A lot of settlers in so-called Canada want to walk the path of reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples who have always been here. On our last episode of season 1 we’re joined by Riley Yesno to discuss the land back movement that seeks to reclaim Indigenous rights and rebalance our relationships with one another and the land. Riley is an Anishinaabe scholar, writer, and commentator from Eabametoong First Nation. She has been a contributor and commentator for some of the largest media outlets in Canada and the world, including the New York Times, BBC World News, The Globe and Mail, and CBC National News. Her main project right now is teaching Indigenous governance and justice at Toronto Metropolitan University, and completing her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, where she studies Indigenous/Canadian politics and is a Vanier Scholar.

Further listening suggestions:
Redsurgence
Red Nation
CBC: Land Back
CBC: Kuper Island
Secret Life of Canada episode about the Indian Act

Effective altruism is a moral theory that says we need to give as much money as possible to the most effective charities. Is that a harmless idea, or a hyper-capitalist ideology that helps billionaires like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet launder their reputations? On today’s episode we dig into a utilitarian-flavored philanthropic movement that has become very popular in Silicon Valley.

Kristen and Kyla are coming for your burgers in their ongoing fight against their arch-nemesis; Big Agriculture. Special guest AJ Albrecht, Managing Director of Mercy For Animals, attorney, and animal rights advocate, discusses how industrial animal agriculture is a nightmare for farmers, farm workers, farm animals, the people who live around farms, people experiencing the effects of climate change – pretty much everyone, really. This episode explores ways to grant farms more freedom and autonomy from the debt treadmill of Big Ag, and the pathways for transferring away from livestock to plant based crops entirely.

Plant based foods are having a moment; sales for “meat” substitutes alone are projected to grow to $85 billion by 2030, and demand for plant based ingredients is expected to grow to $13 trillion by 2025. As we continue to reckon with the climate crisis and the cruelty of the modern world, this trend is likely to continue.

Looking for a short and accessible refresher on factory farms? We recommend this 11 minute video showing the true cost of cheap chicken. Content warning for violence towards animals; take care of yourselves.

Learn more about the Transfarmation project

Learn more about Proposition 12

Critical Race Theory is at the heart of some of today’s most fiery culture wars, but does it deserve the heat? We are joined by scholar, teacher, and advocate Joshua Sealy-Harrington to discuss the many nuances of CRT. Josh is an Assistant Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law, and Counsel at Power Law. Josh’s expertise in critical race theory, critical disability theory, feminist legal theory, queer legal theory, criminal punishment, constitutional law, as well as law and social movements makes him one of the most insightful speakers in Canada today on this topic. Listen for a breakdown of what CRT is, what it’s limitations are, and what issues it aims to address in mainstream society.

Should we be taxing Scrooge McDuck wealth? Can we? We talk with friend of the pod Fariya Mohiuddin, a Senior Program Officer with the International Budget Partnership's Tax Equity Program, and our favourite tax justice researcher and activist. Topics include: what does a wealth tax really look like; why we need an asset registry; how we could implement these items; what a world with more equitably distributed wealth might look like.

Want to act? Visit Canadians for Tax Fairness and Oxfam Canada

Politics seem more divided than ever. Can we save democracy through persuasion? On today’s episode we were joined by activist Robert Miller to talk about Anand Giridharadas’ latest book, The Persuaders. Our discussion covered all kinds of topics, including whether political polarisation is really a new problem, why normal people might get swept up in conspiracies and cults, and whether promising new strategies like deep canvassing can help to build solidarity.

We know the world is getting hotter. Is spraying sulphate into the atmosphere a solution? On today’s episode we talk all about geoengineering with Green Majority Radio’s Lauren Latour and Stefan Hostetter and David Camfield, academic and author of Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change. We learned that geoengineering doesn’t always have to mean seeding clouds over countries, or blasting mirrors into space. It can (and should) also mean regenerative farming, land back, re-imagining our transit systems and solving our issues from their roots rather than trying to treat the symptoms.

Can euthanasia ever be just in an unjust society? On today’s episode we talked to disabilities justice expert Megan Linton about Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying program: how it works, its limitations, and where expansions may take it. Megan is the host of Invisible Institutions, a documentary podcast exploring the past and present of institutions for people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Canada.

Canada’s Suicide Prevention Sources
Donate to Michal Kaliszan’s GoFundMe for home care
Contact Sylvia Jones about Michal’s case
Megan recommends the book Bleed by Tracey Lindeman
Get involved with disability justice

When the internet started to take off, it was supposed to democratize information. Now everything’s owned by a handful of mega-corporations. Can Web 3 decentralize the internet? Do you have to learn what a Blockchain is? We talk to Paris Marx of the Tech Won’t Save Us podcast about Web 3.0, which some are saying will lead to a more secure, private, and decentralized internet. But others see it as a buzzword, and worry about the environmental and societal impacts of running social networks, game marketplaces, and currencies on the blockchain.

So, there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism. Does that mean there’s no value to movements like slow fashion, eating local, and fairtrade?

This is the first episode of our new spin on the power we have as individuals. We’ll explore big new ideas and ask: is this a real solution or a distraction?

To introduce our new format, we looked back on the question that animated the first 101 episodes of the podcast: is ethical consumption really possible? Should we try anyway?