Liberals

Episode 164 – The Case of the Disappearing Provincial Governments

In this episode, Sandy and Nora examine why provincial governments have laid so low during the election period, and why that spells disaster for COVID-19 and other crises Canadians currently face.

Episode transcript.

Episode 151 – Canada and the world

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about what is happening in Colombia, Tigray and Palestine, and ask why don’t Canadians have more information about global affairs? Plus Nora talks about Quebec Solidaire censuring it’s anti-racism/decolonial collective and Sandy goes on a bit more about bots.

 

Episode transcript here.

Episode 148 – The Liberals and their Trolls

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about the CERB, the vaccine and how Liberal Trolls are on the attack against online against Liberal critics.

Episode transcript here.

Episode 139 – the Liberals’ crime reform legislation

Last week, the Liberals introduced Bill C-22 – the Liberals’ long-awaited amendments to Canada’s criminal code. Sandy and Nora discuss the changes, how they are a mixed bag of good and bad, and how the Liberals never take seriously the concerns of Black and Indigenous communities.

Transcript available here.

Episode 124 – white rage in Nova Scotia: terrorism or genocide?

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about why taking action in support of Mi’kmaq fishers, and Indigenous struggles everywhere, is so critical. They also talk about seniority in the labour movement, and how eliminating seniority isn’t going to fix systemic racism in the workplace.

Contest is closed but you can buy merch here still:  https://twitter.com/amybeatrice/status/1317161330260979713

Nora’s book launch RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/billets-noras-55-hour-book-launch-open-house-pandemic-nightmare-edition-125505517381

RESOURCES:

Donations:  https://t.co/qp5x3vOqcb?amp=1

Twitter thread of ideas: https://twitter.com/TheAgentNDN/status/1317325273730371584

How others are helping: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/mi-kmaw-fishers-creative-support-1.5770229?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar

Episode 120 – throned speech

In this episode, Sandy and Nora decode the Liberal throne speech and — surprise — discover that it’s mostly hot air!

They also talk about Breonna Taylor and what the decision to not investigate further means.

Episode 116 – do not wait for things to get worse

It has been a week. In this episode, Sandy and Nora walk through the month of news that happened this week and explain how, and why, there is urgency right now to take radical action.

Episode 115 – Liberals having a proroguing good time

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about Bill Morneau’s resignation, Chrystia Freeland being a woman and how Justin Trudeau really hopes that Canadians will not pay close enough attention.

 

Episode transcripted (unedited): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z0-6Qj0mXnGofTLZGQhMnRV643_8fPOrtj8o5TvmVOk/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 109 – Liberal Fiberal

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about the Liberal tendency to work through other organizations, lik, WE to build support and consensus for the Liberal brand. Plus – Quebec’s new Me Too movement and that Harper’s fReE sPeEcH letter.

Note: Nora misspoke and said Bob Rae had been appointed the ambassador for the US. He’s been appointed the ambassador to the UN.

Episode 96 – Deaths in long-term care, death by police

Sandy and Nora talk about the harrowing stats coming from long-term care, and how police have not stopped killing people, even though we’re all locked down.

Correction: in this episode, Nora confused Stratford, Ontario with Woodstock, Ontario. This has been something she has been doing since she was like 5. Elizabeth Wetlauffer’s murders did not take place in Stratford.

Episode 79 – Election’s over. What does anything mean?

Sandy and Nora (but especially Nora) stayed up late to give you instant analysis of Canada’s new federal minority government. They talk about the winners (the Liberals, social movement activists) the losers (media and Maxime Bernier) and remind everyone that this result is good news for anyone looking to affect change.

Episode 72 – try not to despair with an election in the air

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about how progressives should orient themselves towards the federal election. Hint: drop the partisanship, get involved in a local campaign if the candidate is worth your time and don’t imagine that voting is the sum total of democratic involvement.

** RE: Nora’s comment about the per vote subsidy clarification: Harper axed it. Trudeau never brought it back.

Episode 68 – will social media be the end of democracy?

July is the perfect month to take some time and reflect on how deeply we all truly are screwed, thanks to the overwhelming power that social media plays in our lives. If governments don’t figure out how to regulate this power, we can say goodbye to democracy.

Episode 61 – Are the Liberals bowing to white nationalists?

The biggest story from the 2019 budget barely made the news — the Liberals are tightening border security and making it much more difficult for people to seek asylum, including making it illegal to claim asylum from the United States. Sandy and Nora examine these new anti-refugee policies (including Doug Ford’s cuts to legal aid) and ask progressives to do what they can to make noise to oppose these new policy measures.

 

Episode 55 — Liberals tokenize to make SNC affair go away

Despite their best efforts, the Liberals are still stuck in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. And they’ve trotted out some old timers to help push their narrative into the mainstream press. Sandy and Nora talk about the strategy of hiding behind women to burn other women, hiding behind racialized women to burn other racialized women, and why the Liberal Party they want you to know is very different than the Liberal Party they really are.

Episode 41 – You gotta fight for your right (to strike)

Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government legislated striking postal workers back to work this week. Despite the fact that 1. mail has continued to be delivered and 2. that the right to strike is protected by the Charter, everyone’s favourite fauxminist has put the boots to CUPW members’ necks and forced an end to their rotating strikes.

Sandy and Nora decode what all this means, and why our right to strike is a right that needs to be vigourously defended.

Photo courtesy of the Canadian Association of Labour Media

Episode 24 – Resistance in Fordtario

Doug Ford is about to become Ontario’s Premier. How did we get here and how must we resist? Sandy and Nora have your answers.

 

Image: National Post

Episode 16: Ontario’s free tuition lie

Do Ontario students get free tuition? The short answer is no. In this episode, Nora and Sandy go through the long answer, which is also no, but much more passionate and funny than the short answer.

Episode 14: The Financial Literacy Hoax

The Ontario Liberals have announced that Grade 10 students will have new financial literacy education. Sandy and Nora ask: why? What’s missing in the curriculum that makes this a necessary promise? Or, is this a vacant and crass political promise that’s primarily meant to garner votes?

Episode 10: Liberal schemes redux: when the scheme intends to undermine organizing

What’s behind the Federation of Black Canadians? Sandy and Nora talk about everything they know about how the Liberals use, manipulate and influence organizations to help promote their own policies, and warn folks to be careful when an organization seems to be operating in lock-step with government.

Episode 5: Scheming Liberals and their Schemey Schemes

Has there ever been a scheme with a progressive veneer and a regressive outcome that the Liberals haven’t loved?

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about the Ontario budget, Liberal Schemes and how progressives need to resist Liberal logic that is intended to confuse Canadians into supporting them. Specifically we talk: free tuition fees, the basic income, pharmacare and the racist implications of the marijuana policy discussions.