Canadaland

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 Becky Druhan to unpack her striking political turn: how does a senior member of a government go from defending it to deciding the problem is the very government she once helped run? Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Imogen Sayers (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Tristan Cappachione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Becky DruhanPhoto: Becky DruhanAdditional music: Audio NetworkBackground reading:N.S. premier defends $53.6-million budget cut reversal, floats idea of ‘budget tour’ – C

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 blue-green algae blooms or environmental contamination from heavy metals or contamination from the herbicide glyphosate? Was it contagious? Today we speak with a man who was at the centre of the investigation into this cluster of illnesses. Dr. Michael Coulthart was a microbiologist working with the Public Health Agency of Canada. He was the head of Canada’s Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) surveillance system, which surveys all of Canada for prion diseases like mad cow. And he was one of the lead investigators on a short-lived federal/provincial team of scientists investigating what was going on in New Brunswick bef

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: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jan WongPhoto: Mark BlevisAdditional music by Audio NetworkFurther reading: Ottawa mayor declares June 11 ‘Robert Fife Day’ to honour veteran journalist - The Globe and Mail Robert Fife gives a candid account of some of the biggest stories and issues of his career - The Globe and MailRobert Fife — 2026 Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism Hear No Evil, Write No Lies

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 settlement with Theresa Kielburger.  Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jan WongApply to CANADALAND’s Audio Journalism Fellowship at labs.canadaland.comGo to canadaland.com/live  to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!Further reading: 'Who's paying for this?': Toronto police believe youth hired for gun crimes such as U.S. consulate shooting | CBC NewsRaid that left Toronto police

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 a lot like being yelled at?Host Noor Azrieh asks POLITICO’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Annie Tuba (Producer) Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Mickey DjuricBackground reading:'He yells': Mark Carney's focus has Liberal MPs bristling – Toronto StarWith just over a week left on the legislative clock, here’s the current state of play in the House of Commons – iPoliticsOtta

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 Ecuadoran-American, would you wrap yourself in your team’s colours and take to the streets knowing ICE is playing their own game?And where in all this is Canada? Our co-host has threatened to invade, launched tariff battles and Trump keeps thumping his 51st state schtick. Where does Canada belong in a MAGA world cup?Karim Zidan is an investigative journalist covering the intersection of sports and politics. His work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times and The Guardian, and he runs his own media platform called Sports Politika,He joins us today to kick off the World Cup. And no, Karim Zidan is no r

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 made a whole attack ad dunking on the technicalities of a technical recession with a little help from generative AI. Is this what politics has come to?Host: James NicholsonCredits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Douglas SoltysAdditional music by Audio NetworkApply to CANADALAND’s Audio Journalism Fellowship at labs.canadaland.comGo to canadaland.com/live  to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!Further reading: Sharan Kaur: W

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 personal privacy. Plus, it seems like no one’s figured out how to actually make a return on their investment.​So, is Canada investing in a product that’s doomed to fail?Host: James NicholsonCredits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Douglas SoltysApply to CANADALAND’s Audio Journalism Fellowship at labs.canadaland.comGo to canadaland.com/live  to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!Further reading: Canada’s National Artificial

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 underwater robot CEO, a defence contractor who tells it like it is, and an ethicist who somehow remains hopeful. Have a tip? sam@canadaland.comHost: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Jason Millar, Randy GoebelBackground reading:For Canada, the march of the killer robots is getting hard to avoid | The LogicJudge temporarily blocks Pentagon's blacklist of AI company Anthropic | CBC NewsAt Canada’s biggest weapons

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 those other well-known large language model companies. They're not public facing. They don't do image generation or music generation, or tell you what recipe you can make with the leftovers in your fridge. They develop private models for specific companies trained in part on that company's private data. RBC, Bell, Salesforce, just to name a few. Their current valuation sits at $7 billion. Cohere's co-founder is a 33 year-old indie rockstar named Nick Frosst. He joins host Stephen Marche to discuss Canada's A.I. sector, his band, Star Trek, and those students booing A.I. at convocations.Host: Stephen MarcheCredits: Tr

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 residential schools on Indigenous  communities? Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons(Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Harrison LowmanFurther reading: There is no reconciliation without truth - The Globe and Mail#786 Digging For Doubt - CANADALAND [Podcast]#1362 The Truth About Residential School Graves - CANADALAND [Podcast]The search for graves at Tk’emlups, five years on - The Decibel [YouTube] Kamloops residential school survivors recall students going missing, digging

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 good twist — something memorable.And you came out swingin’. From dog bartenders to student teacher relationships that allegedly became a blockbuster film starring Judy Dench and Cate Blanchett. Oh, and the COVID police. All that and more.Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Tony Wang (Executive Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Publisher)Photo: Digitally Edited by Tristan Capacchione, using material from Boko Shots and ELEVATE Additional music by Audio NetworkTo learn more about all of our live events, including the upcoming show in Halifax, go to https://canadaland.com/l

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 makes use of generative A.I. for the following purpose: voice cloning to correct an error in the original recording in which the group Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade was initially misidentified.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons(Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Harrison LowmanFurther reading: Prime Minister Carney highlights new measures to combat antisemitism and support Canada’s Jewish community - Government of Canada LIVE: Combatting Antisemitism • EN DIRECT : Lutter contre l'antis

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, privacy advocates, and our allies so worried?Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Robert DiabBackground reading:The Lawful Access Two-Headed Surveillance Monster: How Bill C-22 Went Off the Rails – Michael GeistLawful access bill could lead to exit from Canada, major VPN provider says - National – Global NewsWhy the U.S. is noticing this Canadian security bill – CBC NewsSignal warns it would pull out of Cana

Trump and Putin both hate Chrystia Freeland. But her ability to unite world leaders under a single banner isn't her greatest accolade.  Freeland is quite simply one of the most acrcomplished public servants in Canada's history. For starters, she was the first woman to serve as finance minister. She helped introduce $10 a day daycare in this country. She was also instrumental in the fall of the Trudeau government, and currently she runs the Rhodes Scholarship and works as an economic advisor for Ukraine. But more than any of that, Freeland has been one of the closest observers of globalization over the past 30 years. She saw its birth as a journalist in Russia in the 1990s, and she saw its death while working as deputy prime minister for Canada in the 2020s. Chrystia Freeland joins us today to talk about that front row seat at the rise and seeming demise of globalization. This conversation is the launch of our upcoming speakers series The Nuance. It's a simple idea: important conversations on co

Danielle Smith sidesteps the courts to ask Albertans a question about a referendum on separation. Carney calls it a “dangerous bluff,” reminiscent of Brexit, and Smith’s question is being criticized as confusing and potentially misleading.Rahim Mohamed of the National Post joins to explain why he predicted this would happen (but he didn’t say it would make sense) and why he thinks Danielle Smith is improvising on the fly, rather than following a plan. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Rahim MohamedFurther reading: Carney calls Smith's Alberta referendum question a 'dangerous bluff' | CBC NewsDanielle Smith tries to blame 700,000 illusory Albertans for her separatism gambit - The Globe and MailAlberta Separation: Three-in-five say they’d vote in October to stay, but half say the question is “confusing” - Angus Reid InstituteDi

This industry is notorious for exploiting interns. Thanks to our supporters, we’ve been able to build a program that does the opposite: pay a fair wage to emerging journalists to work on their own stories, not ours.Applications for the 2026 Canadaland Audio Journalism Fellowship are now open. This is a paid 4-month opportunity in the fall for two journalists to pitch, develop, and produce an original story to be broadcast on our network.Learn more and apply at labs.canadaland.com. Applications close June 30th.Want to keep programs like this alive? Become a supporter before the end of May, and pay just $2. Hurry over to canadaland.com/join. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Israeli minister Ben-Gvir posts a video of the inhumane treatment of detained protestors, Canada joins the global condemnation of Israel’s treatment of Gaza flotilla participants, including 12 Canadians. Rahim Mohamed of the National Post joins Jesse Brown to discuss why Jewish Canadians are reluctant to voice their criticism of Israel, and what’s left out of the coverage of the Gaza flotilla. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Rahim MohamedFurther reading: Israel's treatment of detained Gaza flotilla members is 'abominable,' Carney says | CBC News Flotilla organizer confirms identities of 12 Canadians detained by Israel - CTV News  Video showing far-right Israeli minister taunting Gaza flotilla activists sparks global outcry | CNNI was Canada’s ambassador to Israel. Its reaction to the flotilla is undermi

As Canada inches closer to China to escape the US's “global swagger,” do we even know who we're dealing with?As Canada inches closer to China’s “global swagger” to escape the US's orbit, do we even know who we're dealing with? This week, Noor sits down with Jonathan Cheng, The Wall Street Journal's China Bureau Chief, a Canadian who's been based in Beijing since 2019,  to get an inside look at China's current confidence, its trade posture, and what Beijing actually thinks of Canada.Also, Xav Trudeau's "electric" halftime show in Ottawa, a Conservative MP names her grandchild Charlie Kirk, Danielle Smith's refer-referendum, cabinet shuffle rumours, and the controversial surveillance bill that made Signal threaten to leave Canada entirely.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Jonathan ChengBackgr

Ebola. Hantavirus. Here we go again. Tracking outbreaks to see if they are going to spread across the world. Triggering fear: virus, epidemic, pandemic. And a flood of headlines. The locations, the numbers, the details change but the gist of the message is always the same. Keep the disease away from us. But today we meet someone who heard the news of an Ebola outbreak and ran straight at it. Into the hot zone. To the epicentre, to a village in what was then Zaire 30 years ago. Her five weeks living and reporting from that bush hospital resulted in her documentary film Ebola: Inside an Outbreak. The film earned her Emmy for outstanding investigative journalism. Her name is Ric Bienstock and she’s here with her firsthand account of the Ebola virus, how people live and die with it, what it means as a global health challenge, and whether or not this virus is something that Canadians need to fear.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of