COMMONS

The cod collapse is a harbinger of the many environmental disasters we’re about to face. But what happens to workers in the aftermath of that kind of catastrophe? In Newfoundland and Labrador, monopolistic corporations took advantage. The history of the Atlantic fishery can be understood as a power struggle between fishermen and merchants.  And the merchants are winning. Featured in this epis...

The closure of the cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador was the most devastating mass layoff in Canadian history. And its impacts are still being felt to this day. The collapse of Newfoundland cod is a story of man-made environmental calamity that turned into economic devastation. It’s a story of a government ignoring the knowledge of working people, in favour of the so-called expertise of ind...

This episode was originally published on November 24, 2021.  Twenty-six men were working underground when an explosion tore through the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia. Their friends and colleagues went into the wreckage to try to save them. The story of Westray is one of managerial malice and the heroism of everyday people. But why is it that governments let this happen over and over again, at t...

Migrant farm workers are the backbone of Canada’s agricultural economy. But because they can be fired and deported at will, their voices are rarely ever heard in this country. But Gabriel Allahdua is one of the few who can now speak up. And the story he has to tell is startling. It’s a story of racism and labour exploitation that goes back decades, even centuries. And it’s a prophecy of what is to...

The creation of the Canadian Farmworkers Union, as it would come to be called, was the first step in a struggle that continues to this day. Because even now, farmworkers have far fewer rights than almost any other class of worker. And even today, the men and women who grow our food are subject to horrific working conditions and racial discrimination. But to understand why the situation remains so...

Across Canada, emergency rooms have been shutting down, leaving desperate people in the lurch. And at the heart of this health care crisis, is a labour crisis. Nurses are leaving their jobs in droves, leaving hospitals understaffed and sometimes unable to carry out their most basic obligations. In this episode, we'll tell you how nursing went from a profession hailed as heroic to one in an utter s...

Labour has undergone a seismic shift over the past decade.  The rise of gig work and temp agencies have made employment more precarious than ever. In the interest of profits, companies are turning more and more towards temporary foreign workers and international students for minimum wage jobs. And even for those with seemingly secure employment, wages and benefits continue to be squeezed.&nbs...

Labour has undergone a seismic shift over the past decade.  The rise of gig work and temp agencies have made employment more precarious than ever. In the interest of profits, companies are turning more and more towards temporary foreign workers and international students for minimum wage jobs. And even for those with seemingly secure employment, wages and benefits continue to be squeezed.&nbs...

In this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Noor Azrieh sits down with Peter Smith to discuss his reporting on right-wing conspiracy groups like Qanon and Romana Didulo. Featured in this episode: Peter Smith To learn more: “Lead in the head”: Self-Declared Canadian Prime Minister and QAnon Adherent Calls for Executions of Officials Who Refuse Her Cease and Desists ” by Peter Smith in The Canadian Anti...

This episode was originally published on August 28th, 2023.  Listen to Monopoly 1 - Lost in the Supermarket and Monopoly 17 - Food Fight In the past several years, Loblaws, Metro and Empire have spent billions on their own stock – And at a time of food price inflation and grocery workers on strike.  Why are they doing it? And why do some economists say stock buybacks should be abolished?...

We live in a world of obsessive fandoms. The Stans, Swifties, Potterheads, Beliebers, Trekkies, Bronies, Barbs and their ilk are everywhere to be found. But at what point does it go from being harmless entertainment and turn into something more sinister? Featured in this episode: Zoe Alderton, Robert Lawson To learn more: “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Pott...

Romana Didulo, the self-proclaimed Queen of Canada, is unlike almost any other cult leader Canada has ever seen. In an incredibly short amount of time, she’s been able to gain a mass following, despite her absurd claims and alarming rhetoric. At various points, she’s claimed to be a political leader, a monarch, an interdimensional being communing with aliens, and so much more. She’s urged her foll...

Multi-level marketing isn’t based on rational business logic. It’s not even built on irrational business logic. It’s ideology. It’s faith. MLMs have become such a ubiquitous part of North American life that their tenets are rarely ever questioned. The sector holds enormous political sway. Millions of people join, leave and rejoin every year, almost all of them ending up poorer for the experience....

Nearly 1.4 million Canadians and almost 50 million Americans are involved in multi-level marketing. And that sheer volume of people makes it a near certainty that you’ve encountered MLMs in your life somehow. The promise of financial freedom can be an intoxicating lure. But MLMs, like so many other cultish enterprises, are about more than just money. They’re about transcendence. And in their wake,...

Mary-Jayne Blackmore is one of the oldest children of Winston Blackmore, the most famous polygamist in Canada.  For decades, her family has been the subject of intense media and legal scrutiny because of her father’s 27 wives and 150 children. Their lives have been dissected in documentaries and in court testimony. The name Blackmore has become synonymous with either faith-based persecution b...

In 1973, a French motorsports journalist claimed to have been visited by a UFO that revealed to him the secret origins of humanity. For the next half-century, the man known as Raël would go on to create a new faith with tens of thousands of adherents all around the world.  The media have portrayed the Raelians as not just a cult, but a strange phantasmagoria of extraterrestrials, orgies and c...

An explosion of new spiritual movements in the 1970s led to the creation of an entirely novel academic field. But right from the beginning, the discipline was riven asunder. The Cult Wars have been raging for decades. They’re fought not only in academic journals and conference seminars, but in the press, the courts and in legislative assemblies. And their battles continue to have enormous conseque...

In the 1960s and 70s, there was a fear that cult leaders were brainwashing young people into joining their new, strange movements. But is it even possible to “brainwash” anyone? At a psychiatric hospital in Montreal, one mad scientist, with the help of the CIA, tried to find out. Featured in this episode: Alison Steel, Lisa Ellenwood To learn more: Brainwashed by Michelle Shephard, Lisa Ellenwood...

The story of Brother XII still fascinates and even frightens some people in and around Nanaimo. He’s often called the Devil of De Courcy Island for good reason. Brother XII prophesied about the coming apocalypse. But instead, his story would presage something different. He was a forerunner of the strange, new religions that would sweep over the western world. Featured in this episode: Bill Miner,...

As organized religion declines in countries like Canada, we’ve experienced an explosion of what some call religious movements and what others call cults. The idea of cults has become an omnipresent part of our discourse. But what even is a cult? And why have we become so intrigued by these groups? And the language of cults has moved beyond just religion into so many different spheres — everything...

The word cult gets tossed around a lot. The label gets applied to everything from doomsday religions, to wellness fads, to online conspiracies. Uncovering the stories of both devotees and dissenters, this season of COMMONS will go beyond the true crime cliches and will make you question everything you thought you knew about cults. Our new season launches on October 18th. Canadaland Supporters...

In this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Jordan Cornish sits down with Jashvina Shah to talk about her book, Game Misconduct: Hockey's Toxic Culture and How to Fix It .  Featured in this episode: Jashvina Shah To learn more: Game Misconduct Hockey's Toxic Culture and How to Fix It by Evan F. Moore and Jashvina Shah “ No, this is not a watershed moment for hockey ” by Jashvina Shah in The Globe...

In this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Jordan Cornish sits down with host Arshy Mann to discuss our recent season on hockey.  If you value this podcast, Support us ! 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 , tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’l...

Derek Boogaard made his living pummeling people on the ice. But outside the arena, he was soft-spoken and kind. Fighting was just his job. But it would end up taking everything from him. Hockey fights, and the numerous blows to the head that players have to endure, have become a moral crisis at the very heart of the sport. And the NHL is doing everything they can to deny the science and allow this...

The Hockey Canada scandal has become one of the biggest stories in the country. And now, hockey appears to be in the middle of a reckoning. But this isn’t the first time. There was another moment, just like this one. Back then, people tried to warn the hockey world — they were ignored. And even today, the sport won’t name the very specific issue they face.  Hockey has a gang rape problem.&nbs...