The Spring Podcast

Canada’s exploitation of migrant student workers - Migrant Students United

Labour migration plays a crucial role in upholding global capitalism. Immigration systems, including the one in Canada, are exploitative and discriminatory by design. Canada’s international student program is one such stream aimed to attract “skilled” labour but in truth, pushes workers into precarious employment. This means migrant student workers have to regularly deal with bad bosses, low wages, and unsafe working conditions - further entrenching racialized inequality within the Canadian economy.

In this episode, we speak to migrant student workers Harshill and Abu who have been organizing to challenge the discriminatory immigration system in Canada with Migrant Students United. Migrant Students United is a group of self-organized current and former international students who are demanding fair rules and equal rights for all migrants. Harshill and Abu talk about how the best way to fight back against the role borders play in global capitalism is to demand full and permanent immigration status to all

Take action for migrant rights, regularization, and status for all on September 18: https://migrantrights.ca/events/sep18/

Episode 11 - Katerina Nikas and Free Palestine Halifax

Katerina provides a thorough historical context on the current struggle in Palestine.

Episode 10 - Lisa Cameron and the Halifax Workers Action Centre

On today's episode, we hear from Lisa who is an organizer with the Halifax Workers Action Centre. She talks about the most common issues workers face in Nova Scotia, and the barriers workers face when faced with unfair treatment. 

Episode 9 - Rajean Hoillett on Abolition in Canada

Abolition with Rajean Hoilett

 

The prison system is entrenched in capitalism’s need to divide the working class and suppress resistance. In Canada, prisons function as an extension of the settler-colonial nation-building project. For socialists fighting for an alternative, abolition is the only way forward. But what does it actually mean to abolish prisons? How can socialists achieve this? And what does the world without prisons look like?

 

We spoke to Rajean Hoilett, community organizer and member of the Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project to understand what abolition means in the Canadian context and why socialists need to center an abolitionist framework in our movements for social justice.

S1E8 - Setting a workers first agenda in Ontario with Elise Lee Lai

The Spring Podcast spoke with labour activist Elise Lee Lai about how labour is approaching the upcoming election in Ontario. Lee Lai outlines the most pressing issues facing the labour movement in the province and how trade unions are organizing for May 1 day of action to put forward a workers first agenda.

S1E7 - Fighting climate capitalism with Fridays For Future

The climate crisis is the biggest existential threat on the planet and it is driven by a capitalist system that exploits people and nature for profits. A youth-led global climate strike movement, Fridays For Future, began to mobilize in 2018 to demand urgent action on climate justice.

In this episode, we are joined by activists Chloe and Siegfried from Fridays For Future Toronto. They talk about how they got involved in climate activism and the impacts of the climate strikes. They also connect the links between climate capitalism and colonialism, and discuss strategies to fight the climate crisis.

S1E6 - Paid sick days with Dr. Jesse McLare

Jesse McLaren speaks about how the labour movement and health care are related, and shares direct experience with patients without paid sick days as an emergency room physician. We learn about the broader struggle for workers rights in Ontario, and the work of the Decent Work and Health Network. 

S1E5 - Tara El-Alami with Free Palestine

The struggle for a Free Palestine has been waging since the zionist project displaced millions of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948 to create the settler-colonial state of Israel. In recent times, a youth-led resurgence in the movement is shifting the conversation surrounding Palestinian liberation. We talk to Tara Alami, a Palestinian organizer, Spring member, and university student originally from Jerusalem and Yafa, currently based on Tio'tia:ke (Montreal).

S1E4 - Canada‘s 44th Federal Election with Dave Bush

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for an early federal election as we entered into the fourth wave of the pandemic. The question on everyone’s mind: why? What does an early election mean? What issues are at its core? What is at stake and should socialists even care? David Bush, a contributor to Spring Magazine, joins us in this episode to offer key political insights driving Canada’s 44th General Election.

S1E3 - Garry Sran on the Indian Farmer Protest

In today's episode, we talk to Garry Sran on the ongoing Indian Farmer Protest. Garry gives us a background to the current struggle being faced in India, and shares his personal connection to the struggle.