Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy

Broadbent Institute
Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy

The Perspectives Journal Podcast complements the journal and opinions content of Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy, to bring out left-wing ideas and strategy in a new and ever-evolving format. The podcast features interviews with policy experts, to dig deeper into the progressive angles of the issues affecting working-class, ordinary Canadians.Hosted by editor-in-chief, Clement Nocos, the Perspectives Journal Podcast aims to bring forward timely analysis on issues from the multiple crises of the economy, cost-of-living and the environment, to the labour movement, as well as the state of Canadian democracy. The wide reaching breadth of this show aims to help inform policymakers and the public about approaches to today’s pressing problems that are rooted in Ed Broadbent’s Principles for Canadian Social Democracy. Perspectives Journal also produces and features shows hosted by the Broadbent Institute’s friends and affiliates, providing a progressive platform for limited and irregular conversations that are still necessary to enliven Canada’s political discourse. The Perspectives Journal Podcast is a proud members of the Harbinger Media Network, Canada’s progressive podcast community. Activists Make History Activists Make History with Peggy Nash is a new podcast series from Perspectives Journal that finds the political underdogs and asks how they got started, against the odds, to fight for progressive change. Policymakers, activists and experts from underrepresented communities and backgrounds, that are typically pushed to the margins of Canadian political life, are front and centre in conversation with Peggy Nash, who has been a union activist, a feminist advocate, and a Member of Parliament in Canada’s House of Commons for nearly a decade.Reflecting on these experiences as a political outsider, and in conversation with other like-minded outsiders that take our struggles into the halls of power, Activists Make History aims to show how we can win a better world through elected office. Activists Make History is only made possible by the generous contribution of Unifor.

  1. Class & Climate: Winds of Change with Alex Connolly

    7 HRS AGO

    Class & Climate: Winds of Change with Alex Connolly

    The fight for better workplace conditions doesn’t stop at renewable energy. Workers in renewable energy need union representation, collective bargaining and a voice in their workplace for the energy transition to benefit all Canadians. Alex Connolly, a renewable energy worker in Nova Scotia, compares the workplace conditions from his time in the oil sands to his current work putting up wind turbines. He shares how quality wages and work closer to home aren’t at odds with lower emissions.  But the fight for better workplace conditions doesn’t stop at renewable energy. Workers in renewable energy need union representation, collective bargaining and a voice in their workplace for the energy transition to benefit all Canadians. This is the sixth episode of Class & Climate: Perspectives on a Green Economy, a short series from the Perspectives Journal and the Green Economy Network mapping how climate action can deliver jobs and long-term affordability for workers—while debunking myths that these goals are a zero-sum trade-off with a clean environment. In this episode, Connolly answers what it’s like working in the oilsands and discusses the opportunities for workers in renewable energy. Notes and further reading: ‘Fly-in, fly-out’ oilsands workers face significant mental health challenges, report suggestsHeads in the sands: Understanding the social and economic risks of declining global demand for Alberta oilHow Canada can equip workers for a low-carbon futureSupport the show

    23 min
  2. Neoliberalism's Failure and What the Left Must Do

    4D AGO

    Neoliberalism's Failure and What the Left Must Do

    2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecturer Grace Blakeley sits down with Luke Savage in Toronto, Canada, for a conversation on the failures of neoliberal capitalism, the age of individualism it has produced, and what the left must do if it is to win the working-class. Blakeley and Savage examine how the far-right have taken advantage of the gaps and inequities made under individualism and why organizing is needed to fight for working-class democratic power. Watch the full conversation on YouTube and listen to Grace Blakeley's full 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture, 'Genuine Democracy in an Age of Hyper-Individualism' in Perspectives Journal. Buy Grace Blakeley's latest book Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom and subscribe to her Substack for more writing and ideas. Buy Seeking Social Democracy, Ed Broadbent's book co-authored by Luke Savage, Frances Abele, and Jonathan Sas, and subscribe to Luke Savage's Substack. Support the show

    1h 36m
  3. Class & Climate: The Sustainability Class with Vijay Kolinjivadi and Aaron Vansintjan

    JUN 6

    Class & Climate: The Sustainability Class with Vijay Kolinjivadi and Aaron Vansintjan

    Does the so-called green consumption of the “sustainability class” really work to help save us from climate catastrophe? Without challenging capitalism, can everyone afford the cost of living, reduce emissions, and achieve climate justice? Aaron Vansintjan and Vijay Kolinjivadi are the authors of The Sustainability Class, published by The New Press. Their book is a sharp—and often funny—takedown of lifestyle environmentalism among the middle and upper-middle classes, which goes to absurd lengths to consume its way out of the climate crisis. But the authors don’t just critique—they point toward something better. They argue that the genuine concern motivating the sustainability class can be transformed into collective action, especially by working with unions and community groups to improve public health, affordability, and quality of life. This is the fifth episode of Class & Climate: Perspectives on a Green Economy, a short series from the Perspectives Journal and the Green Economy Network mapping how climate action can deliver jobs and long-term affordability for workers—while debunking myths that these goals are a zero-sum trade-off with a clean environment. In this episode, Sebileau makes the case for connecting the cost of living crisis with sustainable transportation.  Show notes and further reading: The Trouble With the Ultra-Rich’s EnvironmentalismHow One of Montréal’s Poorest Neighborhoods Became Ripe for Green GentrificationEnd of the Line? Saudi Arabia ‘forced to scale back’ plans for desert megacitySupport the show

    37 min
  4. Genuine Democracy in an Age of Hyper-Individualism with Grace Blakeley

    JUN 2

    Genuine Democracy in an Age of Hyper-Individualism with Grace Blakeley

    The 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture was delivered by Grace Blakeley, illustrating why neoliberal capitalism has overruled democracy and why we must organize to take back democratic power for the working-class. The 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture was held on Tuesday, May 20th in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Arts. A special thanks to TMU Interim Dean of Arts Amy Peng for hosting this Broadbent Institute event. Ellen Meiksins Wood was one of the left’s foremost theorists on democracy and history, and often promoted the idea that democracy always has to be fought for and secured from below, never benevolently conferred from above. The Institute founded the annual Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize & Lecture to honour Professor Wood’s legacy as an internationally renowned scholar and to bring her work to new generations of Canadians. The Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize is given annually to an academic, labour activist or writer and recognizes outstanding contributions in political theory, social or economic history, human rights, or sociology. Each year’s recipient also delivers the Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture. The 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture was delivered by economics and politics commentator Grace Blakeley. She is awarded the 2025 Prize in recognition of her critical analysis of economic systems and neoliberal capitalism that helps movements take back democratic power for the working-class. Listen to the full lecture, and learn more about the Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture. Support the show

    37 min
  5. Public Education at the Tipping Point

    MAY 30

    Public Education at the Tipping Point

    Hear from frontline educators at the 2025 Progress Summit on what’s driving the crisis and how we can defend democracy by fighting for strong, inclusive, and well-funded schools. Canada’s public education system is in crisis mode. From chronic underfunding and privatization to attacks on teachers and burnout—these aren’t isolated issues. Across the globe, right-wing movements are attacking public education, banning books, rewriting history and pitting parents, teachers, and students against each other. That same rhetoric is taking hold here in Canada, as we saw in the 2025 federal election. In this episode of the Perspectives Journal podcast, we bring you a live recording from the Broadbent Institute’s 2025 Progress Summit, a conversation on Public Education at the Tipping Point. Moderated by Heidi Yetman, President of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, the panel shows how the erosion of public education threatens democratic values—and what teachers from across Canada and the world are doing to stop it. Panelists include: Heidi Yetman – President, Canadian Teachers’ Federation (Moderator)Haldis Holst – Deputy Secretary General, Education InternationalCarol Sarich – President, Canadian Association of PrincipalsKen Montgomery – Chair, Ontario Association of Deans of EducationListen to this urgent discussion from the 2025 Progress Summit to learn what’s causing the current crisis, why it matters for Canadian democracy, and how we can organize for public education that’s well-funded, equitable, and inclusive. Notes: Why the Program Cuts at York University Are Bad for Democracy by Honor Brabazon, Perspectives Journal Mar. 14, 20252025 Progress Summit: Daring to Take on Today’s Crises (highlights)Why Ontario Schools Are in Crisis Under Doug Ford ‘Sources’ podcast episode, PressProgress Feb. 21, 2025Support the show

    46 min
  6. Class & Climate: Moving Canada for Climate Action with Blandine Sebileau

    MAY 2

    Class & Climate: Moving Canada for Climate Action with Blandine Sebileau

    Equiterre's Sustainable Mobility Analyst shows how clean mobility can help working class Canadians save money while making our communities cleaner and healthier. Canada is falling behind its G7 peers. Our public transit systems need major investments to serve ordinary Canadians — by cutting costs associated with personal vehicles — and by limiting a major source of emissions. Revamped transit systems between and within Canadian cities can make it easier, cheaper and cleaner for Canadians to get around. Blandine Sebileau, Analyst, Sustainable Mobility at the Quebec environmental organization Equiterre joins the show to argue that clean mobility can help working class Canadians save money while making our communities cleaner and healthier. This is the fourth episode of Class & Climate: Perspectives on a Green Economy, a short series from the Perspectives Journal and the Green Economy Network mapping how climate action can deliver jobs and long-term affordability for workers — while debunking myths that these goals are a zero-sum trade-off with a clean environment. In this episode, Sebileau makes the case for connecting the cost of living crisis with sustainable transportation.  Notes and further reading: Green Economy Network Common Platform: Public Transit, Good JobsPutting Wheels on the Bus: Unlocking the Potential of Public Transit to Cut Carbon Emissions in Canada, by Environmental Defence Canada & Équiterre, February 2024.Public transit is the climate solution we needSupport the show

    28 min
  7. Class & Climate: Union Power with Brandon Dyck - IBEW

    APR 24

    Class & Climate: Union Power with Brandon Dyck - IBEW

    The energy transition runs on union power. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is one of the labour unions that will generate the electricity needed to seize the potential and jobs of a just transition. Brandon Dyck, government affairs coordinator at IBEW, joins the show to discuss how rank and file IBEW members experience climate change firsthand and stand to benefit from the energy transition.  IBEW members will be crucial to achieving the energy transition — from the thousands of kilometres of transmission lines needed for an east-west grid to rapidly expanding green energy. Dyck makes the case for putting workers in the driver's seat, backed by committed public investment to create the infrastructure and jobs that will guarantee a just and fair transition.  This is the third episode of Class & Climate: Perspectives on a Green Economy, a short series from the Perspectives Journal and the Green Economy Network mapping how climate action can deliver jobs and long-term affordability for workers and communities — while debunking myths that these goals are a zero-sum trade-off with a clean environment. Notes and further reading: Statement from IBEW Canada on the Federal Election 2025The Green Transition Must Be Union-PoweredGreen Economy Network Common Platform: Renewable Energy, Good JobsSupport the show

    18 min
  8. Class & Climate: Building a Green Workforce with Lindsay Amundsen

    APR 14

    Class & Climate: Building a Green Workforce with Lindsay Amundsen

    Lindsay Amundsen of Canada's Building Trades Unions explains what a just transition really means for workers—and how union-led training programs are preparing the workforce for the green economy. What does a just transition look like on the ground—for workers, apprentices, and communities? In the second episode of Class & Climate, Lindsay Amundsen, Director of Workforce Development at Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU), shares how the labour movement is shaping climate solutions by investing in people. From empowering underrepresented workers in the trades, to building clean energy infrastructure with union labour, CBTU’s approach to workforce development is grounded in equity and long-term economic resilience. Amundsen makes the case for public investments in training, and for putting workers—especially those in carbon-intensive industries—at the centre of climate planning. This is the second episode of Class & Climate: Perspectives on a Green Economy, a short series from the Perspectives Journal and the Green Economy Network mapping how climate action can deliver jobs and long-term affordability for workers — while debunking myths that these goals are a zero-sum trade-off with a clean environment. Notes: Building it Green – Canadian Building Trades UnionsSupport the show

    16 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Perspectives Journal Podcast complements the journal and opinions content of Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy, to bring out left-wing ideas and strategy in a new and ever-evolving format. The podcast features interviews with policy experts, to dig deeper into the progressive angles of the issues affecting working-class, ordinary Canadians.Hosted by editor-in-chief, Clement Nocos, the Perspectives Journal Podcast aims to bring forward timely analysis on issues from the multiple crises of the economy, cost-of-living and the environment, to the labour movement, as well as the state of Canadian democracy. The wide reaching breadth of this show aims to help inform policymakers and the public about approaches to today’s pressing problems that are rooted in Ed Broadbent’s Principles for Canadian Social Democracy. Perspectives Journal also produces and features shows hosted by the Broadbent Institute’s friends and affiliates, providing a progressive platform for limited and irregular conversations that are still necessary to enliven Canada’s political discourse. The Perspectives Journal Podcast is a proud members of the Harbinger Media Network, Canada’s progressive podcast community. Activists Make History Activists Make History with Peggy Nash is a new podcast series from Perspectives Journal that finds the political underdogs and asks how they got started, against the odds, to fight for progressive change. Policymakers, activists and experts from underrepresented communities and backgrounds, that are typically pushed to the margins of Canadian political life, are front and centre in conversation with Peggy Nash, who has been a union activist, a feminist advocate, and a Member of Parliament in Canada’s House of Commons for nearly a decade.Reflecting on these experiences as a political outsider, and in conversation with other like-minded outsiders that take our struggles into the halls of power, Activists Make History aims to show how we can win a better world through elected office. Activists Make History is only made possible by the generous contribution of Unifor.

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