Alberta Advantage Podcast

Alberta Advantage Podcast episodes:

• 04.07.2024

  COVID-19 in 2024

  What can we learn about the ongoing pandemic and how it's been handled? How's the whole global public health infrastructure, campaign for clean air, and renewed push for workplace going? Does this bode well for future pandemics and crises, and...

  
• 12.17.2023

  Zionism Sucks

  Israel is on a genocidal rampage through Gaza. Team Advantage, joined by intrepid independent journalist Jeremy Appel, examine the historical roots and basic assumptions that underlie Zionism, and discuss a few light topics, like discourse-policing, denouncing Hamas, antisemitism, and settler-colonialism.

  
• 11.20.2023

  Why does Canada love Ukrainian Nazis?

  In late September 2023, Canadian Parliament clapped for "Ukrainian hero" Yaroslav Hunka, who fought with the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), a unit in the Nazi German military.  Why did Canada let so many Ukrainian Nazis...

  
• 11.05.2023

  Wildfire Season Concludes

  The area burned by wildfires in Canada this year exceeded 18 million hectares and burned 1,740 megatonnes of CO2, roughly three times Canada's human-made emissions from 2022. As fire season winds down, Team Advantage examines this new, fun, half-year-long weather...

  
• 06.08.2023

  Notley Loses Again! Alberta's 2023 Election

  Support this podcast! Rachel Notley led the Alberta NDP to their second major electoral defeat in Alberta's latest general election. What does this election say about Albertans and our political culture? How might we make basic social democratic values popular?...

  
• 05.29.2023

  Clearing the Plains in 2023: Alberta's Drug Poisoning Crisis

  Support this podcast! What link is there between pushing Indigenous people off land, into reserves, into residential schools, and into forced treatment? How are conversations about "public safety" and policing being mobilized to harm vulnerable people? How has the...

  
• 05.14.2023

  Can Socialists Like Hockey?

  Culture wars, long-term injury, workplace violence, sexual assaults, nationalistic militarism, and the appropriation of working-class aesthetics... is it possible to like hockey from the left? Can sport unite the working class? Is hockey a serious game for serious men,...

  
• 05.01.2023

  Take Back Alberta (from Woke Jason Kenney)

  A group known as Take Back Alberta appears to have seized control over sizable parts of the United Conservative Party and secured the leadership of Danielle Smith. What is this group? What motivates them, and who are their key...

  
• 03.30.2023

  Recession Ahead? w/ Jim Stanford

  Support this podcast! Watch our livestream! Sign up for our newsletter! The Bank of Canada is explicitly trying to increase unemployment by raising the cost of borrowing money. Is excessive employment the cause of inflation, and if not, what are the...

  
• 02.28.2023

  TORIES: Calgary Laundry Workers vs Ralph Klein

  Building a Community Movement for Better Transit feat. James Wilt: Saturday, March 18th | University of Alberta. RSVP: michaeljanz.ca/transitcamp2023 A few short years into Alberta PC Premier Ralph Klein’s deficit-slashing austerity regime, Calgary’s...

  
• 01.30.2023

  Declaring Sovereignty

  Alberta, under the incredible leadership of Premier Danielle Smith, has declared sovereignty — or rather, proclaimed itself "sovereign within a united Canada," whatever that means. What even is sovereignty? How might it to relate to Indigenous sovereignty? Who even wants...

  
• 10.03.2022

  Danielle Smith Thought

  You see, the woke establishment wants to control what media Albertans see, what vaccines we take, the resources we develop — and even what we are allowed to grow and eat. Independent journalist Jeremy Appel joins Team Advantage to explore...

  
• 06.27.2022

  The Free Trade Debate: Then and Now

  In the 1980s and 1990s, free trade and economic integration were intensely debated topics and the subject of debate in national elections, and generally opposed by the political left. Most recently, right-populist political formations — like Trump and Brexit —...

  
• 04.25.2022

  Canadian vs U.S. Unions

  Support this podcast! Watch our livestream! Sign up for our newsletter! What explains the drastic differences between labour unions in Canada and the United States? Why is U.S. union density roughly one-third that of Canada's, despite the similarities both share?...

  
• 02.07.2022

  Inflation Fantasies

  What's inflation and why does it happen? If labour costs go up 1% but consumer prices go up 4.8%, who's pocketing that difference? Why do the CEOs of big corporate banks seem to care so much about inflation? Team Advantage...

  
• 01.31.2022

  Shift Work! feat. Emily Leedham

  What's better than a newsletter? A weekly national roundup of labour news, that's what. Reporter Emily Leedham joins Team Advantage to discuss Shift Work, a curated newsletter summarizing strikes, lockouts, and new organizing initiatives— all while engaging the next generation...

  
• 01.08.2022

  Faculty on Strike!

  The first faculty strike in Alberta's history has begun, with members of the Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association braving frigid temperatures and taking to the picket line on January 4th. Why is the Concordia University of Edmonton purchasing...

  
• 01.03.2022

  Austerity in Saskatchewan: Roy Romanow's NDP

  What happens when sensible social democrats pick up the pieces after a terrible, no-good conservative government ruins the province? Team Advantage examines the reign of Saskatchewan NDP Premier Roy Romanow from 1991-2001, who oversaw the closure of rural hospitals and...

  
• 11.29.2021

  100 Years of the Communist Party of Canada

  Support this podcast! Watch our livestream! Sign up for our newsletter! What is the history of Canada's second-oldest political party, and how does it inform their politics today? In this in-depth examination of the Communist Party of Canada, Team...

  
• 11.12.2021

  The Postwar CCF

  Support this podcast What happened to the CCF in the post-war period? The 1940s saw the CCF soar in popularity, with the party forming official opposition in Ontario in 1943, and public opinion polls showing nationalizing industries to be widely...

  
• 10.24.2021

  ORPHANED: Alberta's Oil and Gas Wells

  What happens when a symbol of prosperity becomes one of decay? There are thousands of idle oil and gas wells stranded throughout the Canadian west, orphaned by companies that went bankrupt and refused to clean them up. These orphan...

  
• 10.02.2021

  What's Ideology?

  Support this podcast What is ideology? How does it function? Is it something that affects only our opponents— because they're blinded by ideology, forced into believing a cult-like worldview? Could it be that ideology is also present among experts...

  
• 09.18.2021

  Politicizing the Economy

  Support this podcast What have you done to help The Economy today? We live in a world where growing The Economy seems to be everyone's primary concern— nurturing it, jump-starting it, stimulating it. What is this notion of The Economy...

  
• 09.04.2021

  Vote Communist! with Elizabeth Rowley

  Elizabeth Rowley, leader of the Communist Party of Canada, joins Team Advantage in a busy community hall in Calgary. What does the Communist Party propose in its program this election, particularly in terms of a response to the pandemic...

  
• 08.31.2021

  Stacking Crises on Crises

  Support this podcast Team Advantage convenes to discuss a few pressing matters— like the pandemic, forest fire smoke, climate change, mass graves of Indigenous children, refugees, and billionaires in space. Given how these crises are being handled, what can we...

  
• 08.18.2021

  Future Senator-Elect Kinney: Our Red in the Red Chamber

  Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has decided that Alberta should hold a Senate election— and Progress Alberta's Executive Director, Duncan Kinney, has answered the call. Duncan joins Team Advantage to discuss the rich history of Senatorial activism, declares his support for...

  
• 08.13.2021

  TORIES: Lougheed, 1971-1985

  Support this podcast Peter Lougheed is often fondly remembered as Alberta's "good" Premier across the political spectrum. But what was so great about Alberta's first Progressive Conservative Premier, who kicked off 44 years of uninterrupted rule? Team Advantage digs into...

  
• 08.06.2021

  Avi Lewis Runs for Office

  Support this podcast Filmmaker, climate activist, educator, and federal NDP candidate Avi Lewis joins Team Advantage to discuss his leap into electoral politics. Was the reaction to his work at the 2016 federal convention what made him decide...

  
• 07.21.2021

  Stampede: Misogyny, White Supremacy, and Settler Colonialism

  Support this podcast For ten days every summer, Calgary's corporate office workers dress up like cowboys and enjoy a western-themed festival of settler colonialism. What work is the Stampede doing when it draws on the myth of the frontier— especially...

  
• 07.13.2021

  Nora Loreto: Take Back the Fight

  Support this podcast Did you know that the Canadian state once funded the National Action Committee on the Status of Women Canada, funding salaries and projects that allowed for shelters, child-care and daycare centres, women's drop-in centres, bookstores, and crisis...

  
• 07.09.2021

  Jokes?! Sean Devlin and Airports, Animals

  Guest host and seasoned newsletter-writer Clinton Hallahan sits down with writer, director, filmmaker, prankster, organizer and comedian Sean Devlin. In addition to joining The Yes Men in their exploits and storming the stage to frighten Stephen Harper, Sean Devlin is...

  
• 07.02.2021

  Blairmore, Alberta: Canada's First Communist Town Council

  Support this podcast The coal-mining town of Blairmore, Alberta elected a slate of Mine Workers' Union nominees to town council in 1933— resulting in Canada's first communist town council. With Mayor Bill Knight at the council's helm, they would proceed...

  
• 06.29.2021

  The Fire and the Ashes with Andrew Jackson

  Support this podcast What can be gleaned from a lifetime on the Canadian left? Economist, policy advisor an author Andrew Jackson joins guest-host Aaron Giovannone to discuss Andrew's new book, The Fire and the Ashes: Rekindling Democratic Socialism. What...

  
• 06.20.2021

  Industrial Policy for the People

  Support this podcast The COVID-19 pandemic has resurfaced a long-forgotten feature of economic planning: industrial policy. What should our economy look like? What infrastructures should we build? What technologies should we develop? And who should benefit from it all? Journalist...

  
• 05.30.2021

  What's Going on with Alberta's Labour Movement?

  Support this podcast The Alberta Federation of Labour held its 52nd Constitutional Convention over May 13-15 2021. In a somewhat rare development, two candidates vied for the Presidency of the AFL: challenger Susan Cake, and incumbent Gil McGowan. Cole Rockarts,...

  
• 05.20.2021

  Get Mad about This Awful Pandemic Response

  Support this podcast This last year of the pandemic has been awful— and our governments made things worse. Team Advantage convenes to list the ways in which workers have been taken for a ride. Featuring hits you know and love,...

  
• 05.12.2021

  Nuking the Oilsands: Project Cauldron (featuring Bigfoot)

  Support this podcast Have you ever considered using nuclear explosions for fun and profit? Team Advantage explores a strange collision of two worlds: the children's movie Bigfoot Family, which recently roused the ire of Jason Kenney's War Room, and a...

  
• 04.29.2021

  Starting a Party? The Origins of the CCF

  What went into starting the CCF— the precursor to today's NDP? What was the working-class and socialist response to the deep depression and government inaction of the 1930s? How did prior struggles and experiences contribute to the formation of this...

  
• 04.20.2021

  Against Corporate Feminism: Less Lean In, More Lenin

  Support this podcast We live in a sexist, patriarchal, and capitalist society— but is the solution to these problems simply to diversify the administration of sexist, patriarchal capitalism? Will more women in corporate leadership help abolish gendered oppression? Team Advantage...

  
• 04.10.2021

  Alberta's War on Rats

  Support this podcast The global rat population features a strange Alberta-shaped rat-free zone. What's behind Alberta's rat-free jurisdiction? What economic and political forces shaped this policy, and how does Alberta's rat-free status contribute to its self-image as uniquely different from...

  
• 04.02.2021

  Canada's National Energy Program, 1980-1985

  Support this podcast As oil and gas producers practically beg, plead, and bribe the Canadian government into building and planning pipelines and developing a national energy strategy, Team Advantage asks: whatever happened to the National Energy Program? Yes, that NEP:...

  
• 03.26.2021

  Universal Basic Income: Utopian, or Not Bold Enough?

  Support this podcast Team Advantage convenes to discuss Universal Basic Income. Why is it, and why has it gained such popularity over the last few years? What's so appealing about the proposal, and how does this appeal relate to...

  
• 03.23.2021

  BONUS: Victor's Children

  Kate was recently on Victor's Children, a podcast hosted by David Camfield, to discuss class struggle in the past, present and future. Kate was joined on the panel by John Clarke, a writer and retired organizer for the Ontario Coalition...

  
• 03.17.2021

  Workers Fighting and Winning in Post-Secondary Education

  Support this podcast Can workers fight a university administration dead-set on busting the union? The Athabasca University Faculty Association did exactly that— and won. AUFA President Dave Powell and AUFA Chair of Membership Engagement Committee Rhiannon Rutherford join Team Advantage...

  
• 03.10.2021

  "Progressives Aren't Going to Stand for Mediocrity:" Niki Ashton on the Progressive International and Jeremy Corbyn

  Support this podcast What can be learned from the Corbyn project in the U.K. and the opposition it encountered, from both Conservatives outside the Labour party as well as Labour's own right wing? What do recent attacks on the left...

  
• 02.26.2021

  Are the NDP Liberals in a Hurry?

  Support this podcast Are the NDP merely liberals in a bit of a rush? Team Advantage examines Gary Teeple's 1972 essay, 'Liberals in a hurry': socialism and the CCF-NDP. What role does the Fabian Society have in shaping the...

  
• 02.19.2021

  The State: Seize It? Smash It? Take a Long March Through It?

  Support this podcast What is to be done with the state? How does one's assessment of the state relate to socialist strategy? Is the state merely a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie? Is...

  
• 02.12.2021

  Small Businesses Are Capitalism

  Support this podcast Are small businesses really the backbone of our economy? Team Advantage examines the realities of small businesses in our society. How do big corporations benefit from small businesses being the front-facing, friendly face of modern capitalism?...

  
• 02.05.2021

  Farm Crisis, Climate Crisis

  Support this podcast How can we reduce agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by half by mid-century? And how can steps to do so help strengthen and safeguard family farms? Darrin Qualman, director of Climate Crisis Policy and Action for...

  
• 01.29.2021

  A New Party? The NDP and the 2001 New Politics Initiative

  Support this podcast In 2001, a campaign to reconstitute the NDP into a new party emerged, calling itself the New Politics Initiative. It proposed a party with stronger links with social movements and the anti-globalization campaigns that had been growing...