Canadaland

It's the holidays and we are re-running a classic episode of Off The Record this week.Here at Canadaland it can often seem like just one shitty story after another. But it’s not just one more shitty story to round out the year. Nope. This is also a tale of hope, dreams, and IUDs. Every year Canadaland searches for and hires two fellows. Two new audio journalists who join us here and work with us for months to produce their first long form professional audio documentaries. This past year Mia Johnson and Leora Scherzer joined us. They created two wonderful stories on the subjects of human composting and IUDs. Leora and Mia are now living their journalistic dreams as both were hired by media outlets once they finished up at Canadaland.Today we brought Mia and Leora back into our studio to talk about what they learnt while they were here, what was good about the experience, what could be better. And with an eye to the future we also want to let you all know we’ll soon be searching for our new

We're bringing you something different: an episode of the brand-new CBC series The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall.In the 1980s and 90s, Satan and his followers were accused of brainwashing children, sacrificing babies, and infiltrating North American society on a massive scale — yet these thousands of alleged Satanists were nowhere to be found. In the all new 8-part series, The Devil You Know from CBC, host Sarah Marshall (You’re Wrong About) explores the tangled web of the Satanic Panic, in a journey that will take you everywhere from Victoria, B.C. to rural Kentucky to San Antonio, Texas. This is a show about the people who experienced the Satanic Panic in real-time — the believers, the skeptics, the bystanders, and the wrongfully-convicted. All episodes of The Devil You Know are available now. Episode 2: Marylyn RemembersMichelle Remembers is the 1980 “biographical” book that brought the idea of Satanic cults into the mainstream. In it, Michelle Smith documents years of alleged Satanic ritual abus

Canadaland fan-favourite guests give the gift of Duly Noteds for Jesse and Noor to unwrap and judge mercilessly. Topics include secret Chinese police stations, the life and death of a right-wing party in B.C., and Danielle Smith’s French-language lessons.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Lucie Laumonier (Associate Producer and Fact Checking) tom sayers (Audio Editor), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Noor AzriehAdditional music by Audio Network Sponsors:oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free! CAMH: With your generous year-end gift, we can make better mental health care for everyone a reality. To donate, visit camh.ca/canadaland.BetterHelp:  Visit BetterHelp.com/canadaland today to get 10% off your first month.Douglas: Douglas is offering our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at dougl

Noor Azrieh and Sam Konnert look back on the moments that defined Canadian politics this year. We revisit viral clips, media meltdowns, Question Period fever dreams, floor crossers, immigration fights, Alberta separatism, national projects (that may or may not exist yet), and the growing sense that everything is moving very fast… but also somehow not at all.Plus: pop stars, masked singers, elbow-themed merch, biological clocks (obviously).Host(s): Noor Azrieh & Sam KonnertCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Sponsors: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadalandTo stream great cinema at home, you can try MUBI free for 30 days at mubi.com/canadaland. If you

Their stated goal is to manipulate your media and, by extension, you. We’re not flagging a secretive government agency here, not some media oligarch, no one in the usual line-up of Bondesque villains. In fact, many of us love what these master manipulators do. They are, drum roll please…composers! Their work literally underscores much of the podcast world. Their power lies in their ability to bypass the intellect and go straight for the heart. Chill it, warm it, speed it up. Today we meet some of the most influential and largely invisible creators in the media landscape. Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Writer and Producer), Tony Wang (Executive Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Publisher)Guests: Darren Fung, Erica Procunier, Adrian EllisPhoto: Ashlea WesselFeaturing music by: Tristan Capacchione, Adrian Ellis, Darren Fung, Erica Procunier, and Audio NetworkFurther Reading:Stinky Rice Studios — Darren FungErica ProcunierAdrian EllisThe Great Human Odyss

The choice between the F-35 and Saab’s Gripen E is a litmus test for Canada’s commitment to decoupling from America. As Carney reinvests in the military, is the Canadian media properly equipped to cover it? Plus, an $18 million CRA chatbox that is usually wrong. Host: San GrewalCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Lucie Laumonier (Associate producer and Fact Checking) tom sayers (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Rahim Mohamed Further reading: Buying the F-35 Could Be Canada’s Biggest Strategic Mistake - The WalrusDanish intelligence report warns of US military threat under Trump - The Associated PressF-35 beat Gripen fighter jet ’by a mile’ in 2021 Defence Department competition | Radio-Canada.ca The Leaked Report Pushing Mark Carney Toward the F-35 Fighter Jet - The WalrusDND investigates leak used to discredit Saab’s Gripen fighter jet - Ottawa CitizenThe CRA spent $18M on 'Charlie,' a new tax information chatbot

Floor crossers, falling polling numbers, and grumblings in the Conservative orbit. Pierre Poilievre sure looks shaky right now, but will it really make a difference in his upcoming leadership review? Rahim Mohamed of the National Post joins San Grewal to explain why Poilievre isn’t done just yet. Host: San GrewalCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Lucie Laumonier (Associate producer and Fact Checking) tom sayers (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Rahim MohamedAdditional music by Audio Network Further reading: Pierre Poilievre speaks with CBC's Rosemary Barton after 2nd MP defection - CBC [YouTube]Future of the CPC: A (declining) majority of Conservative voters would keep Poilievre as leader in January - Angus Reid PollThe Numbers Behind Poilievre’s Leadership Dilemma | The Walrus Potential disaster looms over Pierre Poilievre’s leadership - The Globe and MailLorne Gunter: Poilievre Conservatives favour stunts over substance |

United States Attorney General Pam Bondi is flexing the US’s military seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker as the Trump administration deploys warships — and even nuclear submarines — off Venezuela’s coast. The White House says it’s about drugs, but it also signals a broader shift laid out in the new US National Security Strategy. So far, the Canadian government has been pretty quiet about what our closest ally is doing in Venezuela, and about this ominous security strategy.So what is a middle power supposed to do when its closest ally goes rogue? Host Noor Azrieh asks Ben Rowswell, former Canadian ambassador to Venezuela and now a consultant with Catalyze4.Plus: How MP Michael Ma stole Conservative Christmas.CLARIFICATION: In reference to the LIMA group, Ben Rowswell’s position is that Venezuelan political actors were setting their own agenda, and the role of the Group was to align neighbouring democracies in support of those efforts, not to dictate or manage them.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senio

The mystery of who drugged the cast and crew of the blockbuster Titanic is Hollywood lore. In 1996 James Cameron shot part of Titanic in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, when someone dumped PCP into the clam chowder the team was sharing on the last night of shooting. Over 50 people ended up in hospital. There was a police investigation but the case was never solved. Over the decades theories as to who and why have sprouted. These range from disgruntled caterers to vengeful bikers to insurance scams.Canadaland decided to take up the case and look for the answer: who spiked the Titanic chowder?Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Julian Abraham (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Caleb Thompson (Mixing & Mastering) max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)Additional Writing and Production from Rick Courtney.Fact checking by max collinsAdditional music by Audio NetworkMore information:Further Reading:“Grips are doing wheelies in wheelchairs” - VarietyJames Cameron Recalls the Night the Ti

The politics of Canada’s proposed hate crime law, Bill C-9. In order to pass the Combatting Hate Act, the Liberals are teaming up with the Bloc Quebecois and removing the exemption for religious texts in existing hate speech laws. The Conservatives  aren’t happy about it. But do we need to update our hate crime laws in the first place? Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Lucie Laumonier (Associate producer and Fact Checking) tom sayers (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jan Wong Further reading: Liberals back Bloc's proposal to remove religious exemption from hate speech laws | CBC NewsAnti-hate bill stalled after Fraser’s office brokered deal without PMO approval: sources | CBC NewsCanada’s hate-crime bill must confront the enforcement gap - Policy OptionsFIRST READING: The biblical passages that Canada could list as hate speech - National PostBill C-9 was meant to curb hate. Why is it drawing controversy? - iPol

In 2022, artist Hua Yong died while kayaking off the Sunshine Coast in BC. A former Chinese agent alleges it was a murder. Radio-Canada tells the story of how China continues to target dissidents living in Canada. Plus, India joins the battle for the Arctic and a new low for freelance writing rates. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Lucie Laumonier (Associate producer and Fact Checking) tom sayers (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jan Wong Further reading: A Chinese dissident hunted by Beijing dies mysteriously in Canada | Investigation Enquête - Radio-Canada [YouTube]A Chinese dissident died suddenly in B.C. This ex-spy who snooped on him says it may not have been an accident - CBC NewsUn espion chinois révèle ses secrets à Radio-Canada - Radio-Canada‘I don’t know who I can trust,’ says Quebec YouTuber harassed by Chinese government - CBC NewsCoroner’s investigation into death of Chinese dissident in B.C. still ope

As Premier François Legault plunges in the polls, he’s panic-legislating: turbo-charging secularism laws, unveiling a “made-in-Quebec” constitution, and reigniting old identity battles that haven’t burned this hot in decades.Then we head west, where B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad resigned after a spectacular caucus revolt. Sam asks him directly: why did his own MLAs want him gone, who he blames, and whether he regrets anything.Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), tom sayers (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Martin Patriquin, John RustadBackground reading on our website.Sponsors: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadalandIf you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium acce

 The CBC is broken: how should it be fixed? Defund the whole thing? Refund the whole thing? Double down on digital? Stop chasing digital relevance?The list goes on and on. You've heard them all. But for a moment, forget about funding or even political bias. Just ask: why does the CBC exist? What is its underlying ideology? Not its political ideology, but its philosophy for why we need it. Does it have one? Does it need one? If it does have one, is it working or is that what needs to change?David Cayley spent over 40 years at the CBC as a journalist and producer. For 30 of those years he worked on CBC Radio’s Ideas program. He's now published a book, The CBC: How Canada's Public Broadcaster Lost Its Voice (and How it Can Get it Back). It's both an ideological history of the CBC's past and a manifesto for the CBC's future.In it, he puts his finger right on the root problem. The CBC is there for everyone. It's supposed to speak to all of the Canadian public. However, if the public has splintered beyond reco

A story in The Local reveals how AI writing is infiltrating newsrooms, flooding inboxes, and snagging bylines in major outlets. Is the rise of the AI journalist inevitable or is it already here? Jay Caspian Kang of the New Yorker joins to consider if a chatbot could write his column.This episode uses generative AI for the following purposes: Episode tile art Host: James NicholsonCredits: Jules Bugiel (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), max collins (Director of Audio & Fact Checking), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jay Caspian KangAdditional music by Audio Network Further reading: What’s the point of reading writing by humans? - The New YorkerCould an A.I. Chatbot Rewrite My Novel? - The New YorkerInvestigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era - The LocalThe Fallout From Our AI Freelancer Investigation - The LocalImposter Syndrome - Re:PublicJobs - AI-First Reporter (remote) - Jeff Gaulin’s Job Board  Wired and Business Insider remove articles by AI-generated

Every year for the past 11 or so years, Canadaland has run a crowdfunding campaign in the fall. We finished up this year’s campaign in late November, and so we wanted to hear from you, about what we should do with all of your hard earned money. After all, Jesse Brown has said that “We work for you.”You filled up the lines for two hours and let Sam know all of your ideas. Here are the highlights.Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Tony Wang (Executive Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Publisher)Photo: Tony WangAdditional music by Audio NetworkCan’t get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.This show is available exclusively to Canadaland supporters. To become one, go to https://canadaland.com/join/. 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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual

It’s been one year since Trump started threatening Canada’s economy and our sovereignty. But with all this story’s twists and turns, have Canadians grown complacent about what’s at stake?Producer James Nicholson steps into the host’s chair to make a bold case that Canada isn’t just in a tariff war. We’re in a cold war. And we need to start acting like it.American writer and podcaster Jay Caspian Kang weighs in.Host: James NicholsonCredits: Jules Bugiel (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio and Fact Checking), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jay Caspian KangAdditional music by Audio NetworkFurther Reading on Our Website Sponsors: CAMH: CAMH is building better mental health care for everyone to ensure no one is left behind. Visit camh.ca/canadaland to make a donation.Douglas:  Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been pressuring Prime Minister Mark Carney for months on a new pipeline to the BC coast, and after a new MOU, she’s closer than ever. Host Noor Azrieh unpacks this deal with The Hub’s Falice Chin.Plus, a mini cabinet shuffle. And reporter Sam Konnert takes us behind the velvet rope of the Hill’s E-list “exclusive” event.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Falice ChinBackground reading:How political timing influenced the confusing pipeline MOU – The HubOttawa, Alberta sign energy deal signalling major shift in relationship – The Globe and MailCarney’s Alberta pipeline deal weakens climate policies – The NarwhalTreaty 6 Nations ‘disappointed’ in lack of consultation on MOU – APTN Sponsors: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your f

One of the world’s biggest online gaming sites, Roblox, is in the courts. The cases involve the alleged sexual exploitation of a minor, online harassment, and business practices that lead to addiction.That last charge, involving addiction, is connected to an aspect of online gaming that’s passing mostly under the radar. The “gamblification” of games for children. It’s a charge that’s been levelled at not just Roblox but a number of other high profile companies from Microsoft to Ubisoft. Tricks of the trade from casinos have made their way into the gaming world.Professor Sarah Grimes, professor of communication studies at McGill, spends her time researching how kids, particularly kids in elementary school, interact with tech. How it harms, how it helps, how they use it to communicate with each other, and how it shapes their place in the world. She’s here to talk about what it means when kid’s games turn into gambling.Host: Bruce ThorsonCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer

Canada is pulling back from progressive policies, but were we ever really committed to them in the first place? Whether it’s the reversal on DEI from BMO, RBC, and Shopify or Carney’s shift away from a feminist foreign policy, Canada is quietly pivoting from Trudeau-era progressive policies. Plus, concerns over Quebec’s proposed constitution and the Blue Jays get aggressive in Japan.Host: San GrewalCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Jules Bugiel (Associate Producer and Fact Checking) Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Morgan Campbell Further Reading On Our Website Sponsors:  CAMH: CAMH is building better mental health care for everyone to ensure no one is left behind. Visit camh.ca/canadaland to make a donation and double your impact. Squarespace: Check out Squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain

A cocaine lawyer, a crime blog, and a $15 million reward. Eight more Canadians are arrested and a sensational new indictment from Operation Giant Slalom puts the Ryan Wedding case back in the headlines around the world.But how is Ryan Wedding’s background shaping the coverage? Host: San GrewalCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Jules Bugiel (Associate Producer and Fact Checking) Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Morgan CampbellAdditional music by Audio NetworkOur next call-in show is tomorrow, November 27th from 4:30-6:30pm ET. We want to know: How would you like to see Canadaland spend its money in 2026? When the time comes, head over to www.callinstudio.com/show/canadaland or dial in at 1-888-401-7056 — we look forward to taking your call. Further Reading On Our Website Sponsors:oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free! Douglas:  Douglas is giving our listeners a FRE