Share
COMMONS
Monopoly 17 - Food Fight
A Loblaws, or any other, modern-day supermarket, is many things.
It’s a temple of abundance. A place where a consumer has more choice than the greatest kings, emperors and pharaohs had in their lifetimes.
It’s a tech platform, tracking our every taste, transaction and even ailment.
And it’s an ideological arena. Where everyday Canadians and grocery CEOs are battling over what’s to blame for our declining standard of living.
Featured in this episode: Benjamin Lorr, Vass Bednar
To learn more:
The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr
“From bakery to ‘tech behemoth’: How Loblaw became a titan of the private health-care industry” in The Toronto Star by Jacob Lorinc
“Canada hasn’t had a ‘tech lash’ yet, but consumers should still be wary” in The Globe and Mail by Vass Bednar
Additional music from Audio Network
If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.
You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.
More episodes
View all episodes
Preview #1. Series launch on May 5th
01:01|Desmond Cole & Andray Domise talk about their ambitions for their new weekly political podcast Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.1 - Who's in charge?
24:30|Is it the Prime Minister? The Governor General? The Queen? Canada's Head of State may be symbolic, but symbolic of what? Desmond Cole and Andray Domise start with the basics. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.2 - What happened in Alberta?
29:01|Desmond and Andray try to understand the NDP's shocking victory. Guests: professor Melanee Thomas and writer Drew Brown. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.3 - Elizabeth May
28:02|Desmond Cole taks to Green Party leader Elizabeth May about her plans to get arrested, and more. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.4 - The PMO, what it is?
27:38|What is the Prime Minister's Office? How many people work there, who are they, and what do they all do? Just how powerful is the PMO, and is the Prime Minister responsible for what it does?Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.5 - Sex work in Canada
25:30|Kerry Porth, Akio Maroon, Elene Lam join for a panel discussion on Bill C-36 and more.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.6 - Residential Schools
30:34|We haven't even begun to talk about what happened. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.7 - Crossing the floor
29:07|Andray and Desmond speak with former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith about crossing the floor from the official opposition to the governing party. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.8 - Barbaric cultural practices
29:12|Andray Domise, guest-host Supriya Dwivedi and Ishmael Daro talk about the Zero Tolerance For Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, the new Quebec secular legislation, and the massacre in Charleston.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.