rabble radio

This week, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting was held in Davos, Switzerland, under the theme of 'A Spirit of Dialogue.' On Tuesday, January 20, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a 17-minute special address in which he condemned the "old order" of the world and said the longstanding American-led rules-based international order is over. He called on "middle powers" such as Canada to work together and resist domination by larger, wealthier, and more heavily armed nations. The reaction from Canadians has been overwhelmingly positive. Across the political spectrum, many have praised Carney's speech for its measured, inspiring tone and for firmly positioning Canada in opposition to the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump—without ever mentioning him by name. This response is hardly surprising. As last year's election showed, few things currently unite Canadians as effectively as drawing a clear line against Trump and his actions. But should progressive Canadians be so quick to celebrate Carney's speech? What was left unsaid beneath the polished rhetoric? Which elements rang hollow or hypocritical, and which genuinely deserve recognition? Today on the show, rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian and rabble editor Nick Seebruch discuss the speech and what it might mean for Carney's plans in the year ahead. 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.

Labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga sits down with Kelly Botengan to discuss the recent changes by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which has paused the intake of new applications for the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots. Advocacy groups argue the pause leaves many migrant workers, predominantly women from racialized communities, in a precarious situation. If their work permits expire while waiting for a permanent residency decision, and they are unable to apply for an extension under the paused program, they risk becoming undocumented or losing their legal status in Canada. About our guests Kelly Botengan came to Canada via the live in caregiver program in 2006. She was involved in community organizing for a few years, then worked as a settlement counsellor with migrant caregivers for 13 years. worked exclusively with caregivers. Botengan is currently in her last term as a paralegal student at Seneca Polytechnic and works part time as a legal assistant in an immigration law firm. To learn more about the causes Botengan organizes around, check out the Caregivers Collective of Canada on Facebook. 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.

The NDP will pick their new leader at the end of March. rabble's Off the Hill political panel took a look at the race and broke down the major issues, endorsements, and events of the campaign so far. This week on rabble radio, we feature a segment from our most recent Off the Hill political panel. This month, our theme was 'Analyzing the NDP leadership race.' Our panel featured Libby Davies, Judy Rebick, James Adair and Karl Nerenberg. About our guests Libby Davies is a former NDP deputy leader and former co-host of Off the Hill. Davies has expressed her support for Avi Lewis in this race. Judy Rebick is a renowned activist and author and is the founder of rabble.ca. Rebick has also expressed her support for Lewis. James Adair is the co-president of the University of Ottawa NDP Association and has expressed his support in this leadership race for Rob Ashton. Karl Nerenberg is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker, working in both English and French languages. He is rabble's senior parliamentary reporter. 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 has been a very eventful year in Canada, to put it simply. As rabble editor Nick Seebruch and publisher Sarah Sahagian noted on last week's show, Canadian politics went through one of its most dramatic periods in recent memory—including a federal election that reshaped the national conversation. And politics were only part of the picture. Environmental challenges, major labour actions, and Canada's shifting role on the international stage all kept the news cycle moving. Throughout it all, rabble's reporters and freelance writers worked to make sense of these developments on our site and here on the podcast. Today, we're sharing the last episode of rabble radio for 2025. And, in the fashion of our last episodes of the past few years, we're highlighting some of our best interviews of this year on rabble radio. Thank you for listening to rabble radio Our show would not be possible without listeners like you. So thank you! From all of us here at rabble, we want to wish you and your communities a very merry holiday season and a safe and happy new year! If we've caught you in the giving mood and would like to support our show today, please visit rabble.ca/donate. rabble radio will return January 9, 2026. 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. Or, if you have feedback for the show, get in touch anytime at editor@rabble.ca.

This week on rabble radio, rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian and rabble editor Nick Seebruch discuss the major news in Canadian politics of 2025; including the resignation of Justin Trudeau, to now-Prime Minister Mark Carney—and his first months as leader, his budget and pipeline plans; the NDP leadership race; and more. This marks our final interview of the year! Next week on the show, we'll feature a collection of our favourite interviews of 2025 in the yearly fashion of the "best of rabble radio" episode. Tune in next week to see if your favourite interview made the cut! 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 its newly tabled budget, the federal government announced that over the course of four years there would be a $2.7 billion reduction in international assistance. As Bridget Potasky writes in her November 13th piece on rabble.ca, this announcement has drawn the ire of NGOs who warn it could cause long-term, irreversible harm leaving vulnerable communities without essential medical care, food, and protection at a time when global needs have dramatically risen. This week on rabble radio, we tune in to her conversation with the director of policy and advocacy with Cooperation Canada, Paul Farran. Cooperation Canada is an umbrella group representing more than 100 Canadian non-profits engaged in humanitarian aid efforts and international development. About our guest Paul Farran is the director of policy and advocacy with Cooperation Canada. He works closely with the CSO sector in Canada on parliamentary and government engagement. He has a background working internationally with the United Nations and NGOs in different regions of the world on partnership and government relations 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.

The New Democratic Party of Canada is currently looking for its new leader after the resignation of Jagmeet Singh and a colossal decline in support in the most recent federal election. It seems the NDP's reduced support stems from competition with the Liberals, strategic voting, demographic shifts, and difficulties uniting diverse voter groups across Canada. The new leader of the NDP must unite the party's diverse voter groups, rebuild national support and clearly differentiate the NDP's vision from its rivals. But how can this be done? rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian and assistant professor at the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University Daniel Westlake discuss this question and more this week on rabble radio. About our guest Daniel Westlake is a term assistant professor at the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University. He teaches courses on Canadian politics, quantitative methods, and multiculturalism and immigration policy. Westlake completed his PhD in political science at the University of British Columbia and has previously held positions at the University of Victoria, Queen's University, and the University of Saskatchewan. 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.

Content warning: This interview centers around domestic violence. Please listen with care and sensitivity. Family and child protection lawyer Bobbi Olsen joins rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian to talk about the legal systems in Canada which handle issues of domestic and family violence. The two explore what is working and what needs to be improved. About our guest Bobbi Olsen is a dual-call (Ontario and Alberta) high conflict family and child protection lawyer who has practiced in Toronto for many years, and now practices with MD Law Group in Calgary, Alberta. In addition to her LL.B., she holds a Masters of Law in Family Law from Osgoode Hall Law School and a certificate from the Master Class of Negotiation, Harvard Law School, Executive Education. An army reservist during undergrad, she jokes that she has spent her adult life learning to protect people's freedom, a value she holds dear. She is known for spontaneous solo travel, running, and spending too much time alone with her dog, Ted Mosby. 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 looking at how unions and employers bargain in Canada and whether it's time for a new approach. Right now, most unions negotiate with one employer at a time, which can make it tough to raise standards across an industry. Some experts are calling for sectoral bargaining which may help create fairer pay and conditions for everyone. Today on the show, we're joined by Dr. Adam King, assistant professor in Labour Studies at the University of Manitoba, to talk about what a move toward sectoral bargaining could mean for workers and the future of Canada's labour movement. About our guest Adam D.K. King is an assistant professor in the Labour Studies Program at the University of Manitoba. He is the coauthor of Work and Labour in Canada: Critical Issues, 4th Edition and writes a weekly newsletter about work and the labour movement called "Class Struggle" at The Maple. On November 19, join Dr. Adam King and Dr. Sara Slinn (Osgoode Hall Law School) in a webinar focused on sectoral bargaining here. Hosted by the Labour Studies Department at Brock University. 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, Prime Minister Mark Carney shared Budget 2025: a budget that Carney says is "to build Canada strong." The budget emphasized the importance of investing over spending—but what does that really mean? Here to break it down is economist Jim Stanford. About our guest Jim Stanford is economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, a progressive labour economics institute based in Vancouver. He has a PhD in economics from the New School for Social Research in New York, and also holds economics degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Calgary. He is the author of Economics for Everyone, which has been translated into six languages. 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.