rabble radio

Representing King Charles III in Canada, serving as the federal representative of the Head of State, the newly appointed Governor General-designate is Louise Arbour, a former human rights lawyer and Supreme Court Justice.  Prime Minister Mark Carney made this announcement on Tuesday, May 5, and stated she will be an exemplary "steward of our tradition of peace, order and good government." This wee...

This May Day (International Workers Day), labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga sits down with Aaron Westaway from the Ottawa Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (OCHRP). The two go over the plans OCHRP has in store for this year's May Day celebrations and discuss how the rights of workers globally are something Canada should care about.  About our guest  Aaron Westaway is an organizer...

This week, in honour of Earth Day, we're sharing something a little different on rabble radio: a series of soundscapes, taking you across the world, visiting rabble staff and friends, old and new, in nature.  As the national director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Sandra Schwartz   recently shared on the Courage My Friends podcast series : "There is good scientific evidence to show...

Effective April 20, 2026, Rob Halpin will assume the role of executive director of ACTRA Toronto. ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists is the national union of professional performers working in recorded media in Canada.  This week on the show, Halpin joins rabble editor Nick Seebruch to discuss his goals for the union, the exploitative nature of AI, and why it's so...

On April 18, 2026, rabble.ca will celebrate 25 years of sharing 'news for the rest of us.'  Ahead of our birthday celebration, rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian sits down with rabble founder Judy Rebick to hear about the creation of rabble all those years ago, why it was so important (and still is) to be a progressive, feminist, independent news source, and where rabble should go next.  To help cele...

This summer, Vancouver will host seven matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the lead-up to major global sporting events like this, a familiar narrative tends to resurface: fears of a spike in human trafficking, particularly for sexual exploitation. Yet, time and again, these claims have been widely circulated without credible evidence or data to support them. Advocacy organizations such as SWAN...

This week on rabble radio, we're sharing a clip from the latest episode of the Courage My Friends , featuring Kara Anderson (Mining Injustice Solidarity Network) and Rachel Small (World Beyond War) on Canada's defence spending and the connections between militarism and mining.  The full episode can be found here . Listen to the entire series of Courage My Friends on Needs No Introduction.  About o...

This week on rabble radio, author Jowita Bydlowska joins rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian in the rabble book lounge to discuss her latest memoir Unshaming, and reflect on how her 2014 memoir Drunk Mom transformed her life. About our guest J owita Bydlowska  is the author of  Unshaming  (March 2026). She is also the author of  Monster (September 2024),   Possessed , the best-selling memoir  Drunk Mo...

This week, rabble editor Nick Seebruch and publisher Sarah Sahagian review the top stories in the news this week, including the attacks on Iran from the US and Israel and the upcoming NDP leadership convention. If you like the show please consider subscribing on  Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube and now: subscribe to rabble on Patreon to hear exclusive bonus episodes of rabble radio.

According to a December 2025 report from the Centre for Future Work, fossil fuel jobs in Canada are in decline and will likely continue to drop in the years to come. Not just because of climate policy, but because of technology, economic changes, resource limits and corporate greed. As director of the Centre for Future Work Jim Stanford explains, many fossil fuel workers are close to retirement, a...

Bridget Potasky, rabble's 2025–26 Jack Layton Journalism for Change Fellow, has been working on a series examining the growing use of the notwithstanding clause by federal and provincial governments, as we discussed in last week's episode . This week, she sat down with Ontario Federation of Labour president Laura Walton to talk about why strengthening worker solidarity is essential as governments...

Since 2017, rabble.ca and the Institute for Change Leaders has presented the Jack Layton Journalism for Change Fellowship: a fellowship with the objective of supporting emerging writers and journalists who are passionate and engaged in developing unique voices in social change reporting. Our current fellow is Bridget Potasky.  This week on rabble radio, Bridget sits down with rabble editor Nick Se...

This week on rabble radio, something a little different: a love story.  Sarah Sahagian sits down with Rachael Durie to talk about falling in love at 18, becoming a living organ donor, and what it means to keep going after losing the love of your life. This is part one of their conversation. To hear Sarah's full interview with Rachael, join our Patreon community today —memberships start at just $1...

2026 marks the 60th anniversary of Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. Today, at a time when Canada appears to be rolling back protections and freedoms for migrant workers, this anniversary raises an urgent question: what does Canada's treatment of migrants reveal about our values, and are we truly living up to the United Nations' expectations for human rights? Gabriel Allahdua (Justice...

Over the last two years, Alberta and Saskatchewan have used a special legal power—the notwithstanding clause—to protect laws that affect transgender youth. These laws limit access to gender-affirming health care and require schools to get parental consent before using a student's chosen name or pronouns. Critics say these laws break basic rights protected by the Charter and could put transgender a...

This week, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting was held in Davos, Switzerland, under the theme of 'A Spirit of Dialogue.'  On Tuesday, January 20, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a 17-minute special address in which he condemned the "old order" of the world and said the longstanding American-led rules-based international order is over. He called on "middle powers" such as Canada...

Labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga sits down with Kelly Botengan to discuss the recent changes by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which has paused the intake of new applications for the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots.  Advocacy groups argue the pause leaves many migrant workers, predominantly women from racialized communities, in a precarious situation. If their work...

The NDP will pick their new leader at the end of March. rabble's Off the Hill political panel took a look at the race and broke down the major issues, endorsements, and events of the campaign so far. This week on rabble radio, we feature a segment from our most recent Off the Hill political panel. This month, our theme was 'Analyzing the NDP leadership race.' Our panel featured Libby Davies, Judy...

It has been a very eventful year in Canada, to put it simply. As rabble editor Nick Seebruch and publisher Sarah Sahagian noted on last week's show, Canadian politics went through one of its most dramatic periods in recent memory—including a federal election that reshaped the national conversation. And politics were only part of the picture. Environmental challenges, major labour actions, and Cana...

This week on rabble radio, rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian and rabble editor Nick Seebruch discuss the major news in Canadian politics of 2025; including the resignation of Justin Trudeau, to now-Prime Minister Mark Carney—and his first months as leader, his budget and pipeline plans; the NDP leadership race; and more.  This marks our final interview of the year! Next week on the show, we'll featu...

In its newly tabled budget, the federal government announced that over the course of four years there would be a $2.7 billion reduction in international assistance.  As Bridget Potasky writes in her November 13th piece on rabble.ca, this announcement has drawn the ire of NGOs who warn it could cause long-term, irreversible harm leaving vulnerable communities without essential medical care, food, a...

The New Democratic Party of Canada is currently looking for its new leader after the resignation of Jagmeet Singh and a colossal decline in support in the most recent federal election.  It seems the NDP's reduced support stems from competition with the Liberals, strategic voting, demographic shifts, and difficulties uniting diverse voter groups across Canada.  The new leader of the NDP must unite...

Content warning: This interview centers around domestic violence. Please listen with care and sensitivity. Family and child protection lawyer Bobbi Olsen joins rabble publisher Sarah Sahagian to talk about the legal systems in Canada which handle issues of domestic and family violence. The two explore what is working and what needs to be improved.  About our guest Bobbi Olsen is a dual-call (Ontar...

This week on rabble radio, we're looking at how unions and employers bargain in Canada and whether it's time for a new approach.   Right now, most unions negotiate with one employer at a time, which can make it tough to raise standards across an industry. Some experts are calling for sectoral bargaining which may help create fairer pay and conditions for everyone.    Today on the show, we're joine...

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney shared Budget 2025: a budget that Carney says is "to build Canada strong." The budget emphasized the importance of investing over spending—but what does that really mean?  Here to break it down is economist Jim Stanford.  About our guest Jim Stanford is economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, a progressive labour economics institute based in Vanc...