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.
With 78 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons, Quebec isn’t just a battleground…it could decide the entire election. And this time, the usual Bloc-Liberal-NDP tug-of-war is taking some unexpected turns. We hit the streets of Montreal to find out what is on people’s minds, and host Noor Azrieh sits down with Martin Patriquin to unpack what it all means. And, you’ll hear from Philippe J. Fournier, founder of 338 , to talk about where the parties are at in the polls, and if we can even trust the...
Internet trolls, doxing, conspiracy theories, harassment, criminal investigations, all the usual things that spring to mind when you think of small town council meetings. Welcome to Pickering, Ontario, best known for its nuclear power plant. Is the alt-right driving Pickering to political meltdown? Or is the town council trying to silence a duly elected official over political disagreements? Either way things have gotten so out of hand that city council has locked the doors to the public. Counci...
This episode explores the evolving relationship between Canada and the United States, particularly under the influence of Donald Trump's policies. It delves into the emotional impact on Canadians, the resurgence of Canadian nationalism, and the potential reshaping of Canada's political landscape. The discussion also covers strategies for Canada to protect its sovereignty and economy in an era of increasing uncertainty.
First on the list of Paul Wells’s 4 Rules of Canadian Politics: “For any given situation, Canadian politics will tend toward the least exciting possible outcome.” In an election marked by foreign interference, an unelected newcomer leading the incumbent party, and annexation fears, what does “least exciting” even look like? Journalist and aforementioned rule-maker Paul Wells joins Jesse to review possible outcomes of the snap federal election. Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer...
And we’re off to the races! It’s time for the matchup, and election, of a generation. Newly minted Prime Minister Mark Carney is taking on former front-runner Pierre Poilievre on April 28th. It’s a 5-week campaign. In the backdrop of a trade war, Trump’s annexation threats, And almost 10 long years of Liberal leadership. For over a year, Poilievre pretty much held a 20-point lead. A landslide Poilievre win wasn't just possible, it felt inevitable. But now? The game has changed. Somehow, against ...
In this episode, Jesse Brown analyzes the upcoming Canadian election, framing it as a fight for independence amidst rising American influence. He scrutinizes the potential leadership of Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney, examining their past actions and policy stances. Brown emphasizes the need for a leader who can articulate a clear vision for Canada's future, independent of American interests, and calls for a focus on uniquely Canadian values and identity.
Poilievre bans journalists from travelling with him on the campaign trail, but did he get a free ride in the press so far? Dougald Lamont joins San Grewal to discuss coverage of Poilievre heading into the next election. Host: San Grewal Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Dougald Lamont Further Reading On Our Website Sponsors: Douglas : Douglas is givin...
Mark Carney’s visit to Europe signals Canada’s new approach to the trade war with the US. Dougald Lamont joins The Pointer’s San Grewal to discuss the economic reality behind the trade war theatrics. Plus, pulling the plug on Doug Ford’s electrical fiction. Host: San Grewal Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Dougald Lamont Further Reading On Our Website Sponsors: Fizz : Visi...
Is AI slop the ultimate weapon for foreign interference? Or are we spiraling into another internet-fueled moral panic? Last week several AI-generated photos of Mark Carney and Ghislaine Maxwell looking chummy went viral. It was easy to spot the fake, but it raised an important question: should we be worried about AI in this election? Ryan Broderick, author of the Garbage Day newsletter, and host of his own podcast Panic World, doesn’t think so. Host: Noor Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Pr...
Take your pick: censoring, banning, removing, or “weeding.” However you want to describe it, Canadians are pulling books from library shelves. The books in question range from The Handmaid's Tale, Gender Queer: A Memoir, to the works of Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl. The drive to rid our shelves, particularly school library shelves, of books comes from both left and right. Both sides censor. You can frame their motivation as opposition to woke indoctrination, or you could call it diversifying the can...
Trudeau rides off into a ‘Sunny Ways’ sunset. As Mark Carney takes over as Prime Minister, Stuart Benson joins to consider Trudeau’s legacy and whether his trade war finale will reshape how he is remembered. Plus, Trudeau’s impact on the media might get overlooked, but it will have lasting effects on the viability of Canadian news outlets. Click here to complete the Canadaland survey—thank you! Host: Sam Konnert Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), max collins (Dir...
The Liberal’s Carneycopia is betting big on Dad Energy. Mark Carney wins the Liberal leadership in a landslide, but is he a saviour or a snoozefest? Plus, Tesla’s surprising sales spike and BC salmon farming courtroom drama. Click here to complete the Canadaland survey—thank you! Host: Sam Konnert Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor) Guest: Stuart Benson Further Reading on Our Website Spon...
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...
