New Left Radio

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The call to extend the vote to youth voters has been heard with NDP MP Taylor Bachrach announcing his intention to table a private members bill that would lower the voting age to 16. Now it’s up to the House to decide.

The fear of Quebec reprisal continues in the saga of Bill 21 and the teacher removed from the classroom under the law. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh enters the fray with a disappointing response. Who will stand for justice? Are we just to accept moral bankruptcy on this issue?

Then, President of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions Michael Hurley joins us in the CUPE Ontario Union Hall to discuss Doug Ford’s Bill 37. The bill has a nice name, but would be devastating to Ontario seniors given the failure of this government to protect them in private long term care.

Get involved in the fight to protect Ontario Healthcare

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Like the show? Like reading books? Support us on Patreon at the 'solidarity' level and you'll be. in the NLR Bookclub, w/ a Verso book delivered to you each month!

The BCNDP has been under fire from the left of its caucus for not calling the RCMP off of Wetʼsuwetʼen territory. Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has stayed mum. Now, with the left of his caucus calling for him to publicly denounce John Horgan, what will Singh do?

TWO THIRDS of Canadians are worried their income won’t keep up with the cost of living. You read that right, two thirds. Is Ottawa listening? Does anyone care about us?

We’ve got a halfway boycott folks. Which is it, is China bad enough to boycott, or not? Where is the political fortitude from Trudeau?

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Like the show? Like reading books? Support us on Patreon at the 'solidarity' level and you'll be. in the NLR Bookclub, w/ a Verso book delivered to you each month!

Surprise surprise, it sucks working for Conservatives. Erin O’Toole calls for an investigation into CPC MP Shannon Stubbs but political motives remain.

The power of the PMO continues its creep. Liberal Ministers are doing their jobs with no direction on their mandates. Does it matter if JT is the sole decider?

Then we head to the CUPE Ontario Union Hall where we’re joined by CUPE Ontario’s newly elected Secretary-Treasurer, Yolanda McClean. Yolanda’s election is historic for CUPE Ontario as the first black woman to serve in the role. What does her election mean for the union and for Canadian labour?

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Like the show? Like reading books? Support us on Patreon at the 'solidarity' level and you'll be. in the NLR Bookclub, w/ a Verso book delivered to you each month!

Maxime Bernier survives his self-initiated leadership review as head of the PPC. What’s next for the party? What do we have to learn from them?

The hits keep coming for Canada’s banking sector — profit, profit, profit. How can we stop the financialization of Canadian life at our expense?

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Like the show? Like reading books? Support us on Patreon at the 'solidarity' level and you'll be. in the NLR Bookclub, w/ a Verso book delivered to you each month!

Canadians under 18 have filed a challenge to voting laws in their quest for universal sufferage. Their argument, that it is unconstitutional to bar them from voting is interesting and could change elections significantly in Canada.

Friend of the show, Dr. Amita Kuttner has been named the interim leader of the Green Party of Canada — a tough job, maybe the toughest in Canadian politics at this point. What does their appointment mean about the future of the party?

The conversion therapy ban was FINALLY passed by a stroke of political genius in the form of unanimous consent initiated by Erin O'Toole and the Conservative Party of Canada. There's a lot more at play here than the politics of social conservatism versus moderation and a lot to learn by the left.

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Each week, we’ll bring you a panel discussion with Canada’s leading journalists, columnists, politicos, and change makers discussing what’s happening in the newsphere.

This week, we’re joined by journalist and activist Dimitri Lascaris & economist and National Post columnist Rupa Subramanya to go around the horn on what the chances of success are for the fifth Foreign Minister in six years, the Trudeau foreign policy vision (or lack thereof) and China — what is our role and how do we navigate the dangers and pitfalls of rising tensions with the US.

About Dimitri Lascaris

Dimitri Lascaris is a lawyer, journalist, and activist, and was a candidate in the last federal Green Party leadership race in Canada. He is also a longtime contributor and current board member at The Real News.

About Rupa Subramanya

Rupa Subramanya is an economist, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation, and columnist for the National Post and Nikkei Asia. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, and The Globe and Mail, and she is co-author of the best-selling book, Indianomix.

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Like the show? Like reading books? Support us on Patreon at the 'solidarity' level and you'll be. in the NLR Bookclub, w/ a Verso book delivered to you each month!

Our good friends in the Canadian banking sector have piled the cash high during the pandemic and now they are ready to pop in the form of stock buybacks and fat dividend payments — the problem is that they are doing it with our money. Then, the Liberals introduced legislation to give *some* workers *some* paid sick days. It's too little too late.

Speaking of paid sick days, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahan drops by the Union Hall to discuss Doug Ford's 27th pass on paid sick days for Ontario workers. TWENTY-SEVENTH. During a pandemic and while feigning an attempt to 'fight for workers'. Ontario deserves better.

You're going to want to listen to tomorrow's Counterpoint w/ Dimitri Lascaris and Rupa Subramanya where we discuss all things CHINA. Until then, enjoy this video of Donald Trump saying China a lot.

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Net zero is often thrown out as the answer to our climate nightmares, including right here in Justin Trudeau's Canada — but is it? We're joined by Holly Jean Buck to discuss just what 'net zero' is, what it is not, and if we can save ourselves by shooting for good enough when it comes to climate action.

About Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero is Not Enough

Around the world, countries and companies are setting net-zero carbon emissions targets. But what will it mean if those targets are achieved? One possibility is that fossil fuel companies will continue to produce billions of tons of atmospheric CO2 while relying on a symbiotic industry to scrub the air clean. Focusing on emissions draws our attention away from the real problem: the point of production. 

The fossil fuel industry must come to an end but will not depart willingly; governments must intervene. By embracing a politics of rural-urban coalitions and platform governance, climate advocates can build the political power needed to nationalize the fossil fuel industry and use its resources to draw carbon out of the atmosphere. 

Buy the book here

About Holly Jean Buck

Holly Jean Buck is a geographer and environmental social scientist studying rural futures, the politics of platforms, and how emerging technologies can address environmental challenges. She works as an Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, and has a Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University. She is the author of After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration and Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough.

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Like the show? Like reading books? Support us on Patreon at the 'solidarity' level and you'll be. in the NLR Bookclub, w/ a Verso book delivered to you each month!

We’re back and the NLR team is now regionally diverse! Today we cover the ridiculous notion that Saskatchewan is a sovereign nation within Canada that Premier Scott Moe put forward and the new wave of shutdowns due to the Omicron variant. Are they necessary? Should we be comfortable locking down again?

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Like the show? Like reading books? Support us on Patreon at the 'solidarity' level and you'll be. in the NLR Bookclub, w/ a Verso book delivered to you each month!

A message has been sent — cross Erin O’Toole or threaten his leadership and you’re out. Conservative aligned Senator Denise Batters is the first to go.

Then, we’ve all heard of the Panama Papers. Apparently it’s taken this long, and charges being sought by the American Securities and Exchange Commission for the CRA to act.

JT hoped off the plane in Washington to lobby against Joe Biden’s EV tax credit. In a sign of how seriously the president is listening, he left and went to Detroit to sell the plan. Just who is Trudeau fighting this fight for?

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