Hot Docs, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Just for Laughs, just the latest cultural institutions to join a long list of Canadian arts groups facing existential threats. Why is this all happening now? Based on recent headlines, you might think that we are in the midst of a total cultural collapse in this country. Film festivals, comedy festivals, symphonies, cinemas, theater companies, arts magazines all closing down or telling us that they're about to. Corporate sponsors are pulling out. Leadersh...
May 27, 2024•37 min•Ep. 992
Traumavertissement: Le segment ‘Bien Noté’ entre 22:30 et 27:00 aborde les violences subies par les enfants autochtones dans les pensionnats. Fin avril, le premier ministre du Québec François Legault annonçait le contenu de son Musée national de l’histoire du Québec: des collections retraçant les 400 dernières années d’histoire, de Jacques Cartier à nos jours. Dans son discours, Legault réservait une place aux Premières Nations qui étaient là “avant nous” et ont “aidé” les colons à surmonter les...
May 25, 2024•47 min•Ep. 39
Lessons from Winnipeg, Canada’s most Indigenous city. Emilie Nicolas talks to Niigaan Sinclair about what reconciliation looks like in practice and why Winnipeg is ground zero for Indigenous relations in Canada. Plus, did wildfire season start early in Canada or did the fires never stop burning? Reflecting on the evacuation of Cranberry Portage and how journalism can make a difference in the face of climate fatigue and denial. For a limited time, get 6 months of exclusive supporter benefits for ...
May 23, 2024•33 min•Ep. 991
Today we’re bringing you something a bit different. It’s a podcast produced by a wonderful team in the UK called Tortoise. Reporter Alexi Mostrous will tell you all about how a Canadian private intelligence practitioner and investigator, set him off on a quest to find out who trolled Amber Heard. When you hear the name Amber Heard, what comes to mind? Liar? Survivor? Narcissist? Millions of us watched the celebrity trial of the century, Depp v Heard, in 2022. Amber Heard lost and Johnny Depp was...
May 20, 2024•40 min•Ep. 990
There’s a Loblaws Boycott underway, but is it actually working? Jesse breaks his silence on the Reddit-fueled consumer action and brainstorms some guerilla grocery tactics. A new CBC advisory committee aims to “modernize” the CBC, but Peter Menzies explains why it probably won’t move fast enough to make a difference. For a limited time, get 6 months of exclusive supporter benefits for just $2/month. Go to canadaland.com/join to become a supporter today. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson...
May 16, 2024•44 min•Ep. 989
The pretendian phenomenon has been known and discussed in indigenous circles for years, but it's become mainstream Canadian news lately thanks to three big name exposés: Buffy sainte Marie, Joseph Boyden, and Michelle Latimer. These people were arguably the most famous indigenous songwriter in Canada, the most famous indigenous novelist in Canada and the most famous indigenous filmmaker in Canada. And all three were revealed to not actually be indigenous or at a minimum, all three misrepresented...
May 13, 2024•39 min•Ep. 988
Si l’on en croit les médias et les discours des politiques, les immigrants seraient responsables de toutes les difficultés culturelles et économiques que connaissent le Canada et le Québec à l’heure actuelle. Pour décrypter ces discours nauséabonds, Emilie reçoit Mireille Paquet, professeure au département de politique de l’Université Concordia et spécialiste des politiques migratoires. Dans la deuxième partie de l’émission, elles reviennent sur les campements pro palestiniens installés sur les ...
May 11, 2024•37 min•Ep. 38
The Drake/Kendrick rap beef has overtaken the internet. A flurry of diss tracks has captured the attention of millions, but now a shooting outside of Drake’s Toronto mansion reveals the violent potential of this rhetorical battle. Jan Wong reports from the Drake’s Mansion and Jesse offers his analysis of the journalistic underpinnings of the modern rap beef. Plus, there was foreign interference after all, but was it everything the media reported? What Justice Hogue’s initial report tells us (and...
May 09, 2024•40 min•Ep. 987
Open Line on VOCM-AM in Newfoundland has been called an institution. A religion. A must-listen show. And we at Canadaland had never heard of it - until recently. But it attracts an audience bigger than any show in its time slot, and has consistently for years. So in the age of podcasts and social media, in a time of layoffs and media cuts, how has this AM radio talk show managed to thrive? Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Cherise Seucharan (Reporter), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Pr...
May 06, 2024•27 min•Ep. 986
Campus protests have migrated to Canada and McGill is asking the cops for help. Why calling in the cops is the wrong approach, despite what’s being said (and chanted) at these protests. Justin Trudeau seems to be popping up on podcasts everywhere these days. What to make of Trudeau’s podcast populism (and why it won’t work in 2024.) Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), André Proolx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (E...
May 02, 2024•41 min•Ep. 985
Canadian media coverage of the war in the Middle East has, unsurprisingly, focused on the impact on diaspora communities here in Canada. We have heard about Jewish Canadians, Palestinian Canadians, and we have heard in general terms about the many Muslim communities across Canada and how this is affecting them. But there's one diaspora community that is increasingly at the center of this conflict, who we have heard very little about. And that is the Iranian community. Today on the show, three me...
Apr 29, 2024•50 min•Ep. 984
Alors que l’année 2024 sera la plus chaude jamais enregistrée, on voit le public, épuisé par l'éco anxiété et une certaine fatigue informationnelle, se détourner des médias. Emilie Nicolas reçoit Étienne Leblanc, journaliste environnement et climat à Radio-Canada, pour échanger sur l’évolution de la couverture médiatique des changements climatiques depuis une vingtaine d’années et sur les solutions possibles afin de mieux communiquer sur le sujet. Even if 2024 is projected to be the warmest year...
Apr 27, 2024•38 min•Ep. 37
As the hit Netflix documentary What Jennifer Did draws criticism for manipulating source materials, we talk to Karen K. Ho about the differences between True Crime and journalism. Umar Zameer is acquitted of murdering a Toronto police officer, but the way his case was handled by the media and politicians raises questions about the impact of public narratives in high-profile legal cases. Plus, Goldsbie sits court-side, and why Connie Walker deserves an apology. Want your audio story on CANADALAND...
Apr 25, 2024•38 min•Ep. 983
On April 12, 2024, news broke that Sylvie Hauth, the former police chief of Thunder Bay, was arrested and charged with a series of criminal offenses. But none of the news reports explained much about just what the hell was happening this time. Most of this story is still unknown, but this week, Karyn Pugliese, Ryan McMahon, and Jon Thompson will tell you what they can, what they have verified so far, and they will give you their best sense — let's call it a theory — of what the big-picture story...
Apr 22, 2024•22 min•Ep. 982
Did we just dodge WW3? As Iran retaliated against Israel with an unprecedented barrage of drones and missiles, deciphering facts from fakes and misinformation seemed trickier than ever. Is this the new digital fog of war? Bill Maher somehow still exists, and now he’s roasting Canada for all the wrong reasons. What Bill Maher gets wrong about Canadian “Zombie Lies”? Plus, is Rick Ross an anti-semite? Jesse weighs in on the Drake beef. Want your audio story on CANADALAND ? Submissions for the Loca...
Apr 18, 2024•31 min•Ep. 981
We’ve long heard about how the news business is failing - layoff after layoff, media execs have claimed that they have had no choice but to make cutbacks. In Bell’s latest round of 4800 layoffs, CEO Mirko Babic defended his decision to a parliamentary committee, claiming the company was struggling in a tough economic environment - and that news was part of what was bringing them down. But is that the full story? Because before Google and Facebook ate up advertising dollars, the Canadian media co...
Apr 15, 2024•36 min•Ep. 980
Etienne Côté-Paluck, rédacteur en chef d’HAÏTI MAGAZINE et HAITI WEEKLY, des publications du collectif haïtien DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO, rejoint Emilie pour une discussion sur l’actualité de la crise qui se passe dans la ville et dans le pays. Etienne Côté-Paluck, editor-in-chief of HAÏTI MAGAZINE and HAITI WEEKLY, publications of the Haitian collective DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO, joins Emilie for a discussion about what’s actually going on in the country. Animation : Emilie Nicolas Générique : Tristan Capacchione (Pro...
Apr 13, 2024•43 min•Ep. 36
A spectre is haunting Canada — the spectre of Communist China. Finally, a proper inquiry into election interference by China featuring testimony from Trudeau and his top aides, but, at this point, will anyone even care? Rebel News personality David “The Menzoid” Menzies is arrested yet again at a protest in Toronto, which raises larger questions about how police are selectively enforcing the law at contentious public rallies. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Tristan Capacch...
Apr 11, 2024•45 min•Ep. 979
Canadians have long thought of themselves as peacekeepers. But can we still make that claim today? Amid all of the the outrage towards our government over its relationship with Israel, are any protesters calling on Trudeau to send peacekeeping troops over there to intervene? When the guns finally fall silent there will likely be a call for some sort of peacekeeping force. But will Canada still be ready, or even willing, to resume our traditional role? There's really just one statistic worth shar...
Apr 08, 2024•32 min•Ep. 978
As Canadians prepare for a rare celestial event–a total solar eclipse–Jesse has one message: don’t look up! On Monday, the price of carbon increased, and so did prices at the pumps. Carbon Tax savant Max Fawcett explains why it’s terrible politics, but still a great policy Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), André Proolx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Guest: Max Fawcett Further reading: Why next ...
Apr 04, 2024•35 min•Ep. 977
Question: what is Canada's greatest contribution to the world of comedy? Is it Lorne Michaels and Saturday Night Live, which launched the careers of comedians like Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, and Norm MacDonald? What about Samantha Bee, who broke into the boys club of late night political satire? Nathan Fielder who may have redrawn the lines of reality itself, exposing the absurdity of modern life with his bizarre, intricate pranks? Professor Stephen Leacock, the Mark Twain of Canada? Or is it a hi...
Apr 01, 2024•31 min•Ep. 976
Il y a du pouvoir dans la réappropriation de son propre récit - c'est pourquoi Beata n'a pas seulement écrit un mémoire sur son expérience de fuite du Rwanda, mais aussi un recueil de poésie. Elle a cherché à retrouver des images qu'elle croyait exister, capturées par la BBC, d'un convoi de camions dans lequel elle était cachée pour fuir le pays - ce qui l'a menée à en découvrir davantage. La conversation examine le rôle des médias occidentaux dans le reportage sur le Rwanda à l'époque. Où se tr...
Mar 30, 2024•45 min•Ep. 35
Why are New Zealand libertarian think-tanks so into Canada’s Indigenous skyscrapers? In the midst of an ongoing housing crisis, is the Squamish Nation’s Sen̓áḵw project the future of Indigenous land development? As Deadspin’s new ownership pivots to gambling referral, we consider how broadcast bingo supports Indigenous radio. Is “Radio Bingo” a replicable model for diversifying media revenue? Host: Jonathan Goldsbie Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Puglie...
Mar 28, 2024•37 min•Ep. 975
When governments and corporations want to stay on top of the “threats” posed by protest movements — from climate campaigns to animal-rights advocacy — there’s one company that they tend to turn to: Welund. Founded in the UK in 2007, it expanded to North America about a decade later, setting up shop in Calgary (where it’s now called Foresight Reports). So who are they? And what does it mean when public-sector bodies farm out their intelligence gathering to a private firm? To find out, we put our ...
Mar 25, 2024•44 min•Ep. 974
As Elon Musk rails against content moderation in a disastrous interview with Don Lemon, Jesse and Ivor Shapiro reconsider Canada’s new approach to online speech. Is the Online Harms Act as Orwellian as Margaret Atwood thinks it is? Also, immigration is coming up a lot in the news these days. Is the recent media discourse actually….mature? Clarification: When Jesse reads from Bill C-63 Online Harms Act 17 he says "A person may, with the Attorney General's consent, lay an information before a prov...
Mar 21, 2024•39 min•Ep. 973
Andy Mill’s is the co-creator of The New York Times ground-breaking podcast, The Daily, and before that worked on the equally inventive and critically acknowledged podcast Radiolab. He’s also one of the very few journalists to gain the trust of J.K. Rowling for his series The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. Finally, he’s been the subject of critical reporting from Canadaland for his work on the Peabody Award winning series for The New York Times, Caliphate. That series was stripped of the Peabody ...
Mar 18, 2024•55 min•Ep. 972
Alors que la guerre à Gaza fait rage, Emilie Nicolas et Raed Hammoud font le point sur la couverture de cette guerre dans le cadre de leur travail au sein de l'écosystème médiatique québécois. Raed évoque également le travail documentaire de longue haleine qu'il a réalisé afin de créer des liens entre des personnes de différentes parties du monde, notamment ses séries documentaires T'es où, Youssef ? Immigrants de souche et Demain l'Afrique. As the war in Gaza wages on, Emilie Nicolas and Raed H...
Mar 16, 2024•49 min•Ep. 34
The laughter has stopped at the Just For Laughs festival, as ownership applies for creditor protection and cancels the Montreal and Toronto 2024 festivals. Toronto Comedian Sam Sferrazza explains how the Just For Laughs systems worked (and didn’t work) for Canadian comedy. Is there anything behind the Katespiracy? As a manipulated photo of Princess Catherine and her kids goes viral worldwide, Jesse wonders if any photograph… ever should have ever been trusted. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Ni...
Mar 14, 2024•39 min•Ep. 971
Labour used to be a beat. A major beat for any newspaper. Which, you know, makes sense. Because what happens with work, with the world of work, that matters to so many more people than any other section in the newspaper, more than politics or foreign affairs or even business. But the age of the working person's newspaper is just about dead, and along with it, the labour beat. But maybe not to news audiences. We get constant emails from you asking us to take a closer look at work in Canada. The e...
Mar 11, 2024•27 min•Ep. 970
From Winnipeg to Wuhan, Canada is embroiled in an international spy situation, but why does no one seem to care anymore? Recent documents released from the investigation of scientist Dr. Xiangguo Qiu contain bombshells that may point back to the COVID lab leak theory. As the obituaries and puff pieces roll in, the Canadian media seems to have forgotten that Brian Mulroney was - in fact - divisive. Correcting the record on “Conservative Titan” Brian Mulroney. Clarification (March 18, 2024): While...
Mar 07, 2024•42 min•Ep. 969
