Alberta Advantage Podcast

In the interest of inter-provincial solidarity, bridging Canada's language divide, and making Alberta conservatives mad by saying Québec is good and cool: buckle up for an episode about Québec's 1972 General Strike! Joined by Central Canada Correspondent Brendan, Team Advantage takes a look at the radical Québecois politics of the late 1960s and early 1970s, culminating in a general strike in 1972. We examine the history of uneven development, the politics of anticolonial struggle, the radicalisation of labour groups, the state repression brought on by the 1970 October Crisis, the death of Michèle Gauthier, and the events of 1971-72. Follow Brendan on Twitter @NeeedlesEye. Watch "24 heures ou plus" from the NFB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPQZAHiZtNw

Isn't it weird that when Pierre Elliott Trudeau proposed a National Energy Policy in the 1980s, the spectre of nationalization was a horror the oilpatch couldn't withstand— but today, we find this same oilpatch wrapping itself in the Canadian flag? Professor Shane Gunster joins Team Advantage to discuss his recent piece in the CCPA Monitor, "Extractive populism and the future of Canada," and unpacks the loaded concepts the fossil fuel industry has mobilized to garner political support and legitimacy. Read Shane Gunster's piece here: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/extractive-populism-and-future-canada

The Srsly Wrong Boys and Team Advantage join forces to roast Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau! Find out why the Canadian Woke Bae's progressive neoliberalism has been immensely disappointing! Consider the danger of performative-progressive politics in an age of far-right populism! Be amazed by the co-optation of substantial policy changes, and wonder at the smooth veneer of maintaining the status quo! Support Srsly Wrong at patreon.com/srslywrong and follow them on twitter at @srslywrong. And of course, please support the Alberta Advantage at patreon.com/albertaadvantage and follow us on twitter at @BertaAdvantage!

Writer James Davidge and artist Nick Johnson join Team Advantage to discuss their graphic novel, 1st Legion of Utopia, an "epic tale of killers, queers, and the birth of Canadian socialism." The story follows a violent world of social unrest, political excitement, and pansy clubs— set in the Great Depression, it explores the forces surrounding the founding of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in the frontier city of Calgary. Buy 1st Legion of Utopia here: https://renegadeartsentertainment.com/product/1st-legion-of-utopia/ and follow Find them on twitter: @JamesDavidge @illustratednick

Remember how the CCF's Regina Manifesto (1933) was a pleasure to read? Well, here we find out how the party 'moderated' its position. Formulated in the middle of the post-war boom and the Cold War, the Winnipeg Declaration softens the language and ambitions of the CCF, which would go on to become the NDP in 1961.

Kate interviews Dr. William Carroll, Professor of Sociology at the University of Victoria, and co-director of the Corporate Mapping Project. The CMP recently released a list of the Fossil-Power Top 50, which provided detailed profiles for the most influential organizations in and around the fossil-fuel sector. Some important Calgary-based organizations made the list— find out why! corporatemapping.ca/top50

What would it take for New Democrats to develop politics suited to our political moment? Team Advantage discusses how the origins of the NDP have shaped its trajectory, the party's grappling with the realities of neoliberalism, and thinks through what a realistic social-democratic project would look like given the ecological and political realities of our day.

Canadian corporate cash overseas hit a record high of $353 billion in 2018. Meanwhile in Alberta, Jason Kenney is lowering the corporate tax rate to 8%, the lowest in Canada. Toby Sanger, Executive Director of Canadians for Tax Fairness, joins Team Advantage to discuss the problem of tax havens, tax avoidance, the fallout from the Panama and Paradise Papers abroad and at home, the results of Trump's corporate tax breaks, the myth of job creation, and more. Follow Toby Sanger on Twitter @toby_sanger and visit taxfairness.ca for more!

Team Advantage delves deep into The People's Republic of Walmart, joined by special guests and authors Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski. You'll be shocked to learn that economic planning goes on all around you, on a massive scale: Amazon and Walmart are great examples. We go deep into how markets work, the economic calculation debate, the demise of Sears due to cutthroat internal competition, the need to democratize (and not just nationalize!) the corporate planning apparatus, and more. Find the authors on Twitter: @leigh_phillips and @michalrozworski

Team Advantage travels to Winnipeg for the 1919 General Strike Centenary Conference to consider the meaning of Canada's biggest single labour action! Featuring interviews with David Camfield and Christo Aivalis, Team Advantage gives you a brief overview of the content of the conference, Jane McAlevey's talk, the Ukranian Labour Temple, as well as some thoughts and reflections on the event. Big thanks to the conference organizers and volunteers, and thanks to everyone we met in Winnipeg for the warm welcome!