The Breach Show

Mark Carney’s federal budget talks big about solving the cost-of-living crisis—but caters mostly to corporate priorities. From inside the budget lock-up in Ottawa, Martin Lukacs and Nikolas Barry-Shaw break down the Liberal government’s spending decisions. _________________________________________________________________________ The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics a...

While a First Nations-first ministers' meeting won gushy media headlines, Mark Carney’s extraction agenda is running roughshod over constitutionally-protected Indigenous rights. Lawyer and professor Pam Palmater tells Desmond Cole that Carney could be stirring up a resurgence of Indigenous resistance. _________________________________________________________________________ The Breach Show is...

In a historic court decision, the BC Supreme Court says Canada needs a legal pathway for “compassion clubs” that aim to reduce overdose deaths by supplying safer drugs. Lawyer DJ Larkin sits down with Desmond Cole to break down the decision and discuss the two harm reduction organizers who risked jail time to challenge the law. _______________________________________________ The Breach Show is our...

Danielle Smith has a strategy to shift the blame for Alberta’s ailing public services, and appeal to the far-right forces in her base: point the finger at immigrants. Alberta researcher Bronwyn Bragg sits down with Saima Desai to bust Danielle Smith’s immigration myths in the Alberta referendum. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Sub...

Mark Carney’s investment summit advanced a right-wing corporate agenda—from airport privatization to tax breaks to environmental deregulation—while dressing it up as patriotic defiance of Donald Trump. Martin Lukacs joins Desmond Cole to break down what happened at the summit, as well as on the streets outside. ___________________________________________________________ The Breach Show is our podc...

The world’s wealthiest investors are coming to Canada—and they want a piece of our public infrastructure. Council of Canadians campaigner Nik Barry-Shaw joins Desmond Cole to explain how Mark Carney’s glitzy investment summit could pave the way for a corporate carve-up of Canada. ________________________ The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Ca...

As right-wing Ontario Premier Doug Ford lurches from one scandal to the next, has his political luck finally run out? Journalist Bruce Livesey joins Desmond Cole to break down his long-form feature on Ford’s rise to power and his potential fall. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple , Spotify, Iheartrad...

Last week, The Breach exposed a secret network used by Canadian universities to crack down on pro-Palestine activism on campuses. Reporters Euan Thomson and David Slater sit down with coordinating editor Saima Desai to go behind the scenes of their investigation, unpacking how universities not only suppressed student encampments, but also destroyed and withheld public documents. To read the invest...

Climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels is making extreme wildfire seasons more common in Canada. But if you were to tune into CBC News, you might not even make the connection. Tara Mahoney sits down with Desmond Cole to discuss gaps in the public broadcaster’s climate coverage. Write your own letter to the CBC calling for better climate journalism here: https://win.newmode.net/connec...

Mark Carney is overseeing a massive expansion of AI data centres in Canada, and it’s raising all kinds of concerns. Marcus Werner reports on the fast-growing movement that’s rising up against the wave of planned data centre projects—and in some cases, already winning. _______________________________________________________________ We need 500 new regular supporters to join us and help build journa...

The Breach just launched a new book, A New Democratic Party: The Comeback of the Left.  At the Toronto launch, Desmond Cole spoke to three contributors, former MP Matthew Green, feminist activist Judy Rebick, and editor Martin Lukacs, who discuss and debate the future of the party. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscribe to the...

The labour movement is sounding the alarm on the Liberal government's plans to strip federally-regulated workers of their most important power—the right to strike. Unifor researcher Graham Cox joins Desmond Cole to discuss how the Carney government is using Trump’s attacks on Canada to tilt the playing field further for the corporate elite. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analys...

Canada’s police are becoming deadlier and less accountable, but are still getting more and more money. El Jones and Desmond Cole explore why police violence, surveillance and budgets keep expanding, while basic services and supports are getting starved. We need 500 new regular supporters to join us and help build journalism for transformation. Can you help us reach our target? Support people-power...

Far-right Alberta separatist activists hit a hitch last week, when the courts ruled their referendum petition was unconstitutional because they failed to consult First Nations. As Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushes on with her own referendum anyway, Indigenous scholar Matt Wildcat speaks to Desmond Cole about why First Nations oppose separation.

Canada has won its bid to host a new NATO-aligned bank that will fuel a weapons-building frenzy. Organizer Rachel Small explains how the bank fits into Mark Carney’s militarization agenda and would further tie Canada’s economy to war profiteering. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Iheartra...

B.C. Premier David Eby is trying to roll back legislation enshrining Indigenous rights—and he isn’t the only one.  Lawyer Pam Palmater joins Desmond Cole to discuss the corporate resource rush and right wing backlash behind the surging attack on Indigenous peoples. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple...

Avi Lewis has won the leadership of Canada's NDP. Desmond Cole was live at the party’s convention, talking about what this left turn means for the NDP's future with Naomi Klein, Matthew Green, Leah Gazan, and more. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple , Spotify, Iheartradio , Youtube Music or y...

Veteran activist and author Judy Rebick has spent nearly half a century trying to transform the NDP into a left wing party tied to social movements. Rebick sits down with managing editor Martin Lukacs to discuss that history, and why she’s now betting on Avi Lewis’s campaign for NDP leader. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscrib...

The NDP got gutted last election—but Winnipeg MP Leah Gazan says its crisis could catalyze a resurgence. She joins Desmond Cole to discuss how reclaiming the NDP’s radical roots can revive the party. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Iheartradio, Youtube Music or your favourite service. __...

In his first year in office, Mark Carney has unleashed a tsunami of pro-corporate policies and legislation justified by Trump’s attacks against Canada. At a panel hosted at the Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit, Martin Lukacs sat down with organizers Syed Hussan, Atiya Jaffar, Janelle Lapointe, Nathan Prier, and Rachel Small to discuss how movements are reckoning with the Liberal agenda. The B...

As Mark Carney courts new economic partners, he’s cozying up to Narendra Modi’s far-right Indian government. Saima Desai joins Desmond Cole to discuss the costs of Canada’s growing alliance with India. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Canada. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple , Spotify, Iheartradio , Youtube Music or your favourite service...

Following the deadliest crackdown on protestors in Iran's modern history, hundreds of thousands marched in Toronto last weekend, with protest organizers calling for U.S. military intervention—something the Canadian government has refused to rule out supporting. Iranian-Canadians Donya Ziaee and Samira Mohyeddin break down the history of struggle against authoritarianism in Iran and how what Ir...

This episode deals with the issue of suicide, and as such it might be triggering or upsetting. If you or someone you know needs support, there are people trained to listen and to offer the support you may need. We’ve included some support links in the notes for this episode. As governments cut public services and offer only meagre support for those living with disabilities, assisted death risks be...

With ICE agents in the U.S. waging a campaign of terror, author and activist Harsha Walia puts the anti-migrant state violence in the context of a global rise in xenophobia. She lays out what Canadians can do in the short and long term to pressure their government into a more humane immigration policy. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements in Cana...

Mark Carney’s speech calling out Trump and the collapse of the so-called “rules-based order” generated a torrent of praise around the world. Martin Lukacs talks with Katia Lo Innes to break down Carney’s seemingly radical rhetoric—and how it hardly matches his conservative pro-corporate policy agenda at home. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on politics and social movements...