'Mt. Fuji', is courtesy of Creative Commons. For more from The Link check out https://thelinknewspaper.ca/
2019-06-1936 minUnpacking the NewsEarly Summer Fall Election Preview (3rd Birthday Edition)It's an extra-length, epic anniversary episode as educator and musician Adam Hickey (Used Cassettes, New Blue Death) and journalist J.P. Karwacki (Time Out Montreal, CULT Montreal) join host Andre Goulet to celebrate the 3rd birthday of the podcast.Hear them discuss the parties and leaders over drinks and cupcakes in Parc Lafontaine in an immersive conversation regarding a flailing Canadian political establishment scrambling for leverage at the outset of the 2019 federal election.Associate Production and cupcake support from Savanna Craig. Opening music, 'Gens du Pays', is Quebec's unofficial birthday anthem. Theme music, Timecrawler's...
2019-06-131h 03Unpacking the NewsJagmeet Singh on the NDP's Green New DealOn episode 92 of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet visits the NDP's Green New Deal campaign launch at the Monument-National in downtown Montreal to find out more about the party's ambitious Climate Justice federal fall election strategy, including a one-on-one conversation with party leader Jagmeet Singh.For more on the NDP's Green New Deal go to https://www.ndp.ca/power-to-changeMusic on this episode, Timewalkers's 'Mt. Fuji', is from Creative Commons.Associate Production courtesy of Savanna Craig.This episode was recorded on May 31st, 2019.
2019-06-0324 minUnpacking the NewsThe Extremely Online Subculture of Canada’s New Far-rightWhite power chatrooms, fascist memes and Jordan Pederson lectures as extremist recruitment tools: journalists Shannon Carranco and Jon Milton join host Andre Goulet and associate producer Savanna Craig to explore their recent Globe and Mail piece investigating Canada’s extremely online white power movement. Plus: the psychology of the Mount Everest high achiever, the Canadian garbage right-of-return and: autopsy on a Twitter weekend: why...... is Cliff Wife?Read Shannon and Jon's piece athttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadas-new-far-right-a-trove-of-private-chat-room-messages-reveals/Audio on this episode includes: * ‘Jenny Fell Off the Trail- Scary Moment for Our...
2019-05-2948 minUnpacking the NewsTeens Against Empire: Gravel 2020 and the Anti-Imperialist LeftAn insurgent, largely social media-driven campaign is bringing a radically anti-imperialist and anti-war message to the 2020 American election discourse. But how did a trio of teenagers convince an 89 year-old former Alaska Senator to make a presidential run? On this episode, senior campaign staff Jonathan Suhr and Alex Chang join host Andre Goulet on an ambitious dual-cast of Korean history and current affairs show ‘The Korea File’ and Canadian left politics podcast ‘Unpacking the News’ to discuss the extraordinary anti-imperialist, anti-colonial campaign of Gravel 2020. Subscribe to the show on iTunes and Spotify and become a monthly patron at patre...
2019-05-2239 minUnpacking the NewsThe Rise of the Unpaid Intern Strike MovementThirty-five thousand Quebec students went on strike earlier this spring with a singular and simple demand: interns must be paid for their labor. On this week’s episode of Unpacking the News, academic and activist Eleni Schirmer (Jacobin, Labor Notes, The Progressive) joins associate producer Savanna Craig and host Andre Goulet to explain what’s behind the growing movement against unpaid internships.Plus: Canada’s most diabolical lawyer forces the Trudeau government to drop its prosecution of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman and General Motors performs a devious bait and switch in Oshawa.For more on the student strike...
2019-05-1538 minUnpacking the NewsElizabeth May Day Special: Sleepwalking into AuthoritarianismGeoff Sharpe (co-founder of thecable.com and host of the 'Cable Street' podcast) phones-in from his home in Budapest to celebrate (Liz) May Day in a conversation with host Andre Goulet connecting the perplexing political success of Doug Ford with the illiberal democracy of Viktor Orban's Hungary.Plus: Prince Edward Island elects Canada's first Green opposition and a rousing round of the popular traditional May Day game 'Righteous or Regrettable'.Audio on this episode includes:* Doug Ford on climate change, CP24 (2019)* Evangelicals- 'The Evening Descends' (2007, Dead Oceans)* Elizabeth May at the Ottawa...
2019-05-0142 minUnpacking the NewsWelcome to Hellberta: The Kenney Era BeginsIn a grim morning-after conversation, 'Alberta Advantage' contributor and 'Sports Are Gay' co-host Elaine Pauls joins host Andre Goulet from Calgary to explore the aftermath of the 2019 provincial election. Plus: the new binary politics, anthropomorphic cats, self-care in a UCP hellworld and ‘At Home With Premier Kenney’, a spooky election night Choose Your Own Adventure mystery.And: are you ready....to hear the passion and power of an intellectual duel over the very fabric of society?This conversation was recorded on April 17th, 2019.
2019-04-1834 minUnpacking the NewsJason Kenney's Twisted Political LegacyIn the lead up to Alberta's April 16th election, Stephen Magusiak of 'The Alberta Advantage' podcast joins host Andre Goulet to explore (likely future Premier) Jason Kenney’s twisted past as a far-right campus activist in the United States.Plus: cataloguing the extremist political views of many of Kenney's United Conservative Party candidates and assessing the successes and failures of the last 4 years of NDP government under Premier Rachel Notley.This conversation was recorded on April 5th, 2019.Taylor Lambert's piece is at: https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/the-young-zealot-part-1Find out more about Jason Ke...
2019-04-0836 minUnpacking the NewsThe Cunning and Cowardice of Maxime BernierWhen gaffe-prone Harper-era cabinet minister Maxime Bernier lost the May 2017 Conservative leadership vote by just 700 votes, something snapped. Now the former Montreal lawyer and charter member of a Quebec's urban elite has become the standard bearer for a re-imagined kind of reactionary politics in Canada. Today the People's Party of Canada is polling around 2% across the country, but what effect is a blatantly xenophobic political party having on the country in an election year? On episode 84 of the show, comedian and activist John Hanchar joins host Andre Goulet to explore the lazy narcissism and up-front Islamophobia of 'Mad...
2019-03-2532 minUnpacking the NewsWhat the SNC-Lavalin Scandal Teaches Us About Canadian DemocracyIs the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal normalizing corporate interference in our democratic institutions? Or is it bringing out a sense of institutional creativity in Canadian politics? On episode 83 of Unpacking the News, SFU political science professor Dr. Stewart Prest joins host Andre Goulet to explore a list of institutional problems and potential reforms that have been put forward in the wake of the SNC Lavalin situation.Plus: the unbearable lightness of being Andrew Scheer, The Fair Elections Act/Bill C-23 revisited and some provocative 2019 Federal Election fanfic.This conversation was recorded on March 15th, 2019.
2019-03-1835 minUnpacking the NewsThe Case for Jody Wilson-RaybouldA treacherous atmosphere surrounds the Prime Minister’s Office over these waning weeks of winter as Justin Trudeau's role in the SNC-Lavelin Affair continues to confuse and beffudle the Canadian public, a public who have to be asking themselves- what’s become of Canada’s first woke Prime Minster? On episode 82 of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet and a panel of non-partisans explore the unique role that Jody Wilson-Raybould is playing in the SNC-Lavalin Affair with editor and community organizer Marla Williams, activist and comedian John Hanchar and current affairs editor at Concordia University’s the Link newspape...
2019-03-1149 minUnpacking the NewsWho Cares About Toxic Masculinity?Early this year saw the release of a landmark study from the American Psychological Association (the first ever guidelines to help psychologists work with men and boys) suggesting that aspects of "traditional masculinity" can be psychologically harmful. In this conversation, Toronto-based independent journalist Anna Bianca Roach joins host Andre Goulet to explore why it's import to encourage pro-social aspects of masculinity, the role that clinicians need to play in working to address the needs of men and boys and whether the corporate cronyism of Justin Trudeau's SNC-Lavelin scandal and Old Boys Club politics is evidence of a kind...
2019-03-0641 minUnpacking the NewsMr. Singh Goes to OttawaIn the aftermath of Jagmeet Singh’s convincing victory in the Burnaby South by-election, Ricochet co-founder and editor Derrick O'Keefe joins host Andre Goulet from Vancouver to discuss the federal NDP leader's historic win.Plus: what's behind the surprising level of support for the xenophobic People's Party of Canada in one of the country's most diverse ridings? Does the fall of a so-called NDP fortress in Montreal's Outremont mark the end of the party in Quebec? And why does the latest Angus Reid polling on the SNC-Lavelin scandal pose a major concern for Justin Trudeau? This co...
2019-02-2725 minUnpacking the NewsThe NDP We WantIs the media narrative of an NDP in crisis over-hyped? Why is the Globe and Mail editorial board concern trolling Jagmeet Singh? And does the party need a sharp Left turn if it wants to make gains in the 2019 federal election?On episode 77 of Unpacking the News ex-journalist Kai Nagata, Comms Director at BC citizen's action network Dogwood, joins host Andre Goulet to assess where the New Democrats are at in 2019. For more on Dogwood and to read Kai's recent work the RCMP raid on Wet'suwet'en, organizing for electoral reform and more go to dogwoodbc.ca
2019-01-3141 minUnpacking the NewsChrystia Freeland Supports Our Coups + Making the Case for Jagmeet SinghForeign Affairs minister Chrystia Freeland was in good company this week at the Davos summit as she shared a stage with far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsanaro to defend and promote the soft coup in Venezuela. Writer and academic Christo Aivalis (Canadian Dimension, The Washington Post, Ricochet) joins host Andre Goulet to explore why an official endorsement of regime change in the southern hemisphere by the Canadian government shouldn't surprise us.Plus: how the manufactured media-driven 'crisis' over Jagmeet Singh's leadership is over-hyped and why the federal NDP leader needs to pay close attention to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez...
2019-01-2437 minUnpacking the News2018: Goodbye to the Dumbest YearIn a comprehensive coast-to-coast retrospective, Emily Leedham (Rank and File Prairie Edition), James Wilt (News You Can Use) and Stokely Wilt-Leedham (Canadian Cat Quarterly) join host Andre Goulet for an end-of-year review of 2018. Subscribe to Rank and File: Prairie Edition and News You Can Use on iTunes, GooglePlay or wherever you get your podcasts.Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenewsThis conversation was recorded on December 19th, 2018.
2018-12-2758 minUnpacking the NewsA Trudeau Christmas MiracleIt’s a special seasonal 2018 year-end episode of Unpacking the News as * Ricochet West Coast editor Erin Seatter in Vancouver* The Alberta Advantage’s Kate Jacobson in Calgary* Radio Free Winnipeg’s Scott Price* Family Compact/Cable Street's Geoff Sharpe in Toronto * 49th Parahell’s Rob Roussseau and * Ricochet Francais' Katia Gaid in Montreal join host Andre Goulet for an investigation into the spirit of the season. Will they discover the True Meaning of Christmas and win Prime Minister Trudeau's precious pipeline prize? Tune in to find out!Subscribe to The Alberta...
2018-12-1950 minUnpacking the NewsThe Gilets Jaunes Movement and Detached NeoliberalismAfter a fourth straight weekend of violent protests in the French capital, 89,000 police have been deployed around the country to restore order. What role has the detached neoliberalism of President Emannuel Macron played in setting off Europe's latest political and social crisis? In this conversation Paris-based Ricochet and National Observer contributor Clothilde Goujard joins host Andre Goulet to explore what Canadian neoliberals like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must learn from the massive protests in France.This conversation was recorded on December 10th, 2018.
2018-12-1331 minUnpacking the NewsUnpacking the Tomb: Bury Me in WinnipegOn a very spooky episode of Unpacking the Tomb, host Andre Ghoul-et welcomes 'Scary' Scott Price of the long-running Canadian history and media discourse show 'Radio Free Winnipeg' (co-hosted w/ 'Gruesome' Greg Gallinger) to talk about the little-known and much-neglected 'Gateway to the West'. On which morbidly minor issue did the mayoral election revolve? What are the most macabre and major issues facing the city, and Manitoba as a whole? And what single word best defines the province's pallid and petrifying Premier Brian 'Poltergeist' Pallister? Plus: a rundown of last week's ghastly and gruesome civic political results from...
2018-10-3137 minUnpacking the NewsRed Chamber Blues: Inside the SenateThe monthly DIY event 'Squad Laffs' has become a Montreal underground comedy institution, creating a safe space to work out material on stage for little-heard comedic voices and perspectives. Co-founder/showrunner James Brown joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation on the political and the personal of indie stand-up comedy. Plus: what's life like in that most opaque of Canadian political institutions? Brown looks back on his experience as an 18-year-old Senate page in the "chamber of sober second thought". This conversation was recorded in August, 2018.Support the show at patreon.com/unpackingthenews
2018-10-241h 00Unpacking the NewsAmnesty, Addiction and LegalizationHundreds of thousands of Canadians have been affected by marijuana prohibition laws, but the Trudeau government has been slow to coordinate Amnesty legislation with the legalization of Cannabis. On episode 70 of 'Unpacking the News', investigative journalist Tracy Giesz-Ramsay joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Day Zero of Legalization.Plus: society pathologizes addiction without understanding why it happens, but there's a growing consensus, particularly in the medical community, that addiction is not a moral failing or weakness of will. In this conversation, Ramsay-Giesz and Goulet explore how conditioning, childhood trauma and social and economic exclusion can lead to addiction.
2018-10-1723 minUnpacking the NewsLeft Internationalism and Indie Media: the Borderless/Ricochet InterviewBorderless is a Michigan-based media collective dedicated to investigative journalism and community discourse. On this episode, founder Joel Campbell welcomes Unpacking the News host Andre Goulet on The Lamp Post podcast to discuss the crucial role that independent media plays in amplifying progressive perspectives. Plus: Debunking the Justin Trudeau mystique for American liberals. Race, class and social decline in Detroit and the state of Michigan. And- what does this political and social moment look like for Democratic Socialism in the United States?This conversation was recorded in August, 2018.Support this podcast at patreon.com...
2018-10-1044 minUnpacking the News2018 a Breakout Election for Québec SolidaireAlexa Conradi helped to shape the early years of Québec Solidaire in her role as president of the far-left party from 2006 to 2009. She was also a crucial voice of opposition to the Parti Québécois’ Islamophobic Charter of Values as the head of the Québec Women’s Federation, a position she held from 2009 to 2015. On this episode she joins host Andre Goulet to explain why we're right to be wary of Francois Legault's incoming Coalition Avenir Québec government. Plus: what the rise of Québec Solidaire means for grassroots-driven social democracy in Québec and the bro...
2018-10-0342 minUnpacking the News2018 QC Election: Provincial NDP Return After 24 Year HiatusThe Quebec NDP are back and contesting their first election since 1994. But what kind of challenges are the party and its candidates facing as the province heads to the polls on October 1st?In this conversation host Andre Goulet speaks with Apostolia Petropoulos, the NPDQ candidate for the ethnically diverse riding of Laurier-Dorion, about the triumphs and travails of life on the campaign trail in Montreal's Parc-Extension and Villeray neighbourhoods. Plus: a brief history of nearly 80-years of the NDP in Quebec. For more information on the NPDQ or to see the party platform go to...
2018-09-1922 minUnpacking the News2018 QC Election: An Existential Crisis for the Parti QuébécoisEven as this October marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Parti Québécois, the 2018 provincial election finds the sovereignist party fighting for its political life. With support for independence at an all-time low, is PQ leader Jean-François Lisée connecting with voters on the campaign trail? Or is the party in the midst of an existential crisis? Earlier this month journalist Chris Curtis spent seven days on the PQ press bus covering Lisée's cross-Quebec campaign for the Montreal Gazette. In this conversation, he joins host André Goulet to discuss his up-close observations of the...
2018-09-1226 minUnpacking the News2018 QC Election: The Parties, the Personalities, the IssuesWhat are the mainstream political parties in Quebec? What are the electoral options for the Left in the province? And what role will the issues of sovereignty, political participation and the role of religion in public life play in this election? Ricochet correspondent Ruby Irene Pratka and a round-table panel of guests join host Andre Goulet to try to make sense of the issues, the personalities and the political landscape leading up to Quebec’s 42nd provincial election.Featuring Evan Coole, co-coordinator of the Quebec Solidaire volunteer network;Malcolm Richmond, President of anglophone non-profit Youth fo...
2018-09-0543 minUnpacking the NewsPolitics of Fear: Evangelical Support for Trump Not a ContradictionJohn Fea is a professor of American History at Pennsylvania’s Messiah College and the author of this summer’s ‘Believe Me: the Evangelical Road to Trump’, a discerning, critical take on current American politics. On this episode, he joins host Andre Goulet to explore how the embrace of Donald Trump is the logical outcome of a long-standing evangelical approach to public life defined by the politics of fear, the pursuit of worldly power, and a nostalgic longing for an American past. This conversation was recorded on August 17th, 2018.
2018-08-2938 minUnpacking the NewsHerongate: Ottawa Community Fights Mass EvictionA mass eviction is being carried out in a south Ottawa neighbourhood and multi-billion dollar real estate holdings conglomerate Timbercreek Asset Management has given more than 400 residents of Herongate until September 30th to vacate homes many of them have been in for decades. In this conversation, organizer Ikram Dahir of the Herongate Tenant Coalition joins host Andre Goulet to explain how private profits and the City itself are benefiting from what some are calling a socio-economic cleansing.This interview was recorded on August 18th, 2018.To learn more about the Heron Gate Tenant Coalition go...
2018-08-2120 minUnpacking the NewsHeritage Front Minutes: Police, Spies and White SupremacyMontreal-based journalist Jon Milton’s work focuses on grassroots social movements and the mechanics of institutional power. In this conversation, he joins host Andre Goulet to explore the links between law enforcement and the white supremacist movement in Quebec. Plus, a look back at a history of collusion between the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the violent National Front white power organization in the 1990s.Find Jon’s article ‘Police, Spies and White Supremacy: A Brief History’ at https://ricochet.media/en/2276/police-spies-and-white-supremacy-a-brief-historyMusic on this episode, the traditional french-Canadian ‘À la Claire Fontaine’ is sung and performed by...
2018-08-0840 minUnpacking the NewsAlberta NDP Give Province a Political EducationOn this episode: Fresh from the birthplace of the CCF, The Calgary-based Alberta Advantage podcast provides bi-weekly commentary and analysis on local and provincial politics from a left perspective. In this conversation, co-host and producer Kate Jacobson joins Andre Goulet to discuss how the Alberta NDP have given the province a political education and why the party shouldn't be counted out in the 2019 election. Plus: how United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney's political career has been the ultimate ideological conservative grift and why the uniqueness of provincial politics is due to the deeply conservative tendencies of rural Alberta.
2018-08-0138 minUnpacking the NewsStephen Harper's Post-Politics GriftAlways an aloof and imperial domestic politician, Stephen Harper's ideologically-driven post-politics path is bringing the 59-year old Prime Minister into the orbit of some very interesting organizations including violent militant group The People’s Mujahedin of Iran and Zionist NGO The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. On this episode, Brad Goertz (ep28's 'Realpolitik and Big Oil: The Unconventional Social Democracy of Rachel Notley's NDP') joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the former Prime Minister's new and financially lucrative career in corporate consulting and the shadowy international Right-wing speaker’s circuit.This episode was recorded on J...
2018-07-1824 minUnpacking the NewsDecolonizing Journalism: How to Disrupt Canadian MediaOn this episode: Emilee Gilpin is the National Observer's lead journalist and storyteller on coverage of Indigenous issues and the 2017 Journalist for Human Rights' "Emerging Indigenous Intern" at The Tyee.In this conversation, she joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the limitations of Western journalistic standards, why the Canadian Press Club's all-white male portrait gallery is super creepy and how young journalists can disrupt the ways stories about First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples are told in mainstream media.This conversation was recorded in May, 2018.Look for Emilee's work at https://www.nationalobserver.c...
2018-07-1037 minUnpacking the NewsQuebec Fascism, US Socialism and Canada’s Child Detention HypocrisyOn this episode: writer and podcast host ('49th Parahell') Rob Rousseau's Twitter game, which combines the best of a combative and Extremely Online socialist Left with absurdist comedy, is baffling and infuriating all the right people. One recent Tweet, featured on a morning segment of 'Fox and Friends', the Daily Caller and basically everywhere in the American right-wing echo chamber, has made him a target of the far-Right. On this episode Rob joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation on la Meute's failed Montreal Canada Day march, the hidden horror of Canadian child detainees and...
2018-07-0437 minUnpacking the NewsCanada-US Relations Enter the AbyssOn this episode: Are credible, existential threats to democracy and the rule of law ascendant? What should we make of what went down at the G-7 summit in Charlevoix? And is it time for the Canadian government to fundamentally rethink its relationship with the United States?Guest Jasmin Mujanovic, political scientist and analyst of southeast European and international affairs and the author of the eerily timely 'Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans' joins host Andre Goulet for a conversation on U.S./Canada relations and the unraveling of the post-WWII and Cold War consensus.
2018-06-2639 minUnpacking the NewsOntario Election Autopsy: FördderdämmerungOn this episode: an archaic first-past-the-post electoral system hands Doug Ford's PCs a landslide majority, Andrea Horwath's NDP registers a historic level of support and Kathleen Wynn's Liberal Party suffers a political implosion. Guest Christo Aivalis, author of 'The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour and the Canadian Social Democratic Left' and a Labour and Political History postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto joins host Andre Goulet for an Ontario Election Autopsy.This conversation was recorded on June 11th, 2018.'The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour and the Canadian Social Democratic Left' is...
2018-06-1334 minUnpacking the NewsHow Canadian Media Normalizes the Far-rightIn a week that saw an escalation of tactics from racist group Atalante at Vice's Montréal office, Savannah Stewart, Coordinating Editor at Concordia University's The Link magazine joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Canadian and American media normalization of the far-right since 2016. Plus: the Commission Scolaire de Montréal caves to an online hate campaign, cancelling a community event for young Muslim women at a school in the city's east end and Québec society and culture magazine Urbania normalizes Islamophobic Journal de Montréal columnist Richard Martineau with a prominent cover story. And: as the pr...
2018-05-3025 minUnpacking the NewsMali, Mining and the Myth of Canadian PeacekeepingAs a conflict fueled by climate change, the international arms trade and a Libyan civil war enters its fifth year, Canada's Back™ and as many as 250 members of the Canadian military will see action in the northwest African nation of Mali by late summer. But is there a connection between seemingly selfless international peacekeeping involvement and Canadian gold mining investment? On this episode, Jamie Kneen of MiningWatch Canada and host Andre Goulet explore Canada's out-sized role in the international mining industry and examine the myths and contradictions of Canadian peacekeeping. Plus: how Bill C-69, the Liberal government's attempt at...
2018-05-2333 minUnpacking the NewsKorean Peace vs. the Nuclear Doomsday MachineJohn Carl Baker, frequent Jacobin contributor and a fellow with anti-nuclear think tank The Ploughshares Fund in Washington, DC joins host Andre Goulet to talk about the surprising possibility of peace in a dangerous geopolitical moment. Plus, what insights Daniel Ellsberg’s new book ‘The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner' can give us about recent historic events on the Korean peninsula and why we should expect the unexpected at the upcoming Trump/Kim Jong-un summit.This conversation was recorded on May 2nd, 2018.Music on this episode, 'Let It Begin' is from Kore...
2018-05-0935 minUnpacking the NewsTrudeau, Notley, Horgan and the Politics of PipelinesWhat if the inter-provincial Trans Mountain pipeline dispute doesn’t represent a failure of democracy or the rule of law? What if it actually shows a system working the way it’s supposed to? Political theorist David Moscrop joins host Andre Goulet to explain why, far from a constitutional crisis, this is what functional federalism looks like in action. Plus: exploring the self-interests and political motivations guiding the pipeline policies of John Horgan, Rachel Notley and Justin Trudeau.Look for David Moscrop's ‘The Kinder Morgan spat is an intractable slog—but it’s also democracy...
2018-04-2524 minUnpacking the NewsCalling Out the Weed HypocritesWhy hasn't an amnesty provision been included in federal marijuana legalization legislation for the tens of thousands of Canadians with criminal records? Who are the politicians and police most connected to an expanding Canadian cannabis-industrial complex? And what would weed reparations look like?In this conversation, Vice senior editor Manisha Krishnan joins host Andre Goulet to take aim at the astounding hypocrisy of Canada’s weed-adjacent political and law enforcement communities. Plus: reflections on how lame would it be to smoke weed with an undergrad Justin Trudeau at a 1997 McGill house party.This conversation wa...
2018-04-0520 minUnpacking the NewsTargeting of Jagmeet Singh Shows Canadian Media at its WorstIn a conversation exploring the relationship between racism, disinformation and Canadian media consolidation, Jagdeesh Mann of Vancouver's The Georgia Straight joins host Andre Goulet to discuss how the recent narrative connecting federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to a non-existent Khalistan separatist movement is being driven by an Indian government smear campaign against diasporic Sikh human rights campaigners. Recorded on March 26th, 2018. Mastered by Chris Hernandez at Studio Petit Palais in Montreal.
2018-03-2731 minUnpacking the NewsHuman Cost of War on Korean Peninsula UnthinkableIn this conversation, Steven Denney of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and a Senior Editor at SinoNK.com joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the South Korean diplomatic delegation's visit to Pyongyang and why the staggering potential human cost of a war on the Korean peninsula is unthinkable.Plus: what was up with last January's weird Vancouver summit on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula organized by Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and the U.S. State Department? This conversation was recorded on March 9th, 2018.Music...
2018-03-1336 minUnpacking the NewsBell Media Censorship Law Would Threaten Online FreedomThis week's guest thinks that the Bell Media-led campaign demanding the creation of an official federal government anti-piracy committee is a radical proposal that will lead to the censorship of legitimate online content and speech. In this conversation, OpenMedia's Katy Anderson joins host Andre Goulet to explain why she thinks the FairPlay coalition's proposed law will threaten freedom of expression in Canada. Plus, what effect could a federal anti-internet piracy commission have on the principles of Net Neutrality? Find out more at dontcensor.ca, at michaelgeist.ca and at openmedia.org.This conversation was...
2018-02-2715 minUnpacking the NewsFalling Out of Love With Justin TrudeauIn a heart-warming and romantic Valentine’s Day conversation, writer/comedian Charlie Demers joins host Andre Goulet to aim Cupid’s arrows at the breathtaking cynicism and broken promises of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Find Charlie’s Juno-nominated comedy album ‘Fatherland’ on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to his monthly podcast ‘Well Reds’, Canada’s premiere leftist literary review. January's episode features David Chariandy’s award-winning novel ‘Brother’.Music on this episode: Billy Ocean's 'Suddenly'(1984) and Michael Bolton's 'How Am I Supposed to Live Without You' (1983)This conversation was recorded on February 13th, 2018.
2018-02-1430 minUnpacking the NewsWhy Trudeau's National Housing Strategy Falls ShortThis week's guest suggests that the federal government’s new housing plan falls short of providing adequate policy proposals for Canada's ongoing housing crisis and, unless Justin Trudeau can get the provinces to go along with the initiative, the Liberal Party's much-anticipated National Housing Strategy is unlikely to be implemented.In this conversation David DesBaillets of l’Université du Québec a Montréal joins host André Goulet to discuss the gendered facet of the housing crisis, why indigenous communities should be skeptical of the proposed initiative and- what would a radical National Housing Strategy look like in Canada...
2018-02-0825 minUnpacking the NewsOne Year After the Québec City Mosque AttackAs we approach the one year anniversary of one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history, the debate surrounding a proposed National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia in Québec has been instructive. In this conversation, National Observer reporter Clothilde Goujard joins host André Goulet to discuss the unbearable whiteness of being Québec’s media elite, the anti-Muslim provocations and posturing of the political class in a provincial election year and the hope and optimism that she experienced this week in Saint-Foy, the neighbourhood surrounding the Islamic Cultural Centre of Québec City. P...
2018-01-2531 minUnpacking the NewsRicochet and Jacobin: Predictions for 2018In the conclusion to our year-end conversation, Ricochet co-founder Ethan Cox and Jacobin Podcast Coordinator and Associate Editor Micah Utrecht join host Andre Goulet to submit projections and predictions for the year to come, including: * anticipating the death of the Kinder Morgan pipeline * watching Alberta and B.C. NDP efforts to balance resource extraction with social democratic governance * will marijuana legalization in Canada make everything better? (short answer: an emphatic ‘no’)Plus: how will the Bernie Sanders effect influence the further expansion of the American Left, and what does it mean for the surging popu...
2017-12-2722 minUnpacking the NewsRicochet and Jacobin: Year in Review 2017It’s fun, games and Four Loco on this special year-end episode of Unpacking the News.Ricochet Media’s Ethan Cox and Jacobin Magazine’s Micah Utrecht join host Andre Goulet for a kitchen table conversation on the best and worst of 2017, including:* the rising global challenges of climate change and wealth disparity* the US Supreme Court’s war on union organizing * the disappointments of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2nd Year in power. Plus organizing successes with the Chicago's Teacher's Union and new civic oversight for notoriously corrupt Montreal police force, the SPVM
2017-12-1545 minUnpacking the NewsQuébec's Bill 62: Punching Down in a White Ethno StateOn this episode, journalist Kathryn Jezer-Morton joins host André Goulet to discuss interculturalism, Québec secularism and the political factors motivating the introduction of the transparently Islamophobic Bill 62. Plus Valérie Plante and Projet Montréal's surprising municipal election win is a big victory for progressives in the provincial metropolis and an encouraging sign for Leftists across the country.
2017-11-1728 minUnpacking the NewsJason Kenney an Unlikely Choice for Alberta's United ConservativesLifelong political grifter Jason Kenney is the freshly-minted leader of the United Conservative Party of Alberta. But as Kenney’s UCP prepares to leave the political wilderness and re-take it’s place as the natural governing party of Alberta, unforeseen challenges may lie ahead. In this conversation, playwright Brad Fraser joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Kenney’s problematic political and public past. And what does Alberta's NDP government need to do to beat the odds in the 2019 election? Plus: the Paradise Papers and Justin Trudeau’s 1% problem.
2017-11-0823 min