Building Left

Join Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick as they interview Luke Savage. Luke is a writer whose work has appeared in the Toronto Star, the New Statesman, Jacobin and more. He is also the coauthor of Ed Broadbent’s 2023 book Seeking Social Democracy. Join us for Luke's commentary on the rising popularity of explicitly socialist movements around the world, the failures of Carney's centrism in Canada, and...

Hosts Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins speak with Guerric Haché, an Electoral District Association (EDA) member in Vancouver Centre, about rebuilding and energizing NDP EDAs. Guerric is a designer and programmer with 13 years' experience in the video game industry, alongside being as an independent writer and artist, and a prolific nature photographer. Originally from Gatineau, Québec, they've made...

In this episode of Building Left, hosts Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick speak with Trevor McAleese, a Kelowna-based video game developer and former federal NDP candidate who is now running for city council. Trevor discusses why municipal politics matter, and explains how he proposes to tackle issues such as affordable housing, short-term rental challenges, childcare, climate change and wildfire pr...

In this episode, hosts Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick speak with El Foulkes, an organizer, union activist and artist who sits on the NDP federal council as a table officer from Quebec. El explains how the council and executive operate between conventions, shares their experience on transparency, consultation and decision‑making, and discusses internal organizing to strengthen democratic processes...

Jaime Frederick puts co-host Kallee Lins in the hot seat for a report from the NDP convention in Winnipeg. Join Building Left for a deep dive into Avi Lewis's first-ballot victory, executive council elections, and what the recently passed resolutions reveal about the future direction and unity of the party.

Just days before the federal NDP chooses its new leader in Winnipeg, hosts Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick break down the race to Convention: a mutual endorsement proposition between candidates, strategic ranked-ballot math, attacks over the decade-old Leap Manifesto, and the fallout from Nunavut MP Lori Idlout crossing the floor to the Liberals. Join us as we weigh in on what these flashpoints me...

Join Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins for the latest spotlight on NDP leadership hopefuls. Jump in and get to know Heather McPherson! Heather McPherson, the NDP MP for Edmonton Strathcona and the only sitting MP running for leader, shares the tactics that have led her team in Alberta to repeated electoral successes.  On Building Left, Heather discusses the need for balancing a just transition for o...

Join hosts Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins as they debrief the final NDP leadership debate held on Feb 19. Questions ranged from energy policy to managing US aggression. (Don't worry—they were speaking English this time, so ideas were much more fulsome!) This recap covers everything from Tony's memorable zingers to the spicy and thinly veiled jabs between candidates.  What was your takeaway from t...

Longtime NDP MP Peter Julian joins Building Left to reflect on the party's catastrophic 2025 defeat and the national renewal effort. Julian, alongside former MP Matthew Green, have proposed 25 resolutions for the federal NDP Convention coming up in Winnipeg, resolutions aimed at reviving both the Party structure and its policy commitments.   Peter joins co-hosts Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick to...

Jess Wittman began climate activism at the age of nine, going door to door. As she grew up, so did her passion for community engagement. She worked on five provincial and federal election campaigns between 2024 and 2025, what she calls a "bootcamp" in political organizing.  Jamie Frederick and Kallee Lins speak with Jess about her role as an NDP regional organizer for the 2025 federal election. Th...

Hosts Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins unpack Emilie Taman's post‑election review of the federal NDP, tracing how the party's pre‑campaign decisions, campaign messaging, other systemic issues and the political landscape all shaped the 2025 result. The episode discusses the Review & Renewal Report 's focus on gaps in fundraising and grassroots support, the party’s relationship with organized lab...

Join Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins as they interview the NDP's leadership candidates. Our latest guest: Tony McQuail! Tony McQuail is a farmer, educator and lifelong advocate for a fairer and more sustainable Canada. For more than 50 years, he has been a leader in sustainable agriculture and rural development.  Tony’s vision for Canada goes beyond sustainability to true regeneration. His Green P...

Hosts Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick break down the NDP's leadership debate last week in Montreal, where a bilingual format exposed uneven French skills among the candidates. Despite policy discussion feeling thin, the event provided a strong snapshot into candidates' personalities and priorities. Join us as we highlight standout moments from Avi, Tanille, Tony, Rob and Heather, and touch on recu...

Join Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins as they interview the NDP's leadership candidates. Our latest guest: Tanille Johnston! Tanille Johnston is a proud Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ woman from the We Wai Kai First Nation. A dedicated social worker, mother, and bold new voice for the future of the NDP, Tanille currently serves as Director of Community Programs with the First Nations Health Authority and as a City Co...

Join Building Left to break down Mark Carney's first federal budget. The document lays out deep program cuts, 40,000 public sector job losses, and a large spike in defence spending, alongside some encouraging moves on housing investment, apprenticeship support and automatic tax filing for a mixed bag of austerity and "generational investments." We're unraveling budget week's political fallout — a...

Back in April, Jäger Rosenberg made headlines as the youngest person running in the Canadian federal election. He was the NDP candidate in the BC riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. Last year he also ran as a nominee for the BC NDP candidacy in the provincial riding of Powell River–Sunshine Coast. He’s currently a member of the executive for the BC Young New Democrats and a...

Join Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins as they interview the NDP's leadership candidates. First up: Avi Lewis!  Avi Lewis is a veteran journalist, educator, and activist with 35 years of movement-building experience, combining grassroots organizing with the ability to reach millions. On Building Left, Avi discusses his long history with the NDP and proposes policies like a public option for grocerie...

Veteran NDP MP (1997-2015) and activist Libby Davies discusses the importance of democracy within the party as the NDP navigates its leadership race. Along the way, she highlights routes for grassroots engagement, recalls Jack Layton’s authentic leadership, and discusses the value of unity as we work to solve the urgent issues facing us all.  Join Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick for a conversation...

Hosts Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins break down the opening weeks of the federal NDP leadership race, newly declared candidate Avi Lewis, controversial hopefuls, and the divergent directions contenders are staking out. Join us as we review the party's latest actions in support of labour rights—putting forward a private member’s bill to remove Section 107 from the Canada Labour Code—along with que...

Hosts Kallee Lins and Jaime Frederick are joined by Christian Audette to explore the growing shift of working-class voters from the NDP to the Conservatives. Christian is a local organiser and small business owner in the Niagara region of Ontario. After working on both federal and provincial campaigns, he has on-the-ground insights to share about voters' economic anxiety, provincial vs. federal dy...

As the NDP leadership race warms up, Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins  explore the rules and dynamics shaping the contest and assess the early contenders. Yves Engler, an outspoken activist, raises questions about barriers to entry and accuses the party of favouritism, particularly toward Heather McPherson (MP, Edmonton-Strathcona), known as a more moderate voice. From the cost of entry, to signatu...

Welcome back to Building Left, the podcast where hosts Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins dive into the evolving landscape of social democracy and progressive politics in Canada. In this episode, the hosts are joined by Dr. Jared Wesley, a political scientist from the University of Alberta. Dr. Wesley dives into how individual Albertans make sense of their political identity, challenging the stereoty...

As centre-right pundits greatly exaggerate the imminent demise of the NDP, one grassroots organization is proposing bold renewal of the party from the ground up. In this episode, Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins are joined by Ji Won Jung from Reclaim Canada's NDP. Learn more about the movement and what you can do to get involved and help rebuild the NDP. Following Building Left's first guest interv...

In this episode, Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins dive into the latest developments surrounding Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act (also An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act), which has sparked significant debate across Canada's political and social landscape.  Bill C-5, under the justification of removing barriers to development, allows f...

Welcome back to "Building Left," the podcast where we explore the evolving role of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and leftist politics in Canada. In this episode, hosts Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins delve into what has been a revealing parliamentary session for the NDP, exploring their robust opposition to a conservative-leaning agenda since the session began on May 27th. With King Charles' hist...