The Breach Show

Mark Carney is embarking on the largest military spending hike in Canada since World War 2. Policy analyst and peace activist Steve Staples joins Desmond Cole to explain why the biggest winner is the weapons lobby—at the expense of Canadians‘ social programs and standard of life. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become...

As it becomes harder to ignore Israel’s genocide, the political and media class is changing their tune. But El Jones and Desmond Cole discuss how Mark Carney and the establishment media’s complicity continues unabated. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sustaining member at ⁠https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ ⁠...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has introduced legislation that would let police run programs in public schools—even over the objections of local school boards. On this week’s Breach Show, we’re airing a conversation hosted by Desmond Cole with organizers in Ontario and across Canada about their fights to get cops out of schools—and the alternatives to policing they’re working to put in place. _________...

Canada’s establishment media hasn’t covered the genocide in Gaza—they’ve covered it up. A new book published by The Breach, When Genocide Wasn’t News, lays bare the media’s complicity. At the Toronto launch, Desmond Cole spoke to two of the book’s editors, lawyer Dania Majid and Breach managing editor Martin Lukacs. Buy the book: https://breachmedia.ca/when-genocide-wasnt-news/ ___________________...

What can water and the natural world teach us about power, resistance, and survival? Leanne Betasamosake Simpson joins Desmond Cole to discuss her new book “Theory of Water” and explores how Indigenous knowledge can guide us through the political and ecological crises we face today. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Bec...

As anti-trans laws pass in the U.S. and around the world, Canada is often cast as a safe haven for queer and trans people. But the reality is more complicated, says activist Celeste Trianon, in conversation with Katia Lo Innes on this week’s Breach Show podcast. Trianon unpacks how well-funded right-wing groups and some Canadian politicians are fueling a creeping backlash, how strict immigration p...

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo to clinch New York City’s mayoral primary.  Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs break down why Mamdani’s campaign won, and what Canadian progressives can learn from it. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sustaining member at ⁠https://breachmedi...

Since last week, Israeli missiles have flattened homes and killed hundreds of civilians in Iran, and there are fears the United States could soon join the attacks. On this week’s Breach Show Podcast, Donya Ziaee and Desmond Cole discuss why the bombs won’t bring liberation for the Iranian people—and why Canada must stop backing Israeli aggression in the name of the ‘right to self-defence.’ _______...

From coast to coast, Indigenous peoples in Canada are seeing governments bulldoze their rights and sovereignty to speed up resource extraction projects—all in the name of fighting Trump’s trade war.  Lawyer Pam Palmater joins Desmond Cole on the Breach Show podcast to discuss the current resource push, Canada’s legal obligations to Indigenous peoples under domestic and international law, and the n...

Lawyer Christine Van Geyn and activist Dalia Awwad join Desmond Cole to discuss the implications of new bubble zone bylaws for the right to protest and the future of policing in Canada. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sustaining member at ⁠https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ ⁠ An hour of your wages each month...

The New Democratic Party needs a bold, democratic renewal—but insiders appear to want a short, rigged race to lock in the status quo. Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs discuss the consultant class’s grip on the party, and what a different kind of NDP might look like. 

Mark Carney has defeated Pierre Poilievre, but Conservatives did a lot better than expected. Martin Lukacs and Desmond Cole reflect on the gains and setbacks for the various parties, and explore how progressive forces can rally amidst a rightward-moving political consensus. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sus...

For three decades, Pierre Poilievre’s analysis and vision has been shaped by one thinker: Milton Friedman, the godfather of neoliberalism. Political scholar Ryan Kelpin sits down with Martin Lukacs to discuss the radical economist’s influence on Poilievre.  _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sustaining member at...

Nearing the end of the 2025 federal election, the party leaders locked horns in back to back debates. Desmond Cole, El Jones, and Martin Lukacs debrief who came out well—and if it will have an impact on the polls. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sustaining member at ⁠https://breachmedia.ca/support-us/ ⁠ An ho...

With the federal election just a couple of weeks away, what will become of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples? Lawyer and professor Pam Palmater of the Eel River Bar First Nation joins Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs on The Breach Show to discuss campaign promises and the future of reconciliation. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more...

Almost two weeks into the Canadian federal election, Mark Carney’s Liberals have consolidated their lead—but a Conservative victory shouldn’t be ruled out just yet. Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs discuss Carneymania and the quiet strength of the Conservatives, and get up to speed with campaign promises on housing, energy, and taxes. _________________________________________________________________...

A recent Housing Justice Convergence in Montreal brought together organizers, policy experts, funders, and housing advocacy groups from across Canada.  For this episode, we’re rebroadcasting the keynote panel, facilitated by The Breach’s Dru Oja Jay.  Featuring housing activists Chiara Padovani and John Clarke, and economist Ricardo Tranjan, the panel explores what it takes to build a winning hous...

A recent court ruling found the RCMP breached land defender Molly Wickham’s Charter rights—but still upheld her criminal conviction for blocking the CGL pipeline. Wickham sits down with Desmond Cole to discuss Canada’s colonial courts, police violence, and what she’s learned from a decade of land defense. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more p...

Mark Carney is selling himself as a pragmatic outsider who can rescue the Liberals—and maybe even beat the Conservatives. But behind the polished image and steady-hand rhetoric is the same old agenda: cuts, pipelines, and corporate giveaways. Journalist David Moscrop joins host Donya Ziaee to break down how Carney is rebranding failed ideas as fresh solutions—and who stands to benefit. Read Moscro...

With Ontario facing a snap election, we take a deep dive into more than six years of austerity and free market fundamentalism under Doug Ford.  Desmond Cole is joined by Bryan Evans, co-editor of Against the People: How Ford Nation is Dismantling Ontario , to break down the Ford playbook and unpack the damage done. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to h...

As Trump’s tariff threats loom, trade expert Stuart Trew talks to host Donya Ziaee about what Canadian workers should be prepared for, how the corporate elite are exploiting the crisis, and how the Left can seize on the moment to push for more progressive change. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sustaining mem...

El Jones speaks to Martin Lukacs about her recent trip to the occupied West Bank, where her delegation visited with scholars, journalists, artists, and communities engaged in non-violent resistance to Israeli apartheid. Writing by Budour Hassan here . _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a sustaining member at ⁠http...

Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs reflect on Justin Trudeau’s almost decade in power, from the initial psychic relief of Conservative Stephen Harper’s ousting to the grim accumulation of symbolic Liberal postures and assists to Canada’s corporate elite. Plus, what Justin deserves real credit for. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like...

In the wake of Chrystia Freeland’s explosive departure from the Liberal cabinet, Martin Lukacs and El Jones discuss the establishment media’s infatuation with Ottawa’s palace intrigue and what the future for a hobbled Trudeau government might look like. Plus, we answer listener questions just in time for the holidays. _________________________________________________________________________ Want t...

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish recently generated headlines when she stepped down from her local police services board, calling the city’s escalating police budget “out of control.” Desmond Cole visits her office to discuss her resignation and the alternatives to policing. _________________________________________________________________________ Want to hear more podcasts like this?  Become a s...