Needs No Introduction

rabble readers and listeners and anyone who follows and supports progressive politics in Canada know the work and writing of Linda McQuaig.  A journalist and best-selling author, McQuaig has developed a reputation for challenging the establishment. As a reporter for The Globe and Mail, she won a National Newspaper Award in 1989 for a series of articles which sparked a public inquiry into the activities of Ontario political lobbyist Patti Starr, and eventually led to Starr's imprisonment. As a Senior Writer for Maclean's magazine, McQuaig (along with business writer Ian Austen) probed the early business dealings of Conrad Black, uncovering how Black used political connections to avoid prosecution. An irate Black suggested on CBC radio that McQuaig should be horsewhipped. In 1991, she was awarded an Atkinson Fellowship for Journalism in Public Policy to study the social welfare systems in Europe and North America. McQuaig has been a rare voice in the mainstream media challenging the prevailing economic and poli

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and author and one of the most influential voices on our political and cultural environment, nationally and globally.   Her new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate is due to be released this month.   She spoke to the gathering at the Peoples' Social Forum on August 21, 2014 in Ottawa.

rabble.ca and the B.C. office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives co-hosted a standing-room only event at the Round House in Vancouver on August 12, 2014 to talk about some important questions as we approach the federal election in 2015. It was called Living Consciously: Reinventing Democracy to Save Canada.  The evening's discussion focused on the issue of "agency": if our traditional institutions are failing us, who is going to lead the necessary struggles? What form would they take? If, as Murray Dobbin argues, "silo" approaches to politics no longer work, how do we create a broad-based social movement model? What is to be done? Moderator: Duncan Cameron - rabble.ca president / Paola Qualizza (Groundswell) Panel Discussion with Murray Dobbin, Iglika Ivanova (CCPA-BC), Fiona Rayher (Gen Why Media), Anjali Appadurai(climate justice activist) and Paola Qualizza (Groundswell) talking about how to "live consciously" and transform Canada,

With a federal election only a year way, we are facing crises in democracy, inequality, climate change, and peak oil. However, our collective institutions are at their weakest points just as we need to them to at their strongest and most imaginative. Our democracy, including political parties, is increasingly unable to deliver what it once promised let alone what we want. Universities are increasingly corporatized, jettisoning traditional ethics for corporate loot to pay their bills; regulations developed over decades to protect us are either being eliminated or simply unenforced by governments whose job it was to ensure our safety. The media, which once, nominally at least, entertained the notion of political debate about society's direction, have been hijacked by corporatist ideology and are thus rendered incapable of seeking the truth let alone telling it. The notion that we can behave as if it is business as usual will not wash. And while there are organizations out there that are actually addressing the

On July 29, 2014, a group of people from Grassy Narrows spoke at a public forum about the current conditions on their reserve. Several generations have now been affected as a result of the mercury which settled at the bottom of the river in the 1960s and '70s. And now, Grassy Narrows is also faced with a threat by the Ontario government to clear-cut on their territory. The people of Grassy Narrows are demanding that the government apologize and take responsibility for the mercury pollution on their reserve; to compensate the survivors of mercury poisoning and make sure they have quality health care; to clean up the river; and to not allow clear-cutting on their land, which the provincial government is threatening to do. Lending his support to the voices of the people of Grassy Narrows at the Public Forum was Stephen Lewis. Best known now for his international work around HIV/AIDS, he was an member of Provincial Parliament and also leader of the Ontario NDP when the issue first came to the legislature back in

Several high-profile rapes in India have made headlines around the world and have drawn attention to the need for change in laws and attitudes on the subcontinent.   Much of the call for change is coming from Indian women themselves. Poonam Kathuria is an Indian woman who has been working for change from her home base in Gujarat, India. She is the founder and director of SWATI -  the Society for Women's Action and Training Initiatives, a major feminist advocacy, education and research organization. SWATI works for change at the state and national levels on issues related to violence against women, adolescent and women's health, right to information and governance. She is  involved in policy formulation, has written widely for newspapers and magazines and has published numerous research reports. A holistic and cross-sector approach to responding to the complex nature of development challenges has been central to her work. She is recognized for her innovative ideas, strategic thinking and conceptual skills in b

Please help rabble.ca stop Harper's election fraud plan. Become a monthly supporter.  Here at rabble, we had a very busy month of June. Not only was it (and still is) our donor drive, we've been having launch parties all over the country for our new book The Best of rabble 2014 - The Year of Living Consciously, edited by Meagan Perry and Michael Stewart. June 17 was the Ottawa launch, at the Parliament Pub across from Parliament Hill. For those of you who couldn't be there, here are some of the sounds and the voices. It was hosted by rabble.ca editor-in-chief Meagan Perry. Together with fabulous music by our own Parliamentary correspondent, Karl Nerenberg and friends, it was a great time. Speaker list: Kim Elliott - Publisher - rabble.ca; Meagan Perry - Editor-in-Chief - rabble.ca welcome; Nathan Cullen - MP - Skeena Bulkley Valley - NDP Finance Critic; Meagan Perry introduces Hassan Yussuff - President - Canadian Labour Congress; Larry Brown - National Secretary Treasurer - National Union of Public and Gener

Please support our coverage of democratic movements and become a monthly supporter of rabble.ca.  rabble.ca launched a book this month. Called "The Year of Living Consciously," it features some of the best writing which has appeared on rabble.ca over the past year. The Best of rabble.ca 2014 Edition is an anthology of analysis and commentary on the top issues and social justice movements that matter to progressives. With sections on Canadian politics, Indigenous solidarity and labour, the Best of rabble.ca delivers an eloquent overview of the top progressive stories that you've come to expect from rabble.ca. We've been doing launches in different parts of the country and we thought we'd bring one of them to you. What you're about to hear is the Vancouver launch, which took place on June 14, at the Heartwood Cafe. Local contributors to the book came together sharing the stories of what led them to write the pieces selected, and provide updates to their pieces. The result was a moving discussion on some of the

A continuation of a talk by Dr. Vandana Shiva featured on the last episode of Needs No Introduction. Born in Dehradun India in the foothills of the Himalaya, Shiva got her training at the University of Western Ontario in Canada as a physicist. In 1982, she shifted her focus to inter-disciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy and moved back to India. Dr. Shiva is the founder of Navdanya, a participatory research initiative dedicated to the preservation of native crop species, the rejuvenation of indigenous culture and knowledge, and to support and direction for environmental activism. She is the author of more than 20 books including Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis; Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply; Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace; and Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development. She is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the 1993 Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) and the

"We know that the industrial model of farming is destroying the planet," says antiglobalization author, environmentalist and eco feminist Dr. Vandana Shiva in this first of a two-part speech in Winnipeg on March 29, 2014.  Dr. Shiva is well known internationally as an anti-globalization author, environmentalist and ecofeminist. Born in Dehradun, India in the foothills of the Himalayas, she is a world-renowned speaker on issues that threaten our environment and food supply. She spoke at the North Centennial Community Centre in Winnipeg at the invitation of a local collective called Powerhouse Producers, in association with the Women's and Gender Studies Association and the University of Winnipeg's Women's Centre. Her speech followed a Feast of Forgotten Foods, consisting of organic and local foods from local farmers. Preceding the talk was the announcement of Bill C-18, now before the Canadian House of Commons, the Agricultural Growth Act which critics say undermines traditional farming practices by ensuring t

Sponsored by rabble.ca and IRIS, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives hosted a vibrant dialogue on taxes during the Canadian Labour Congress Montreal convention. Called "Tax is Not a Four Letter Word," a crowd gathered on the evening of May 8 at the Convention Center to hear the exciting lineup of speakers. The evening was chaired by CCPA President Larry Browne, who introduced the evening's special guest speaker, Alex Himelfarb, former Privy Council Clerk, and author of "Tax is Not a Four Letter Word." Alex Himelfarb's talk was followed by four discussants, and a vibrant question and answer period. The first discussant was the CCPA's Trish Hennessy, who picks up on why we need to change the conversation on taxes. She is followed by IRIS's Eve-Lyne Couturier, who explains the fallacy of the latest conservative attack on "wage taxes." CUPE economist Toby Sanger weighs in stepping back and shedding light on some bigger picture questions.

Jarrah Hodge is a feminist blogger from Vancouver. She started her award-winning blog Gender Focus in 2009 and and tweets about feminism/gender, geekery, politics, and labour issues.  In this edition of Needs No Introduction, she is speaking from the Women's Forum 2013: Fighting the Inequality Agenda, held in Ottawa on October 29, 2013. At this event, 22 feminist activists under 40, from across the country, shared a message for social change. They spoke to the challenges that young women are facing, and most importantly how they are fighting back.   Jarrah Hodge's presentation is called "The News Media's Troubled Relationship with Canadian Women." Jarrah's blog can be found at http://gender-focus.com

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is a prolific author who connects the personal with the political. Her work has taken her around the world. One of her best known works recounts her experiences in Nicaragua between 1982 and 1991. It's called Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra war. She spoke with me about the history of liberation movements, her work with the UN Indigenous Rights working group, pipelines and the state of activism today. Ortiz spoke in Vancouver on March 8, 2014, International Women's Day. Her books can be found at www.reddirtsite.com

Alternative Radio host David Barsamian has been a voice of dissent heard across the airwaves around the world for over 28 years. Barsamian injects  humour, poetry and outrage while addressing bleak topics like U.S. news propaganda, hypocrisy and climate refugees. He  was at SFU Harbour Centre in Vancouver B.C. on March 28, 2014 for the Counter Culture Speaker Series, David Barsamian: Media, Capitalism, and Climate Change organized by Media Democracy Days. Find out more about Alternative Radio by going to www.alternativeradio.org

Last month B.C Ferries announced they would cut ferry services in British Columbia and discontinue the Discovery Coast Ferry located on the central coast. The Ferry services three routes along BC's northern coast. The cuts will have major consequences for coastal communities, many are First Nations who live and work in the Great Bear Rainforest. Tourism on B.C’s central coast is essential to the region and the cuts will have detrimental effects on those living and working in remote regions of British Columbia. Those living in the most remote locations will will be hit the hardest. British Columbians have reacted with protests across the region and are campaigning against the cuts and the continuing hike in ticket fares. Petrus Rykes is the Chair of Save the Discovery Ferry campaign, and Vice-President of West Chilcotin Tourism Association. He is also a partner in the Anahim Lake Eagle’s Nest Resort. To find out more about the campaign go to savethediscoverycoastferry.ca

TBD. 

Ellen Besso is a life coach counsellor and author who helps women find new direction in their lives. Besso recently published An Indian Sojourn: One woman's spiritual experience of travel and volunteering a book detailing her travels with her partner in India and her work as a volunteer with Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala. Besso's volunteer work overseas came home with her. When the government of Canada accepted 1000 Tibetan refugees, she along with others in the community of Gibsons became their sponsors. I spoke to Ellen Besso by skype from her home in Gibson's B.C.  You can find An Indian Sojourn at ellenbesso.com and at Amazon.ca.

A new project in east Vancouver aims to collect and remember one neighbourhood's black history. The project starts with an online map and leads to videos that detail the black history of a number of iconic intersections. It's called Black Strathcona: One Community, Six Decades, Ten stories. The project was conceived by filmmaker Gordon McLennan over ten years ago and was brought to fruition with the help of author, historian and poet Wayde Compton, and local artist Esther Rausenberg. The project launch happened on February 22, 2014 across the street from Hogan's Alley.

The year 2014 has been proclaimed the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People by the United Nations. In fall 2013, the Palestine Awareness Coalition posted four maps on Vancouver`s TransLink buses and SkyTrain stations entitled Disappearing Palestine. Dr. Hani Faris, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, President of the independent American think tank Trans Arab Research Institute (TARI), & internationally recognized expert on the Palestine-Israel conflict lectured on the historical context of the maps at the event Historical Context of the Palestinian Maps: Fact and Fiction, on January 24 2014 in Vancouver, B.C.

Income-splitting, along with the government's zero dollar spending on child care, and detaxation is an attack on women's equality in Canada. Kathleen Lahey made that argument at the inaugural Women's Forum in Ottawa, Ontario in 2012. Lahey is a specialist in feminist legal studies, teaching law and sexuality, and taxation and tax policy at Queen's University.