Unpacking the News
by Andre Goulet
A weekly progressive podcast featuring in-depth interviews and panel conversations on Canadian society, culture and politics with host Andre Goulet in Montreal. Season 2 runs from late April to early July 2023! Find out more at harbingermedianetwork.com
Episodes
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Fernwood Publishing Presents: The Fight for Public Dentalcare
Dental care is excluded from Canada’s universal healthcare system with services provided based on the ability to pay, leading large segments of the population to neglect care resulting in poor oral health and all its consequences. On a new Unpacking the News dentist and public healthcare activist...
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Realizing a Good Life: Men’s Pathways Out of Drugs and Crime
Elizabeth Comack's work in the sociology of law and feminist criminology and as a member of the Manitoba Research Alliance, a consortium of academics and community partners engaged in research addressing poverty in Indigenous and inner-city communities, has informed 14 books she's written or…
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Chow, More Than Ever: The 2023 Toronto Election (w/ The Breach, Big Shiny Takes + more)
An amazing array of independent media convened at Christie Pits park this month as Replay’s Shama Rangwala, The Breach coordinating editor Emma Paling, analyst Chuka Ekjam, cartoonist Haus of Decline and Big Shiny Takes Institute senior fellows Marino Greco, Eric Wickham and Jeremy Appel sit down...
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Briarpatch Presents: Who Is the NDP For....?
Former Saskatchewan NDP leadership candidate Kaitlyn Harvey and Edmonton city council candidate Navjot Kaur join journalist Haseena Manek and host Andre Goulet for a conversation exploring the exclusionary reflex of provincial NDP parties in the 2nd in a series of episodes produced in…
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Live at the 2023 Mobilizing Data for Justice conference
On May 5th through 7th the 2023 Mobilizing Data for Justice conference brought together activists, community leaders and critical researchers from around the world for skill building, community outreach and research collaboration at Concordia University's downtown campus in Montreal. Invisible...
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CLC Day 4: Taking on a Titan: An Inside Look at the Amazon Labour Union (w/ Chris Smalls)
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot! Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode featuring a...
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CLC Day 3: Choosing to Stay and Fight (w/ comedian Margaret Cho)
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot! Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode featuring a...
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CLC Day 2: A Worker’s Plan to Tackle the Climate Crisis
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS' daily show broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot! Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including this episode...
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CLC Day 1: Workers and the Affordability Crisis
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS' daily show broadcasting live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot! Every day we're releasing interviews and reports from the floor of Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including...
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Exploring the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress w/ Press Progress
From May 8-12 don't miss UNPACKING THE NEWS' daily show every morning live from the 2023 Canadian Labour Congress with our friends at Quebec solidarity journalism cooperative Pivot! Each episode will feature interviews and reports from the floor of Canada's 30th tri-annual labour summit including...
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Disability Justice, Labour and the Left (w/ Briarpatch)
The fiercely independent, proudly polemical and reader-supported BRIARPATCH has been publishing award-winning, hard-hitting journalism and critical commentary out of Regina, Saskatchewan since 1973. In it's 50th anniversary year Unpacking the News is excited to partner with so-called Canada's...
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PP vs. The CBC (w/ The Independent’s Justin Brake)
Trailblazing progressive podcast UNPACKING THE NEWS is back after a 30 month hiatus for an all-new Season 2! In this kick-off episode BERRYGROUNDS' Justin Brake joins host Andre Goulet to explore how his work as The Independent interim editor will be afflicting the comfortable in Newfoundland and...
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Announcing UNPACKING THE NEWS SEASON 2 launching April 2023!
We're back! Returning after a two and a half year hiatus Unpacking the News is a weekly progressive podcast featuring in-depth interviews and panel conversations on Canadian society, culture and politics with journalists, academics and activists from coast to coast. Hosted by André Goulet in...
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Back to School at Podcast High
In the SERIES FINALE, join host Andre Goulet and a cross-country conclave of comrades for the first day back to school at Podcast High! Hear conversations with Chris (Left Behind), Gabrielle (les Ficelles/Ricochet), Tyler + Roberta (Alberta Advantage), Evan (Kino Lefter), Paris (Tech Won’t Save...
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The Intersect: The Rent and Housing Crisis (Housing Party ep5)
How will Canadians cope with rising unemployment, a housing crunch and paying rent? How should government handle the economic recovery, including proposed bailouts for big corporations? And what is the future of affordable housing in Canada? On the last in a series of summer episodes exploring…
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The Intersect: Prisons and Pandemic
Pivot Legal Society's Meenakshi Mannoe (Vancouver Prison Justice Day Committee) and Montreal academic and activist Ted Rutland (The Anti-Carceral Group) join host Andre Goulet to discuss decarceration, abolition and the past, present and future of Prison Justice organizing in an era of COVID-19....
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The Intersect: How to Defund the Police
As the movement to defund police continues to gain momentum across North America, a coalition of more than twenty Montreal community groups are calling for a 50% cut to the police budget in one of Canada's safest and most over-policed cities. But where would these cuts happen? And how could…
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The 20th Century: Mackenzie King and the Canadian Subconscious (w/ Kino Lefter)
On a special Canada Day crossover host Andre Goulet teams up with the sensational socialist film crit of Kino Lefter's Abdul, Laura and Evan! Join the gang for a hallucinogenic history tour as they unpack Matthew Rankin's surreal 2019 not-quite-biopic 'The 20th Century', featuring beloved…
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The Intersect: Fighting for a Free Transit Future
What kind of challenges come with organizing in the midst of a public health crisis? On a new episode of UtN's summer series 'The Intersect', Free Transit Edmonton's Juan Felipe Vargas Alba and Free Transit Ottawa's Julia Szwarc join host Andre Goulet to explore the rapid growth of the Free…
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The Intersect: Homelessness in an Era of COVID-19 (Housing Party ep4)
On the first in a series of episodes exploring how the pandemic interacts with social issues in Canada, David Desbaillets returns with a new edition of ‘Housing Party’ to talk with Marie-Hélène Landry of women’s shelter Chez Doris about economic, social and housing realities in the era of…
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The End of the Beginning of the End (w/ Martin Lukacs)
On episode 127, investigative journalist Martin Lukacs (The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss Justin’s new role as the nation’s camp-counsellor-in-chief, the lobbying leviathan and Liberal corporate cronyism, misplaced praise for…
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Pandemic Pals: Calgary (w/ Kate Jacobson + Sean Willett)
On episode 127 Kate Jacobson and Sean Willett of The Alberta Advantage join host Andre Goulet to discuss zero dollar oil, recognizing America as a failed state, fake country balkanization in an age of pandemic and more. Plus: dismantling so-called "Canadian" values and a Marxist analysis of Dr....
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Pandemic Pals: Winnipeg (w/ Emily Leedham + James Wilt)
On episode 125 Emily Leedham, James Wilt and host Andre Goulet talk COVID19 in Manitoba, call out the CERB for leaving undocumented workers behind and explore why the left’s response to the recent Winnipeg PD murders and to police killings everywhere should be to call for the abolition of the...
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Pandemic Pals: Ottawa (w/ David Moscrop)
Sequestered in the nation's capital, political commentator and academic David Moscrop (The Washington Post, Maclean's) joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the nationalization of the economy and the paradigm shifting CERB, the strength of Canadian political institutions in the face of an...
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Pandemic Pals: Newfoundland (w/ Drew Brown)
On episode 123 journalist Drew Brown (The Independent, VICE) joins host Andre Goulet to lament the loss of Newfoundland shed culture, analyze the gigantic hole in Trudeau’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit plan and explore why the global pandemic may be an extinction event for journalism. This...
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Pandemic Pals: Vancouver (w/ Charlie Demers + David Harris)
On episode 122 it's picnics, panics and positive energy as Vancouver comics Charlie Demers and David Harris join host Andre Goulet to talk rent freeze, economic collapse and what the coronavirus crisis looks like from a Pacific Rim perspective. Hear multi-diagnosed comedian buds Charlie & David...
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Pandemic Pals: Montreal (w/ Rob Rousseau + Marla Williams)
On episode 121 pundit and podcaster Rob Rousseau (49th Parahell, The Insurgents) and friend of the show Marla Williams join host Andre Goulet to discuss the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, to flag the threat of increased surveillance and government overreach during the crisis and…
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love COVID-19
On episode 120 of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes comedian John Hanchar back to the show after a year abroad in China to try to make sense of a frightening and confusing week as Canada enters a new era of global health crisis. Audio on this episode includes an excerpt from Stanley...
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Blockades, Occupations and White Liberal Hypocrisy
On episode 119, it's a trip down the memory hole to those heady, halcyon days of late February when occupations and blockades were sweeping the country. Join activist Ethan Dennett and host Andre Goulet for a conversation on the solidarity and celebration of the BC Legislature occupation. Plus:...
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Crisis Democracy in a Fictional Country
On episode 118 of Unpacking the News ex-journalist and Comms Director at the BC-based public interest group Dogwood Kai Nagata joins host Andre Goulet to discuss the political fallout from the blockades and occupations, a federal government confused by its own hypocrisy and the RCMP’s historical...
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Quebec's Quiet Dystopia: Fake News, the Values Test and Law 21
On episode 117 guests Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours and Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry help host Andre Goulet navigate life in the quiet dystopia of la Belle Province as the panel discuss the new values test for Quebec immigrants, Premier Francois Legault's weird allegations aimed at the Kahnawake blockade…
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Ecological Sustainability, Economic Democracy and Labour's Fight for Climate Justice
As the climate justice movement grows and the demand for immediate action intensifies, how can we move beyond broad demands and begin implementing the ambitious changes necessary to stop climate change and improve Canadian society? On a special presentation of last week's 'Transform Your…
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The New Left Canadian Media Insurgency
On a media double feature episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes Geoff Sharpe, co-founder of online advocacy org North99, to explore the rise of left/socialist media in Canada and the United States and why professionalizing indie media in this country is more important than…
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Tension and Solidarity at the Regina Refinery Lockout
On a Labour double feature episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet welcomes Winnipeg-based organizer and broadcaster Emily Leedham (Rank & File: Prairie Edition) to discuss her experience on the frontlines of the Unifor Local 594 blockade at Regina's Co-op oil refinery. Then, Montreal...
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Economic Development and Disparity in Parc-Extension (Housing Party ep3)
On a new episode of Housing Party, Faiz Abhuani of Brick by Brick joins host David DesBaillets to explore his organization’s work in financially sustainable, market-based community housing initiatives, green and racialized gentrification, the hidden conflict of Montreal's city government vs. the...
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Donut Discourse + the Wet’suwet’en Pipeline Standoff
On a 'short and tweet' mini episode of Unpacking the News, host Andre Goulet serves up a selection of decadent hot takes exploring all sides of this week's dumb donut discourse. Plus: live video from the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff in northern B.C. and information on how you can help support...
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2020 Division: Foreign Policy Fails and a Fractured Political Year Ahead
On the first episode of 2020, host Andre Goulet greets a new decade with SFU/UBC polisci academic and politics pundit Stewart Prest to investigate the Liberal government's frustrating foreign policy record, including an update on Huawei scion Meng Wanzhou's extradition case and Canada/China...
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2019: The Way We Were
In a year-end retrospective, host Andre Goulet and associate producer Savanna Craig explore the very weird memory palace of the year 2019 with selected audio curated from a few of this year's 39 episodes including: * ep79 'Falling in Love With Andrew Scheer' (2/14) * ep86 'Welcome to Hellberta'...
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A Very Orthodox Jewish Christmas
Accidental babysitting for John Lennon and Yoko Ono, nostalgia and geography on Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal and why Stephen Harper is a terrible dinner guest. Plus: how the origins of the ‘Canada is Fake’ movement may lie in the 1995 Referendum. All this and more with political commentator…
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The Cold War Tragedy of Canadian Communist Fred Rose (ep110 preview w/ Tommy Schnurmacher)
Political commentator and talk radio legend Tommy Scbnurmacher is the author of ‘Canada’s Not a Real Country’ and a new memoir ‘Make-up Tips From Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved My Mother’s Life'. On a preview conversation of episode 110, Schnurmacher and host Andre Goulet go deep on a frequently...
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White Supremacy and the Green Rhetoric of Ecofascism
On ep109 journalist Anna Bianca Roach sits down with University of Toronto research and policy analyst Abtin Parnia to explore how the extreme Right's anti-immigration ideology and population control rhetoric co-opts Green politics and the struggle for a sustainable and ecological future. This...
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Inclusion and Gentrification in the Smart City (Face au Future ep1)
Presenting the first of three special French-language episodes of Spacing Magazine's Future Fix, this is 'Face au Futur' hosted by Katia Gaid and produced by Andre Goulet. How do post-secondary institutions, and specifically their campuses, fit into the smart city landscape? The Université of...
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Wexit and Jason Kenney's War on Alberta
On ep108 Progress Alberta executive director and 'The Progress Report' host Duncan Kinney joins Andre Goulet to explain how Jason Kenney's 2019 budget is an opening salvo in the United Conservative Party's war against Alberta civil society. Plus: in spite of massive media hype and hysteria, does...
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Call it a Coup (ep108 preview w/ Duncan Kinney)
On an episode 108 preview, Progress Alberta executive director and host of 'The Progress Report' podcast Duncan Kinney joins the show to ask why Canada's foreign policy establishment is supporting Bolivia's military-led coup against a popularly elected socialist leader. Tune in next week as…
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The Fight for Affordable Housing in the Cities (Housing Party ep2)
On a new episode of 'Housing Party' housing and human rights scholar David DesBaillets speaks with Projet Montréal city councilor Craig Sauvé on how the city's progressive civic government is making gains for housing access and affordability in its ambitious 20/20/20 agenda. Join DesBaillets…
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Fake Victory: Election 2019 Analysis From Coast to Coast
On ep106 of Unpacking the News, a cavalcade of comrades and commentators from across the country join host Andre Goulet to explain why, in the aftermath of the demented fever dream of Canada's 43rd federal election, everyone's a loser. This episode includes conversations with activist Hugh…
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Singh’s Surge, Broken Democratic Norms and an Election About Race
Depraved debates, a Singh surge and a frustratingly full frontal attack on democratic norms from Maxime Bernier and Rebel Media.... On episode 105, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and attorney Laurence Ricard join host Andre Goulet to explore week 5 of Canada's 43rd Federal Election.…
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Debate Fails, Toxic Discourse and the Myth of Scheer as the Everyman
Singh’s strength in the face of adversity impresses, the BQ tweets the quiet part out loud and American Andrew Scheer is....not actually an accountant? On episode 104 of the podcast journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry and sociologist Julia Posca join host Andre…
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Liz May, the Climate Strike and the Rise of the Greens
If televangelist and PPC candidate Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson's claims that Maxime Bernier is the second coming of the biblical king Jehu are accurate, what can we expect from next week's Leadership debates? To explore this hot topic issue and more, journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst...
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Systemic Racism, Canada and Justin Trudeau
After a week of secrets revealed and hypocrisies exposed journalist Martin Forgues, political analyst Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, politics scholar Maika Sondarjee and host Andre Goulet discuss the slow-motion implosion of the Liberal campaign, how Canadian media is dramatically unequipped to handle…
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About this show
A weekly progressive podcast featuring in-depth interviews and panel conversations on Canadian society, culture and politics with host Andre Goulet in Montreal.
Season 2 runs from late April to early July 2023!
Find out more at harbingermedianetwork.com
Hosted by
Andre Goulet
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