

The Breach Show
The Breach
A bi-weekly podcast from The Breach featuring sharp commentary on politics and movements in Canada.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 10, 2025 • 38min
What our movements can learn from water
What can water and the natural world teach us about power, resistance, and survival? Leanne Betasamosake Simpson joins Desmond Cole to discuss her new book “Theory of Water” and explores how Indigenous knowledge can guide us through the political and ecological crises we face today._________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia

Jul 3, 2025 • 29min
Manufacturing transphobia in Canada
As anti-trans laws pass in the U.S. and around the world, Canada is often cast as a safe haven for queer and trans people. But the reality is more complicated, says activist Celeste Trianon, in conversation with Katia Lo Innes on this week’s Breach Show podcast.Trianon unpacks how well-funded right-wing groups and some Canadian politicians are fueling a creeping backlash, how strict immigration policies under Carney are making it harder for trans refugees to find protection here, and what it will take to protect trans lives._________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia

Jun 27, 2025 • 33min
How to win like Mamdani (even in Canada)
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo to clinch New York City’s mayoral primary. Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs break down why Mamdani’s campaign won, and what Canadian progressives can learn from it. _________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia

Jun 19, 2025 • 39min
Israel’s war, Iranians’ nightmare, Canada’s complicity
Since last week, Israeli missiles have flattened homes and killed hundreds of civilians in Iran, and there are fears the United States could soon join the attacks.On this week’s Breach Show Podcast, Donya Ziaee and Desmond Cole discuss why the bombs won’t bring liberation for the Iranian people—and why Canada must stop backing Israeli aggression in the name of the ‘right to self-defence.’_________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia

Jun 5, 2025 • 28min
Canada’s new plan to fast-track Indigenous land theft
From coast to coast, Indigenous peoples in Canada are seeing governments bulldoze their rights and sovereignty to speed up resource extraction projects—all in the name of fighting Trump’s trade war. Lawyer Pam Palmater joins Desmond Cole on the Breach Show podcast to discuss the current resource push, Canada’s legal obligations to Indigenous peoples under domestic and international law, and the new wave of resistance brewing across the country._________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia

4 snips
May 30, 2025 • 43min
Pop goes the right to protest
Christine Van Geyn, a lawyer at the Canadian Constitution Foundation, fights for Canadians' freedoms, while Dalia Awwad, a local Palestinian organizer, provides legal support for protestors in Toronto. They discuss the troubling implications of new bubble zone laws that limit protests, especially regarding LGBTQ+ rights and Indigenous issues. The conversation highlights the legal battles surrounding these restrictions, the impact on marginalized communities, and the need for resistance to uphold the right to protest in Canada.

May 15, 2025 • 36min
NDP insiders are cooking the leadership race
The New Democratic Party needs a bold, democratic renewal—but insiders appear to want a short, rigged race to lock in the status quo.Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs discuss the consultant class’s grip on the party, and what a different kind of NDP might look like.

May 1, 2025 • 46min
Carney beats Conservatives—with their own agenda
Mark Carney has defeated Pierre Poilievre, but Conservatives did a lot better than expected.Martin Lukacs and Desmond Cole reflect on the gains and setbacks for the various parties, and explore how progressive forces can rally amidst a rightward-moving political consensus._________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia

Apr 25, 2025 • 48min
The radical thinker behind Poilievre’s plans for Canada
For three decades, Pierre Poilievre’s analysis and vision has been shaped by one thinker: Milton Friedman, the godfather of neoliberalism.Political scholar Ryan Kelpin sits down with Martin Lukacs to discuss the radical economist’s influence on Poilievre. _________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia

Apr 18, 2025 • 40min
Vibe checking the election debate
Nearing the end of the 2025 federal election, the party leaders locked horns in back to back debates.Desmond Cole, El Jones, and Martin Lukacs debrief who came out well—and if it will have an impact on the polls. _________________________________________________________________________Want to hear more podcasts like this? Become a sustaining member at https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ An hour of your wages each month will fuel independent and progressive journalism, free of corporate agendas – and never behind a paywall._________________________________________________________________________Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBreachMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreachcommunity Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/breachmedia.ca Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebreachmedia


