The Radical Reverend

For this Halloween episode of The Radical Reverend, a multifaith conversation about death, spirits, and the afterlife! Do Jews and Muslims celebrate Halloween? What do Islam and Judaism say about the end times? How should we live in the face of crises that feel apocalyptic? And what gives us hope?

Plus, the U.S. election, the uprising, and more!

Guests:

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, Rabbi at City Shul

Fizza Mir [@MirFizza], Muslim activist and teacher

There is no capitalist solution to the environmental crisis. Could the NDP and the Green Party merge to form a left-wing ecosocialist party? Young activists want a party that's serious about fighting the climate crisis, but how do we get there when some NDP leadership supports the oil and gas industries?  

The left is always being asked to vote for the lesser of two evils. Is there a way to do that which also fights back against the status quo?

The second wave is continuing to get worse, with increasing outbreaks in schools, hospitals, and long-term care homes. More than 2,000 people in long-term care homes have died, and the Ford government's new legislation will make it harder to hold for-profit long-term care homes accountable for their negligence. What can we do?

Indigenous peoples are under attack across Turtle Island for asserting their treaty rights. Mi’kmaw lobster fishers with treaty rights to fish for a moderate livelihood are being attacked for fishing in their own waters. Peaceful land defenders at 1492 Land Back Lane are being shot and arrested for occupying their own treaty territory. How can the left unite with Indigenous peoples to stop this violence?

Guests:

Nora Loreto [@NoLore], journalist, author, and co-host of the Sandy and Nora podcast

Andrea Houston [@DreaHouston], journalist for Xtra

Alex Grant [@alexg_fightback], editor at Fightback

Links:

Read Nora's article, "The Greens And NDP Must Merge To Fight Climate Change" 

https://readpassage.com/the-greens-and-ndp-must-merge-to-fight-climate-change/

Check out Nora's new book, Take Back The Fight: Organizing Feminism for the Digital Age 

https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/take-back-the-fight

Education has been underfunded for decades and now we have a system that is in crisis. Cases of COVID-19 are rising rapidly, and parents are scrambling to keep their children safe. There has been commission after commission saying what needs to be done: we need increased funding, smaller class sizes, and more equity. But instead, governments like Ford's are moving towards dismantling and privatizing education.  

Also in the program, an inside look at the precarious employment of workers in the hospitality industry. Over 200 food service workers at Hotel X lost their jobs during the pandemic and Hotel X is refusing to pay $1.4 million owed in termination pay. Companies like Hotel X take advantage of gaps in Ontario's labor laws and maximize profit by exploiting workers, largely by finding ways to avoid classifying them as employees.

Guests:

Marit Stiles [@MaritStiles], Education Critic for Ontario’s Official Opposition, MPP for Davenport, former TDSB trustee  

Kris Archer [@Archer36108189], sommelier formerly at Hotel X

Sign the petition:

15andfairness.org/payuphotelx

This week on The Radical Reverend, two trans ministers share their stories of coming out and being called to ministry! 

Guests:

Rev. Cindy Bourgeois [@cindybeeme], United Church of Canada minister

Rev. Junia Joplin [@jrjoplin], Baptist minister.

You can view Junia's coming out sermon here:

youtu.be/PVuysZXnY4E?t=1463

In Ontario, we're in the midst of a second wave which was entirely preventable. Why are we not prepared for it? There are long lines for tests and it's taking days to get results. And yet Ford remains high in the polls. Why?

The lacklustre throne speech was like a list of failures — things the Liberals have promised for decades but have never done. Why didn't the NDP push for more?

And, with Trump testing positive for the coronavirus, what will that mean for the U.S. election? Can there be a peaceful outcome? Plus, the s**tshow of the U.S. presidential debate, the future of the Supreme Court, and the ongoing devastation of the climate crisis.

Guests:

Sandy Hudson [@Sandela], co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada, Black Lives Matter Toronto, the Black Liberation Collective, Black Legal Action Centre

David Slavick [@DavidSlavick], political policy strategist and analyst

Guests:

Alex Grant [@alexg_fightback], editor at Fightback

Andrea Houston [@dreahouston], executive assistant to MPP Jill Andrew, journalist for Xtra, and activist with Rainbow Railroad

There has been an escalation of police brutality during the pandemic, disproportionately harming Black, Indigenous, and poor people. Professor Beverly Bain joins The Radical Reverend to talk about the responsibility of scholars to oppose police violence, the Scholar Strike, and how No Pride in Policing was formed in response to anti-Black racism in the queer and trans movements in Canada.

Plus, in response to a need for safe housing during the pandemic, the city has reopened the previously vacant Roehampton Hotel in midtown Toronto as a shelter. It has been met with opposition from a group of local residents, some with genuine safety concerns, but many with a lot of misinformation. Faith leaders have gotten together and responded on behalf of the residents. Why an interfaith response?  Bishop Kevin Robertson, Rafi Aaron, and Rev. Alexa Gilmour explain that it's part of all our faiths to care for the most marginalized, to have love and compassion for those in need, and that it's our responsibility to fix a broken system that fails so many people. 

Guests:

Professor Beverly Bain [@BeverlyBain13], scholar in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto, co-founder of No Pride in Policing, co-organizer of Scholar Strike Canada

Bishop Kevin Robertson, area bishop of York-Scarborough in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto 

Rafi Aaron [@RafiInterfaith], spokesperson for The Interfaith Coalition to Fight Homelessness, co-chair of Beth Sholom/Beth Tzedec Out of the Cold shelter, and on the steering committee of the Shelter and Housing Justice Network

Rev. Alexa Gilmour, minister at Windermere United Church [@wind_uc], founder of Stone Soup Network, member of Faith in the City

Six Nations land defenders are peacefully occupying 1492 Landback Lane in opposition to a property development on their unceded territory. The United Nations has called on Canada to stop all development on indigenous lands until there is free, prior, and informed consent. Land defenders have faced police violence and criminal charges for simply asking Canada to honor its treaty commitments.

John Olthuis joins The Radical Reverend to talk about the legal context and how Canada is not living up to its stated commitment to reconciliation. 

Then, Skyler Williams joins us from 1492 Landback Lane to talk about what's happening there and how you can help.

Guests:

John Olthuis, co-founder of Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, aboriginal rights lawyer for over 50 years

Skyler Williams, Six Nations land defender at 1492 Land Back Lane

Donate to 1492 Landback Lane's legal defense fund:

gofundme.com/f/legal-fund-1492-land-back-lane

Donate to 1492 Landback Lane's building fund:

For updates, follow:

twitter.com/1492LBL 

facebook.com/groups/1656879034481566/

The gig economy is predicated on the exploitation of workers who are misclassified as independent contractors. After Canadian couriers won the right to unionize, Foodora ceased operations in Canada and couriers abruptly lost their jobs. This week, former Foodora couriers won a settlement compensating them for the termination of their contracts. Thomas McKechnie, an organizer with Foodsters United, joins The Radical Reverend to share how this happened.

Plus, Dr. Joerg Rieger's keynote speech at the Christian Left Conference. How do we bring together the left? Our profound differences can enhance our ability to build deep and wide liberation movements.

Guests:

Thomas McKechnie, organizer with Foodsters United, and award-winning playwright

Dr. Joerg Rieger [@Joerg_Rieger], Distinguished Professor of Theology, the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies, and the Founding Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University

Watch the full Christian Left Conference:

http://bit.ly/ChristianLeft2020Playlist

Democratic and Liberal politicians are promoting messages of unity and hope, offering platitudes without any fundamental policy or structural changes that would improve our lives. Meanwhile, systemic racism remains a crisis, we're living through a climate emergency, and younger people are seeing no hope for the future. 

The system has to change. We have to undo capitalism. The only way forward is to build an intersectional, class-based movement and get out in the streets! 

Guests:

Andray Domise [@AndrayDomise], contributing editor for Maclean's, Rezistans Nwa, founder of TXDL, community advocate, and fellow at the Nathanson Centre at York University

David Slavick [@DavidSlavick], political consultant

Links:

Rezistans Nwa - Andray's independent media project featuring conversations on the Black left:

rznwa.com