rabble radio

It's June, listeners! And in Canada and the US, June marks the start of Pride Season. Pride is when 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and allies gather in solidarity to celebrate queer identity and visibility, to commemorate the history of resistance to discrimination and violence, and to come together to fight current issues facing queer people. This week on rabble radio, we're re-releasing an episode from 2019 where Victoria Fenner sits down with Lyla Miklos, a queer activist from Hamilton, Ontario to talk about the city's record of hate crimes and what other small communities in Canada can learn from Hamilton. Continue the conversation on Pride in Canada by joining us for Off the Hill this month! Guests include rabble columnist Charlotte Dalwood and assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work, Fritz Pino. Hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. Register today to save your spot for our panel on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 4:30pm PT / 7:30pm ET. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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.

Under the Rachel Notley NDP government in Alberta in 2015, and in response to public outcry over excessive compensation and benefits for public sector senior executives, the Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act (PSCTA) was introduced. With the Act came "sunshine lists" which outlined the compensation of all public sector workers whose earnings exceeded a certain threshold. In a blogpost by the Parkland Institute, Jason Foster explains the act and lists were originally created in hopes that disclosing names, salaries, and benefits would "curb tendencies toward financial excess by senior executives." He continues: "Whether it has worked as intended is an open question. What is clear is that it is something of a blunt tool." And this blunt tool may not be the best solution. This week on rabble radio, rabble labour reporter Kiah Lucero joins Foster to discuss the design flaws and shortcomings of the Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act and sunshine lists in Alberta. About our guests Jason Foster is the director of Parkland Institute and an associate professor of human resources and labour relations at Athabasca University. He is the author of Gigs, Hustles, & Temps (2023) and Defying Expectations: The Case of UFCW Local 401 (2018), as well as co-author of Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces (2016). His research interests include workplace injury, union renewal, labour and employment policy, and migrant workers in Canada. Foster is committed to sharing research to as broad an audience as possible, so that it might contribute to policy change and making people's lives better. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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.

Dr. Chandni Desai, an expert in settler colonialism and Palestine studies, joins Dr. Muhannad Ayyash, a policy analyst and sociologist focusing on Palestinian social movements. They discuss the chilling concept of scholasticide, detailing how the destruction of educational institutions in Gaza parallels broader systemic genocide. The conversation emphasizes education's pivotal role in resistance and identity, underscores the importance of global solidarity, and addresses the devastating future impacts on Palestinian youth and culture amid ongoing conflict.

This week on rabble radio, we feature a segment from our most recent Off the Hill political panel. This month, our theme was 'Off the Hill: The myths and realities of Canada's labour shortage' Our panel featured MP Matthew Green, economist Jim Stanford, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour Laura Walton and researcher and policy analyst at the CCPA, Véronique Sioufi. About our guests MP Matthew Green was first elected Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre in 2019 and re-elected in 2021. Previously, he served for the 2014-2018 term as the Ward 3 Councillor, and first person of colour to be elected to Hamilton City Council. Green is NDP Critic for Employment and Workforce Development; Labour; Ethics; and Deputy Critic for Public Services and Procurement. Laura Walton is the President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), Canada's largest provincial labour federation. The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. Laura previously served as the President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees' Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), which represents over 55,000 education workers across the province. In 2022, Laura led an historic strike that won unprecedented gains for OSCBU members and that led to the defeat of Bill 28, the provincial government's landmark anti-labour legislation. 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. Véronique Sioufi is the racial and socio-economic equity researcher and policy analyst at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC. Check out the entire panel on rabbleTV or rabble's YouTube channel! If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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.

It's Asian Heritage Month in Canada – and this month, we're very excited to bring you a two-part discussion on the history of Asian labour in Canada. This week's episode is a continuation from last week's conversation in which rabble labour reporter Kiah Lucero, and Patricia Chong and Karine Ng from the Ontario and BC branches of the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance discussed the history of the Alliance; key moments of Asian labour in Canada; and how racism, systemic discrimination, and "othering" still shows up in Canada today. Today, we continue that discussion and dig into the concept of a "model minority," what it means to be an immigrant on stolen land, and how all racial justice fights are intertwined. About our guests The Asian Canadian Labour Alliance (ACLA) is a national organization that represents the voice of Asian Canadian trade union members, Asian Canadian workers and the Asian community at large. Through educational events, organizing and strike support, the ACLA hopes to establish a wide network of labour and community activists in Canada. Patricia Chong holds a MA in Labour Studies from McMaster University and a Masters in Labour Policies and Globalisation from the Global Labour University (Germany). She is a short documentary film maker and a member of the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance Ontario Chapter. She has worked as an organizer for both public and private sector unions and has successfully unionized workers in Ontario, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon. 吳珏穎 Karine Ng (she/her) is an immigrant-settler on Turtle Island, a spore blown across the Pacific from then British colonized Hong Kong, with ancestral roots in what is known today as China. Her work is anchored in education, spanning across diverse ages and socio-cultural settings in the ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and the Tseil-Waututh people and elsewhere. For additional information on the organizations mentioned please visit: ACLA Ontario Canadian Sikh Heritage Challenging Racist "British Columbia": 150 Years and Counting Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC Chinese Canadian Museum Coalition of Black Trade Unionists For reading and watching materials: Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: A Resource for Educators A Resource for Educators White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver Toronto Solidarity Rally Against Anti-Asian Racism (2021) More about Emmie Tsumura, the artist who worked on the Asian Canadian Labour History banners Asian Heritage Month designs Follow her on Instagram here If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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.

It's Asian Heritage Month in Canada – and this month, we're very excited to bring you a two-part discussion on the history of Asian labour in Canada. Over the next two weeks, we're sharing a conversation between rabble's own labour reporter Kiah Lucero, and Patricia Chong and Karine Ng from the Ontario and BC branches of the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance. The three discuss the history of the Alliance; key moments of Asian labour in Canada; and how racism, systemic discrimination, and "othering" still shows up in Canada today. About our guests The Asian Canadian Labour Alliance (ACLA) is a national organization that represents the voice of Asian Canadian trade union members, Asian Canadian workers and the Asian community at large. Through educational events, organizing and strike support, the ACLA hopes to establish a wide network of labour and community activists in Canada. Patricia Chong holds a MA in Labour Studies from McMaster University and a Masters in Labour Policies and Globalisation from the Global Labour University (Germany). She is a short documentary film maker and a member of the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance Ontario Chapter. She has worked as an organizer for both public and private sector unions and has successfully unionized workers in Ontario, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon. 吳珏穎 Karine Ng (she/her) is an immigrant-settler on Turtle Island, a spore blown across the Pacific from then British colonized Hong Kong, with ancestral roots in what is known today as China. Her work is anchored in education, spanning across diverse ages and socio-cultural settings in the ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and the Tseil-Waututh people and elsewhere. For additional information on the organizations mentioned please visit: ACLA Ontario Canadian Sikh Heritage Challenging Racist "British Columbia": 150 Years and Counting Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC Chinese Canadian Museum Coalition of Black Trade Unionists For reading and watching materials: Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: A Resource for Educators A Resource for Educators White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver Toronto Solidarity Rally Against Anti-Asian Racism (2021) More about Emmie Tsumura, the artist who worked on the Asian Canadian Labour History banners: Asian Heritage Month designs Follow her on Instagram here If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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.

rabble editor Nick Seebruch sits down with Alex Stratas from Climate Justice uOttawa to talk about the work they do fighting for climate justice on and off campus. Climate Justice uOttawa is a student run, grassroot organization aimed towards achieving climate justice within the uOttawa community and beyond. Their mission includes encouraging universities to fully divest from organizations which fund fossil fuel projects. Alex Stratas (she/her) is a third-year political science and communications student at the University of Ottawa with experience in advocating and organizing grassroots campaigns on the climate crisis through her work as co-president of Climate Justice Climatique uOttawa (CJCUO). She is passionate about community advocacy, world literature, and international politics—mostly regarding the SWANA region and the intersection of identities. She is often found reading, listening to music, or complaining about the public transit system in Ottawa. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 feature a segment from our most recent Off the Hill political panel. This month, our theme was 'Off the Hill: Dissecting the 2024 federal budget.' Our panel featured economist at the Centre for Future Work Jim Stanford, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives David Macdonald, and writer and policy researcher Chuka Ejeckam. Co-hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. About our guests 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. David Macdonald is the senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). He has been a commentator on national policy issues, appearing often in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Canadian Press. 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.ca. Check out the entire panel on rabbleTV or rabble's YouTube channel! If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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, rabble editor Nick Seebruch sits down with executive director of the Institute for Change Leaders, Mike Perry. The two discuss the training the ICL offers organizers, activists and campaigners as well as the importance of building relationships and storytelling when organizing. A lawyer and social worker by profession, Mike Perry is the Institute for Change Leader's executive director. An experienced teacher and skilled organizer, Mike has served as legal advisor to the Metis National Council; director of communications for the National Capital Region YMCA-YWCA's Capital Campaign; and executive director of the Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team. In 2022, Mike was elected councilor for Ward 3 in the City of Kawartha Lakes. Mike is also an alumnus of the public leadership program at Harvard, where he is currently a teaching fellow for the Leading Change: Leadership, Organizing, and Action course, and served on Institute for Change Leader's board of directors prior to his appointment as executive director in 2023. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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, Dr. Lisa Everitt joins Kiah Lucero to talk about the emotional labour and burnout that teachers and education assistants in Canada are facing. The two also discuss the "HEARTcare" plan – a research project aimed at improving educator well-being. About our guest and the HEARTcare project Dr. Lisa Everitt has worked as an executive staff officer with the Alberta Teachers Association since 2006. Everitt has held several roles at the association and has developed expertise in labour relations, employee benefits plans, educational research, and women in leadership. Prior to joining the Association, Everitt taught high school mathematics in the Northwest Territories and Alberta. While her interest in compassion fatigue, emotional labour and educator burnout includes an academic perspective, it also has been informed by her work as a teacher working with vulnerable young people as well as her experience assisting teachers and school leaders struggling with mental emotional health. Research conducted by the association over the course of the COVID19 pandemic revealed high levels of moral distress, symptoms of burnout, and compassion stress for Alberta teachers. This session focuses on the findings of these studies and addresses HEARTcare planning, a guide based on collective compassion to plan for mental emotional wellness for teachers and school leaders. The HEARTcare plan was designed by Dr. Astrid Kendrick of the University of Calgary following an Alberta Teachers Association and Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan sponsored two year study that examined the consequences of providing emotional labour at work. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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.