rabble radio

Hosted by Breanne Doyle, rabble radio is the flagship podcast of rabble.ca. rabble breaks down the news of the day from a progressive lens. It's a good place to catch up and catch on to what's happening in Canadian politics, activism, environmentalism, and so much more. We catch you up on the news of the week and take you further into the stories that matter to you.

Off the Hill: Analyzing the NDP leadership race 01/09/2026

Best of rabble radio 2025 12/19/2025

Reviewing 2025: A mercurial year in Canadian politics 12/12/2025

Examining the federal government’s 2.7 billion in cuts to foreign aid 12/05/2025

Support for the NDP is declining. What can be done? 11/28/2025

Family law in Canada: What it gets right and where it fails 11/21/2025

Considering sectoral bargaining in Canada 11/14/2025

Carney’s 'generational' budget falls short of expectations 11/07/2025

Reviewing Muslim representation in Canadian media 10/31/2025

What are the priorities in these early days of the NDP leadership race? 10/24/2025

New border security bills endanger refugee rights 10/17/2025

New border security bills endanger refugee rights This week on rabble radio, we share a clip from a recent episode of the Courage My Friends series featuring co-executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, Karen Cocq, advocacy and media relations coordinator at The Refugee Centre in Montreal, Alina Murad and President of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, Aisling Bondy. The three join Courage My Friends series host Resh Budhu to discuss Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new border security acts, Bill C-2 and its questionable make-over with the recently tabled Bill C-12 and how they effectively rewrite Canada’s approach to refugee rights and protections. If passed, what will these acts mean for those seeking asylum—and for Canada as a whole? About our guests and the Courage My Friends series Aisling Bondy is the current president of the , a national organization comprised of several hundred lawyers who practice in refugee law. She is the founder of Bondy Immigration Law and is a member of the Refugee Lawyers’ Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association, the Ontario Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association. Karen Cocq is co-executive director of the , a membership-based organization of migrants. MWAC is the secretariat of the cross-country Migrant Rights Network, the largest coalition of migrant led organizations in Canada. She has been active in migrant justice and workers' rights organizing for 20 years. Alina Murad is the advocacy and media relations coordinator at in Montreal. She leads policy research and advocacy initiatives addressing systemic barriers faced by refugees and asylum seekers in Canada. Follow them on Instagram @therefugeecentre and @pointofentrypodcast. . And, if you’d like to hear more from the Courage My Friends podcast series, please subscribe to Needs No Introduction. Available on rabble.ca, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Courage My Friends podcast is a co-production between rabble.ca and the Tommy Douglas Institute at George Brown College. Produced by Resh Budhu of the Tommy Douglas Institute, Breanne Doyle of rabble.ca and the TDI planning committee: Chandra Budhu and Ashley Booth. For more information about the Tommy Douglas Institute and this series, visit georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute. If you like please consider subscribing on , , 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. /episode/index/show/rabble/id/38619900

What ethical reporting on Gaza looks like in 2025 10/10/2025

Dissecting the closed work permit system with Gauri Sreenivasan 10/03/2025

Off the Hill: Parliament’s back in session 09/26/2025

TRAILER: rabble radio 09/23/2025

Doug Ford’s education agenda hinders students, workers success 09/19/2025

Academic freedom and the changing landscape of post-secondary education 09/12/2025

How will Carney’s government affect mothers this fall? 09/05/2025

Who is fighting for the long-tailed macaques? 08/29/2025

Fighting for public education in Ontario with Martha Hradowy 08/22/2025

Fighting for public education in Ontario with Martha Hradowy This week on rabble radio, rabble editor Nick Seebruch sits down with Martha Hradowy, newly elected president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF). As the head of one of the largest education unions in Canada, Hradowy steps into leadership at a pivotal moment for Ontario's public education system. The two discuss Hradowy’s vision and goals for the federation, and the urgent challenges facing students and education workers under Premier Doug Ford's government. From overcrowded classrooms to disappearing supports and the growing pressure on frontline staff, what has Ford’s education agenda really meant for Ontario? About Martha Hradowy and OSSTF Martha Hradowy is an education worker, union activist, and the first-ever education support staff member elected as president of OSSTF/FEESO in the Federation’s 106-year history. Hradowy began her career in the Greater Essex County District School Board, working as both an educational assistant and a developmental service worker. Her union leadership began at the grassroots, serving as president of the educational support staff bargaining unit in District 9 for over a decade. She was elected to the OSSTF/FEESO provincial executive in 2017, re-elected in 2019, and twice elected as vice-president in 2021 and 2023. She helped create the Women’s Advocate Program, worked to advance equity initiatives, and led efforts to defend public education against privatization and underfunding. She is an active member of the Windsor and District Labour Council and has served on the executive board of the Ontario Federation of Labour. She continues to build strong relationships across the labour movement to ensure OSSTF/FEESO is a force for social and economic justice in Ontario. OSSTF/FEESO is a strong, independent, socially active union that promotes and advances the cause of public education and the rights of students, educators and educational workers. While establishing working conditions for its members, OSSTF/FEESO also works to build strong public services, preserve academic freedom, prevent the privatization and commercialization of our educational institutions, ensure that students receive an education free of bias and discrimination and provide an equitable opportunity for all students to succeed in a strong, well-funded public education system. If you like please consider subscribing on , , 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. /episode/index/show/rabble/id/37915500

rabble’s focus in fall 2025 08/15/2025

Declaring statehood—with strings attached 08/08/2025

Fighting the privatization of Wasaga Beach 08/01/2025

Fighting the privatization of Wasaga Beach Ontario Premier Doug Ford has a track record of taking from the public to give to private interests. No where is this more evident than his government’s approach to environmental conservation. Time and again, Doug Ford has removed public land to give to private developers, all in the name of supposedly strengthening the provincial economy and building houses. In recent years, parks and other greenspaces have been sold off for the creation of spas, highways, and some housing all while destroying valuable habitats and ecosystems. Today on rabble radio, I speak with Tim Gray, the Executive Director of Environmental Defence about the recent announcement that 60 per cent of the provincially owned Wasaga Beach will be handed over to private developers. About our guests Tim Gray is the Executive Director of Environmental Defence, a leading environmental advocacy organization in Canada. He is responsible for leading the organization’s initiatives to safeguard Canada’s freshwater, build livable cities, get toxic chemicals out of the products we use, clean up plastic pollution and transition Canada from fossil fuels to modern, clean energy. Tim was a founding Board member of Global Forest Watch Canada and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, and in addition to leading Environmental Defence, he is also the Board of Directors of Evidence for Democracy. In 2025, Tim was a recipient of a King Charles III’s Coronation Medal for his environmental work. Tim obtained an H.BSc. in Biology from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario in 1987 and a M.Sc. in Botany/Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto in 1992. If you like please consider subscribing on , , 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. /episode/index/show/rabble/id/37639770

How can agriculture adapt in the face of climate change? 07/25/2025

Resilient acts of care and solidarity 07/18/2025

Resilient acts of care and solidarity In the face of rising anti-immigrant rhetoric, a new partnership between Lush Cosmetics and the Canadian Council for Refugees is taking a stand. Together, they’ve launched Neighbours—a campaign built on the belief that Canada should be a place of welcome, belonging and justice for all. At the center of this campaign is the limited-edition Resilient Bath Bomb. Seventy-five percent of the purchase price (minus the taxes) from the Resilient Bath Bomb go directly to organizations working on the front lines to support refugee and immigrant communities. Today on rabble radio, Gauri Sreenivasan (Canadian Council for Refugees) and Carleen Pickard (Lush Cosmetics, North America) sit down with rabble editor Nick Seebruch to talk about how the partnership came together, the shared values behind it, and how everyday acts of care can connect to broader movements for justice and belonging. About our guests Gauri Sreenivasan (she/elle) is co-executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, a leading voice for the rights, protection, sponsorship, settlement, and well-being of refugees and migrants, in Canada and globally. She has over 30 years of experience in policy and advocacy, working in leadership roles across civil society, Parliament Hill, and with academia and researchers to build alliances for change on Turtle Island and around the world. Carleen Pickard works on social, environmental and animal justice campaigns for Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics. As advocacy and activism manager, she supports campaigns and initiatives on issues important to Lush such as reconciliation with Indigenous People, ending fossil fuel extraction and animal protection. Prior to Lush, she held several positions at the human rights group Global Exchange between 1997-2015, including executive director, associate director and Mexico program director. She was also an organizer and political co-director at the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest advocacy organization. Carleen holds an MA in Anthropology and Development from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom, where she worked with Zapatista communities in Mexico resisting military occupation. If you like please consider subscribing on , , 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. /episode/index/show/rabble/id/37459285

Inside the Global March to Gaza with Dr. Yipeng Ge 07/11/2025

We’re boosting defence spending—where does this leave climate commitments, global Indigenous sovereignty? 07/04/2025

Writing through pain and parenting with Tara Mandarano 06/27/2025

Let's talk about climate policy, pipelines and Land Back 06/20/2025

Let's talk about climate policy, pipelines and Land Back This week on rabble radio, we’re sharing a clip from our June Off the Hill political panel. In this panel, our distinguished guests — Eriel Deranger, Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action; Clayton Thomas-Müller, author and activist; Sabrina Grover, political strategist and communications expert; former NDP MPP Joel Harden; and rabble’s own parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg — explore the implications of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s commitment to making Canada “an energy superpower.” The discussion delves into how this vision intersects with Indigenous sovereignty, pipeline development and Canada’s climate commitments. About our guests Eriel Tchekwie Deranger is a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), executive director/founder of Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) and 2024 winner of the global Climate Breakthrough award. Eriel is active in international Indigenous rights advocacy movements participating in various boards and UN bodies. Her work focuses on Indigenous rights, climate justice and intersectional movements. She is recognized for her role as spokesperson for her community in the international Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign. Prior to this she was a Specific Land Claims and Treaty Land Entitlement Researcher for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. Eriel has written for various magazines and publications; featured in documentary films including Elemental (2012); and is regularly interviewed for national and international media outlets. Clayton Thomas-Müller is a member of the Treaty #6 based Mathias Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. He has campaigned in and out of Canada, to support Indigenous Peoples to defend their territories against the encroachment of the fossil fuel industry. He is an award winning film director, media producer, organizer, facilitator, public speaker and bestselling author. His book, Life in the City of Dirty Water, was a national bestseller and a CBC Canada Reads finalist. 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. Joel Harden is a lifelong community organizer who represented Ottawa Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2018 to 2025 as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party. During his time at Queen’s Park, Harden served as the party’s Critic for Transit and Active Transportation, where he championed accessible, affordable, and sustainable public transit solutions across the province. 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 please consider subscribing on , , 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. /episode/index/show/rabble/id/37085465

Protecting queer and trans lives across borders 06/13/2025

Protecting queer and trans lives across borders Content Warning: This interview includes personal accounts of homophobia and experiences of violence. Please listen with care and sensitivity. It’s Pride Month, and while advocating for queer and trans rights is a year-round commitment, this June feels especially urgent. Countries once considered relatively safe—like the UK and the US—are rolling back protections and adopting increasingly hostile policies. And in many parts of the world, same-sex relationships are criminalized, people who defy gender norms face punishment, and simply living authentically can put someone’s life at risk. An organization that works to protect queer and trans lives globally is Rainbow Railroad. In 2023 alone, Rainbow Railroad received more than 15,000 pleas for help from LGBTQI+ individuals facing life-threatening danger. While not everyone can be relocated, the organization works with global partners to get those at risk to safety. This week on the show, we’re joined by: Devon Matthews, the head of programs at Rainbow Railroad to discuss the important work the organization is doing to support 2SLGBTQIA folks across the globe; and also Rahma Esslouani, a newcomer to Canada originally from Morocco. Rainbow Railroad is a global not-for-profit organization that . Based in the United States and Canada, they are an organization that helps LGBTQI+ people facing persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. In a time when there are more displaced people than ever, LGBTQI+ people are uniquely vulnerable due to systemic, state-enabled homophobia and transphobia. These factors either displace them in their own country or prevent them from escaping harm. About our guests Devon Matthews (she/they) is the Head of Programs at Rainbow Railroad, where they lead global initiatives to support LGBTQI+ individuals facing persecution. Since joining the organization in 2018, Devon has led the organization through numerous major international emergency responses, helping to deliver life-saving support to thousands of queer and trans people at risk. She holds a BA (Hons.) from Dalhousie University and an MA at the University of London under the Refugee Law Initiative. Rahma Esslouani is a newcomer who relocated to Toronto, Canada, from Morocco via Turkey. If you like please consider subscribing on , , 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. /episode/index/show/rabble/id/36978280

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