rabble radio

This week on rabble radio, we're sharing a clip from the latest episode of the Courage My Friends podcast series in which Henry Giroux and Resh Budhu discuss the rise of authoritarianism in the US and around the world as an updated fascism, its attack on democracy and the urgent need for solidarity. About our guest Henry A. Giroux currently holds the McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest in the English and Cultural Studies Department and is the Paulo Freire Distinguished Scholar in Critical Pedagogy. His most recent books include Pedagogy of Resistance: Against Manufactured Ignorance (Bloomsbury 2022); Insurrections: Education in the Age of Counter-revolutionary politics (Bloomsbury in 2023), co-authored with Anthony DiMaggio, Fascism on Trial: Education and the Possibility of Democracy (Bloomsbury, 2024) and Burden of Conscience (Bloomsbury, 2025). Listen to the full episode here, on Needs No Introduction – home of the Courage My Friends podcast series. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

This week on rabble radio, CEO and founder of Moms at Work, Allison Venditti sits down with rabble labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga to talk about the challenges facing mothers in the workforce in 2025 and what her organization is doing about it. About our guest Allison Venditti is a career coach, HR expert, salary negotiation whisperer and founder of Moms at Work. She has over a decade of experience helping women make more money, grow their careers, and build communities designed to support and advocate. She has worked in many sectors including health care, technology and startups, nonprofit, manufacturing, finance, banking, consulting, mining, engineering, insurance, government, corporate real estate, transportation and more. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

This week, Michael Bueckert from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, sits down with Libby Davies. The two discuss how CJPME hopes to make solidarity with Palestine an election issue this year, as well as how his own education and activism led him to his current position as acting president of the organization. About Michael Bueckert and CJPME Dr. Michael Bueckert has a PhD in sociology with a specialization in political economy from Carleton University. He has written for publications including Africa Is A Country, Jacobin and Briarpatch. He is co-editor of Advocating for Palestine in Canada (Fernwood Publishing, 2022). He joined CJPME as vice president in June 2020, and became interim president in January 2025. CJPME's mission is to enable Canadians of all backgrounds to promote justice, development and peace in the Middle East, and here at home in Canada. To learn more about Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, please visit: https://www.cjpme.org/ If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

This week on rabble radio, we're sharing a clip from our February Off the Hill political panel. In this panel, our guests – including community organizer and political commentator Jennifer Arp; writer and policy researcher Chuka Ejeckam; political, advocacy and communications professional Sabrina Grover; and rabble's own parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg – discussed the ongoing high-stakes Liberal leadership race. Review the entire panel here. About our guests Chuka Ejeckam is a writer and policy researcher. His work focuses on inequity and inequality, drug policy, structural racism, and labour. He is also a columnist for rabble. Sabrina Grover is an experienced political, advocacy and communications professional with an expertise in the international development and global health and nutrition sectors. Grover served as the campaign manager for the Mark Sutcliffe Campaign for Mayor in Ottawa, and in 2021 Sabrina ran as the Federal Liberal Candidate for Calgary-Centre. She also sits on the board of several organizations including the Public Affairs Association of Canada, the Sled Island Music Festival and HomeSpace where she primarily supports stakeholder relations and building partnerships with government and private sector partners. She's also a frequent political commentator on CBC Calgary, CTV Power Play and the Vassy Kapelos Show. Karl Nerenberg is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker, working in both English and French languages. He is rabble's senior parliamentary reporter. Jennifer Arp is a community leader and non-profit professional. Previous roles include interim national president and CEO with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and senior vice-president of the community at MS Canada. She had the privilege of representing her community on the Toronto District School Board as trustee and vice-chair from 2014-2018 where she led numerous initiatives including the Enhancing Equity Task Force. Other experience includes working at both the federal and provincial level for multiple cabinet ministers. She recently completed her Master of Arts in International and Intercultural Communications at Royal Roads University. About Off the Hill Since 2019, Off the Hill has been rabble.ca's live political panel. Through this series, we break down important national and international news stories through a progressive lens. This webinar series invites a rotating roster of guest activists, politicians, researchers and more to discuss how to mobilize and bring about progressive change in national politics — on and off Parliament Hill. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

This week, we share a clip from the latest episode of the Courage My Friends podcast series. In this episode, host Resh Budhu sat down with author and storyteller Carolyn Roberts, dean of the Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies at George Brown College, Susan Toews, and director of Student Well-Being and Support at George Brown College, Alex Irwin to discuss this year's upcoming Mental Health Conference. This year's conference theme is Thriving Together in the Classroom: Creating the Conditions for Student Well-Being. About our guests Carolyn Roberts uses her voice to support Indigenous resurgence through education. She is a St'at'imc and Sto:lo woman belonging to the Thevarge family from N'quatqua Nation and the Kelly Family from the Tzeachten Nation and under the Indian Act she is a member of the Squamish Nation. Carolyn is a speaker, author, Indigenous academic, and a faculty member in UBC Teacher Education and NITEP programs. She has been an educator and administrator for over 20 years in the K-12 system. Carolyn's work is grounded in educating about Indigenous people and the decolonization of the education system. She works with pre-service teachers to help build their understandings in Indigenous history, education, and ancestral ways of knowing, to create a brighter future for all Indigenous people and the seven generations yet to come. She is also the author of Re-Storying Education: Decolonizing Your Practice Using a Critical Lens (2024). Alex Irwin is an accomplished educator with broad experience managing people and projects and developing innovative education programming for a wide range of students, both domestically and overseas. He is director of Student Well-Being and Support at George Brown College, where he oversees counselling, accessible learning services, deaf and hard of hearing services, and the college's peer wellness programming. He is also a clinical social worker, with a history of working at community-based mental health and treatment centres. Susan Toews has over 35 years of experience in education, with the last 18 years of her career at George Brown College, where she has served in leadership positions in both academic roles and service areas. She is currently the Dean, Centre for Preparatory and Liberal Studies. Susan is a strong advocate for a whole campus/whole student approach to student mental health and believes in the wide application of Universal Design for Learning, as it provides guidance for creating accessible, inclusive and engaging student-centered learning opportunities – critical to student well-being. Susan holds an M.Ed. from OISE/University of Toronto and, as a committed lifelong learner, continually engages in professional development in education, including graduating from UBC's Organizational Coaching program in 2024. For online registration, conference fees and information about the February 27, 2025 conference, please click this link. Listen to the full episode here, on Needs No Introduction – home of the Courage My Friends podcast series. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

Ahead of a provincial election in Ontario, rabble's Jack Layton Journalism for Change fellow Eleanor Wand sits down with Sarah Jama to talk about her re-election campaign as an Independent MPP for Hamilton Centre and how Jama believes that voters between parties have more in common than they think. About our guest Sarah Jama is running for re-election to continue representing Hamilton Centre as MPP. Her community work spans over a decade in Ontario and beyond, including leading intersectional leadership programs, civic engagement initiatives for youth, and grassroots efforts addressing social inequities such as food insecurity. Before being elected, Jama was a sessional faculty member at McMaster University and the executive director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario. Sarah creates and amplifies spaces for young people by promoting skill-building, knowledge-sharing, and community organizing. As an MPP, Sarah Jama brought her grassroots organizing experience and deep community connections to Queen's Park, providing platforms for disenfranchised individuals who are often dismissed. She has consistently advocated for public healthcare, rent control, affordable and supportive housing, childcare, protected bike lanes, environmental sustainability, and increased funding for education. She has also opposed unnecessary highway expansions, private healthcare, and policies that fail to prioritize the well-being of our communities. Sarah puts working people first, and working people are the heart of Hamilton Centre. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

What does it mean for a workplace to be truly accommodating for all? How can we advocate for more people-first workplaces? Where are governments and companies failing us and how can we better protect each other? Labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga sits down with Brad Evoy, the executive director with Disability Justice Network of Ontario to discuss all this and more. About our guest Brad Evoy is the executive director with Disability Justice Network of Ontario. Brad is a member of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation and has worked across Ontario and Newfoundland as a governance and community organizing nerd. His experiences as a Disabled person—with Cerebral Palsy and high myopic vision—have helped ground him in community and the interlocking fight for justice. DJNO was founded in 2018 by racialized, disabled community members in Hamilton, Ontario to build a world where disabled people are free to be, able to thrive and grow in community together, and have the power to hold the powerful to account. The Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) aims to build a just and accessible Ontario, wherein people with disabilities: have personal and political agency; can thrive and foster community; and build the power, capacity, and skills needed to hold people, communities, and institutions responsible for the spaces they create. For more information about DJNO, visit here. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

This week, we share a clip from the first episode of the latest season of the Courage My Friends podcast series. In this episode, independent journalist and public historian Taylor C. Noakes, author, political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ricardo Tranjan and social justice activist and former organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, John Clarke reflect on the current state of progressive politics in Canada. Listen to the full episode here, on Needs No Introduction – home of the Courage My Friends podcast series. About our guests John Clarke is a writer and activist who became involved in anti-poverty organizing in the 1980s, when he helped to form a union of unemployed workers in London, Ontario. In 1990, he became an organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and stayed in this role until 2019 when he became Packer Visitor in Social Justice at York University. Taylor C. Noakes is an independent journalist and public historian from Montreal. Ricardo Tranjan is a political economist, senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, frequent media commentator in English and French, and author of two books, including the national bestseller The Tenant Class. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

In 2022, when Roe v. Wade was overturned in the United States, it sent shockwaves through Canada as we questioned how this decision might impact us. For many, it sparked a new sense of concern that similar actions could be taken here, prompting a closer examination of the work needed to strengthen and expand reproductive rights and access in Canada. This week, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. While he promises to usher in a "golden age," in the five days he's been in power, he's already made extremely harmful decisions concerning health care, gender identity, citizenship, the environment and much more. And so we're forced to consider, again, what these actions could mean for Canada. Leading up to a federal election of our own, one where a Conservative federal leader seems the likely outcome, we're asking: what is the state of reproductive rights in Canada – and what's at stake in the upcoming election? This week on the show, Jack Layton Journalism for Change fellow Eleanor Wand sits down with Joyce Arthur, the founder of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada to discuss all this and more. About our guests Joyce Arthur (she/her) has been an abortion rights activist for over 30 years. She is the founder and executive director of Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, where she carries out lobbying work, activist campaigns, and public education. She's also a writer, media spokesperson, and speaker on abortion and other gender rights and social justice issues. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.

This week on rabble radio, we're sharing a clip from our first Off the Hill political panel of 2025. In this panel, our guests – including NDP MP Niki Ashton, senior researcher at the CCPA National Office Stuart Trew, economist Jim Stanford, activist and writer Judy Haiven and rabble's parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg – talked about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation announcement, his accomplishments and failings during his time as leader, parliament's current prorogation and what's next for Canada. Review the entire panel here. About our guests Niki Ashton is NDP Member of Parliament for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski in Manitoba. Stuart Trew is a senior researcher at the CCPA National Office and the past editor of the CCPA Monitor. He is director of the CCPA's Trade and Investment Research Project. Jim Stanford is an economist and the director of the Centre for Future Work, a labour economics research institute with operations in Canada and Australia. Karl Nerenberg is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker, working in both English and French languages. He is rabble's senior parliamentary reporter. Judy Haiven is a former professor of Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She retired to become a volunteer human rights activist and writer. She is a founder of Equity Watch, a nonprofit organization that fights bullying, discrimination and harassment in the workplace. A founding member of Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Judy supports the struggle to end Israel's genocide against Palestinians. Her social justice newsletter, Another Ruined Dinner Party, is available for free on Substack. About Off the Hill Since 2019, Off the Hill has been rabble.ca's live political panel. Through this series, we break down important national and international news stories through a progressive lens. This webinar series invites a rotating roster of guest activists, politicians, researchers and more to discuss how to mobilize and bring about progressive change in national politics — on and off Parliament Hill. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends — it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.