Needs No Introduction

On December 20 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada in an unprecedented ruling, struck down three provisions in Canada's prostitution laws. The Supreme Court of Canada found that bans on street soliciting, brothels and people living off the avails of prostitution create severe dangers for vulnerable women A month after the ruling, a panel of experts gathered at the University of Toronto to talk about the change, what it would mean for sex workers in Canada, and what the future would hold. The panel also discussed the legal issues versus the reality on the street. There were six speakers on the panel, each with a distinct point of view on this issue.

The City of Vancouver, B.C. is having a food revolution. For the past three years urban farms and gardens have expanded across the city to strengthen local food production. Michael Abelman is a long time farmer and food activist and one of the founders of Sole Food street farms. Sole Food is doing something a little different from other urban farming ventures. Not only do they have a network of farms throughout the city that supply fresh food to residents,they are providing employment to 25 people who are dealing with drug addiction and mental illness. Abelman is an author, farmer and activist who lives, farms and teaches at Foxglove farm located on Saltspring Island. Abelman spoke with Tanya Hill at Ripe, a Farmers Market festival in Vancouver, B.C. in October 2013.

The United States is on its way to a revolution, according to Chris Hedges. The Pulitzer prize-winning reporter has written and reported around the globe. For his latest project, he traveled to some of America’s most economically depressed areas with co-author Joe Sacco, then wrote about what he found. The book is called Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt. The author, educator, journalist and activist to spoke in Ottawa this month at the Southminster United Church. The lecture was hosted by Octopus Books. Here’s what Chris Hedges had to say about his latest journey. 

This episode features a panel discussion which looks at undercover issues in the B.C. election and what our province's independent media outlets can offer to counter the more limited coverage in the mainstream media. The panel was presented as part of the CounterCulture Speaker Series run by the Media Democracy Project, the SFU School of Communication, and the SFU Institute for the Humanities and took place at SFU’s Vancouver campus on May 3, 2013. Panelists include Gwen Barlee (Wilderness Committee), Bob Hackett (Simon Fraser University and Newswatch Canada), Jarrah Hodge (Gender Focus), and Andrew MacLeod (The Tyee). The panel is moderated by Derrick O’Keefe, editor of rabble.ca.

This talk, by Richard Wilkinson, was recorded at at a three-day conference on Labour Rights and Their Impact on Democracy, Economic Equality and Social Justice, which was held in Toronto from March 26 -28, 2013. Wilkinson is one of the world’s most respected researchers on social inequalities, and is the author of Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. His keynote talk brings in extensive data that shows how economic inequality harms our lives and societies and discusses how societies with more equal distribution of incomes have better health, fewer social problems, and are more productive than ones which have a greater gap between the rich and the poor. Wilkinson is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, Honorary Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, and Visiting Professor at University of York. He’s also co-founder of The Equality Trust, which works to reduce income inequality in order to improve the quality of life in the U

rabble.ca editor Derrick O'Keefe and Jahanzeb Hussain of W2 Media Mornings interview journalist Robert Fisk about Stephen Harper's foreign policy, the Arab Spring, and the wars in Syria, Mali and Afghanistan. Fisk is currently completing a cross-Canada speaking tour organized by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME).

Barack Obama recently declared January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Recognized as a modern day version of slavery, human trafficking is an issue that impacts the most poor and vulnerable globally. For women, trafficking most often means prostitution. On January 14,  Lila Shahani, of the National Anti-Poverty Commission and the Human Development & Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster of the Philippine Government, spoke about human trafficking in a Philippine, Canadian and Global Context. For more on Lila's work on trafficking and the Philippines, you can read her paper: "Situating Human Trafficking in the Philippines: Global, National and Personal Contexts" The talk was held at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver B.C. and was recorded by Krystle Alarcon.

On this episode of Needs No Introduction, Derrick O'Keefe interviews activist and author, Judy Rebick and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs about #IdleNoMore, which began as a series of actions back in October in response to Bill C 45. The grassroots movement has since swept the nation, as First Nations peoples and allies rally against the Harper government's lack of action on commitments made to the First Nations.

Jeff Perera is a community and youth engagement manager for the White Ribbon Campaign. The campaign is the world’s largest effort to engage men and boys in working towards a new vision of masculinity and ending gender-based violence. He has delivered talks from Vancouver to Taiwan and has started the site Higher Unlearning for men and young men to explore how gender impacts everyday life. At the December 6 event Speak UP! Perera spoke about how the silence of men contributes to a culture of violence against women.

Deb Singh is an activist feminist warrior and a settler on Turtle Island. She uses the tools of anti-oppression to transform hate into a tool for learning and healing. Sing is a survivor and an activist, counsellor with the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre: Multicultural Women Against Rape. She spoke at Speak UP! an event in memory of the Montreal Massacre at the Centre for Social Innovation about how language complicates society's views on violence. She talks about the importance of focusing on women's experiences above all and how journalists have covered the recent string of sexual assaults in Toronto earlier this year.  Imagine Ori Dagan

Mike Layton is the Toronto City counsellor for Ward 19, Downtown Toronto. Before being elected in 2010 to serve as one of the Toronto’s youngest counsellors he worked for political change from the other side of the table, as an environmental leader and community organizer. As the deputy out reach director for Environmental Defense he championed a number of successful initiatives including the green economy act. As the son of former NDP leader and city councillor Jack Layton, he has been involved in fundraising from a very young age, with projects such as the White Ribbon Campaign. At Speak UP! an event at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto, Mike Layton spoke about his involvement organizing against gender based violence, in his ward and with the White Ribbon Campaign. Intro/extro music: halo by Karim Rizkallah

Steph Guthrie is a communications professional and community organizer based in Toronto. She is the founder and executive director of Women in Toronto Politics where she coordinates events to promote discussion in Toronto politics on and off council floor. This past summer she led a spontaneous effort to hold the maker of a misogynistic game against feminist pop culture critic Anita Sar-kee-si-an accountable. Most recently she organized take back the night block parties in areas of Toronto affected by a string of sexual assaults. She spoke at Speak UP! an event organized at the Centre for Social Innovation in memory of the Montreal Massacre. Guthrie explained how online misogyny can be fought using social and legal tools.

Tony Loeffen speaks with rabble contributor, Murray Dobbin about an article he wrote calling for Canada to nationalize the oil industry. This interview originally aired on a show called Election Fallout on Opposition Radio.

From October 26-29 1000 youth from across the country participated in a historic climate justice conference in Ottawa. Powershift worked to train a generation of climate justice activists to usher in a clean energy revolution. Clayton Thomas-Muller is an indigenous and environmental justice activist. He has been organizing grassroots efforts for the last ten years and currently works with the Indigenous Environmental Network. He spoke at the opening of Powershift 2012 about the political context of the conference.

From October 26-29 1000 youth from across the country participated in a historic climate justice conference in Ottawa. Powershift worked to train a generation of climate justice activists to usher in a clean energy revolution.    Keira-Dawn Kolson is a Tso'Tine-Gwich'in youth from the North West Territories.  She is a multi-discplinary artist and motivational speaker, singer-songwriter, leader, dreamer and educator. Her community has faced pipelines, water shortages, changing climate and a dwindling supply of their traditionally hunted caribou.  Kolson addressed the opening of PowerShift 2012 on how "resource development" has impacted her community.

From October 26 to 29, 1000 youth from across the country participated in a historic climate and economic justice conference in Ottawa. Powershift aimed to train a generation of climate justice activists to usher in a clean energy revolution. Joshua Kahn Russell is an organizer working to bridge climate justice and racial justice. He is a non-violent direct action trainer with the Rukus Society and serves communities affected by fossil extraction.  He is the co-author of Organizing Cools the Planet: Tools and Reflections to Navigate the Climate Crisis and is currently the U.S. actions coordinator with 350.org. Kahn Russell spoke at Powershift's opening night at the Museum of Civilization on October 26 in Gatineau. He connected the importance of evaluation to maximizing the effectiveness of campaign to "play to win". He is introduced here by Bridgette DePape.

From October 26 to 29, 1000 youth from across the country participated in a historic climate and economic justice conference in Ottawa. Powershift aimed to train a generation of climate justice activists to usher in a clean energy revolution. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois is a prominent Quebec student activist and former spokesperson of CLASSE, a coalition of student associations against the tuition fee hikes put forward by the Charest government last winter. Nadeau-Dubois spoke about the connections between the environmental movement and the crisis in capitalism. He spoke in French at Powershift's opening night in Gatineau, at the Museum of Civilization.

Melina Laboucan-Massimo spoke at the Powershift kick-off about how climate change and the tar sands have affected her First Nation's community and their traditions. 

Sheila North Wilson is a former CBC journalist and indigenous advocate working with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. She spoke about her own experiences with violence at the Women's Forum in Ottawa on October 18.

A year-long study into hate-based attacks against Muslims shows that incidents of violence are on the rise. In this podcast, Dr. Barbara Perry tells interviewer Amira Elghawaby about her study and what it found.