Radio Free Winnipeg

Yup this is the end. Scott and Greg talk about why they decided to end the show and talk about what possible legacy Radio Free Winnipeg will have.

Scott and Greg talk with Kay the Aquanaut. Kay is a Saskatoon based rapper. Kay talks to Scott and Greg about his influences, his politics and why he continues to grind as an independent artist on the prairies. We played two of Kay the Aquanaut songs. 89 Grey Cup off the album Spinning Blue Planet Contemporary Woody Guthrie off the album Yeah, Riot! Here is the video for Contemporary Woody Guthrie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc2fP2YhZhI If you liked what you heard check out Kay's music on bandcamp https://kaytheaquanaut.bandcamp.com/

We're back! Thanks for sticking with us during our hiatus. Does Canada still suck? You better believe it does. But for our first episode in months we talk to freelance journalist and noted twitter poster James Wilt about public transit, urban planning, pedestrian deaths in Winnipeg, Uber and gentrification. James Wilt has a book about public transit coming out soon on Between the Lines press. Be on the look out for that.

A jam packed show demonstrating how Canada Sucks! First Scott and Greg talk about SNC-Lavalin and their history of war profiteers and their close relationship with the Canadian State. Then Scott and Greg go over recent events in Haiti and how it demonstrates both Canadian Imperialism aboard but also the hypocrisy inherent in "human rights" discourse. Last but not least Greg and Scott talk about the Yellow Vest protest in Canada and the United We Roll protest. Music Break- (Artist) The Minutemen, (Song) Disguises, (Album) The Punch Line Show Notes Canada's Halliburton? SNC-Lavalin war profiteering in Iraq, Afghanistan by Anthony Fenton http://rabble.ca/news/2009/09/canadas-halliburton-snc-lavalin-war-profiteering-iraq-afghanistan Is Trudeau's Venezuela policy the Monroe Doctrine reborn? By Yves Engler https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/is-trudeaus-venezuela-policy-the-monroe-doctrine-reborn?fbclid=IwAR1YikfJKsjgtALp7ggnZglMQ6OVHc2u2Itj8gVV8V3wsgkAIMor5NN_rPk Canadian policy on Venezuela, Haiti r

We are back and Canada still sucks in 2019. Our first episdoe of 2019 is jam packed. Remember that CKUW's Fundrive runs from February 8th to 15th. This is where we ask the listerns to give their pledges of money to support the station. More info here https://ckuw.ca/news/entry/fundrive-2019-kicks-off-february-8th First Scott and Greg address the recent events in Venezuela, the attempted coup and what our position should be. Anti-imperialism for the win! Recently an indigenous man was shot and killed in Winnipeg's West End. Scott and Greg break down the reporting on it and the media apologetics for the cops. Last Scott and Greg talk about the recent fires that have ripped through apartments in the West End and have left around 100 people displaced and without a home. They break down why there is a lack of affordable and safe housing in inner city Winnipeg, how landlords exploit that situation and how the "meth crisis" does a lot of heavy lifting to explain away these situations. Show Notes Venezuela Cana

Continuing our look into Canada's role in creating the refugee crisis in Central America Scott and Greg talk to two people on the ground in Honduras and Mexico. First you will hear from Jen Moore. Jen was the Latin America coordinator for Mining Watch Canada, with years of work with communities affected by Canadian mining in Central America, and is now based in Mexico. We apologize for the audio of Jen's interview. We tried to clean it up as best we could. Then you will hear from Karen Spring. Karen is a Honduras-based coordinator of the Honduras Solidarity Network, with years of working with communities affected by Canadian mining, sweatshop, and tourism investment and on other issues prompting people to flee en masse. Check out Karen's website where she writes about the situation in Honduras http://www.aquiabajo.com/ Show Notes Here is the link to Simcoe County Honduras Rights Monitor where you can find the petition https://simcoecountyhondurasrightsmonitor.wordpress.com/ Here is the direct link to the

Recently the so called "migrant crisis" in Central America has been a major topic in the news. Images of women and children being tear gassed at the US border lays bear the moral and humanitarian crisis. But what about Canada? While this news seems far away in fact the Canadian state policies in Central America have contributed much to this crisis. From supporting mining companies that poison the water and displace people from their homes. To the Canadian government legitimizing the government in Honduras that got to power via a coup. Scott and Greg place the so called "migrant crisis" in the context of Canadian foreign policy and the moral bankruptcy of the human rights troll industrial complex. You will also hear two clips from the Radio Free Winnipeg archive that cover the the lead up and aftermath of the 2009 coup in Honduras. For news on central America we recommend you follow the work of Sandra Cuffe https://www.sandracuffe.com/ Interview with Tyler Shipley http://radiofreewinnipeg.tumblr.com/post/1

In the latest episdoe exploring why Canada Sucks we talk about the recent Munk debates in Toronto where Steve Bannon debated David Frum on populism. It was probably as horrible as it sounds. Scott and Greg talk about the false framing of the debate, Peter Munk and what the Munk debates represent in Canada. In the last half of the show Scott talk to Rachel Small, organizer with the Council of Canadians, who organized a picket line outside the debate and was one of many who were arrested. Show Notes Our comrades in podcasting arm, News You Can Use, did a great episdoe on Peter Munk and what a total shit bag he was.  https://soundcloud.com/user-112754787/episode-fifty-four-burn-in-hell-peter-munk Ricochet's investigation into White Supermacists in the UCP and Canadian conservative parties just keeps on giving https://ricochet.media/en/2422/rebel-media-reporter-worked-for-white-supremacist-web-store https://ricochet.media/en/2426/kenneys-ucp-wont-say-if-party-expelled-extremists

In the latest installment of our series on why Canada Sucks Scott and Greg talk about the CBC and urbanist boosters. Scott and Greg talk about the cultural place that CBC occupies in Canada. On the one hand to many CBC defines what Canada is but on the other the CBC also represent the interests of the state and capital. The recent controversy over CBC's coverage of the Brazilian is the more recent example. Greg provides an of how the coverage is a window into how state and capital interests work. Then Scott and Greg dissect the CBC Op-ed by former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray which contained a dumbfounding amount urbanist booster pablum. Scott tries to keep his composure while talking about the ahistroical love of street cars. Show Notes CBC's artilce on the Brazilian election https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/brazil-canada-trade-bolsonaro-politics-foreign-policy-1.4878379 CBC's non-apology apology for the coverage https://www.cbc.ca/news/editorsblog/brazil-editor-blog-1.4884651 Former Winnipeg Mayor Glen Mur

Continuing with our series of Why Canada Sucks we discuss the relationship between Canada and Saudi Arabia. Scott and Greg talk to Anthony Fenton who is an expert on Canada Saudi Arabia relations. Anthony is currently working on his PHD at York U on the political economy of Canada-Saudi\Gulf states relations. Anthony breaks down the recent diplomatic rift between Canada and Saudi Arabia, how it places in the decades long relationship between the two, what if any effect this will have on Canada's position in the Middle East and what a fighting anti-war movement could do about the arms sales. If you are on Twitter we recommend you follow Anthony Fenton @anthonyfenton We referenced this episdoe about how narrow the media coverage is on Canadian foreign policy  http://radiofreewinnipeg.tumblr.com/post/154056150587/a-propaganda-system Follow us out on Twitter @Radio_Free_Wpg Like is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/radiofreewinnipeg/              

We continue to talk about why Canada sucks with a focus on Winnipeg politics. We are in the midst of a civic election and well it is fairly depressing. Ohh and the NDP sat on info about lead contamination in one of the poorest parts of Winnipeg. We talk with Kent Davies about how 2018 is the year Winnipeg has just given up and how utterly depressing electoral politics are in Winnipeg. Kent started doing Simpsons memes about Winnipeg and Manitoba politics to keep some form of sanity and has since become a go to source of comentary and satire of politics in the Keystone province. A Perfectly Cormulent Election- Kent's Simpsons meme blog http://embiggenmanitoba.tumblr.com/ True North Square Deal now includes affordable housing https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/true-north-square-financing-affordable-housing-1.4831490 1.200% surge in meth-related hospital visits tied to increased violence: Manitoba Nurses Union https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/1-200-surge-in-meth-related-hospital-visits-tied-to-increa

In the 5th episdoe of our series of why Canada Sucks we talk about the large and harmful affect Hydro has had on northern indigenous communities in Manitoba. We talk with Sadie Phoenix-Lavoie who is the community coordinator for Wa Ni Ska Tan, an alliance of hydro affected communities about the recent report about the decades of abuse associated with Manitoba Hydro projects in northern Manitoba. Later in the show you will hear an interview with David Bighetty who completed a 1,000km walk from Leaf Rapids to call attention to the displacement of the community of Granville Lake in 2003. We played Fire 2 the Water by Lenord Sumner. That song is off his latest album Standing in the Light  http://www.leonardsumner.com/ Find out more about Wa Ni Ska Tan here http://hydroimpacted.ca/ 'Pure Trauma': Fox Lake members stricken after hasty release of troubling report https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/trauma-in-fox-lake-after-report-release-1.4797165 'An open wound': Fox Lake leadership says historical sexual ab

In this episode we look at how Manitoba’s criminal justice system is inherently racist. We speak with two guest, Corey Sherman, who is a human rights and aboriginal rights lawyer based in Toronto. Sherman has worked on several cases in Manitoba including the Craig McDougall inquest, in which he argued for the courts to consider the role systemic racism played in the case   we also spoke with Bronwyn Dobchuk-Land, who holds a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Toronto, and a PhD from the Department of Sociology at the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. Dobchuk-Land has recently been focusing on crime prevention policies from the perspective of community based organizations, and how progressive policy can serve to strengthen colonial systems of oppression. She’s also a member of the prison abolition group, Bar None.         Show Notes Human Rights Lawyer calls for public inquiry after 5 inmate deaths http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/human-rights-lawyer-public-inquiry-5-i

Hey, well Canada still sucks but we have to do a little stop gap measure. We are working on several stories and issues but due to scheduling we still have to wait on a few things to come together. Rather than rushing content we decided to dig into our archives and replay (on CKUW) our interview with Tyler Shipley on Canada's role in the coup in Honduras and his view of Canadian Imperialism. If you want to check out that episode you can go to itunes or check it out here http://radiofreewinnipeg.tumblr.com/post/163071775552/canadian-imperialism

Scott and Greg continue with the topic Why Canada Sucks with a discussion on the links between Climate Change, racism, and imperialism. Over the last several weeks there have been a number of racists attacks in Canada. Xenophobic rhetoric is on the rise as Canadian media play into a bogus "border crisis" narrative and the Liberals appoint Bill Blair (former police chief of Toronto who has a horrible record on civil liberties) as their new Minister of Border Security and Organized which has only emboldened the far right. 

Scott and Greg talk about all this in context of climate change and imperialism, how Canada is on the wrong side of these issues and why we are just seeing the start of refugees seeking asylum in Canada. To solve these issues we can't frame them as consumer choices but rather in political and economic choices. Scott and Greg also talk about gentrification and the replacing of "unwanted" people and how cities are becoming unaffordable. Show Notes Music break brought you by Lee Reed.His late

In the second episdoe in our series on Why Canada Sucks, Scott and Greg talk to historian Doug Nesbitt on why Canadian Confederation sucked. Doug goes through all the resistance to Canadian Confederation and how that legacy has created battle lines across Canada to this day. They also discuss why Canadian history being presented as bland and boring is an ideological project. Check out Doug's work and other great reporting on the Canadian labour movement at http://rankandfile.ca/ Like us on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/radiofreewinnipeg Follow us on Twitter  @Radio_Free_Wpg Send us an email-  radiofreewpg@gmail.com      

We're back! After some time off Radio Free Winnipeg is back with a new series of shows. Our theme this time will be why Canada sucks where we will explore the many ways that Canada sucks domestically, internationally and historically. Canadians have an overly romanticized view of themselves and as such there is a lot of myths surrounding Canada. Canadians usually frame themselves in relation to America so they either set the bar at being simply “better” than America (low bar to set) and use that as an excuse to both remain ignorant of issues in Canada and thus never challenge the status quo. Scott and Greg talk about what they've been doing over the last month and a half and set out what they will be doing over this series. Like us on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/radiofreewinnipeg/ Follow us on Twitter- @Radio_Free_Wpg Show Notes Angus Reid poll Truths of reconciliation: Canadians are deeply divided on how best to address Indigenous issues  http://angusreid.org/indigenous-canada/ Canadians deeply divid

In the 8th and final episdoe of Radio Free Winnipeg's series on Fascism and Anti-Fascism Scott and Greg reflect on what the series accomplished, where they could have improved and what they would have changed. Thanks for listening to the series. We will be back later in the summer with a new series of shows. Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/radiofreewinnipeg/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/Radio_Free_WPG

In the 7th episdoe of Radio Free Winnipeg's series on Fascism and Anti-Fascism Scott does the show solo with Greg out of town in the big smoke (AKA Toronto). First Scott comments on the recent "investigation" by CBC on the growth of the 3% militia in Canada. This was already reported on by Vice last year and organizers on the ground have know about the presence of the 3% for at least that long as well. Then Scott dives into the main topic on the show, the grift of the "anti-extermism" narrative. The "anti-extermism narrative is very popular in the media with reformed Neo-Nazis and several academics perpetuating the narrative. It is a tidy narrative that not only erases the the ideology of Fascism but also creates a false equivalency between the far-right and the far-left. This not only hinders antifa but also helps to bolster the security state to criminalize left wing organizing. Musical break for the show provided by Hearing Trees https://www.hearingtrees.org/ Like us on Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/

In Radio Free Winnipeg's 6th episode on Fascism and antifa Scott and Greg discuss the limits of antifa. While there have been several recent successes, ie Richard Spencer's comments not being able to hold public events, there are still limits to antifa. While making the public cost high for Fascists when they gather or organize in public is key this still doesn't truly challenge or dismantle the racism and white supremacy at the heart of our society. How do we scale the anti-racism and anti-capitalism of antifa to a larger movement? To start the show Scott and Greg talk about the recent events in Syria and how the left generally have "lost the plot" when it comes to offering a coherent and effective anti-war and anti-imperialism stance. Like us on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/radiofreewinnipeg/ Follow us on Twitter- https://twitter.com/Radio_Free_Wpg Show notes https://gowans.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/nonsense-about-syria-gas-attacks-reveals-us-ideology-of-tyranny/ https://hammerhearts.wordpress.co