Fighting Back Against Austerity with Alliance Ouvrière

This episode of *Fucking Cancelled* dives into the escalating crisis of austerity in Quebec, driven by the outgoing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government, which has implemented sweeping cuts to public services, particularly in healthcare and education. Thousands of public sector jobs have been eliminated, hiring freezes are rampant, and essential services are deteriorating under the weight of managerial overreach and privatization. The hosts, Adam and Kirsten—both members of Alliance Ouvrière (AO), a militant workers’ organization—are joined by two AO members to discuss their grassroots campaign, 'No Job, No Service,' a bold, bottom-up effort to mobilize workers through coordinated, politically charged actions outside the constraints of Quebec’s labor code. The campaign centers on five key demands: preserving jobs, reinstating lost positions, ending hiring freezes, filling vacant roles, and restoring the PEQ immigration program. The episode emphasizes the need for workplace organizing as a way to rebuild worker power, challenge union bureaucracies, and reclaim the strike as a weapon of political resistance. The hosts argue that traditional unions are too cautious and top-down, and that real change must come from the base—through local actions, solidarity networks, and collective courage. The campaign culminates in a planned May 1st social strike, with weekly webinars and training sessions to build momentum. The episode ends on a defiant note: when governments refuse to listen, workers must take power into their own hands.