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Episode 57 – Fighting Québec’s religious symbol ban

In this episode, Nora explains what the CAQ’s religious symbol ban is, where it comes from and how organizing is going to stop it.

Since we recorded this, nothing has changed from the legislative side. A rally was held in Montreal this past weekend to oppose the religious symbols ban. More voices have come out to oppose the ban.

Episode 56 – the unbearable whiteness of Canadian media

Talking about systemic racism in Canadian media is a bottomless well of content. This week, Sandy and Nora discuss Pam Seattle’s apology, CityNews’ apology and why apologies aren’t going to fix the racism that is embedded in Canada’s media landscape.

This week’s photo is from a 2002 cover of Maclean’s Magazine. Same as it ever was.

Episode 54 – global terrorism’s white face

This has been a difficult week, especially if you have been watching the rise of organized white supremacists for years. In this episode, Sandy and Nora dissect how the media and politicians have failed so badly at grasping this threat, and conclude with things that are giving them hope.

Episode 45 – Doug Ford reduces tuition fees, smashes OSAP, screws student

Just in time for Sandy and Nora’s first show of 2019, Doug Ford wages war on higher education. Sandy and Nora break down this announcement and offer arguments for how to push back against a Liberal frame that is just as much to blame. This is part one of two — tuition fees and grants. In part two, they breakdown voluntary student unionism and how to mount an effective fightback.

Episode 44 – we get angry

2018 was the kind of year that you can only salute by paying homage to anger. In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about anger and how it can be used to ignite and inspire social change.

Episode 37 – Sandy and Nora vs. The Munk “Debate”

Live from Toronto on Nov. 2, Sandy and Nora take on The Munk Debate. From Frum and Bannon to Bay Street’s continued colonial exploitation of locations across the globe for mining, they tie together extremely obvious links that everyone in the mainstream media somehow forgot the week prior to this debate.

Special thanks to the Black Liberation Collective at Ryerson, volunteers at CJRU and Noah for capturing this sound, staff at the Ryerson Student Centre and the folks who arrived early enough to help us set up and take down the chairs. It was greatly appreciated.

This is part one of two parts. The second part, the Q&A, is Episode 38.

 

 

Episode 35 – How to fight hate in Toronto

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about the fallout from the Toronto election, and how progressives need to think about fighting the rising visibility of hatred in the GTA.

And: MARK YOUR CALENDARS

You’re invited to a live show in Toronto on Friday, Nov. 2. Please RSVP here so we can order enough food: https://www.facebook.com/events/1874457432673162/

Episode 34 – Kavanaugh (and wtf CBC?)

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about the feminist movement, and how distorted our lens on Kavanaugh is due the absence of an effective feminist presence in social movement organizing. They also touch on Quebec politics and CBC’s decision to not air a debate because John Tory wont agree to debate Jen Keesmaat one on one. Note from Nora: much to my embarrassment, I misstate Tori Stafford’s name in this episode, and I couldn’t edit it out. The overall intervention was important enough to leave with the error, which I regret.

Episode 31 – Constitutional crisising in Toronto

Sandy and Nora are back! They took some time off so that things could get really, really bad so that their debut episode for the 2018-19 season could be full of gasping, laughter and doom. In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about the electoral crisis that Doug Ford’s PC government has plunged Toronto into, Section 33 of the constitution and how the broad left should be fighting back.

Episode 28 – The War of the Car

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about the recent wave of cyclist deaths in cities and rural areas across Canada and how cars are making everything very, very, very angry.

Update to something that Sandy mentions in the show: the foolish scramble crosswalk is not longer at Bay and Bloor Sts. in Toronto. Tant mieux!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

We are recording a live show in Hamilton! Come join us on Thursday, July 26. You wont want to miss it!

Event information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/245123882945036/

Reserve your ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/voice-words-action-feminist-popular-education-tickets-48065416956

Episode 26 – HAPPY CANADA DAY TO …

It’s the Canada Day episode! Nora and Sandy talk about all the things that they’re thinking about for Canada Day. Are you thinking about the same things we’re thinking about? Tune in to find out. Also, please consider donating to:

https://www.gofundme.com/justice-for-olando-brown

We will add the GoFundMe for Jon Styres when we have the link.

This is a duplicate page trying to fix a bad link.

Episode 23 – is the left failing to train new activists?

Where do young activists learn their skills? In this episode Sandy and Nora talk about the student movement and how the left needs to renew itself through targeting training (education, campaigns, jobs) for young people.

Episode 22: it’s time to shittalk #ONELXN

With just over one week to go, the Ontario election is spinning out to be the most exciting one to watch in a generation — if by exciting we mean hilarious, which we do!

Sandy and Nora take time with each party and examine all the reasons for why they cannot be taken seriously, and give many kudos to the grassroots activists running for the ONDP. They are making this shitshow very worth it.

Episode 21: Canada’s racist border policies

Sandy and Nora talk about Canada’s borders: from refugee claimants from the United States to CBSA, where innocent people are housed in maximum security facilities, Canadians need to start asking questions about what their government is doing to families who are seeking Canada for a better life.

Episode 20: Profits, pipelines and progressive confusion

After many requests from friends, Sandy and Nora have finally decided to talk about pipelines.

Episode 9: Injustice and Tina Fontaine

In this podcast, Sandy and Nora talk about the Raymond Cormier trial, his acquittal, and the racist, colonial systems at play that consistently deny justice to Indigenous women and girls, like Tina Fontaine.

There can be no justice on stolen land.

Episode 8: From Me too Us: the limits of the Me Too movement

This episode explores the Me Too movement. From Patrick Brown, to the poisonous and pervasive sexism within politics, to broader movement issues and questions, we take a tour of the state of feminism today.

This issue deals with the matter with a mix of humour and anger: our best survival tools. Skip the first 15 minutes if you don’t want to hear about all the ways in which Patrick Brown’s press conference was a disaster.

Episode 7: No justice for Colten Boushie — Canada’s white supremacy problem

This episode starts off featuring Jade Tootootsis, Colten Boushie’s cousin, at a press conference following the acquittal of Gerald Stanley in Colten’s death. Jade reminds people to get organized and be mobilized to fight for justice.

Sandy and Nora talk about colonialism, injustice and how nothing will change if people don’t heed Jade’s call: that nothing is possible unless we organize ourselves.

Episode 6: police, racism and journalists who just don’t get it

On the long-awaited Episode 6, Sandy and Nora talk about financial literacy curriculum, Nazis in the Toronto Library and police in schools, and how on each story, journalists keep getting it wrong.

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.

Episode 3: The white supremacy episode

2017 might just be the year where mainstream Canada reckons with white supremacy — or maybe not. From Justin Trudeau being a white supremacist to marches promoting hatred happening across Canada, Sandy and Nora make the necessary connections of these flashpoint events to broader systems and structures of white supremacy. With M103, the anti-Islamophobia motion soon to be debated in the House of Commons, it’s critical to understand this debate in the context of white supremacy.

The White Supremacy episode: from “should I punch a Nazi?” to: “here are the range of ways to disrupt, bother and challenge Nazis in the streets”

Episode 2: “Feminist” Trudeau provides progressive cover for sexist Trump

In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about Trudump: the meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump. Spoiler: feminism was used to hide deeply unfeminist cross-border cooperation plans.

Episode 1: How can anyone think Toronto road tolls are progressive?

In this episode, Sandy and Nora examine the arguments that some progressive men have made about the road tolls that had been proposed on the DVP and the Gardiner Expressway.

They also sign on for the first time in what will certainly be, an historic show.