Journalist, author and activist Yves Engler talks about his recent announcement to run for Leader of Canada's NDP and what he's expecting to achieve from what is likely to be a contentious endeavor.

Will the NDP, notorious now for their mistreatment of activists, even allow Yves to run? What kind of barriers does he expect will be put in his way? How will he handle it?

What is the driving force behind Engler's run? What impact does he think he would have as the leader of a Party with only seven (7) seats? He answers all these questions and more with a candor we typically don't expect from politicians.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action:

Related Episodes:

• Inside the NDP, an entire playlist of interviews and exposés on Canada's c-called progressive political institution.
• Trying to Silence Yves Engler (March 2025) A discussion with Yves on his arrest and detention at the hands of Montreal Police.

More Resources:

• Referenced in Discussion: NDP Position on NATO 5 per cent commitment
• NDP Socialist Caucus Announcement
• Why I’m running for leadership of NDP - Yves Engler

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What will it take for the Canadian government to recognize what is happening in Palestine as a genocide? This growing coalition aims to find out.

Three members of United Against Genocide join the studio to explain why that key word matters so much, and what they're doing to add to the pressure politicians must be feeling at this point. They share what its been like meeting with high ranking officials, and what their expectations of new PM Carney were heading into the G7.

They openly challenge the notion that this is simply a humanitarian crisis that needs better handling or funding by exposing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's role in this horrific stage of the genocide.

Guests:

• Dr. Ben Thompson, healthcare provider and cofounder of Eyewitness Gaza. Ben has visited Gaza almost annually since 2012 and been suspended from his job for advocating for peace.
• Dorotea Gucciardo, Ph.D, Director of Development for GLIA, and cofounder of Eyewitness Gaza.
• Alex Neve, International Human Rights lawyer and former Secretary General for Amnesty International Canada.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Tell PM Carney to Stop Covering for Israel (PETITION)

Related Episodes:

• Courage Needed to Advocate for Palestine (October 6, 2023) with activist and scholar Ghada Sasa on navigating Parliament Hill for Palestine.
• Disrupting Politics (December 20, 2023) with Dimitri Lascaris. A discussion on the role our politicians play and how they can be held accountable.

More Resources:

• UN Resolutions on Genocide Prevention
• CBC: Dr. Ben Thompon Doxxed and Suspended for Palestinian Posts
• Israeli, US-backed Gaza aid group must end, say 130 charities
• Media Advisory: United Against Genocide

📺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

Three candidates from the Revolution Party of Canada talk about the "high chaos" that comes with starting a new political party from scratch and what their aims are, beyond being an alternative to the NDP.

Kira Loughlin, Matthieu Labelle-Tassé and Troy Roberts join Host Jessa McLean to also talk about the lessons they learned in the last federal election, their expectations for the next and what exactly sets them apart from the NDP.

Related Episodes:

• Wasted Energy, a discussion with Dimitri Lascaris on his time spent in the Green Party and the fruitlessness of partisan politics.
• Reimagining Politics and Demystifying Communism, with the Atlantic Regional Communists on their efforts to build a new political entity.

More Resources:

• Registering a Political Party – Elections Canada
• VIDEO: Press Conference from Federal Election
• Revolution Party Constitution

📺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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Dedicated to Ian (John) McLean - January 5, 1952 - June 17, 2025

A discussion about passing down working class consciousness through generations and what we choose to do with that knowledge.

To pay tribute Host Jessa McLean's late father we are resharing their interview together from 2023. He shares how he too was politicized at a young age, and how his involvement in the trade union movement shaped how he understood power structures, politics and his own purpose.

Together, they sound off on their own experiences with the NDP, which are unsurprisingly similar.

Jessa would like to thank the great healthcare workers at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto for their care and compassion, as well as the many comrades who have sent their condolences and shared their own memories of her father in the good fight.

Activists from StopGenAI.com provide a litany of reasons why they think we should be ridding ourselves of this pervasive technology altogether: Its environmental impact, privacy concerns, exploitation, and even detrimental impacts to our individual and collective abilities to think or create.

It is also replacing jobs at incredible rates, albeit inadequately. But this is of no concern to the technocrats pushing GenAI or the politicians prioritizing it.

This is where mutual aid comes in. Guests Kim Crawley and Neha share the creative ways they're also raising funds for folks most impacted by the expansion of GenAI.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: StopGenAI Fundraising Initiatives

Previous Episodes with Kim Crawley:

• COVID Conscious Under Capitalism, looks at individual human behavior, the response of our governments and how the greed of our 'capitalist overlords' plays into it all.
• To Vote or Not to Vote, where Kim talks about her political transformation from libertarian to an NDP Convention delegate to someone disillusioned with the entire system.

More Resources:

• StopGenAI.com
• Book Review: Palo Alto – A history of California, capitalism, and the world - Northern California Section of the American Planning Association
• Stop Gen AI mutual aid charity bundle 1 - itch.io
• AI Job Crisis is Here by Brian Merchant

📺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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Labour 4 Palestine Ontario Education Workers issued a scathing report in April 2025, on anti-Palestinian racism within the Province's school boards. The report, School Delegations for Palestine, documents and analyzes months of delegations given to Trustees across the Province that mostly went ignored.

Four Education Workers from various backgrounds talk about their personal experiences with suppression, weaponized antisemitism and other ways their workplaces are unwelcoming to any displays of humanity towards Palestine.

They also talk about the work being done to pressure school boards to cut ties with the problematic organizations that are largely responsible for fostering an environment of fear and anti-Palestinian racism.

Hosted by: Jessa McLean

Call to Action: Stay in Contact with Labour 4 Palestine

Related Episodes:

• A Space to Exist, a discussion with Toronto Palestinian Families and Toronto Jewish Families
• Our interview with Jews Say No to Genocide, on their work to dispel the Zionist narrative and advocate for a Free Palestine.
• Answering the Call: Labour for Palestine. A discussion with Anna Lippman on why this IS a Labour issue.

More Resources:

• VIDEOS: Watch various delegations and Board Updates
• Toronto school board to force educators to undergo mandatory re-education on ‘anti-Palestinian racism’ | The Post Millennial | thepostmillennial.com
• The Maple: A List Of Some People In Canada Fired For Pro-Palestine Views
• About — Labour 4 Palestine
• School Delegations Report (Revised).pdf - Google Drive

Intro Clip Source: Critiquing the TDSB Israel Proposal: A Jewish Perspective | TikTok

📺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

A cross-posted episode from The Skeptical Leftist podcast that features Blueprints of Disruption Host, Jessa McLean.

Together with Cory Johnston, they discuss the NDP collapse, the rise of another corporate technocrat and more reactions to the Canadian federal election results.

Also on the table: why the left keeps falling for electoral traps, what the NDP's collapse means for the broader left, and why organizing outside the system is more urgent than ever.

Related Episodes:

• Nourishing Community with Krish Dineshkumar; and,
• Inside the NDP Playlist, a collection of interviews that help explain just what happened to the NDP.
• Skeptical Leftist Podcast (YT)

📺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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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

📺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

Follow us on Instagram or on Bluesky