CANADALAND
Episodes
SHORT CUTS #236 - The New York Times' Trauma Porn Beat
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The New York Times’ Canada bureau chief goes up to visit an Inuit community three times so she must know what she’s talking about… right? Also, ...
Ep.300 - An Argument With Robyn Doolittle
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Major announcement about what's next for Canadaland on this episode. After that: Had It Coming is Robyn Doolittle's new book, which asks "what's ...
SHORT CUTS #235 - Creepy Hologram Prime Minister
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Thank God, it's over - last sound off about how dull the 2019 election coverage was, we promise. Plus, StarMetro journalists cry fake news at activist...
Ep.299 - Today’s Crisis, Tomorrow’s Apology: Indigenous Death In The Child Welfare System
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Last month APTN reported that 102 Indigenous children died in Ontario’s child welfare system. It’s a tragic and infuriating look at how the syste...
SHORT CUTS #234 - The CBC's Very Dumb Lawsuit
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The CBC sues the Conservative Party of Canada for copying them! Plus, Toronto journalists and writers push back on the kind of space public libraries...
Ep.80 - Chantal Hébert
14 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode originally aired on May 3, 2015 It's possible that Chantal Hébert's journalism once held Canada together. She joins Jesse for a discuss...
SHORT CUTS #233 - Our Revolting Democracy
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
That debate. The rumour mongering. The memes. Do Canadian politics have to suck this hard? A lament. And PostMedia finally responds to our investigat...
Ep.297 - Shad’s Hip-Hop Evolution
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hip-Hop Evolution is a remarkable piece of journalism and an exhaustive look at the history of hip-hop. It’s also made by a group of Canadians. Rapp...
SHORT CUTS #232 - National Paper Won't Cover National Climate March
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Canada's national paper seems shy about printing news on the national climate march. Also, another blackface scandal - at Global News. Plus, a discuss...
Ep.296 - Two Centuries of Blackface in Canada
30 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Cheryl Thompson joins to help walk us through Canada’s history with blackface and why this story is not about race. This episode is brought to yo...
SHORT CUTS #231 - How Did Trudeau Get a 20-Year Pass On Blackface?
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Trudeau in blackface, 3 times: how did we miss that? And Canada’s reporters bravely declare their independence - from their own union. CANADALAND D...
Ep.295 - Big Media's Plan To Regulate The Internet
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are we really considering CanCon for the internet? Well, kinda. Big changes could be coming to the Broadcasting Act and the country’s biggest media ...
SHORT CUTS #230 - SNC-Aladdin
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A bonus segment on Trudeau's "make-up" with guest co-host, Arshy Mann. Plus, one reporter’s real life story on the gift of poutine from Trudeau. An...
Ep.294 - Vagina Empire
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Doctors, celebrities, and journalists have all played a role in spreading misinformation about women’s bodies. Dr. Jennifer Gunter, author of The ...
SHORT CUTS #229 - Sorry, Immigrants!
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Vancouver Sun is very, very sorry about publishing that inflammatory anti-immigration screed. They'll tone it down a little next time. Also, why ...
Ep.293 - Bruce McCulloch
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty Helens agree that The Kids in the Hall was a watershed moment not just for Canadian comedy, but for comedy as we know it. Comedian Bruce McCull...
SHORT CUTS #228 - Disaster Porn, Boat Crash, Netflix PM
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sexy Hurricane Headlines: “Dorian Relentlessly Pounds Bahamas” - What is up with the disaster porn? And Justin Trudeau’s Malaysian ancestry, an...
OPPO: Is Jason Kenney Stoking Alberta Separatism?
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Alberta's premier wants a referendum on ... what exactly? And Justin Ling wants you to calm down about climate change "muzzling." Plus, meet some intr...
COMMONS: CRUDE - The Apocalypse Is Now
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Canoe-borne bandits strike an underwater town. A new generation of wealthy lobstermen is minted. An island disappears. And hellfire engulfs a highway ...
Ep. 292 - A Medical Horror Story and the Fight to Expose It
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A respected doctor put women’s health and lives in danger for money and the public almost never heard about it. Michael Lista talks about his prece...
SHORTS CUTS #227 - Scandal? What Scandal?
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is the press protecting the liberal party? And the debate about climate change somehow continues and Elections Canada suggested we might not be allow...
Ep. 291 - Why Are Trans Issues Suddenly Everywhere?
19 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past couple of years, a few Canadian media outlets and writers have become obsessed with trans people, painting their campaign for human rig...
SHORT CUTS #226 - Postmedia's Hard Right Turn
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
More cuts at Canada's largest newspaper chain; this time to journalistic independence, open discourse, and a healthy work culture. And was the swearin...
Ep. 290 - What It’s Like To Want To Die
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Reporter Anna Mehler Paperny talks about her book, Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me: Depression in the First Person, which covers her search for answ...
SHORT CUTS #225 - Barbaric Caucasian Practices Hotline
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is it time to start reporting the strange behaviour of young white men? Why do we still have columnists? And a study of Canadian media consumption sho...
Ep. 289 - Steven Page
05 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Steven Page, former frontman and founding member of Barenaked Ladies, talks about his career, why he chose to leave a beloved and wildly successful ba...
Short Cuts #224 - Teenage Nazi Manhunt
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The hunt is on. Newsrooms across the country are chasing down everyone from psychiatrists to Survivorman himself to speculate on the fate of two murde...
Ep. 288 - Wrongfully Convicted Of Murder And The Secret Reasons Why
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Glen Assoun spent nearly 17 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. But even after his sentence was overturned, the evidence that freed him r...
Short Cuts #223 - Jessica Yaniv, Transphobic Fever Dream
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From Canadian news sites to InfoWars, a BC trans woman has become a fixation of conservative media. And new details emerge from the national media ba...
Ep. 287 - Let’s Get Serious About UFO Journalism
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 2017, the New York Times released an astonishing front-page story about the American government’s multi-million dollar black budget investigation...
SHORT CUTS #222 - SandyAndNoraLand
18 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sandy Hudson and Nora Loreto take over CANADALAND for this episode about the paltry coverage of Canada's migrant detention policies and the devastatin...
Ep. 286 - Sports, Wages, and Bitstrips Money: Jesse Answers Your Questions
15 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We asked our listeners to send us their burning questions and this is the result. Hear us answer questions about everything from the future of Canadal...
SHORT CUTS #221 - F**k You For This One, Québec
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The secularism bill banning public workers from wearing religious symbols finally passed in Québec. Google News gathered together the heads of major ...
Ep. 285 - Health News In The Age Of Goop
08 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Politics may dominate the news cycle, but every Canadian is touched by our health care system. But while there are countless reporters covering politi...
SHORT CUTS #220 - That’s What You Get When You Draw A Political Cartoon That Doesn’t Suck
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A Canadian cartoonist drew a provocative image of Trump, blithely ignorant of the fatal consequences of his border policy. After it blew up online, th...
Ep. 284 - A Former WE Employee Speaks Out
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty-two people spoke to us confidentially about working for WE. But Josh Keenan went on the record. Hear what he had to say, and WE’s response. R...
SHORT CUTS #219 - The Pleasure Of Margaret Wente
27 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Pour one out for Margaret Wente: she's leaving the Globe. The Irvings tighten their grip on New Brunswick news, and some Toronto councillors are learn...
Ep. 283 - Oh Great, A Republican Plot Against Canadaland
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Something strange has been going on for the last little while and we’re ready to talk about it. This is a story about a Republican-affiliated scheme...
SHORT CUTS #218 - Whose Pipeline Is It Anyway?
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What better way to recognize a climate emergency than by approving the Trans Mountain Pipeline? Why did the Raptors’ president get carded after his ...
Ep. 282 - Lifestyles of the Rich and Fatal
17 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Greed, money, and revenge culminate with a gruesome murder on the driveway of a Vancouver mansion. Canada correspondent for The New York Times, Dan B...
SHORT CUTS #217 - United Conservative Postmedia War Room
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rest assured, Canadians! Jason Kenney is here to protect you from the evils of the Green Left. A look at the Alberta government's anti-environment "Wa...
Ep. 281 - Trolling Jonathan Torrens
10 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From hosting his own show on the CBC to playing J-Roc on Trailer Park Boys, Jonathan Torrens has been a mainstay of the Canadian entertainment indus...
SHORT CUTS #216 - The Word For This Is Genocide
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The majority of our media is bending backward to avoid acknowledging Canadian genocide. Why? And Lindsay Shepherd travelled to Ottawa to complain abou...
Ep. 280 - The News Bosses: APTN's Karyn Pugliese
03 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Canada’s national news organizations are helmed by a handful of people. The news bosses decide what gets to be news and what doesn’t for the entir...
SHORT CUTS #215 - What Sort Of Monster Would Disparage Anna Maria Tremonti?
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As one of Canada's most beloved radio personalities leaves the job she's held for 17 seasons, who could possibly have anything negative to say? Also, ...
Ep. 279 - A Forgotten News Lab Predicted Journalism's Online Future in 1991
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
InfoLab imagined newspapers' transition from print to digital, creating multimedia digital news in the basement of The Hamilton Spectator back in the...
SHORT CUTS #214 - Lord Ballwasher of Crossharbour
23 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lord Conrad Black, First of His Name, The Unedited, King of Columns, Breaker of Laws, Flatterer of American Presidents, and Father of the National Pos...
Ep. 278 - Bigotry Punished, Miraculously
20 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
But will the $2.5 million judgment against the far-right twice-defeated mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston actually stop him spreading hate online? J...
SHORT CUTS #213 - Misfit Manchild Edgelords
16 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's Nazi season in Canada! From the "controversial" flag in Saskatchewan to the neo-Nazi working in an Ontario city hall, Canada's working hard to no...
Ep. 277 - Quebec's Narcos Tell All!
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The new podcast Narcos PQ hands the mic to those who bring Canada its drugs: bikers, drug mules, outlaw chemists. Co-hosts Brigitte Noël and Félix ...
SHORT CUTS #212 - Newfoundland 2: The Newfoundlanding
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the prurient rush for lurid details about Bruce McArthur and his victims, maybe it’s time to re-examine the way we consume true crime. And the on...
Ep. 276 - Twenty Years After Napster: Cory Doctorow On What Went Wrong
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Digital media has been gentrified into a mall, says the digital rights activist and author. Cory Doctorow tells Jesse how consolidation and platform s...
SHORT CUTS #211 - Your Body Is A Newfoundland
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Was the recent Simpsons episode about Canada offensive? Was it even funny? And, finally, the mainstream media seems to be paying attention to the risi...
Ep. 275 - Sneaking Chinese Propaganda Into The Canadian Media
29 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A popular pundit has a curious connection: her company worked for China. South China Morning Post's Vancouver correspondent Ian Young tells Jesse tha...
SHORT CUTS #210 - Raccoon Thirst Trap
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Who among us hasn't stabbed a lecherous raccoon with a dessert fork? And Omar Khadr gave his first big interview on Québec television; where was Engl...
Ep. 274 - Is Facebook Worth Fixing?
22 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
And if so, can government regulation crack down on hate speech and election interference on social media without crushing free speech? Jesse asks Nata...
SHORT CUTS #209 - Don't Call Me Jason
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Journalism that exposes racism, homophobia, and election fraud: does any of it matter? All of this and more in a look at the Alberta election. And the...
Ep. 273 - The Media Baron Dinner Party Where The News Bailout Was Born
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Former CBC exec Richard Stursberg tells Jesse all about it, and about his new book, The Tangled Garden: A Canadian Cultural Manifesto for the Digital ...
SHORT CUTS #208 - Oh My God, They Killed Kenney
11 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party is imploding before our very eyes — but the Albertan electorate doesn't seem to mind much. And who does Jus...
Ep. 272 - The Best New Podcast In Canada Is About The Opioid Crisis
08 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Crackdown covers the war on drugs from the trenches, and these war correspondents are drug users. Host Garth Mullins joins Jesse to talk about how aft...
SHORT CUTS #207 - Tape Your Calls!
04 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If there's one lesson we can take away from what's happened with Jody Wilson-Raybould, it's to tape all of your calls. And what's more important to th...
Ep. 271 - Stephen Harper
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The CANADALAND interview with former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who targeted the press before it was cool. Now, conservatives from Donald Trump to...
SHORT CUTS #206 - Justin & Gerry, Jody & Jane
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Collusion? Obstruction? Why can't Canadians stay focused on the domestic scandal? And what does the dawn of Apple News+ mean for Canadian media? Jaren...
Ep. 270 - The Most Expensive Thing Canada's Ever Bought
25 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Ottawa Citizen reporter David Pugliese called the government to follow up on a tip, he heard back from the PR arm of Irving Shipbuilding. And the...
SHORTCUTS #205 - Scheer and Loathing
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Scheer’s first statement about the terrorist attack by a white supremacist in New Zealand failed to mention a few things... like Muslims and ...
Ep. 269 - Ruthless Or Toothless? The News Biz Complaints Department
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Who do you turn to when the news messes up? It turns out there's a council for that. Pat Perkel and John Fraser from the National NewsMedia Council...
SHORT CUTS #204 - Pressure-Cooked Octopus
14 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While we're all busy talking about the propriety of the SNC-Lavalin affair, it bears revisiting the company's sordid past. Also, how is the media culp...
Ep. 268 - Strombo
11 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Canada's most ubiquitous TV host talks about his many, many gigs, from MuchMusic VJ to CNN interviewer -- and why he's turned to YouTube for the lates...
Short Cuts #203 - Philpottcalypse Now
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gerry Butts breaks his silence on SNC-Lavalin. And the thing that Andrew Scheer can get away with, but Jagmeet Singh cannot. Paul Wells co-hosts.Supp...
Ep. 267 - Propaganda, Fascism And Murder: An Alternative History Of The Globe And Mail
04 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks 175 years of The Globe and Mail. You can read all about its accomplishments elsewhere. Writer Jamie Bradburn takes us through the pape...
SHORT CUTS #202 - Jody Wilson-Raybould Ain't Nuthin To Mess With
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The former Minister of Justice testified before the House of Commons justice committee this week and it was like nothing we've seen in recent memory. ...
Ep. 266 - A Guide To The Podcast Industry
25 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the past year or so, the podcast industry has seen an explosion --or bubble, depending on who you ask-- with companies like Entertainment One, Cor...
SHORT CUTS #201 - Short Butts
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Reports of a massive protest convoy driving across the country have been greatly exaggerated ... except for the whole racism part. And a probing exami...
Ep. 265 - Decoding A Political Scandal
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There's a lot to learn from what politicians and journalists can and can't tell us, their lowly constituents and readers. We read between the lines of...
SHORT CUTS #200 - My Bloody Lavalin
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did the Canadian press cover the biggest scandal yet to hit the Trudeau government? Will the SNC-Lavalin affair blow over? With this level of pote...
Ep. 264 - Quebec's Fake News Problem
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In English media, there are whole organizations and departments devoted to debunking fake news. But in Quebec, a lot of the work falls to one guy: Jef...
SHORT CUTS #199 - The Sun Never Sets On The Netflix Empire
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is Netflix threatening Canadian culture through neo-imperialism? Never mind the copyright infringement, was the Conservative Party's Heritage Minute a...
Ep. 263 - The Loudmouth Senator
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Paula Simons did something that makes a lot of journalists cringe. She went into politics. The former Edmonton Journal columnist is now an independent...
SHORT CUTS #198 - The Criminals We Deserve
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What's with our ongoing fascination with serial killers? What do we lose when Bruce McArthur pleads guilty to his charges? What does all this say abou...
Ep. 262 - Meet Canada's Pro-Oil, Anti-Immigrant Yellow Vest Movement
28 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What do warnings of globalism, support for pipelines and calls to execute Trudeau have in common? They're all part of the rhetoric of Yellow Vests Can...
SHORT CUTS #197 - Smells Like MAGA Teen Spirit
24 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Did a viral video actually show all the ugliness, racism, division, and indecency of the current moment, or did it show all the ugliness, racism, div...
Ep.261 - Oh Great, Now China Hates Us
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Canada's in a bad way with China. Has the media prepared us to deal with the growing superpower? With tensions rising, it may be more important than e...
SHORT CUTS #196 - Naughty Daughter
17 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the Trudeau government trumpets its track record on supporting women's rights abroad, newborn children continue to be separated from their parents ...
Ep. 260 - Fake-Ass Internet
14 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Something like the half of all activity on the internet is fake. Yes, there are bots. But there are also fake websites that cater to bots. And then th...
SHORT CUTS #195 - A Baby Country In Diapers
10 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is reconciliation still a possibility when the Canadian government marches armed police onto Indigenous land? It's time for Canada to grow up. And Can...
Ep.259 - The Mud Slinging, Meme Hustling, Rage Baiting Sites You Need To Know Before The Next Election
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A bunch of new partisan political websites are fighting to shape the narrative in the run-up to the federal election. Reporter Graeme Gordon is here t...
SHORT CUTS #194 - Rex Murphy Vs. A Dead Guy
03 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Canadian government owns up to treaty obligations after 168 years, Maclean's staff puts in a bid to buy the magazine, and Rex Murphy kicks a journ...
Ep. 258 - Christmas In The Newsroom
23 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Stories of big news breaking when everyone else is on vacation. This episode is sponsored by Audible and Hello Fresh.Support CANADALAND: h...
SHORT CUTS #193 - Hate Laundry
20 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Two big Toronto papers got some things horribly wrong. The Sun has been censured by the National NewsMedia Council for its fictitious goat-slaughterin...
Ep. 257 - How Not To Cover Climate Change
17 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blazing wildfires. Pipeline stand-offs. Unpredictable floods. Men in suits arguing... One of our era's most urgent, high-stakes stories is also the ha...
SHORT CUTS #192 - Ontario Proud And Prejudice
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Did Canada make the right call by arresting Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou? Or was it the perfect time for a little “creative incompetence.” And ne...
Ep. 256 - The Dependent Press
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Canadian federal government plans to issue nearly $600M in tax credits and incentives to bolster the country's media industry over the next five y...
SHORT CUTS #191 - Justin Trudeau's [Redacted] Trip To India
06 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What does the heavily redacted – er, revised – federal report on Trudeau’s trip to India tell us about the internal machinations of the govern...
Ep. 255 - The Making Of Finding Cleo And Thunder Bay
03 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
CANADALAND's investigative podcast Thunder Bay published its series finale last week. Host and creator Ryan McMahon reflects on ...
SHORT CUTS #190 - Is It Time To Pull The Plug On Legacy Media?
29 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Will federal media subsidies save a dying industry or merely protract the inevitable? And how did the Anglophone press react to the Ford government’...
Ep. 254 - An Issue Worth Torching Your Job Over
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After 25 years at the CBC, tech columnist Jesse Hirsh decided to risk it all. During an interview about Facebook, he turned the tables, asking why CBC...
SHORT CUTS #189 - The Media's The Problem
22 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Despite bringing the horrifying events at a private school in Toronto to the attention of police, the media have been getting some backlash from paren...
Ep. 253 - Is The Media Afraid Of The Kielburgers?
19 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Kielburgers' WE Movement has enjoyed more than 20 years of glowing press. They also have partnerships with 38 media organizations and a history of...
SHORT CUTS #188 - The Paunch Resistance
15 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The most controversial Maclean's cover in years, Ontario Proud's leaked fundraising documents, and Justin Trudeau becomes the latest champion of the f...
Ep. 252 - Is Business News Amoral, Immoral, Or Just Evil?
12 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When the CBC tweeted out a series of news alerts following Brazil’s election of a far-right presidential candidate... people had a lot to say. The t...