Original reporting, sharp political analysis, and media criticism you won’t get anywhere else. Keeping you informed about what’s happening now in your country.
Canada is deep in the trenches of a trade war with the United States. After U.S. President Trump unpaused the 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports, all hell has broken loose: the federal government has fired back, provincial leaders are firing shots of their own, and more threats have been made - and then walked back - by the White House. All this, while Canadians are caught in the middle. What sense can we make from the mudslinging? If the chaos unfolding only covers one week of this dispute, wh...
When Trudeau prorogued Parliament 26 bills were binned. Bills are the democratic process made concrete and the laws that they can turn into are the end product of the whole political machine. They decide whether you have the right to die by choice. They decide what you can and cannot say. They tell you whether or not you can go back to work or not because you can or cannot afford to send your kid to daycare. Each bill is the end result of years of campaigning, research, fundraising, debates, and...
Battle lines are being drawn in the Canadian tech industry around a policy initiative that is drawing comparison to Elon Musk’s DOGE. Plus, updates on tariffs, and The Breakdown podcast’s legal battle. CORRECTION : In an earlier version of this episode, producer James Nicholson suggests reports of the number of USMCA-compliant goods imported from Canada to the United States are between 62% and 95%. The number reported is actually between 38% and 95%; the CBC reported Canada-imported good to the ...
Making Sense of Trump’s Tariffying Tuesday. Douglas Soltys joins to dissect Trump’s trade war chaos, Doug Ford’s tough talk, and Trudeau’s non-tariff options. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Douglas Soltys Further Reading on our Website Sponsors: Douglas : Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows,...
This episode examines the phenomenon of "Carney Mania" and its potential impact on Canadian politics. It explores Mark Carney's appeal as a political figure, comparing him to figures like Kamala Harris and Barack Obama. The discussion covers his centrist strategy, debate performance, and potential matchups against political rivals, as well as broader issues like Trump's tariffs and Canadian nationalism.
It's so normal to complain about the CBC that it's hard to imagine that one day, maybe one day soon, there may no longer be a CBC to complain about. The Conservatives are campaigning on defunding it. The Mother Corp. itself can’t seem to figure out which way is up, particularly when it comes to television ratings. Sure, radio still pulls in the numbers, but what is the future of radio itself? So, is CBC f*cked, like f*cked as in doomed? How do we unf*ck it? F*ck if I know. So we’re asking you, d...
Why not being American is at the core of Canadian identity. With Canada’s big win at the 4 Nations and SNL’s 50th anniversary, Canada entered the American zeitgeist. But is there more to Canadian identity than hockey, poutine, and not being American? Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Rahim Mohamed Further reading: Opinion: This was the weekend that Canada domina...
Canadians are furious at CBC’s Cross Country Checkup trainwreck. Plus, why did CBC’s new mandate sit on Trudeau’s desk for months? National Post’s Rahim Mohamed co-hosts. We want to hear from you! Tell Jesse your plan to “Unfuck the CBC.” On Thursday, February 27th, 1pm ET/10am PT, go to www.callinstudio.com/show/canadaland or call us toll-free at 1 888 401 7056 Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of A...
The Arctic is quickly becoming the center of a geopolitical shitstorm. We’re talking power, resources, and territory at stake. And everyone wants a piece of it. Donald Trump floated taking Greenland and Canada to make his claim. But he’s not the only one. Russia’s making moves. So is China. And Canada? Politicians, left and right, are talking about it. Host Noor Azrieh sits down with Gavin John, a freelance journalist embedded in the Arctic, and asks, what’s really at stake for Canada in the Arc...
Has everybody lost their minds? Are we buying guns and deploying troops and making plans to fend off a U.S. invasion? Are some of us pre-emptively surrendering, trying to be the first to bend a knee and curry favour with our inevitable orange overlord? What happened to our steely northern resolve? We’re supposed to survey the histrionics of our melodramatic American neighbours, and then we make measured, sober, judicious decisions. When did we forget how to do that? Maybe right now we need a bit...
This episode of CANADALAND dives into Pierre Poilievre's recent "Canada First" rally and assesses his rebranding efforts amidst slipping poll numbers. The discussion explores the impact of Trumpism on Canadian politics, the challenges Poilievre faces in shifting his messaging, and the media's evolving narrative around his leadership. It also touches on Canadian identity, sovereignty, and the influence of new media outlets.
The $6 million lawsuit that killed an indie Alberta podcast. Nate Pike’s The Breakdown has been covering allegations of corruption in Danielle Smith’s government until a court order forced him to shut down. Plus, how Donald Trump Jr. hooked Canada’s premiers up with an $85 000 a month lobbying contract. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Gue...
Jagmeet Singh has taken a lot of shit: his nice watch, his ambivalence on taking down the Liberals, and of course his polling. But he says he’s not giving up. He says he’s here to win. Sit down with Noor as she goes past the “corporate interest” talking points and grills the leader on all things NDP. Why doesn’t he have a successor? Why won’t he step down? Why is he so fancy for a lefty? Host: Noor Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Produce...
The documentary Russians at War shows the invasion of Ukraine from the point of view of Moscow's troops. The doc was supposed to screen during the Toronto International Film Festival, but organisers cancelled a screening amid protests and over threats to festival operations and public safety. A large part of the film’s funding came through TVO, Ontario's public broadcaster. The filmmaker is a Russian-Canadian, Anastasia Trofimova, who once worked for Russian state-funded broadcaster RT. Trofimov...
Somebody That I U.S. to Know. Jan Wong joins for a special Valentine’s Day farewell to the Canada-US romance. Plus, is PornHub ethical? Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Jan Wong Send tips/stories about Girls Gone Wild to [email protected] Episode image is AI generated. Further Reading on Our Website Sponsors: Douglas : Douglas is giving our listener...
Is there order to Trump’s tariff chaos? Jan Wong joins to discuss steel and aluminum tariffs, and whether Trump has a plan behind his bullying and bluster. Plus, whatever happened with the inquiry into foreign interference in our elections? Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Jan Wong Further reading: Carson Jerema: Donald Trump's Amer...
The government hired 110,000 workers over the past 10 years, did we get 110,000 times more efficient? It doesn’t look like it, but veteran public servant Michael Wernick breaks it all down for Noor. And, yes folks, we’re talking about tariffs again, because Donald Trump enacted a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, with NO exceptions. Plus, our nominations for Fentanyl Czar, and the defamation case against Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman, CIJA, and Ezra Levant. Host:...
McInnes and Goldstein both started in zines. The underground DIY magazine culture of the 80s and 90s. Zines were homemade photocopied pamphlets about anything and everything. As long as you had paper, glue, staples, maybe a few shitty drawings, and you could sneak access to a photocopier, you could publish your own zine. Nobody went viral, nobody made money, no one was an influencer, but thousands of people devoted heart and soul to making their own zines. And when they did, well, who even cared...
Poilievre’s slogans can’t compete with “Buy Canadian.” Trudeau’s speech inspires a groundswell of national unity, while Poilievre watches from the sidelines. The Tyee’s Jen St Denis joins Noor Azrieh for a vibe check on federal politics. Host: Noor Azrieh Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Jen St Denis Further Reading on Our Website Sponsors: Public Se...
A tariff reprieve and the trade war that wasn’t. Trump’s tariff threats caused a frenzy of breaking news coverage, but can we really fault Canadian news outlets for reporting Trump’s every move? Jen St. Denis of the Tyee joins Noor Azrieh to assess the breathless tariff coverage and what we’ve learned so far about covering Trump 2.0. Host: Noor Azrieh Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Sam Konnert (Fact Check), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor...
On Saturday, President Trump followed through with his promise of 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and 10 percent on energy. We clapped back with our own. But late yesterday, after a couple of calls between the two leaders, Trump relented after Trudeau said he outlined Canada’s $1.3 billion border plan and also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl. Trump said he’d pause for 30 days. A trade war is bad, but some businesses might fare better than others. Our prod...
Today’s show is about a novel strategy for Canada to fight back against Trump’s Trade War. Trump is set to slap tariffs on Canada starting Tuesday February 4. Trudeau swiftly answered that tit with tat. Prices go up and nearly everyone loses. That’s how a trade war goes, two countries slap themselves in the face until one of them can’t take it anymore and cries uncle. The whole thing is just so dumb. So, is there any other way to fight back? Something smarter? Novelist, essayist and activist Cor...
Emboldened by Trump, Poilievre denies the existence of trans people in an interview on CP24. Dale Smith joins to unpack why Poilievre is playing dumb on gender and the serious stakes for trans rights in Canada. Plus, DeepSeek, Energy East, and Jesse responds to angry emails about BMI. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Noor Azrieh (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Dale Smith Further Reading on Our Webs...
Doug Ford cashes in his “Captain Canada” chips. Following a US media blitz, Ford is asking for a new mandate from Ontarians to bolster his ability to negotiate with Trump. Dale Smith joins to explain why this narrative is nonsense. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Noor Azrieh (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Dale Smith Further reading: Doug Ford has gone on an unprecedented Am...
When Justin Trudeau stepped down earlier this month, it should have been the perfect opportunity for Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to swing the narrative. To seize control. But they haven’t done any of that. What used to be Canada’s worker’s party seems like a shell of its former self. Why can’t they reach voters when everything is up in the air? This week Noor sits down with columnist and critic Max Fawcett, and former NDP strategist Mélanie Richer to unpack Singh’s woes. Host: Noor Azrieh Credits:...
This week the government’s long-awaited report on foreign interference will drop. Will it tell us if Canada has a traitor problem? Over the last two years there’s been a slew of headlines around allegedly compromised members of parliament, the machinations of nefarious foreign governments, scorched reputations, the muck has been raked and the mud slung. All of our major political parties have come under fire. And the source of that fire has run the gamut from the upper echelons of CSIS to TikTok...
Social media is a mess and the tech oligarchs are to blame. San Grewal of The Pointer joins to assess the damage caused when coders replace publishers. Plus, a boomer cell defends us from Trump and the Liberals axe their own tax. Check out our latest investigation, The Copernic Affair on the Canadaland Investigates feed. Follow The Copernic Affair wherever you get your podcasts: https://canadaland.lnk.to/copernic-affair Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio...
What Trump’s inauguration lacked in tariffs, it made up for in egregious salutes. The Pointer’s San Grewal joins to critique the Canadian coverage of Trump’s negotiation tactics, and unpack Elon Musk’s dog-whistling antics. Our latest investigation, The Copernic Affair , launches today on the Canadaland Investigates feed. Follow The Copernic Affair wherever you get your podcasts: https://canadaland.lnk.to/copernic-affair Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audi...
Donald Trump’s back, but Canada is STILL divided on how to respond. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has gone rogue, Doug Ford just wants everyone to look at his cool new hat. It’s an economic threat, but also threatens to pull our very identity apart. Are we just supposed to sit and wait? To break it down, Noor welcomes Wall Street Journal reporter Vipal Monga, and UBC lecturer Stewart Prest. Host: Noor Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Pro...
In 1980 someone detonated a bomb outside a synagogue in Paris. Four people were killed. Suspicion immediately fell on French neo-nazi groups. But soon investigators turned their attention to groups from the Middle East. Then the case went cold. For decades. Then, in 2008, the RCMP arrested an Ottawa-based sociology professor. What follows is a twisting tale of extradition, years of interrogation, and ultimately a trial and conviction in absentia. But today the person at the heart of the story, H...
