Andrew Berkshire & Dave Kaufman are joined by Dr. Julian Spencer-Churchill, Associate Professor of Political Science at Concordia University, former Army Operating Officer of the 3rd Field Engineering Regiment, and expert on nuclear technology and the politics surrounding nuclear weapons.

With ongoing aggression by the USA against Canada, several op eds have been published in major media outlets suggesting Canada should build nuclear weapons to defend itself, so Andrew reached out to Dr. Spencer-Churchill to examine how realistic that idea is, whether it makes sense, and how vulnerable Canada is.

Topics

Can Canada create a nuclear arms program? Would it make sense?

America sees Canada as immature and insecure, why? And how does that relate to Carney's Liberal government's priorities?

Expanding on Canada's historical political, cultural, & security priorities.

What happens if the United States of America invades Canada?

Finding a path forward for Canada to avoid conflict.

Follow the hosts on Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/berkshire.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/davekaufman.bsky.social

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Dr. Julian Spencer-Churchill is an expert in international relations, the politics surrounding nuclear technology, and game theory. You can find more expansive breakdowns on all the topics we covered in breakdowns he's written and linked on his linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-spencer-churchill-10897922b/

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Clearing the Benches is a high concept Canadian political discussion show, where Dave Kaufman (The Kaufman Show) and Andrew Berkshire (Game Over Network) put their heads and rolodexes together in an attempt to discuss ideas and concepts that are being missed in legacy media coverage.

Subscribe. rate the show, and tell your friends about it.

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Check out Game Over Network if you're into hockey! https://www.thegameovernetwork.com

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clearing-the-benches/id1809780678

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CNfnD5a8v8kO9SInrvJoo?si=2edf706bc0454059

Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/19e5a278-9270-4426-82b2-cb9006afb12e/clearing-the-benches

Andrew Berkshire and Dave Kaufman are joined by Nora Loreto, the host of Canada's most popular daily news podcast, aptly named The Daily News, and a firebrand of journalistic integrity. We're talking about how corporations have eroded our social safety net and institutions.

Topics

Nora's new book Canada in Decline - Book 2 - Corporate Control

How Canada's economics developed post WWII

Corporate control over Canadian healthcare, education, and housing

How to solve the housing crisis

Hope for the future, and building a better world

Follow the hosts and Nora on Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/berkshire.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/davekaufman.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/nolore.bsky.social

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Nora Loreto is one of Canada's boldest thinkers, and you can find her work on her website: https://noraloreto.ca/

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Clearing the Benches is a high concept Canadian political discussion show, where Dave Kaufman (The Kaufman Show) and Andrew Berkshire (Game Over Network) put their heads and rolodexes together in an attempt to discuss ideas and concepts that are being missed in legacy media coverage.

Subscribe. rate the show, and tell your friends about it.

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Check out Game Over Network if you're into hockey! https://www.thegameovernetwork.com

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clearing-the-benches/id1809780678

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CNfnD5a8v8kO9SInrvJoo?si=2edf706bc0454059

Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/19e5a278-9270-4426-82b2-cb9006afb12e/clearing-the-benches

Prime Minister Mark Carney has named his cabinet after winning the Canadian federal election and forming a minority government. Some positions that were dropped pre-election are back, things are shuffled around, so what are Canadiens supposed to take away from this?

To help figure that out, educator, former teacher, and Canadian politics content creator Steve Boots joins Andrew Berkshire for quick bonus run through the cabinet appointees.

Why is there a minister of AI but not a full minister for labour? Is the housing file in good hands? What should Canadians take away from the more progressive wing of the Liberal caucus being essentially tossed out of cabinet?

Follow the hosts and Steve on Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/berkshire.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/davekaufman.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/steveboots.bsky.social

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Steve Boots is a citizen journalist with a background in education, he takes a nuanced look at Canadian politics and news basically daily on his youtube and twitch channels.

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Clearing the Benches is a high concept Canadian political discussion show, where Dave Kaufman (The Kaufman Show) and Andrew Berkshire (Game Over Network) put their heads and rolodexes together in an attempt to discuss ideas and concepts that are being missed in legacy media coverage.

Subscribe. rate the show, and tell your friends about it.

---

Check out Game Over Network if you're into hockey! https://www.thegameovernetwork.com

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clearing-the-benches/id1809780678

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CNfnD5a8v8kO9SInrvJoo?si=2edf706bc0454059

Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/19e5a278-9270-4426-82b2-cb9006afb12e/clearing-the-benches

Read less

The brilliant and bold journalist Erica Ifill joins Dave Kaufman & Andrew Berkshire on Clearing the Benches to talk about the Canadian political landscape.

Topics

Prime Minister Mark Carney's handling of Donald Trump.

Is the root cause of far-right politics as simple as misogyny?

The pathway from Nationalism to racism

Borders are bullsh*t

The political choice of AI

An examination of what the NDP could do to move forward.

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Follow the hosts and Erica on Bluesky

https://bsky.app/profile/berkshire.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/davekaufman.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/wickdchiq.bsky.social

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Erica Ifill is an award winning Canadian political columnist, economist, and host of the Bad + Bitchy Podcast.

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Clearing the Benches is a high concept Canadian political discussion show, where Dave Kaufman (The Kaufman Show) and Andrew Berkshire (Game Over Network) put their heads and rolodexes together in an attempt to discuss ideas and concepts that are being missed in legacy media coverage.

Subscribe. rate the show, and tell your friends about it.

---

Check out Game Over Network if you're into hockey! https://www.thegameovernetwork.com

---

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clearing-the-benches/id1809780678

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CNfnD5a8v8kO9SInrvJoo?si=2edf706bc0454059

Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/19e5a278-9270-4426-82b2-cb9006afb12e/clearing-the-benches

Dave Kaufman and Andrew Berkshire got together for a zoom call the day after Mark Carney's Liberal Party of Canada won a minority government in a general election.

While Pierre Poilievre was soundly defeated in terms of seats, the popular vote showed some worrying signs for the country.

Dave & Andrew have a quick chat about where we are as a country, and what the next steps might be.

For the debut episode of Clearing the Benches, Dave Kaufman (https://bsky.app/profile/davekaufman.bsky.social) and Andrew Berkshire (https://bsky.app/profile/berkshire.bsky.social) talked to author, father, husband, Maple Leafs fan, all around excellent human Waubgeshig Rice (https://bsky.app/profile/waub.bsky.social) about the vastly different context of Trump's threats to Canadian sovereignty for Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island.

Topics

The feelings of Indigenous peoples to American threats are a little different for a lot of reasons.

Truth and Reconciliation: Canada's plodding march along the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and whether achieving reconciliation is even possible in Canada.

Do things like land acknowledgements and Orange Shirt Day move the needle?

Reckoning with the continual violence of Canada's colonialism.

If we listen to Indigenous people, than we build a better world amidst the chaos involved in the rise of fascism?

If Waub could snap his fingers and implement any policy in Canada immediately, what would he do?

What does Land Back actually mean?

Can Canadians on the margins trust a Goldman Sachs banker as Prime Minister in Mark Carney?

And finally... Is Canada worth saving?

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Waubgeshig Rice is the author of acclaimed novels Moon of the Crusted Snow, and Moon of the Turning Leafs, which you can find in bookstores and libraries across Canada. If you're interested, we have a little bonus episode dropping soon where we discussed Moon of the Crusted Snow and it’s themes with Waub.

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Clearing the Benches is a high concept Canadian political discussion show, where Dave Kaufman (The Kaufman Show) and Andrew Berkshire (Game Over Network) put their heads and rolodexes together in an attempt to discuss ideas and concepts that are being missed in legacy media coverage.

Subscribe. rate the show, and tell your friends about it.

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Read Dave's column on The Battle for Mount Royal: https://therover.ca/the-battle-for-mount-royal/

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clearing-the-benches/id1809780678

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CNfnD5a8v8kO9SInrvJoo?si=2edf706bc0454059

Amazon: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/19e5a278-9270-4426-82b2-cb9006afb12e/clearing-the-benches

Dave Kaufman and Andrew Berkshire introduce the premise of the show; to address the actual problems we face in Canadian society that Donald Trump and the rise of fascism have distracted us from. Yes, it's scary, but we know you can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Join us for an exploration of Canadian identity, as we try to create a vision for a better country moving forward.