CANADALAND

Canadian newsrooms are hesitant to embrace A.I. but new tools offer the potential to revolutionize workflows and expand the capacity of individual journalists. Rather than a threat to journalism, Kevin Newman joins Julian Abraham to explain why A.I. should be viewed as an opportunity for newsrooms to create new business models and do more in-depth reporting.   Host: Julian Abraham Credit...

A new strictly Canadian social media platform is promising a friendlier alternative, but is it too Canadian to succeed?  Gander Social launched on Canada Day with an ambitious plan to “fix” social media with a bot-free, less divisive approach that includes moderation based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  But, do people really want social media that “makes them smile”?&nb...

 Fifty years ago, Alberta had a chance to build one of the greatest sovereign wealth funds in the world. It could have been a trillion-dollar province. This episode, host Sam traces the full story of the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund: the booms, the busts, and the mistakes made along the way. How did the richest province in Canadian history end up with almost nothing saved?  And no...

Investigative reporter Laura Robinson and Senator Marilou McPhedran were accused of faking government documents. The RCMP were called in followed quickly by the Senate Ethics Committee.  Several weeks ago that committee finally handed down their verdict. For years Robinson could say little about the case. But today she brings the whole story to Canadaland. The story of her part in an operatio...

You might not be super familiar with the name Corus Entertainment, but you definitely know their work: Global News, Teletoon, YTV, Treehouse, Showcase etc. Since 1987 Corus has dominated Canadian media across TV and radio, but just last month (June 2026) they reported a $36.5-million loss in the third quarter! With yet another Canadian legacy media company, Corus Entertainment, at risk of being ta...

Today we’re talking about Canadaland the company the show. Where is Canadaland going in 2026? CBS, CNN, maybe The Rivoli?  CanCon jokes aside, today Sam sits down with Jesse to talk all about the state of Canadaland. We have a new collective bargaining agreement, we have a new Journalistic Standards and Practices document, we have new hosts coming on board. And what new shows are we working o...

It's hard not to be swept up into the overflowing joy and national pride gripping millions across the country, as Canada’s men’s national soccer team plays on the world’s largest stage, and it’s certainly an accomplishment that deserves a huge celebration. But as the economic benefits promised by FIFA don’t seem to be meeting reality, we have to ask: are the good vibes really worth the financial r...

An Iraqi man, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, is at the center of a major U.S. terrorism case. Federal prosecutors allege he helped coordinate nearly 20 attacks across Europe and North America as an operative of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In a recorded conversation cited in the criminal complaint, Al-Saadi allegedly claimed members of his network carried out two attacks...

From Upton Sinclair to modern day animal activists, going undercover has been a staple of animal cruelty reporting. But in Ontario, a court recently ruled that it might be illegal to get that footage, that reporting, in the first place — you can no longer take a job under false pretences on farms in Ontario.  Why do animal rights activists believe they should have a right to lie? What do farmers a...

In advance of the trilateral CUSMA negotiations, Carney’s relationship with Trump has gone from Elbows Up to Heated Rivalry. Will Carney’s flattery of Trump pay off for Canadians?   Rahim Mohamed of the National Post joins to explain why, whatever happens with CUSMA, Carney is lucky to have Pierre Poilievre around as a convenient foil.   Plus, politicians get noisy about the Calgary Stam...

A tragic shooting in Montreal resulted in the deaths of a police officer, a civilian, and the shooter.   Following the incident, Canadian media withheld the shooter’s manifesto from the public, offering cursory summaries of the contents.   Rahim Mohamed of the National Post joins Jesse Brown to consider what was actually in the shooter’s manifesto.   Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James...

Progressive Conservative Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston had been one of the most popular politicians in the country. Mark Carney-level popular. Regina George-level popular. For a while, it looked like Nova Scotia would be Houston’s forever. But now his popularity is at its lowest point since he took on the top job. Host Noor Azrieh sits down with his former Justice Minister turned Liberal MLA Bec...

For the past four years Canadaland has been investigating a cluster of terrible illnesses in New Brunswick. A group of people were suffering from debilitating symptoms that nobody could explain.  Those people lost neurological function. Some lost their lives. What was afflicting them? Was it a prion illness like mad cow disease? Was it somehow linked to shellfish? Might it have to do with blu...

Journalists and politicians are honouring Robert Fife, who retired after 48 years. Known for his big scoops, Fife leveraged anonymous sources to hold the powerful accountable. But Fife’s brand of “access journalism” also runs the risk of being used as a political tool. Jan Wong joins Jesse Brown to explain why journalists shouldn’t get too cozy with the politicians they cover.   Host: Je...

A gun-for-hire network is revealed after a Toronto Police Officer is killed in a raid investigating a shooting at the US consulate. The network is potentially linked to a slew of shootings across the GTA, including synagogues.  Meanwhile, a US Dept of Justice indictment suggests some of these shootings may have been contracted by Iranian proxies.  Plus, an update on Canadaland’s settleme...

Mark Carney’s Liberals are trying to push a whole stack of bills across the finish line–and it’s no small stack. Bail reform, hate crimes, gender-based violence, housing, election financing, digital safety, lawful access, and privacy. Is this what an efficient Parliament looks like? Or is this what it looks like when a very determined Carney turns urgency into pressure, and pressure starts to feel...

The World Cup finally came to Canada. But has MAGA turned the Beautiful Game into something ugly? According to the BBC fans from about a quarter of the countries taking part in this World Cup are facing travel bans, tighter restrictions, or high visa rejection rates. What about supporters who are already in the U.S. who might fall under the gaze of ICE agents? If you were a Senegalese, Haitian, or...

So it looks like technically Canada is in the midst of a “technical” recession, but, technicalities aside, is a 0.2% drop in growth really that big a deal? ​Carney hasn’t said much on the subject, just that this is just a “settling-in period” while his policies take effect. On the other hand, Poilievre seems almost gleeful, saying that it’s a result of a “banker who can’t budget”. Oh, and he’s mad...

Carney just released his new 55-page strategy, “AI for All,” to much fanfare, over $2B in funding commitments, and…very few details on how he’s going to accomplish any of it. Canadians were at the forefront of AI’s creation, yet we’re already falling behind in harnessing this revolutionary technology. But most of us aren’t convinced that AI is safe: not for the environment, or the kids, or our per...

Host Sam spent a day at Canada's biggest defence trade show asking about autonomous weapons. The good news: Canada says humans must always be part of the decision to kill. The bad news: nobody can define what that means, the US just voted against a UN resolution banning killer robots, and Pete Hegseth wants the Pentagon to be an "AI-first warfighting force." Sam talks to an AI researcher, an under...

Last week, Mark Carney announced his big A.I. strategy. Two billion dollars to support creating jobs, providing free A.I. literacy training, and protection against some of the potential harms and risks around A.I., especially with kids. Oh, and he wants to build a world-leading supercomputer.  Canada's leading A.I. company is Cohere. Cohere isn't like OpenAI or xAI or Anthropic or any of thos...

The Globe and Mail’s editorial board calls the initial reporting on Kamloops residential school graves a “failure of journalism.”  Five years later, debate continues over small errors in the language used to report on the preliminary findings of an investigation into unmarked graves.  Is the Globe’s decision to address these issues productive or will it fuel denial of the impact of resid...

As journalists, our work brings us to stories that fall into one large category: the public interest. If something is happening in your community that people need to know about, it’s our job to tell it. But of course, there are many other interesting stories that we would probably never publish. So we wanted to hear your stories, the ones that might not be fit for print, but have a good hook, a go...

Carney’s big address on antisemitism didn’t amount to much.  Acknowledging what he called a “crisis,” Carney spoke at a Toronto synagogue, highlighting measures taken to address antisemitism in Canada, including changes in hate crimes laws and a council that will study the problem.  Jewish Canadians expecting tangible action were disappointed, so why did he bother? NOTE: This episode mak...

This is the Liberal government’s second attempt at passing lawful access legislation. Last year, the government pushed Bill C-2, their marquee border security bill that didn’t even make it to committee because of the backlash. But now, Bill C-22 is here, and things are feeling a little deja vu. Host Noor Azrieh asks Robert Diab what new powers this bill actually creates. Why are tech companies, pr...