Talking Radical Radio

In this rebroadcast of episode #393 of Talking Radical Radio (which was originally broadcast in the first week of March 2021), Scott Neigh interviews Samir Shaheen-Hussain. He is a pediatric emergency physician in Montreal and an assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. He was also a central organizer in the #aHand2Hold campaign, which in 2018 won a victory against a specific aspect of medical colonialism in Quebec. In this episode, he talks about the campaign, about his new book, *Fighting for a Hand to Hold: Confronting Medical Colonialism against Indigenous Children in Canada*, and about the broader history and present reality of medical colonialism in this country. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/08/17/rebroadcast-the-past-and-present-of-medical-colonialism-in-canada/

In episode #416 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Kevin Skerrett and Nancy Parker. They are active with the Make Revera Public campaign, which is pushing the federal government to transform Revera -- a major provider of long-term care in Canada -- from a for-profit corporation into a public sector entity and a fully integrated element of our public health care system. This campaign is happening in the wake of the terrible impact of COVID-19 on long-term care residents, particularly residents of for-profit, private sector homes, and is focusing on Revera because it is 100% owned by a public sector pension fund. They talk about long-term care, COVID-19, pensions, and the Make Revera Public campaign. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/08/10/radio-a-campaign-to-bring-long-term-care-into-the-public-health-care-system/

In episode #415 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Areej Riaz, Faith Edem, and LJ Prabaharan. All three are very involved in taking action of various kinds related to the climate crisis. As well, Riaz is one of the key people behind *Our Climate, Our Stories*, a new book that collects essays, stories, and poems about the climate crisis written by Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth from across Canada. Edem and Prabaharan are contributors to the volume. They talk about the climate crisis, about the importance of creating spaces for BIPOC youth voices in that context, and about the book. For a more detailed description of the episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/08/03/bipoc-youth-stories-about-the-climate-crisis/

In episode #414 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Stephanie Fung and Rajani Tadaka. Fung is the communications organizer for UNITE HERE Local 40, which represents workers in the hospitality industry in British Columbia. Tadaka is a hotel worker and member of Local 40. In the wake of mass layoffs due to the pandemic, many hotels in BC have chosen to fire many of their laid off workers rather than recall them as needed, as a cost-saving measure. Fung and Tadaka talk about the BC's Unequal Women campaign, which is demanding the mostly-women who have been fired be allowed to return to their jobs. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/07/27/radio-standing-up-against-mass-firings-in-bcs-hotel-industry/

In episode #413 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Matias de Dovitiis. He is a long time activist and one of the co-founders of the Canadian Latin America Alliance. They talk about Canada's orientation towards Latin America and about the work of the alliance to, according to their website, support "the development of a relationship between Canada and Latin America that is based on principles of democracy, self-determination and the defense of human rights." For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/07/20/radio-challenging-canadas-predatory-role-in-latin-america/

In episode #412 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Vanessa Hartley. She is 21 years old, a resident of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, and an eighth generation Black Loyalist descendent. She is also the chair of the South End Environmental Injustice Society (SEED). She talks about the town, about environmental racism, and about the work of SEED. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/07/13/radio-fighting-environmental-racism-in-small-town-nova-scotia/

In episode #411 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Cihan Erdal and Ömer Ongun. Erdal is a scholar at Carleton University in Ottawa. In September 2020, while on a visit to Turkey, he was arrested and jailed. His husband, Ömer Ongun, was immediately plunged into a whirlwind of activities organizing the Free Cihan Erdal support campaign. After nine long months in prison, Erdal was released in mid-June, though he may not yet leave Turkey and is still at risk of re-arrest. This is the couple’s first interview together since his release. They talk about their lives, about Erdal’s detention, and about the campaign to free him. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/07/06/radio-the-campaign-to-free-an-ottawa-academic-detained-in-turkey/

In episode #410 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Russell Lavis and Michael Bueckert. Lavis is an ultramarathon runner who most recently used his skills to raise funds for Help Gaza Breathe, a campaign to ensure hospitals in Gaza have necessary equipment in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bueckert is a scholar and grassroots activist who does Palestinian solidarity work in other ways, and he is vice-president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. They talk about the broad context and recent events in Palestine, and about the range of forms that solidarity with the Palestinian people can take. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/06/29/radio-the-many-forms-of-solidarity-with-the-palestinian-people/

In episode #409 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Colleen Lynas and Victor Lachance. They are residents of Kemptville, Ontario, and members of the Coalition Against the Proposed Prison (CAPP) Kemptville. They talk about their town, about the Ontario government's unilateral decision to build a provincial jail there, and about what residents are doing in response. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/06/22/radio-fighting-a-proposed-provincial-jail-in-eastern-ontario/

In episode #408 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Barbara Byers, Lori Johb, and Donna Smith. They are long-time feminists and trade unionists in Saskatchewan, and they are organizers of the Prairie School for Union Women. They talk about the 25-year history of the school, and about its current incarnation in the context of COVID-19 as an online event happening from June 22 to 25, 2021. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/06/15/radio-twenty-five-years-of-feminist-labour-education/

In episode #407 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Jon McPhedran Waitzer and Andy Wei. They are members of an organization called Resource Movement. With chapters in Montreal and Toronto, Resource Movement brings together young people from across Canada who have wealth and/or class privilege to work towards the redistribution of wealth, land, and power. They talk about the politics of organizing wealthy people in support of social justice, and about the work of Resource Movement. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/06/08/radio-mobilizing-class-privileged-youth-to-work-for-social-justice/

In episode #406 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Andrew Winchur. He is the director of the Parkdale Free School, a grassroots educational initiative for residents of the Parkdale neighbourhood in Toronto to share their knowledge and lived experience in a safe, inclusive, and anti-oppressive setting. They talk about popular education, radical pedagogy, and the Parkdale Free School. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/06/01/radio-grassroots-popular-education-in-a-toronto-neighbourhood/

In episode #405 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Tara Ehrcke. She is a teacher in Victoria, BC, and throughout her career has been active in her union, the British Columbia Teachers Federation. Since 2018, her energies have been largely focused on the climate crisis. She talks about the climate crisis, the role that the labour movement can play in addressing it, and the Labour Climate Forum, a recent event that brought together more than 100 trade unionists concerned about climate issues from more than 15 labour organizations in BC. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/05/25/radio-climate-justice-organizing-within-the-labour-movement/

In episode #404 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Catherine Frazee and Quin Lawrence. They were part of the upswell of opposition by disability activists to Bill C-7, which expanded the eligibility for medical assistance in dying in Canada. Frazee, Lawrence, and many other disabled people characterized Bill C-7 as not just ableist but also as a form of eugenics. In the week before the legislation passed, that opposition culminated in an action called the Disability Filibuster. They talk about the ableism of the bill, their opposition to it, and their vision for continuing the struggle now. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/05/18/radio-a-new-wave-of-anti-ableist-and-anti-eugenics-organizing-in-canada/

In episode #403 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Kieran Hart, Sharmeen Khan, and Temóc Thania Vega. They are activists and organizers based in Toronto, as well as members of the editorial collective of Upping the Anti, a print publication that describes itself as "a journal of theory and action." They talk about the importance of ideas and radical theory to struggles for justice and liberation, about the challenges of grassroots media-making, and about Upping the Anti. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/05/11/radio-a-rare-space-for-social-movements-to-reflect-and-theorize/

In episode #402 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Pierre Cloutier de Repentigny and Tai Jacob. Cloutier de Repentigny is a lawyer and will soon be an assistant professor of law and legal studies at Carleton University. He is also the co-chair of the board of JusticeTrans, an organization dedicated to ensuring access to justice for trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and Two Spirit people in the Canadian context. Tai Jacob is a scholar, a community organizer, and a public educator, as well as the project manager and head of research at JusticeTrans. They talk about trans people's experiences of the legal system, about access to justice, and about the work of JusticeTrans. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/05/04/radio-building-access-to-justice-for-trans-people-in-canada/

In episode #401 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Susie Goulding. She is a founder of the COVID Long Haulers Support Group Canada, a group for people with long COVID to support each other, advocate for themselves, and collaborate with researchers. She talks about long COVID and about the group's work, particularly its advocacy for recognition, research, and rehabilitation. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/04/27/radio-long-covid-growing-advocacy-for-recognition-research-and-rehab/

In episode #400 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Irina Ceric. Along with being an instructor in criminology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, BC, Ceric has for decades been a social movement lawyer and has devoted much of her energy to radical legal support organizing. In recent years, her attention has also turned to research about such organizing. She talks about her own movement lawyering, about radical legal support organizing, and about what her research has found that is useful to movements today. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/04/20/radio-social-movements-and-radical-legal-support-organizing/

In episode #399 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interviews Emma Cunningham of Environmental Action Now Ajax-Pickering. They recently won an important victory against an attempt to build a warehouse on Duffins Creek wetland, a protected wetland in the middle of Pickering. Groups in communities across Ontario are currently facing similar struggles, as pro-development municipal councils and the provincial government are making increasing use of Minister's Zoning Orders (MZOs) to push forward development regardless of environmental and community consequences. Cunningham talks about how they won the fight in Pickering, and about what other communities can learn from it. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/04/13/radio-a-local-victory-against-ontarios-development-at-any-cost-offensive/

In episode #398 of Talking Radical Radio, Scott Neigh interview Kearie Daniel. She is a communications professional, a writer and podcaster, and an equity consultant. She is also a parent advocate and co-founder of the group Parents of Black Children. She talks about anti-Black racism in the school system and how Parents of Black Children is supporting parents and advocating for change. For a more detailed description of this episode, go here: https://talkingradical.ca/2021/04/06/radio-challenging-anti-black-racism-in-the-school-system/