Victoria Fenner

Legal groups respond to Trump's 'Muslim ban' and Islamophobia in Canada

Victoria Fenner — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:27:50 +0000

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Canadians need to start speaking openly and publicly about racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia. That was one of the messages arising out of a press conference today by the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.

The press conference happened in the wake of this weekend's tragic and shocking shooting at a Quebec City mosque, and the executive orders by President Trump banning many groups of immigrants, especially Muslims and refugees, from entering the United States.

The speakers you're about to hear are representatives from legal groups that launched the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline. Launched in March of 2016, the hotline connects individuals who have experienced discrimination with free, confidential legal advice and information.

The sound of resistance: Three women's marches

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 19:04:30 +0000

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What a week it's been. Looking back to last Friday, Inauguration Day, a lot of us were sharing the same sense of gloom and foreboding, wondering what the next four years are going to be like and fearing the worst.

And then came Saturday ... a day of resistance, defiance, hope and a resolve that the worst is not going to happen. Because it's not Donald Trump's Universe. The future belongs to people who don't believe that misogyny and hatred is the way forward. And it was a day of solidarity with the citizens of the U.S. where millions around the world also said "Hey, we're with you in the struggle."

Today on rabble radio --- some of the voices from the Women's March. Starting in Washington, and then moving up to Vancouver and Toronto.

People Powered: The Activists Behind Vancouver’s Climate Justice Movement

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 17:33:50 +0000

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Like all types documentaries, radio documentaries are extremely resource intensive. They take a lot of time to research, record and put together.

But every documentary producer will agree that the results are well worth the extra effort. There are some fine documentary producers out there, and when we can get permissions to bring you some of our favourites, we will do it.

There's a collection of documentaries that have come out of Simon Fraser University's radio station CJSF 90.1 FM that deserve to be heard over and over again. They are part of a project called "Making Time for Radio."

An evening with George Elliott Clarke

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 01:47:33 +0000

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From Octopus Books in Ottawa, we bring you an evening with award-winning author George Elliott Clarke. He is joined by essayist, poet and playwright charles c. smith.

George Elliott Clarke was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1960 near the Black Loyalist Community of Three Mile Plains. One of Canada's foremost Black voices on the literary scene, he coined the term "Africanadian" to describe the Black culture of Atlantic Canada. He is currently Professor of English at the University of Toronto.

The year in your ear

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 16:02:48 +0000

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What a year it was. Coming off of the maddening, disappointing and very scary U.S. election, it's too easy to look back and wish that we could have just fast forwarded from December 31, 2015 right to January 1, 2017.

But that's not the whole story. In many ways it was also a really good year. Admittedly, we have to work a little harder to lift our spirits in this holiday season than in other years. But we know that rabble listeners and readers know that these things happen in cycles. Better days are ahead.

Lots of work for us to do in the new year to help restore this planet to health and happiness. But for now, take a break and have a listen to some of our faves.

The year in your ear: Instant replays from the rabble podcast network

rabble staff — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 14:14:45 +0000

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

There's lots of work for us to do in the New Year to help restore this planet to health and happiness. But for now, take a break and have a listen to some of our faves from the rabble podcast network.

And what a year it was. Coming off of the maddening, disappointing and very scary U.S. election, it's too easy to look back and wish that we could have just fast-forwarded from December 31, 2015 right to January 1, 2017.

There's lots of work for us to do in the New Year to help restore this planet to health and happiness. But for now, take a break and have a listen to some of our faves.

Protecting the right to protest: Free speech versus corporate power

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 19:44:24 +0000

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One aspect of corporate power that is being exercised more and more these days is the Slap Suit. When powerful people and corporations don't like what's being said, they try to shut down the discussion with lawsuits. Even when those lawsuits are groundless, the cost has the potential to shut down media organizations, especially those which are not able to afford costly libel insurance.

Today's program is all about this method of stifling dissent, and what can be done to limit the use and efficacy of slap suits to shut down citizens' voices.

"Protecting the Right to Protest: Free Speech versus Corporate Power." It was recorded at Media Democracy Days 2016 in November in Vancouver.

Speakers:

Ryan McMahon: Red Man Laughing

Victoria Fenner — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 15:59:00 +0000

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Since 2001, The Media Democracy Project has provided a space for diverse communities to come together and discuss the relationship between media and democracy. In partnership with Simon Fraser University's School of Communication, Media Democracy Days is their annual conference where speakers of all backgrounds present workshops and give presentations on media, art, politics, representation, and much more.

Decolonizing the Media: Media Democracy Days 2016

Victoria Fenner — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 22:00:14 +0000

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It used to be the case that media and democracy were synonymous. Democracies weren't worthy of the name unless they had free and independent media that spoke truth to power. That was in the good old days. The changes in the political winds these days means that there are more pressures than ever on the kind of media outlets to do their job preserving and strengthening democracy.

Today's program comes to us from Media Democracy Days, held in Vancouver every year. This year was no exception. And one could say that Media Democracy is more important than ever in the dark days of 2016.

The Israeli occupation of Palestine: Two perspectives

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 16:32:20 +0000

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Unless you're an expert on the Israeli occupation of Palestine, it's hard to figure out what's going on when we hear about it on the news.

Today's two speakers provide some useful background which is helpful to understand the past, present and possible futures of that conflict. We have two presentations today -- one from Beit Zatoun in Toronto at an event called “Should we be Talking about Fascism?” with speaker Greg Albo, and an address by Dr. Philip Leech-Ngo of University of Ottawa. Both talks were recorded earlier this month.

A conversation with Dr. David Suzuki

Victoria Fenner — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 16:45:16 +0000

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On November 15 Wayne MacPhail from harrowsmithnow.com got to sit down with Dr. David Suzuki. That was just a few days after Donald Trump became president-elect. So, as you can imagine, they had a lot to talk about. They touched on environmental issues in a time when facts don't matter, about David Suzuki's life and even career choices he might have made. You can check out the full video interview Wayne did with Dr. Suzuki at harrowsmithnow.com.

'Belongings: The Fight for Land and Food'

Victoria Fenner — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:24:26 +0000

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Belongings: The Fight for Land and Food explores the link between land ownership, conflict and food insecurity, in a new book by author Sally Miller.

The farm economy is not getting better. Urban sprawl continues to gobble up farmland, farmers still leave the farm every day to take jobs which pay the farm bills and support their families. Miller looks at the root causes of these problems. A big part of the problem is land ownership. She talks about how that system contributes to food insecurity and unstable farm economies.

Wayne MacPhail spoke to Sally Miller for HarrowsmithNow.com and shared it with the rabble book lounge.

Participation: Building a sense of belonging in our communities

Victoria Fenner — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 17:50:34 +0000

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What does it take to build stronger communities? A lot of it is about participation -- when we work together for the common good, the places where we live become stronger. We know our neighbours, we help each other.

In healthy communities, people are engaged with each other. But what does that mean? Today's program is about engagement, connecting and making a difference in the places we live. How do we strengthen those ties that bind?

A few ideas here on this month's rabble radio ..

Lawrence Hill on his novel, 'The Illegal'

Victoria Fenner — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 18:08:09 +0000

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The Illegal is a novel by Canadian author Lawrence Hill. It's about a man named Keita Ali. Keita is a runner. That's all he ever wanted to do. His dream was to bring his family out of poverty by becoming a world class athlete. He does achieve part of his dream, but also ends up being literally on the run after he winds up in a country with a zeal for deporting refugees. He and his family all end up running for their lives.

He talks about his novel with author and journalist Waubgeshig Rice at an event held on November 24, 2015 at Octopus Books in Ottawa.

Big Farming

Victoria Fenner — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 13:45:50 +0000

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Since it's harvest season, what better time to take a look at farming. And sadly, it's not the family farm we're going to be talking about.

There are still some family farms left, and still some independent farmers who are making a living for themselves adopting new forms of sustainable agriculture. But despite the growth of organics, artisan food products and people who are adopting farming practices that are kind to the land, the corporations continue to march across the countryside. We'll hear from a few people today who can tell us what's wrong with that.