Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy

Broadbent Institute

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. Social Democrats of the North: E.A. Partridge, The Great Builder

    -4 J

    Social Democrats of the North: E.A. Partridge, The Great Builder

    A pioneer of Canadian prairie socialism, E.A. Partridge was a radical farmer who organized Saskatchewan grain growers in the face of rampant price fixing. The founder of the 'Grain Growers' Grain Company' cooperative and publisher of the Grain Growers' Guide, Partridge was a major player in the history of Canadian social democracy. Learn about his "Partridge plan" and the social democratic roots of western Canadian alienation on this episode of Social Democrats of the North. -- Social Democrats of the North: Canadian Visions for Justice & Equality from Confederation to the Quiet Revolution is a new podcast series from Perspectives Journal by Broadbent Research Fellow and Editorial Committee Member Dave McGrane. Dave McGrane, Professor of Political Science at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, explores the life, times, and ideas of Canada’s most influential social democrats. From Confederation at 1867, to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, discover the people who shaped social democracy in Canada, the movements that fought for the working-class, and the legacies they’ve left for the wellbeing of all Canadians. There are lessons for activists, and forgotten struggles that apply to today’s wins. After all, the best teacher for a better world tomorrow, is the past. Social Democrats of the North is a Perspectives Journal Podcast Series, published by the Broadbent Institute. Host & Episode Research – Dave McGrane Producer – Clement Nocos Production Assistant – Jack McClelland -- Theme music note The tune of US folk song “John Brown’s Body” is used extensively for militant labour movements and group marching, referencing US abolitionist John Brown. The tune has evolved into a number of variations, including ‘The March of the Workers’ in the Labor Reform Songster (1892) by Ontario labour leader Phillips Thompson (Social Democrats of the North Episode 2). Battle Hymn of the Republic medley by Marisa Anderson is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Support the show

    23 min
  2. Social Democrats of the North: J.S. Woodsworth, A Man of Faith

    1 DÉC.

    Social Democrats of the North: J.S. Woodsworth, A Man of Faith

    One of the most iconic socialists in Canadian history, most on the Canadian left may likely identify J.S. Woodsworth as Canada's first social democrat. Woodsworth was an organizer of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike and the first leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, founded in 1932. This episode of Social Democrats of the North reflects on the Social Gospel that saw Jesus as a radical socialist, the farmers and labour movements that struggled for power over the Canadian Prairies, and their expansion into a national social democratic movement. -- Social Democrats of the North: Canadian Visions for Justice & Equality from Confederation to the Quiet Revolution is a new podcast series from Perspectives Journal by Broadbent Research Fellow and Editorial Committee Member Dave McGrane. Dave McGrane, Professor of Political Science at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, explores the life, times, and ideas of Canada’s most influential social democrats. From Confederation at 1867, to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, discover the people who shaped social democracy in Canada, the movements that fought for the working-class, and the legacies they’ve left for the wellbeing of all Canadians. There are lessons for activists, and forgotten struggles that apply to today’s wins. After all, the best teacher for a better world tomorrow, is the past. Social Democrats of the North is a Perspectives Journal Podcast Series, published by the Broadbent Institute. Host & Episode Research – Dave McGrane Producer – Clement Nocos Production Assistant – Jack McClelland -- Theme music note The tune of US folk song “John Brown’s Body” is used extensively for militant labour movements and group marching, referencing US abolitionist John Brown. The tune has evolved into a number of variations, including ‘The March of the Workers’ in the Labor Reform Songster (1892) by Ontario labour leader Phillips Thompson (Social Democrats of the North Episode 2). Battle Hymn of the Republic medley by Marisa Anderson is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Support the show

    22 min
  3. Social Democrats of the North: Francis Marion Beynon, Feminist Firebrand

    17 NOV.

    Social Democrats of the North: Francis Marion Beynon, Feminist Firebrand

    What was the place of feminism in early Canadian social democracy? This episode looks at one of the first feminist social democrats in Canadian history: Francis Marion Beynon. Her work as journalist in Winnipeg in the early 1900s was critical for pointing out how exploitation wasn’t just about workers and bosses — it was also about the way that women were being treated by their husbands at home.  -- Social Democrats of the North: Canadian Visions for Justice & Equality from Confederation to the Quiet Revolution is a new podcast series from Perspectives Journal by Broadbent Research Fellow and Editorial Committee Member Dave McGrane. Dave McGrane, Professor of Political Science at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, explores the life, times, and ideas of Canada’s most influential social democrats. From Confederation at 1867, to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, discover the people who shaped social democracy in Canada, the movements that fought for the working-class, and the legacies they’ve left for the wellbeing of all Canadians. There are lessons for activists, and forgotten struggles that apply to today’s wins. After all, the best teacher for a better world tomorrow, is the past. Social Democrats of the North is a Perspectives Journal Podcast Series, published by the Broadbent Institute. Host & Episode Research – Dave McGrane Producer – Clement Nocos Production Assistant – Jack McClelland -- Theme music note The tune of US folk song “John Brown’s Body” is used extensively for militant labour movements and group marching, referencing US abolitionist John Brown. The tune has evolved into a number of variations, including ‘The March of the Workers’ in the Labor Reform Songster (1892) by Ontario labour leader Phillips Thompson (Social Democrats of the North Episode 2). Battle Hymn of the Republic medley by Marisa Anderson is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Support the show

    16 min
  4. Social Democrats of the North: Olivar Asselin, The Radical Journalist

    31 OCT.

    Social Democrats of the North: Olivar Asselin, The Radical Journalist

    In the early 20th century, Montreal was a hotbed of radical thinking on working-class politics and Quebec’s place in Canada. Amidst working-class poverty and the upheaval around the First World War, Olivar Asselin emerged as one of Montreal's most famous journalists who advocated for Quebec's working poor. Named, in-part, after Latin American revolutionary Simon Bolivar, Asselin foray into the military was more misguided than his namesake's campaigns for liberation, but  still established himself as a social democratic force in Quebec's nationalist politics. -- Social Democrats of the North: Canadian Visions for Justice & Equality from Confederation to the Quiet Revolution is a new podcast series from Perspectives Journal by Broadbent Research Fellow and Editorial Committee Member Dave McGrane. Dave McGrane, Professor of Political Science at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, explores the life, times, and ideas of Canada’s most influential social democrats. From Confederation at 1867, to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, discover the people who shaped social democracy in Canada, the movements that fought for the working-class, and the legacies they’ve left for the wellbeing of all Canadians. There are lessons for activists, and forgotten struggles that apply to today’s wins. After all, the best teacher for a better world tomorrow, is the past. Social Democrats of the North is a Perspectives Journal Podcast Series, published by the Broadbent Institute. Host & Episode Research – Dave McGrane Producer – Clement Nocos Production Assistant – Jack McClelland -- Theme music note The tune of US folk song “John Brown’s Body” is used extensively for militant labour movements and group marching, referencing US abolitionist John Brown. The tune has evolved into a number of variations, including ‘The March of the Workers’ in the Labor Reform Songster (1892) by Ontario labour leader Phillips Thompson (Social Democrats of the North Episode 2). Battle Hymn of the Republic medley by Marisa Anderson is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Support the show Support the show

    18 min
  5. Social Democrats of the North - Phillips Thompson: Labor Reform Songster

    15 OCT.

    Social Democrats of the North - Phillips Thompson: Labor Reform Songster

    The prolific satirist-turned-labour-leader penned the first full account of working-class struggles in 19th century Canada. Shortly after Confederation, Canadian cities were teeming with impoverished workers and rapid industrialization. While socialist movements were taking shape across Europe, Phillips Thompson became a leading voice for Canadian labour in Southwestern Ontario. Writing sharp political satire under the pen name “Jimuel Briggs,” Thompson gained recognition as one of Canada’s earliest labour journalists, and a spokesperson for the Knights of Labor, North America’s largest labour organization of the late 19th century.  His 1887 book The Politics of Labor was one of the first to critique the development of Canada’s political economy, and he used his sartorial skills to write The Labor Reform Songster; a collection of working-class marching songs for the militant movement. For the Social Democrats of the North theme music, the tune of US folk song “John Brown’s Body” is used in variation as the tune to the Phillips Thompson’s Labor Reform Songster melody “The March of the Workers.”  -- Social Democrats of the North: Canadian Visions for Justice & Equality from Confederation to the Quiet Revolution is a new podcast series from Perspectives Journal by Broadbent Research Fellow and Editorial Committee Member Dave McGrane. Dave McGrane, Professor of Political Science at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, explores the life, times, and ideas of Canada’s most influential social democrats. From Confederation at 1867, to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, discover the people who shaped social democracy in Canada, the movements that fought for the working-class, and the legacies they’ve left for the wellbeing of all Canadians. There are lessons for activists, and forgotten struggles that apply to today’s wins. After all, the best teacher for a better world tomorrow, is the past. Social Democrats of the North is a Perspectives Journal Podcast Series, published by the Broadbent Institute. Host & Episode Research – Dave McGrane Producer – Clement Nocos Production Assistant – Jack McClelland -- Theme music note The tune of US folk song “John Brown’s Body” is used extensively for militant labour movements and group marching, referencing US abolitionist John Brown. The tune has evolved into a number of variations, including ‘The March of the Workers’ in the Labor Reform Songster (1892) by Ontario labour leader Phillips Thompson (Social Democrats of the North Episode 2). Battle Hymn of the Republic medley by Marisa Anderson is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Support the show Support the show

    17 min
  6. On Fascism with Jon Weier

    10 OCT.

    On Fascism with Jon Weier

    In September 2025 the Broadbent Institute joined left–wing think tanks from Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain to support the establishment of a global network of think tanks that produce rigorous analysis, foster data-driven debate, and contribute to the search for proposals in defense of democracy. In the declarative agreement behind the establishment of the new Red Internacional de Pensamiento Democratico or International Network of Democratic Thought, progressive civil society groups acknowledged that although the new radical right is heterogeneous and shifting at the local level, it is rapidly expanding its ideas elsewhere, undermining the institutional foundations of representative democracy. While viewing the democratic regime as an obstacle to progress, the far-right promotes climate and pandemic denialism, delegitimizes the struggle for women’s equality, fosters rejection of and hatred for immigration and asylum seekers, and upholds economic nationalism as a supreme value. This far-right surge has politically taken the form of fascism: an authoritarian and nationalist political ideology that has undermined democracy around the world. But what is fascism exactly? Here’s Broadbent Research Fellow and Labour Historian, Jon Weier, of George Brown College, to help us define fascist ideology and what this means for Canada . Notes Joining Progressive Think Tanks and Governments in Defense of Democracy, Broadbent Institute, September 25, 2025.Genuine Democracy in an Age of Hyper-Individualism  – 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture, by Grace Blakeley.'Canada goose-stepping: When the ‘Canadian Führer’ brought his blueshirts to Toronto,' by Jamie Bradburn, TVO, March 2, 2022.Support the show

    22 min

À propos

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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