With the 2025 Federal Budget vote looming, Ashwin from the International Solidarity Podcast joins Blueprints host Jessa McLean to breakdown some of the $141 Billion in new spending and the cuts that will pay for it all.

The biggest ticket item, $89 million for the Canadian Armed Forces, generates a discussion on global politics, the so-called 'elbows up movement' and the appetite for military spending the electorate seems to have.

Together they compare the budget to campaign promises, the Throne Speech and the demands of the political 'opposition'. Jessa and Ashwin also discuss the likelihood of the budget passing, and what that will mean for Canadian politics.

Related Episodes:

• Carney's First 100(ish) Days in Office (July 2025) covers the priorities and first pieces of Carney's legislation with the International Solidarity Pod.
• Draw the Line (Sept 2025) a discussion with organizers behind the movement to connect movements.

More Resources:

• The Breach: A Budget for Tanks, Banks and Oil Barons
• The 2025 Budget - IN FULL
• CBC: Carney's First Federal Budget

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Vancouver City Councillor Sean Orr, an avowed socialist elected in April 2025, dishes on what its been like navigating a system hostile to him and his ideas. Sean is very candid on the limitations and pressures facing principled progressives once they're in office.

The struggle for socialists to simply exist in elected positions is clear, as is his determination to keep building on that win six months ago. Councillor Orr has some advice for New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on how to maintain the momentum of a campaign while building parallel power outside City Hall.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Related Episodes:

• Get more insight into Vancouver politics and organizing in Basis of Unity, a discussion with the Vancouver Tenants Union.
• Local Votes: Make Them Count (Aug 2022) Sam Hersh of Horizon Ottawa on the work being done to remove developer influence from local politics and more.

More Resources:

• CBC: Vancouver City Council Votes Against Supportive Housing
• The Independent: Mamdani Shreds Cuomo
• Referenced Piece: The Nation - Now Comes the Hard Party by Rosenblum
• COPE Vancouver Homepage
• SFU Geography Alumni Sean Orr wins Vancouver council seat in byelection - Department of Geography - Simon Fraser University

📺YOU CAN CATCH US LIVE EVERY FRIDAY AT 12pm E.T. on our YouTube Channel.

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Tenants across Ontario were already mobilizing against Bill 60 when a bombshell dropped...Premier Ford floated an idea that would have stripped renters of almost all their rights.

The good news: organizations like York-South Weston Tenants Union had already put in the work and created a structure that could quickly gather folks together and harness the energy that it generated. They were able to get the Premier to back off, but the work is not done.

Hear from An, one of the organizers from YSW Tenants Union, about how they've mobilized hundreds of volunteers to not just push back against pending legislation, but to continue building the Tenant Class for more fights that are sure to come.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER IN THE FIGHT FORD'S WAR ON TENANTS (Ontario)

Related Episodes:

• Blueprints of a Rent Strike Victory, with Bruno of YSW Tenants Union
• Tenant Power Playlist: So much more on the fights AND VICTORIES of renters across Canada

More Resources:

• Toronto Star - Province Scrapped Affordable Housing Rules After Pushback from REITs
• TVO Today | Toronto Tenants Have Been on Rent Strike
• Ford Government Bill Could Spell the End of Rent Control in Ontario - The Grind Magazine
• The rationale for Ontario’s Bill 60 does not hold up - CCPA

📺YOU CAN CATCH US LIVE EVERY FRIDAY AT 12pm E.T. on our YouTube Channel.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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After answering a call for general surgeons, Dr. Monica Chaudhuri, an Ontario doctor and activist, recently returned from Gaza. Dr. Chaudhuri shares what it was like working alongside the brave Palestinian healthcare workers, how cruel the Zionist entity can be, and reflects on what its been like returning to Canada while the genocide continues.

Dr. Chaudhuri also talks about the sense of duty many Canadian healthcare workers feel, being the only international professionals, and thus eyewitnesses, allowed into occupied Gaza. A duty that extends beyond her role as a doctor, and into her community where she organizes with Health Workers Alliance for Palestine, Simcoe County 4 Palestine, and the Sustain Campaign Network.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean and Santiago Helou Quintero

Calls to Action:

1. Learn more about Palestinian Prisoners and the fight to free them
2. Join the Arms Embargo Now Movement

Related Episodes:

• Name it. Stop it. Sanction It. Alex Neve, Dr. Dorotea Gucciardo, and Dr. Ben Thompson from United Against Genocide on their work to pressure Canadian politicians.
• Arming Israel: Canada's Continued Role Haneen from the Palestinian Youth Movement and Rachel from World Beyond War share their scathing report.

More Resources:

• The Killing, Detention and Torture of Healthcare Workers in Gaza - Healthcare Workers Watch
• The Breach: Canadian doctors are being tapped for evidence in war crimes case against Israel
• The Independent: Gaza doctor who became face of medical struggle remains in Israeli detention

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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The Canadian Mining Industry is notorious for its patterns of aiding in regime change, displacing Indigenous peoples from their lands, and the horrific human rights abuses that go with all of that.

Activist and author Grahame Russell of Rights Action shares his firsthand experience with a landmark legal case. One that exposed HudBay's use of sexual violence, destruction and death at the Felix mine in Guatemala, but through Canadian courts. Its a story of perseverance, grassroots resourcefulness and pure courage in the face of corporate giants working hand-in-hand with governments, including our own.

Its also a discussion on Imperialism, Canada's role in the continued theft of indigenous land and what we can do about it.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean and Santiago Helou Quintero

Call to Action: When we asked our guest for a call to action for this episode, Grahame's reply was "Free Palestine'. We'd also encourage folks to read the entire 13 Giants Report.

Related Episodes:

• Canada's Colonial Imagination (Oct. 2023) a discussion that ties modern day foreign policy and our own history of genocide, with professor Tyler Shipley.
• Lessons from: South America, (Dec. 2022) on social movements in Venezuela and drawing comparisons to the Canadian situation.

More Resources:

• Mining in Canada: Latest News and Updates | The Narwhal
• Who pays for the death and violence at Canadian mine in the Congo? - rabble.ca
• Mining Watch Canada - More on Canadian Mining Industry
• Guatemalan Plaintiffs reach fair and reasonable settlement in Canadian mining lawsuits — Klippensteins Barristers & Solicitors
• REPORT: 13 Brave Giants — Rights Action

You can find more of our content geared towards activists on our SUBSTACK

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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Students from Toronto Metropolitan University have launched a $10 million lawsuit being launched against the school for falsely, and very publicly, labelling them antisemitic.

Human rights lawyer Dimitri Lascaris, one of the lawyers working pro-bono on this case, joins Blueprints Hosts Jessa McLean and Santiago Helou Quintero to dish on the details and talk about its wider implications.

Dimitri also shares updates from other related legal cases, including a historic challenge against the Canadian government's role in the genocide.

Run time: 36 minutes

Call to Action: You can donate to the Toronto Community Justice Fund or other local support initiatives that help activists navigate the legal system.

Related Episodes:

• Right to Resist (Oct. 2024) Dimitri Lascaris on Lebanon, the resistance and bringing down an apartheid state.
• Rabble Rants: ICJ Rules Against Israel (Jan. 2024), also with Dimitri Lascaris
• Weaponizing Canadian Law for Israel (Jul. 2024) Martin Lukacs from The Breach discusses his investigations into Toronto Police's Project Resolute and the secretive committee tasked with cracking down on Palestinian solidarity activism.

More Resources:

• Citing Genocide Convention, Seven Lawyers Launch Historic Lawsuit Against Canada - acTVism
• TMU External Report
• Toronto Today: TMU Law Students Launch $10 million defamation lawsuit
• Plaintiffs' Statement via Dimitri Lascaris' on Twitter

Be sure to subscribe to our SUBSTACK 📖

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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The recent Freedom Flotilla ships seized in international waters by the IOF were not the first, nor the last to try to break the illegal naval blockade on the, now starving, population of Gaza.

Mskwaasin Agnew is aboard another vessel determined to draw attention to the issue and force western governments to act. She speaks about the need for risk and sacrifice, of making an impact and of how this is also part of the global Indigenous resistance to colonization.

Mskwaasin, is an Indigenous Harm Reduction worker and fierce activist based in Toronto.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Track and Draw Attention to the Conscience's Mission

Related Episodes:

• Blockades and Bail Conditions (May 2024), also with Mskwaasin, who shares her experience of being arrested during a recent railway blockade in Toronto in solidarity with Palestine.
• Freedom Flotilla Coalition (July 2025), Family physician and activist, Dr. Yipeng Ge, speaks from the deck of the Handala.

More Resources:

• History of Freedom Flotillas
• Greta Thunberg welcomed to Greece after deportation of Gaza flotilla activists
• Israel intercepts Gaza Sumud flotilla vessels: What we know so far

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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Draw the Line isn't just a cross-country day of action on September 20th, 2025; activists involved have been building the structure and finding a basis of unity to bring together the movements in Canada who are all fighting the same thing - Capital.

Three organizers from Draw the Line join the studio to talk about the work that went into connecting groups big and small, and finding enough common ground to build around something bigger.

Hear about their five key demands, how they plan on turning this mobilization into sustainable mass organizing and what it means to "grow globally while acting locally".

Guests:

• Willo Prince, Indigenous Climate Action
• Karen Cocq, Exec Director, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change; and,
• Nathan Prier, President Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE).

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Host Your Own Action for September 20th

Related Episodes:

• Justice for Migrant Workers (Sept. 2023), a discussion on the conditions migrant workers face and the demands the movement is making to better protect them; and,
• Leftist Alliances and Power Struggles: A History Lesson (Apr. 2023), a history lesson on Labour politics and alliances with Prof. James Naylor.

More Resources:

• Kwame Ture - Organisation vs Mobilisation — ITS-IN-SCOPE
• First Nations react to Carney’s Bill C-5 | The Narwhal
• Chrétien-Era Austerity Levels May Soon Return Under Carney - The Maple
• Bill C-2 Gives Government Sweeping New Powers over Immigration - The Grind Magazine
• Latest Press Release from Draw the Line Campaign

Our podcast is also available on Our Substack, along with articles and more resources for the movements.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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Things are heating up at Christie Pitts, 92 years after the famous riot there.

In the first half of this episode, John Clarke and host Jessa McLean talk about the Swastika clubs that sprung up in Toronto back in 1933, how they were emboldened by the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, as well as legitimized, even encouraged by the establishment here in Canada. These clubs, furthering white supremacist ideology, attacking Jewish community members were allowed to roam around the City until the community decided they had had enough.

In the second half, Catherine Crockett of the General Defence Committee for the IWW reminisces on the 'lovely riot' of 1933, its long term impact on the community. They'll also share some of the details around the planned anti-immigration rally and what organizers of the counter protest planned for this Saturday, September 13th hope to see happen.

Call to Action: Register to Attend Community Rally

Related Episodes:

• Making Mass Actions Count, John Clarke, Professor at York University and longtime organizer, compares the 2022 strike by CUPE workers to the 1995 Days of Action against then Premier Mike Harris.
• Nationalism and the Working Class, Chris Fairweather, academic, activist and labour organizer, talks about the pervasiveness of nationalism and the impact is has on the working class.

More Resources:

• Cable Street 88 years on: battling fascists then and now | Morning Star
• More on the General Defence Committee for the IWW
• The Riot at Cristie Pits (Full Movie)
• The Christie Pits Riot: The Worst Anti-Semitic Riot in Canada (Short Video)
• Toronto Today: Locals Organize Counter Protest to Oppose Racists

Be sure to also check out our Substack - it has written material, resources, as well as all our podcast episodes broken down into playlists.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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Activist and journalist Benjamin Nolan has witnessed a shift in Police tactics over the past two years, particularly in how they deal with Palestinian solidarity protestors. Toronto Police won't admit to any of it and mainstream media fail to tell both sides, which has left an obvious gap in report Ben wants to step up and help fill.

He goes over his recent piece in The Grind, Police Chief Plays Loose with the Truth in Call in Show, which opens up a lot of discussions about police violence, their use of the knee-on-neck technique and just what TPS thinks 'proportionate' responses are to peaceful protests.

Ben also provides firsthand accounts of Police overreaching their authority and not following the law, as well as reports back on the amount of injuries

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Calls to Action:

• Support the Toronto Community Justice Fund; and,
• Attend a Fundraiser Seminar in support of the Community Justice Collective, Copaganda: How Police and Media Manipulate our News

Related Episodes:

• Unverified: The Grind Exposes New Lows in Canadian Media (Oct 2024), Dave Grey-Donald goes over his months long investigation into the reporting surrounding October 7, 2023;
• Neighborhoods for Palestine (May 2024), Ben's first appearance on the show alongside four comrades organizing close to home for a Free Palestine.
• Weaponizing Canadian Law for Israel (Jul 2024), Martin Lukacs from the Breach talks about Project Resolute and the secret committee that drives it.

More Resources:

• Bubble Zones: Confiding Protests
• BBC: Palestine Action Protest Arrests Over 500
• Inside Project Resolute, Canada's crack down on Palestine speech
• The Breach: Inside the ‘shocking’ police operation targeting pro-Palestine activists in Toronto
• Toronto Police “Caused a Riot” Outside 51 Division After Pro-Palestinian Protest of UJA Event - The Grind Magazine

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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