Clearing The Benches

Andrew Berkshire and Dave Kaufman are joined by Claire Trottier from Patriotic Millionaires to talk about the biggest issue facing both Canada and the world right now, the extreme gap in wealth distribution between the rich and poor. Topics Being born wealthy Unfairness of the system Obfuscating well-paid working class with the wealthy How to tax wealth Fear of capital flight Does philanthropy wor...

Andrew Berkshire and Dave Kaufman get together to chat about how crazy everything is right now, and what to think about it. Most importantly, it's important to take your little joyful moments where you can.

Andrew Berkshire and Dave Kaufman are joined by Max Kerman, the lead singer of Arkells to talk about Canadian art in the modern age. How important is supporting artists as Canada faces new challenges? We'd argue; instrumental. We also talk about Max's first book; Try Hard Topics Purpose and artistic creation The process of growing as an artist in Canada How AI is affecting arts and culture...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has followed the leadership of Emmanuel Macron from France and Kier Stormer from the United Kingdom in cautiously announcing the intention to recognize Palestine as a state amid the ongoing genocide executed by Israel, with the help and funding of the West. Andrew Berkshire and Dave Kaufman talk through difficult topics regarding Canada's part in the genocid...

Andrew Berkshire and Dave Kaufman are joined by Taylor Noakes, independent journalist and public historian who refuses to sugarcoat reality, but continually sees through an optimist's lens. We're talking about Mark Carney's actions as Prime Minister compared to the mandate he was elected to serve. Topics Belated Canada Day thoughts - (00:00) Digital Service Tax being dropped - (02:18)...

Andrew Berkshire & Dave Kaufman are joined by Dr. Julian Spencer-Churchill, Associate Professor of Political Science at Concordia University, former Army Operating Officer of the 3rd Field Engineering Regiment, and expert on nuclear technology and the politics surrounding nuclear weapons. With ongoing aggression by the USA against Canada, several op eds have been published in major media outle...

Andrew Berkshire and Dave Kaufman are joined by Nora Loreto, the host of Canada's most popular daily news podcast, aptly named The Daily News , and a firebrand of journalistic integrity. We're talking about how corporations have eroded our social safety net and institutions. Topics Nora's new book Canada in Decline - Book 2 - Corporate Control How Canada's economics developed post...

Prime Minister Mark Carney has named his cabinet after winning the Canadian federal election and forming a minority government. Some positions that were dropped pre-election are back, things are shuffled around, so what are Canadiens supposed to take away from this? To help figure that out, educator, former teacher, and Canadian politics content creator Steve Boots joins Andrew Berkshire for quick...

The brilliant and bold journalist Erica Ifill joins Dave Kaufman & Andrew Berkshire on Clearing the Benches to talk about the Canadian political landscape. Topics Prime Minister Mark Carney's handling of Donald Trump. Is the root cause of far-right politics as simple as misogyny? The pathway from Nationalism to racism Borders are bullsh*t The political choice of AI An examination of what t...

Dave Kaufman and Andrew Berkshire got together for a zoom call the day after Mark Carney's Liberal Party of Canada won a minority government in a general election. While Pierre Poilievre was soundly defeated in terms of seats, the popular vote showed some worrying signs for the country. Dave & Andrew have a quick chat about where we are as a country, and what the next steps might be.

For the debut episode of Clearing the Benches, Dave Kaufman (https://bsky.app/profile/davekaufman.bsky.social) and Andrew Berkshire (https://bsky.app/profile/berkshire.bsky.social) talked to author, father, husband, Maple Leafs fan, all around excellent human Waubgeshig Rice (https://bsky.app/profile/waub.bsky.social) about the vastly different context of Trump's threats to Canadian sovereignt...

Dave Kaufman and Andrew Berkshire introduce the premise of the show; to address the actual problems we face in Canadian society that Donald Trump and the rise of fascism have distracted us from. Yes, it's scary, but we know you can walk and chew gum at the same time. Join us for an exploration of Canadian identity, as we try to create a vision for a better country moving forward.