CANADALAND

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...

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 wh...

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 Brown Credits: James Nichol...

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 Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Lucie Laumonier (Associate...

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 bl...

 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. D...

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 Nichols...

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....

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...

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 Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard...

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 levelle...

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. H...

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 Grewal Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Jules Bugiel (Associate Producer and Fact Checking) Cal...

The federal NDP leadership race is officially on. Five candidates want the job, and each of them thinks they know how to rescue a party that's been drifting into irrelevance. In this special episode, Noor sits down with all five contenders (Tony McQuail, Rob Ashton, Avi Lewis, Heather McPherson, and Tanille Johnston) for an unfiltered, no-notes conversation about who they are, and how they plan on...

In October, seven OBGYNs at a Kamloops, B.C. hospital signed a letter of resignation. Those seven were the only OBGYNs in the city. We’re used to bad headlines about Canada’s healthcare system. Lack of family doctors, emergency room wait times, delayed procedures, but this was different. Mass resignation threatening an entire branch of treatment for the whole city.  The letter of resignation...

Is Canada’s A.I. champion eating the news? Canada is betting big on Cohere, but a lawsuit alleges that the company’s flagship LLM is bypassing paywalls and hallucinating content.  What happens to the news industry  if A.I. continues to run amok?    Host: Jesse Brown Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Jules Bugiel (Associate Producer and Fact Checking) Caleb Thompson (Aud...

It’s crowdfunding month here at Canadaland! Sign up today and receive a FREE Canadaland merch pack. Become a supporter at canadaland.com/join today. To donate funding so we can complete this series, email jesse@canadaland.com Police statistics say that a Jew in Canada is now 9 times more likely to be the victim of a hate crime than a Jew in the United States. Others dispute this data, and say anti...

CSIS Director Daniel Rogers steps out of the shadows.  For the first time in the history of CSIS, Canada’s top spy holds a press conference. His talking points included youth radicalization, Arctic security, and data sovereignty. But why is he talking now?    This episode uses generative AI for the following purposes : several instances of voice cloning of host Jesse Brown to u...

The budget Carney’s been trying to sell to Canadians finally went to a vote. Sam Konnert brings host Noor Azrieh into the room where it happened. Plus, the Liberals say they’re “taking back control” of Canada’s immigration system. They’re study permits and temporary residents by half. But what happens to the 3 million people already here? Noor talks to immigration expert Rupa Banerjee about whethe...

Noor Azrieh talks to Jesse Brown about his new Canadaland series, What Is Happening Here? It’s no secret that Jesse Brown and Canadaland have had more than a few struggles, online and in the office, since October 7. But, eventually, Jesse Brown swore off Twitter and then the dust (and the office) settled, mostly.  Now Jesse is about to launch a new series where he travels across Canada, mic i...

Grieving a World Series of feelings.  The Blue Jays may have lost, but they inspired coverage that captured our national mood. Reflections on heartbreak, baseball, and the relatable physique of Alejandro Kirk.  It’s crowdfunding month here at Canadaland! The next 10 people to sign up today will receive a subscription to Canada’s National Observer PLUS a one-year subscription to Crooked M...

It’s crowdfunding month here at Canadaland! The next 30 people to sign up today will receive a one-year subscription to Tangle News! Become a supporter at canadaland.com/join today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After months of legal battles, the ostriches are dead.  RFK Jr, Dr Oz, Rebel Media, and a motley crew of protestors rallied to save a flock of B.C. ostriches who had contracted avian flu and were subsequently ordered to be culled.  What can the story of the ostriches tell us about the loss of public trust, the knock-on effects of COVID, and the horseshoe theory of politics?   Host:...

There’s chaos in Ottawa! Green Party leader Elizabeth May doesn’t want to ruin Christmas with an election… but she says she will if Mark Carney doesn’t budge. And in B.C., a court ruling is throwing private property rights —and maybe even Canada’s map — into question. Host Noor gets the story from The Tyee’s Andrew MacLeod. Host: Noor Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (P...

Picture yourself driving north of Toronto into big-box suburban territory. You turn off into a little industrial parkade. There's a Keg, a Moxies, and then a stubby beige office building, six storeys high. In a fifth floor suite you will find Canso Investment Counsel Limited. Canso might be the most powerful media company that we have never talked about here at Canadaland. And they may be one...