Alberta Advantage Podcast

Jeremy Appel joins Team Advantage to discuss the impeding Alberta referenda. He makes he case that this vote is largely theatre to justify actions the UCP government already intends to make, and emphasizes that the immigration questions, rather than the separation question, pose the most immediate danger. References Scapegoating and Separation: Why Immigration Is on the Ballot in October by Brownwyn Bragg at the Parkland Institute The most worrying part of the Alberta referendum isn't separatism by Jeremy Appel in the Toronto Star Events Jeremy Appel 'Dark Phoenix' Book Launch @ The Aviary! October 13 7pm in Edmonton Live Alberta Advantage Episode w/ Jeremy Appel - November 6 at Highline Brewing in Calgary - details TBA

Activist and organizer Wesam Cooley sits down with Team Advantage to discuss the pragmatics of organizing street actions in a city like Calgary. We discuss a bit of Wesam's personal history, the experience and theory he brings to his efforts, the challenges of coalition building in a radical movement, and how to deal with police repression. Wesam also tells us about the Calgary People's Assembly and the upcoming event on July 5. From Turtle Island to Palestine - Calgary People's Assembly

Team Advantage joins forces with Team Unmaking Saskatchewan to dig into just what is wrong with our provincial wings of the New Democratic Party. The liberal outsider in Nenshi and the establishment backed pragmatist in Beck both seem allergic to doing politics. Are left populism and robust social democratic policy impossible here, or is there another path these parties could take. Resources: From Left to Right: Saskatchewan's Political and Economic Transformation by Dale Eisler Who is the NDP for? by Haseena Manek "My quality of life has been compromised": U of S study finds STC closure has had a devastating impact on Saskatchewan people by Sara Birrell Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization without Political Consequences by Anton Jäger Related Episodes: Vote No! Calgary's Olympic Bid, Which Is Class War The Fall of Saskatchewan: The Sask Party Under Brad Wall

In Alberta as elsewhere reactionary backlash is targeting trans people, particularly trans children. Team Advantage examines the framing of this backlash and explores how it may be rooted in the cultural construction of childhood and education. We also review the history of trans identity, working towards a better framing and ways to stand in solidarity with trans children CONTENT WARNING - Discussions of childhood sexual abuse and suicide. Timestamp: 22:30- ~28:30. Also flagged in the audio so you can skip to avoid. Additional Resources Histories of the Transgender Child by Jules Gill-Peterson, How To Bring Your Kids Up Gay by  Eve Sedgewick Kinderkommunismus by KD Griffiths and JJ Gleeson Ethics in the Light of Childhood by John Wall Solidarity with Children - An Essay Against Adult Supremacy by Madeline Lane-McKinley Wrong Again: The political evolution of "parental rights" CCPA Our Schools / Our Selves - Summer / Fall 2025 The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century by Kathryn Bond Stockton

In 2024 university campuses across Canada saw encampments and other protest actions. In a new book and podcast series Dr. Roberta Lexier places these actions within the broader history of student activism in Canada since the 1960s. In this discussion we ask her how student activism differes between Québec and the rest of Canada, how radical praxis can be maintained in a rapidly turning over student population, how student activism intersects with off-campus politics and when and why the state responds with violent force. Follow Dr. Lexier at @robertalexier.bsky.social and check out her work here: Book - Student Power: Canadian Student Movements From the Sixties to Today  Podcast - Student Power: A Canadian Student Movement History Podcast