The Breach Show
The Breach
A bi-weekly podcast from The Breach featuring sharp commentary on politics and movements in Canada.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 11, 2025 • 39min
The post-reconciliation election
With the federal election just a couple of weeks away, what will become of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples?Lawyer and professor Pam Palmater of the Eel River Bar First Nation joins Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs on The Breach Show to discuss campaign promises and the future of reconciliation._________________________________________________________________________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 3, 2025 • 42min
Don’t count out Pierre Poilievre yet
Almost two weeks into the Canadian federal election, Mark Carney’s Liberals have consolidated their lead—but a Conservative victory shouldn’t be ruled out just yet.Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs discuss Carneymania and the quiet strength of the Conservatives, and get up to speed with campaign promises on housing, energy, and taxes._________________________________________________________________________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
Mar 21, 2025 • 48min
The market won’t house you
A recent Housing Justice Convergence in Montreal brought together organizers, policy experts, funders, and housing advocacy groups from across Canada. For this episode, we’re rebroadcasting the keynote panel, facilitated by The Breach’s Dru Oja Jay. Featuring housing activists Chiara Padovani and John Clarke, and economist Ricardo Tranjan, the panel explores what it takes to build a winning housing justice movement—and why removing profit from housing is a necessary red line. _________________________________________________________________________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
Mar 14, 2025 • 23min
The crime of land defence
A recent court ruling found the RCMP breached land defender Molly Wickham’s Charter rights—but still upheld her criminal conviction for blocking the CGL pipeline.Wickham sits down with Desmond Cole to discuss Canada’s colonial courts, police violence, and what she’s learned from a decade of land defense. _________________________________________________________________________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
Feb 20, 2025 • 37min
Mark Carney’s centrist Hail Mary
Mark Carney is selling himself as a pragmatic outsider who can rescue the Liberals—and maybe even beat the Conservatives. But behind the polished image and steady-hand rhetoric is the same old agenda: cuts, pipelines, and corporate giveaways.Journalist David Moscrop joins host Donya Ziaee to break down how Carney is rebranding failed ideas as fresh solutions—and who stands to benefit.Read Moscrop’s article on Mark Carney here: https://breachmedia.ca/mark-carney-says-hes-a-pragmatic-outsider-but-hes-a-banker-selling-yesterdays-failed-ideas/_________________________________________________________________________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
Feb 6, 2025 • 36min
Doug Ford’s devastating legacy
With Ontario facing a snap election, we take a deep dive into more than six years of austerity and free market fundamentalism under Doug Ford. Desmond Cole is joined by Bryan Evans, co-editor of Against the People: How Ford Nation is Dismantling Ontario, to break down the Ford playbook and unpack the damage done._________________________________________________________________________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
Jan 30, 2025 • 39min
Trump’s tariff tantrum explained
As Trump’s tariff threats loom, trade expert Stuart Trew talks to host Donya Ziaee about what Canadian workers should be prepared for, how the corporate elite are exploiting the crisis, and how the Left can seize on the moment to push for more progressive change._________________________________________________________________________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
Jan 23, 2025 • 36min
We can’t forget about the West Bank
El Jones speaks to Martin Lukacs about her recent trip to the occupied West Bank, where her delegation visited with scholars, journalists, artists, and communities engaged in non-violent resistance to Israeli apartheid.Writing by Budour Hassan here._________________________________________________________________________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
10 snips
Jan 10, 2025 • 55min
The sun sets on Justin Trudeau’s progressive neoliberalism
Desmond Cole, a journalist and activist known for his bestselling book "The Skin We're In," joins Martin Lukacs to dissect Justin Trudeau's near-decade in office. They reflect on the disillusionment following Trudeau’s promising start, highlighting his failures in housing and Indigenous relations. Cole critiques the superficiality of Trudeau's reconciliatory gestures and the real impacts of corporate interests on policy. The discussion also explores the political shift in Canada post-convoy, questioning the left's strategy and the rising right-wing sentiment.
Dec 19, 2024 • 37min
Who’s afraid of Chrystia Freeland?
In the wake of Chrystia Freeland’s explosive departure from the Liberal cabinet, Martin Lukacs and El Jones discuss the establishment media’s infatuation with Ottawa’s palace intrigue and what the future for a hobbled Trudeau government might look like. Plus, we answer listener questions just in time for the holidays. _________________________________________________________________________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
