PODCAST · news
The Breach Show
by The Breach
A bi-weekly podcast from The Breach featuring sharp commentary on politics and movements in Canada.
Episodes
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They risked jail time to provide safer drugs—and won
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...
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Busting Danielle Smith’s immigration myths
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....
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How Carney’s summit maple-washed a giant corporate giveaway
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...
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Carney’s investment summit is putting Canada on the auction block
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....
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Is Doug Ford finally sinking?
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...
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Uncovering a university network spying on pro-Palestine activism
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…
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Why won’t CBC say ‘fossil fuels’ when reporting on wildfires?
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.…
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Inside the Canada-wide fight against AI data centres
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....
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Can a new NDP help make a comeback of the Canadian left?
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...
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The right to strike is in Carney’s corporate crosshairs
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...
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Police violence got worse—but media stopped paying attention
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…
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Alberta separatists vs. First Nations
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...
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A new Canadian bank to fund weapons and war
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...
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The backlash to Indigenous rights in B.C. & beyond
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...
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What to make of a Lewis-led NDP?
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...
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40 years of trying to make the NDP democratic socialist
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...
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The NDP MP calling for ‘unapologetic socialism’
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…
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Mark Carney is ‘flooding the zone’
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…
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Canada and India’s toxic middle power alliance
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...
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Why are thousands marching for military intervention against Iran?
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...
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Is Canada choosing assisted death over disabled lives?
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...
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ICE terror is a warning for Canada
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...
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Mark Carney’s hollow defiance in Davos
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...
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Who runs the NDP—and who should?
Matthew Green is no longer an NDP MP, but he hasn’t stopped trying to transform the party. He talks to Desmond Cole about a campaign to renew the NDP—and what it will take to pry control from consultants, and put it in the hands of the grassroots. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp...
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Elbows…up? A 2025 rewind
2025 started with Justin Trudeau in power and ended with a more mask-off variant of Liberalism. In between there were Trump’s tariff wars, genocide, and some small hard-won victories for the left. El Jones joins Desmond Cole and Martin Lukacs to take a look in the rearview mirror and reflect on…
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Mark Carney’s pact with Danielle Smith is climate carnage
Mark Carney’s deal with Alberta’s Danielle Smith is the climate sell-out of the century. Author and analyst Seth Klein joins Desmond Cole to break down everything it contains—from pipelines, to AI data centres, to dirty electricity, to a rollback of almost every Trudeau-era climate policy. The...
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Sudan suffers, Canada cashes in
For two years, a Sudanese paramilitary force has been massacring civilians—with Canadian-made weapons. Professor Nisrin Elamin and activist Ismail Adam join Desmond Cole to discuss Canada’s long-term complicity in destabilizing Sudan, and recent efforts to close the loophole that allows for...
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A budget for tanks, banks, and oil barons
Despite promising a “generational” and “transformational” budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney is doubling down on resource extraction, militarism, and corporate handouts—appeasing Donald Trump and Canada’s corporate class, but doing little for working people. Martin Lukacs and Desmond Cole break...
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Mark Carney, Doug Ford keep serving Big Landlords
Doug Ford and Mark Carney are making big moves on housing — but tenant groups and housing experts are raising an alarm. Economist Ricardo Tranjan joins Desmond Cole to discuss how the emerging policy heavily favours corporate landlords. The Breach Show is our podcast featuring sharp analysis on...
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Who can take the NDP leftward?
The NDP leadership race could turn the party into a vehicle for bold left politics—or cement its decline. Martin Lukacs and Desmond Cole analyze the various campaigns and some of the emerging themes, from “purity tests,” proclamations of class war, and candidates who are flouting race rules.
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Canada Post on the chopping block?
Mark Carney is out to dismantle Canada Post. What interests does that stand to benefit? And what could a revitalized public postal service look like? Dru Oja Jay, a long-time collaborator of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, joins Martin Lukacs to discuss how the post office could be a...
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Confronting a new anti-immigrant chapter in Canada
With the Liberal government passing harsher immigration policies and anti-immigration rhetoric on the rise, what does this mean for migrant workers? Deena Ladd from the Workers’ Action Centre joins Desmond Cole to discuss how to build solid solidarity between all workers, regardless of status....
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The NDP’s untapped radical potential
After a historic loss in this year’s federal election, the NDP faces a pivotal leadership race—and a crossroads in its identity. Historian Ian McKay joins Martin Lukacs to discuss the party’s challenge in confronting Canadian liberalism and its own centrist slide, and what it could do to seize…
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Carney’s military spending spree
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....
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Canada's new rhetoric, same complicity on Gaza
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...
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The fight to get cops out of schools
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...
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The Canadian media cover-up of the Gaza genocide
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...
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What our movements can learn from water
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....
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Manufacturing transphobia in Canada
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...
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How to win like Mamdani (even in Canada)
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....
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Israel’s war, Iranians’ nightmare, Canada’s complicity
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...
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Canada’s new plan to fast-track Indigenous land theft
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...
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Pop goes the right to protest
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?...
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NDP insiders are cooking the leadership race
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.
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Carney beats Conservatives—with their own agenda
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....
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The radical thinker behind Poilievre’s plans for Canada
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....
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Vibe checking the election debate
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...
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The post-reconciliation election
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...
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Don’t count out Pierre Poilievre yet
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...
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The market won’t house you
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A bi-weekly podcast from The Breach featuring sharp commentary on politics and movements in Canada.
HOSTED BY
The Breach
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Breach Show have?
The Breach Show currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Breach Show about?
A bi-weekly podcast from The Breach featuring sharp commentary on politics and movements in Canada.
How often does The Breach Show release new episodes?
The Breach Show has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Breach Show?
You can listen to The Breach Show on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Breach Show?
The Breach Show is created and hosted by The Breach.
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