Migrant workers in the gig economy are arguably the most exploited labour force in Canada.

Derailing Dignity, an art installation and sound piece opening May 16th, encourages people to make the connection between the convenience of online food delivery services and the human beings making it all happen. The exhibit opens May 16th, and is part of the 40th annual Mayworks Festival in Toronto.

It was created by Krish Dineshkumar, a cook, sound producer, activist and artist, who is constantly looking for creative ways to build empathy. He joins the Blueprints studio to share his creative process, the motivation behind using art as a tool of engagement and the other ways he works on nourishing the community.

He calls it 'heartwork', and makes the caring case that its something we could better prioritize when we think about organizing.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Support Gig Workers United

Related Episodes:

• Our interview with Justice for Migrant Workers
• Rabble Rant from August 2023, on the Temporary Foreign Workers Program

More Resources:

• Migration and Migrant Labour in the Gig Economy: An Intervention
• Migrant Rights Network
• Mayworks 2025 Festival Guide and Archive
• Krish's Cooked Until Tender on IG

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In order to best understand what happened to the NDP in the 2025 federal election, one has to learn about the decisions made under Jack Layton.

Who better to help us do this than historian and author of From Layton to Singh, Matt Fodor. This is a follow up to Matt's first appearance on the show where he explained in great detail how the team responsible for the Orange Crush deliberately and possibly permanently changed the course of the Party.

Hear why a leadership change just won't do and what Labour's role in all of this has been. Its essential listening for anyone considering reforming the NDP, as is the rest of the Inside the NDP playlist.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Related Episodes:

• Matt Fodor's first interview on Blueprints, A Deliberate Turn to Centre.
• Host Jessa McLean's deeply personal account, Why They Came for Me.

More Resources:

• Judy Rebick - The Future of the NDP after a Disastrous Election | In Bed with the Elephant
• Referenced Article: Mark Carney, Cutthroat Capitalist | The Walrus

📺YOU CAN CATCH US LIVE EVERY FRIDAY AT 12pm E.T. on our YouTube Channel.

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Did you know that some public sector pensions, like the Ontario Municipality Employees Retirement System (OMERS) invests in the very companies that contribute to the exploitation of retirees and the commodification of aging?

That is just one example of 'social investments gone awry' that author and researcher Tom Fraser brings to our discussion from his book, Invested in Crisis, Public Sector Pensions Against the Future. He explains how we got to the point where (mostly unionized) workers are heavily invested in real estate across the globe, pipelines, privatized healthcare and water infrastructure, and other industries we're mobilizing against.

Good news is Tom also talks about potential solutions and ways out of this cycle of trying to secure power over industries by investing in them.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Support the Campaign to Divest Ontario Teachers Pension Plan

Related Episode:

• The Tenant Class, with Ricardo Tranjan, where the subject of real estate investment trusts is raised and the barrier pensions present;

More Resources:

• The Maple: Major Canadian Union Calls for Divestment of Tesla
• Buy Tom's Book: Invested in Crisis – Between the Lines
• Huff Post: COVID-19 Has Killed 164 At Revera's Care Homes. Their Families Want Answers.

📺YOU CAN CATCH US LIVE EVERY FRIDAY AT 12pm E.T. on our YouTube Channel.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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Find out why and how the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) chose to intervene in the 2025 Federal Election.

VotePalestine.ca is more than a listing of candidates who have signed onto the Palestinian Platform. Yara Shoufani of the PYM explains the strategy behind the campaign, their expectations of politicians and, its long terms goals around mobilizing power.

The discussion also provides a great overview of the work the PYM has been doing since we last spoke to them, and specifics on how they're continuing to build capacity and bring people into the movement for a Free Palestine.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Take the Vote Palestine Pledge

Related Episodes:

• Our previous discussion with PYM, Return and Liberation;
• Canada's Colonial Imagination, with Tyler Shipley helps explain Canada's reaction to the occupation; and,
• Our entire Free Palestine Playlist

More Resources:

• PYM on Instagram
• Guelph News: Which federal candidates support the Palestine Platform? - An example of a local news outlet covering candidates' positions on the Palestine Platform.
• Trends in International Arms Transfers (2021) - On Canada's growing prominence in the arms industry.
• Vote Palestine FAQs

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In January 2024, shortly after workers in their Laval location had unionized, Amazon announced the closure of its facilities in Quebec. In a most egregious union busting moves, Amazon left 2,000 people out of work and walked away from significant investments in infrastructure to make sure workers wouldn't get a say in their conditions.

Jon Milton, Senior Communications Specialist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, shares some of the ways Labour, the community and municipalities are fighting back against Amazon. Jon also has some tactics not yet deployed to 'bring down' this corporate giant AND its exploitive business model.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Boycott Amazon Canada

Related Episodes:

• CUPW Right to Strike was recorded immediately after Canada Post workers were ordered back to work. Its a candid discussion on the state of what's often touted as Canada's strongest union.
• Another guest from the CCPA, Richard Tranjan, with a discussion on The Tenant Class

More Resources:

• Supreme Court Rules Walmart Broke QC Law - Global News
• Union says Amazon closures in Quebec are an attack on unionization - rabble.ca
• Amazon’s Quebec closures are a wake-up call for Canada’s labour movement - CCPA
• How Quebec and Canada can make Amazon pay for union-busting - CCPA

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Pipeline, if built, would transport Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) 800 km, across 1,000 different waterways. Its approval is based on an inadequate, outdated environmental assessment and the youth of the Gitz’an Nation are not having it.

Indigenous activist Drew Harris from the Lax-yip Firekeepers talks about stepping into a role she never imagined for herself after seeing an absence of young voices at the table. She takes us through her journey into activism, and how they've been working to bridge generation gaps, build knowledge and expand their capacity to do more.

Their beginning lay in fighting the pipeline, but the youth found that, once provided with a voice, a venue and receptive ears, they had goals way beyond resisting resource extraction.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Stop the PRGT Petition, via Dogwood BC

Related Episodes:

• An interview with organizers from Change Course Canada. Drew mentions the supports they've received from this group in their campaign against the PRGT.
• Climate Justice: Knowing Friend from Foe, is a candid discussion with Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee on having to battle even the most progressive politicians in British Columbia.

More Resources:

• The Tyee: How Gitanyow Law Could Save Salmon in Northwest BC
• BCER in court over PRGT pipeline approval
• PRGT pipeline hit with warning letter for environmental violations | Penicton Herald
• Prince Rupert Pipeline Resistance | Watershed Sentinel
• The Breach: ‘Inherently racist’: Wet’suwet’en leader on the crime of defending her land
• Lax’yip Firekeepers Links and Resources
• Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition

📺YOU CAN CATCH US LIVE EVERY FRIDAY AT 12pm E.T. on our YouTube Channel.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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Student activists at two University of Colombia (UBC) campuses have decided upon one of the most extreme forms of non-violent protest - a hunger strike. It wasn’t a brash decision by any means, and it is by far the first tactic they’ve deployed. In this episode, they detail just how they got to this point of escalation in their efforts to have their University divest from weapons manufacturers.

They also provide details on how they prepared for this act of defiance, how they’re taking care of one another during it and what it will take to end their hunger strike.

Other great takeaways are the many ways these folks utilize their campuses to build community and create space for more folks to step up into the fight. There’s also a lesson in leaning on those who came before you, to both better inform your plans and support you through the act.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Call on UBC to Divest from Corporations Fueling Genocide and Occupation

Related Episodes:

• More on campus organizing with Change Course: Stigmatizing Capitalism on Campus
• Reflections on the student encampments from the Summer of 2024
• And more on the Palestinian Solidarity Movement in Canada, In Our Lifetime, a playlist.

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All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

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More Resources:

• UBC Divest on Instagram
• UBC Students Launch Hunger Strike to Demand Divestment | UBC DIVEST!
• CBC News: UBC Divestment Students Hunger Strike
• UBC Okanagan students start hunger strike to demand divestment - Saanich News

"The Tenant Class is Here" and they are a force to be reckoned with.

Vancouver Tenants Union organizers Asura Enkhbayar and Ben Ger provide insight into their work building power from below, some of it in neighbourhoods with the highest concentration of renters on the continent. The variety of campaigns they’ve got going on doesn’t just speak to the complexity of issues facing tenants, but also to the value of a decentralized organization that’s able to respond locally, as needed.

They also share the journey their organization has gone on over the past decade, and how tough lessons led them to a Basis of Unity and a new way forward.

Hosted and Produced by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Donate to the Park Beach Tenants Legal Fund

Related Episodes:

• Shifting Gears is a discussion w/Climate Justice Toronto on their own transition from an environmentalist grassroots org to one focused on supporting tenant organizing in the City.
• Voices for Unhoused Liberation is an interview with unhoused organizers and activists in Toronto.
• Tenant Power: a playlist of episodes that would have landlords shaking in their boots.

All of our content is free - made possible by the generous sponsorships of our Patrons. If you would like to support our work through monthly contributions: Patreon

Follow us on Instagram or on Bluesky

More Resources:

• CBC: Power to the renter: Vancouver Tenants Union hopes to put rep in every building
• Vancouver Tenants Union: Basic of Unity