Canadaland

We’ve long heard about how the news business is failing - layoff after layoff, media execs have claimed that they have had no choice but to make cutbacks.In Bell’s latest round of 4800 layoffs, CEO Mirko Babic defended his decision to a parliamentary committee, claiming the company was struggling in a tough economic environment - and that news was part of what was bringing them down.But is that the full story? Because before Google and Facebook ate up advertising dollars, the Canadian media companies of the 90s made a bad bet. And it failed to pay off. And now… the news industry is taking the fall. Further reading:Corporate ownership of media has failed Canadians, Marc Edge, Canadian Dimension, 2024Bell Media Has Cut 1 In 4 Positions Since 2020 as Parent Company Keeps Dividend Rolling, The Deep Dive, 2024 Media convergence, acquisitions and sales in Canada, CBC, 2010Convergence after the collapse: The ‘catastrophic’ case of Canada, Marc Edge, Media, Culture and Society, 2011Financiali

Etienne Côté-Paluck, rédacteur en chef d’HAÏTI MAGAZINE et HAITI WEEKLY, des publications du collectif haïtien DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO, rejoint Emilie pour une discussion sur l’actualité de la crise qui se passe dans la ville et dans le pays.Etienne Côté-Paluck, editor-in-chief of HAÏTI MAGAZINE and HAITI WEEKLY, publications of the Haitian collective DÈYÈ MÒN ENFO, joins Emilie for a discussion about what’s actually going on in the country.Animation : Emilie NicolasGénérique : Tristan Capacchione (Production), André Proulx (Coordonnateur à la production), Karyn Pugliese (Rédactrice en chef) Coanimation : Etienne Côté-PaluckPour en savoir plus :Haïti MagazineHaiti WeeklySi vous appréciez ce podcast, soutenez-nous ! Vous obtiendrez un accès en prime à toutes nos émissions gratuitement, y compris les premières diffusions et le contenu bonus. Vous recevrez également notre lettre d'information exclusive, des rabais sur les produits dans notre boutique, des billets pour nos événements en direct et virtuels, et surtout,

A spectre is haunting Canada — the spectre of Communist China.Finally, a proper inquiry into election interference by China featuring testimony from Trudeau and his top aides, but, at this point, will anyone even care? Rebel News personality David “The Menzoid” Menzies is arrested yet again at a protest in Toronto, which raises larger questions about how police are selectively enforcing the law at contentious public rallies. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Harrison Lowman Further reading: PMO, top ministers and senior officials received 34 briefings on foreign interference since 2018, CSIS says - The Globe and Mail PM tells foreign interference probe government's hands are tied on intelligence leaks to media | CBC News Prime Minister Trudeau tells foreign interference inquiry recent elections were ‘decided by Canadians’: Li

Canadians have long thought of themselves as peacekeepers. But can we still make that claim today? Amid all of the the outrage towards our government over its relationship with Israel, are any protesters calling on Trudeau to send peacekeeping troops over there to intervene? When the guns finally fall silent there will likely be a call for some sort of peacekeeping force. But will Canada still be ready, or even willing, to resume our traditional role?There's really just one statistic worth sharing here to illustrate that Canadians have lost nearly all capacity for peacekeeping. In the mid 1990s, there were over 3000 Canadian troops deployed as UN peacekeepers around the world. Today there are 60. That means we’re now at 2% of our former capability. What the hell happened? We go looking for an answer for you today from Walter Dorn, professor of defense studies at the Royal Military College of Canada and the Canadian Forces College. Professor Dorn is an expert in arms control, international criminal law, j

As Canadians prepare for a rare celestial event–a total solar eclipse–Jesse has one message: don’t look up!On Monday, the price of carbon increased, and so did prices at the pumps. Carbon Tax savant Max Fawcett explains why it’s terrible politics, but still a great policy  Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), André Proolx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Max Fawcett Further reading: Why next week's solar eclipse has scientists so excited - CBC NewsPreparing for a total eclipse of the sun, 1979 - CBC [Video]  Han Dong says international students voted en masse in his 2019 Liberal nomination - National PostSecret RCMP report warns Canadians may revolt once they realize how broke they are - National Post For sale by Canada: books by notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones - CBC NewsAxing serious climate action with lies. - Uncommons Sponsors: Douglas, Rotman, Athletic Gr

Question: what is Canada's greatest contribution to the world of comedy? Is it Lorne Michaels and Saturday Night Live, which launched the careers of comedians like Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, and Norm MacDonald? What about Samantha Bee, who broke into the boys club of late night political satire? Nathan Fielder who may have redrawn the lines of reality itself, exposing the absurdity of modern life with his bizarre, intricate pranks? Professor Stephen Leacock, the Mark Twain of Canada?Or is it a hidden-camera, prank comedy show that has been seen by millions and millions of people from all over the world?Just For Laughs Gags has been running for almost 25 years, and it had no reason to stop, except that its parent company filed for creditor protection under Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act on March 5, 2024. What was Gags and what will be missed if it never gets produced again?Today on the show, we hear from the people that made it, and from people that were pranked by them.To learn more:Just for Laughs: Gag

Il y a du pouvoir dans la réappropriation de son propre récit - c'est pourquoi Beata n'a pas seulement écrit un mémoire sur son expérience de fuite du Rwanda, mais aussi un recueil de poésie. Elle a cherché à retrouver des images qu'elle croyait exister, capturées par la BBC, d'un convoi de camions dans lequel elle était cachée pour fuir le pays - ce qui l'a menée à en découvrir davantage.La conversation examine le rôle des médias occidentaux dans le reportage sur le Rwanda à l'époque. Où se trouvait la presse internationale pendant le génocide et pourquoi le récit était-il si incomplet ? Pourquoi ce génocide n'a-t-il pas été empêché malgré les avertissements plus d'un an auparavant ?There’s power in re-appropriating your own story - which is why Beata has not only written a memoir about her experience fleeing Rwanda, but a book of poetry as well. She sought to track down footage that she believed to exist captured by the BBC of a convoy of trucks she was hidden in to flee the country - which led her on a pat

Why are New Zealand libertarian think-tanks so into Canada’s Indigenous skyscrapers? In the midst of an ongoing housing crisis, is the Squamish Nation’s Sen̓áḵw project the future of Indigenous land development?As Deadspin’s new ownership pivots to gambling referral, we consider how broadcast bingo supports Indigenous radio. Is “Radio Bingo” a replicable model for diversifying media revenue?Host: Jonathan GoldsbieCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Co-host: Robert Jago Further reading: There’s one government in Canada that’s actually beating back the housing crisis, and it’s not Justin Trudeau’s Liberals or Doug Ford’s Conservatives – Toronto StarVancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and undeniably Indigenous – Maclean’sA Village Burned (2022) – Land Back (CBC Podcasts)A Canadian housing development shows how the value of indigenous land can be unlocked – The Post (NZ)Global Affairs confirms Canadian death in Lebanon, 8th s

When governments and corporations want to stay on top of the “threats” posed by protest movements — from climate campaigns to animal-rights advocacy — there’s one company that they tend to turn to: Welund. Founded in the UK in 2007, it expanded to North America about a decade later, setting up shop in Calgary (where it’s now called Foresight Reports). So who are they? And what does it mean when public-sector bodies farm out their intelligence gathering to a private firm?To find out, we put our own open-source intelligence skills to the test.Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Jonathan Goldsbie (News Editor), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Further reading:Secretive intelligence firm with Alberta government contract spying on journalist Brandi Morin — RicochetThe Private Intelligence Firm Keeping Tabs on Environmentalists — Mother JonesBAE spy named by campaigners is friend of leading

As Elon Musk rails against content moderation in a disastrous interview with Don Lemon, Jesse and Ivor Shapiro reconsider Canada’s new approach to online speech. Is the Online Harms Act as Orwellian as Margaret Atwood thinks it is? Also, immigration is coming up a lot in the news these days. Is the recent media discourse actually….mature?Clarification: When Jesse reads from Bill C-63 Online Harms Act 17 he says "A person may, with the Attorney General's consent, lay an information before a provincial court judge if the person fears on reasonable grounds that another person will commit hate speech." He meant to say Section 17 "refers to existing parts of the criminal code that govern hate speech."Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Ivor Shapiro   Further reading: Trudeau’s Orwellian online harms bill - The Spectator (UK)Margaret Atwood, Elon Musk call out

Andy Mill’s is the co-creator of The New York Times ground-breaking podcast, The Daily, and before that worked on the equally inventive and critically acknowledged podcast Radiolab. He’s also one of the very few journalists to gain the trust of J.K. Rowling for his series The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. Finally, he’s been the subject of critical reporting from Canadaland for his work on the Peabody Award winning series for The New York Times, Caliphate. That series was stripped of the Peabody and Mills himself was “cancelled” for a combination of the Caliphate controversy and a series of attacks on twitter for his past work-place behaviour.It’s a rare opportunity to speak with someone with a CV like Mills’ and even rarer for Jesse to have the opportunity to come face to face with someone who has been the subject of intense scrutiny from Canadaland’s reporting.To hear an extended version of this interview, become a supporter by going to https://canadaland.com/joinTo learn more:Califail — CANADALANDAndy Mills

Alors que la guerre à Gaza fait rage, Emilie Nicolas et Raed Hammoud font le point sur la couverture de cette guerre dans le cadre de leur travail au sein de l'écosystème médiatique québécois. Raed évoque également le travail documentaire de longue haleine qu'il a réalisé afin de créer des liens entre des personnes de différentes parties du monde, notamment ses séries documentaires T'es où, Youssef ? Immigrants de souche et Demain l'Afrique. As the war in Gaza wages on, Emilie Nicolas and Raed Hammoud take stock of what it’s been like to cover this war in their work in the Quebec media ecosystem. Raed also discusses the long form documentary work he has done in order to create connections between people in different parts of the world, including his docu-series T’es où Youssef, Immigrants de Souche and Demain L’Afrique. Animation : Emilie NicolasGénérique : Aviva Lessard (Production), Tristan Capacchione (Production technique), André Proulx (Coordonnateur à la production), Karyn Pugliese (Rédactrice

The laughter has stopped at the Just For Laughs festival, as ownership applies for creditor protection and cancels the Montreal and Toronto 2024 festivals. Toronto Comedian Sam Sferrazza explains how the Just For Laughs systems worked (and didn’t work) for Canadian comedy.Is there anything behind the Katespiracy? As a manipulated photo of Princess Catherine and her kids goes viral worldwide, Jesse wonders if any photograph… ever should have ever been trusted. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Sam Sferrazza Further reading: Comedians reflect on Just For Laughs’ cancellation and the future of comedy - Globe and Mail2024 Just for Laughs comedy festival cancelled, company seeks creditor protection - CBC NewsThe end of SaltWire: What happened and what happens next? - Halifax ExaminerCanada’s foreign correspondents are almost extinct - The HubHot Docs president warns this year's festival c

Labour used to be a beat. A major beat for any newspaper. Which, you know, makes sense. Because what happens with work, with the world of work, that matters to so many more people than any other section in the newspaper, more than politics or foreign affairs or even business. But the age of the working person's newspaper is just about dead, and along with it, the labour beat.But maybe not to news audiences. We get constant emails from you asking us to take a closer look at work in Canada. The entire new season of our sister show Commons is called Work, and this week we hand the show over to the Commons team. Arshy Mann, Jordan Cornish, and Noor Azrieh are going to tell you about what they have found, about what it means to work and be a worker in Canada.Subscribe to COMMONS: Work in your favourite podcast app here!Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Pr

From Winnipeg to Wuhan, Canada is embroiled in an international spy situation, but why does no one seem to care anymore? Recent documents released from the investigation of scientist Dr. Xiangguo Qiu contain bombshells that may point back to the COVID lab leak theory. As the obituaries and puff pieces roll in, the Canadian media seems to have forgotten that Brian Mulroney was - in fact - divisive. Correcting the record on “Conservative Titan” Brian Mulroney. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson(Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Jan Wong Further reading: Lies and scandal: How two rogue scientists at a high-security lab triggered a national security calamity - CBC News The big problem with the Winnipeg lab affair was obvious from the start: too much secrecy - CBC NewsDocuments reveal fired scientists shared information with China - The Globe and Mail - Globe and Mail, T

Let’s skip two years of horse race punditry and commentary. It's over already. Barring some unforeseeable act of God, Pierre Poilievre is not just going to win, he is going to stomp to victory. The Liberals will likely be rebuilding from close to scratch and this country might be looking at a good long period of right wing rule. What does that look like? What does it mean for housing, crime, and the media landscape?Today on the show, Jesse speaks with prominent journalists, Jen Gerson, Paul Wells, and Stephen Marche to find out more.Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Further reading: Conservatives open up a 19-point lead over the Liberals — Abacus DataJen Gerson’s Substack — The LinePaul Well’s SubstackStephen Marche’s websiteSponsors: Squarespace, Douglas, CFUV, Better HelpIf you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all ou

Dans sa nouvelle autobiograhie, la professeure en droit transféminine Florence Ashley, théorise l’academic smut ou smut therapy comme la thérapie par l'écriture érotique. Gender/Fucking: the Pleasures and Politics of Living in a Gendered Body met en lumière le bordel de l'existence humaine à travers le récit de Florence - ses expériences romantiques, sexuelles, sa transition et des vérités qui sont beaucoup plus grandes qu’ille qui s'étendent à la jeune communauté trans actuelle. Les nouvelles politiques d'identité de genre annoncées en Alberta mélangent le droit des enfants avec le droit des parents dans un contexte où les corps et esprits des personnes trans sont déjà sous contrôle social, familial, politique, médical et juridique, et leur sentiment le plus profond par rapport à leur identité, constamment délégitimisé.Animation : Emilie NicolasGénérique : Laetitia Dogbe (Production), Tristan Capacchione (Production technique), André Proulx (Coordonnateur à la production), Karyn Pugliese (Rédactrice en

Vice Media was once valued at 5.7 billion dollars - This week it closed its doors. One final episode of the podcast Cyber was released to give listeners a peek into what was going on at Vice. The staff knew something was amiss when the quality of the snacks began to deteriorate. The Liberals tabled Bill C-63 to take aim at online hate. If this new bill comes into force it could make some online hate speech punishable by life in prison. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Justin Ling Further reading: Vice Media Is Basically DeadVice’s cunning, irreverent journalism is dead – and executives with bloated pay cheques helped kill it | Sirin Kale | The Guardian VICE Management Kills Vice.Com, Set to Lay Off Hundreds of Employees - Hell Gate I Was a Heretic at The New York Times - The AtlanticC-63 (44-1) - LEGISinfo - Parliament of Canada My First Take on the Online Harms

The Pikwakanagan First Nation seemed to be doing well - it has a good economy, high graduation rate, it has been revitalizing its culture, the books are tight. But things have gotten bad in the last five years. Pikwakanagan is not immune to the troubles infiltrating the towns surrounding it. Late last year, Chief Greg Sarazin declared a State of Emergency over Opioids in the small rural community, just 150 kilometers from Ottawa. When a crisis hits a city like Belleville it makes headlines, but First Nations are not getting attention, or all the help they need to fight addiction. They are relying, in many ways, on their own devices. There were at least five overdoses last year in a community with only 250 adults; that’s 1 in 50 people. Even more people must be using. But it's not just about those on reserve. When you count the cousins, the kids and the other family members living away, there have been dozens.  What happened, and what is the community doing to try and stem the crisis. Host:

Liberal MP Rob Oliphant was caught being critical of the Trudeau government’s policy on the Gaza war in a leaked phone call with a constituent. He is the parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister and says he’s considering quitting. First announced in the 2018 Federal Budget the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) has given 50 million dollars to help underserved communities maintain local media… This funding is set to expire at the end of March. Host: Jonathan GoldsbieCredits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Allison Smith Further reading: Key Liberal MP rips his government's policy on Gaza war in private call with constituent -Local Journalism Initiative - Canada.caOliphant apologizes after video of him calling fellow Liberal MPs 'arrogant' over Israel genocide claims - National PostStephen Harper: Israel's war is just, Hamas must surrender or be eliminated - National PostStephen Harper's firm pours $350M into developing