Clearing The Benches

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.