The Secret Life of Canada

CBC

The Secret Life of Canada is a podcast about the country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. Season 6 is here! New episodes every second Thursday.Visit us at www.cbc.ca/secretlife for show links, transcripts and more!Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.Subscribe to Sounds Good: CBC's Podcasts newsletter for the finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives. 

  • 10 minutes 30 seconds
    S6: Crash Course on The Persian

    It’s another baking episode! This time Leah and Falen look at why Thunder Bay, Ontario has their own sweet roll that you can't find anywhere else. We find out how these sweet buns with pink frosting came to be and who Persians are named after (spoiler — it strangely has nothing to do with Persian people).


    For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada

    25 April 2024, 8:10 am
  • 36 minutes 15 seconds
    S6: General Idea

    When three young queer men formed an art collective in the late 60s in Toronto named "General Idea", no one expected that they would end up becoming one of the most iconic art collectives of the 20th century. For 25 years Felix, Jorge and AA became internationally known for their edgy, subversive, funny and boundary pushing work. Leah and Falen learn about the early days of the collective [2:11], the time Life magazine tried to sue them [13:17], why they started a ”Miss General Idea” beauty pageant [16:51], and how they ended up creating one of the most indelible images of the AIDS epidemic [25:26]. And then, they’ll hear about the group’s final push to produce a catalog of work before AIDS took the lives of Felix & Jorge in 1994 [30:30]. With special guest AA Bronson.


    Here are some of the pieces referenced in the episode:


    Mail Art


    FILE magazine


    The Miss General Idea Pageant


    P is for Poodle


    IMAGEVIRUS, AIDS


    Fin De Siècle


    For more links on General Idea’s work and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada


    Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.

    11 April 2024, 8:10 am
  • 13 minutes 6 seconds
    S6: Crash Course on Icelandic Canada

    Gimli is more than a dwarf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series Lord of the Rings, in fact the community in Manitoba is home to the world’s largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. So how did Canada become home to all these Icelanders, why did they end up living on a reserve and what exactly happens during Islendingadagurinn?


    Listen to Part 1 of our episode The Mounties Always Get Their Land (referenced in the episode) here.


    Follow us on social media. We're on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

    28 March 2024, 8:10 am
  • 21 minutes 21 seconds
    The Secret Life of Canada Introduces: Canadian Time Machine | ‘Humiliation Day’, A Look Back at the Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act

    Explore an important part of the rich history of Chinese-Canadians in this episode of Canadian Time Machine from The Walrus Lab. In the 1880s, Chinese men played a pivotal role in building the Canadian Pacific Railway, enduring challenges for a fraction of the wages. Discover the impact of the head tax and the infamous Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, known as "Humiliation Day." The episode delves into the intergenerational effects and gains insights from Dr. Melissa Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum, on the compelling exhibit, "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act." More episodes are available at: https://lnkfi.re/slofcxctm. To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage. There is also a French counterpart of this show called Voyages Dans L’Histoire Canadienne so if you’re bilingual and want to listen to more, visit https://lnkfi.re/Voyages-dans-lhistoire-canadienne

    21 March 2024, 2:10 pm
  • 49 minutes 2 seconds
    S6: The Secret Life of the Canadian Teen Drama

    From PSAs to Euphoria, the identity of the teen on TV has shifted a lot over the years. Leah and Falen take a look back at the invention of the teen and teens on TV. They make the case that thanks to a little upstart franchise called Degrassi, the teen drama is a Canadian invention. 


    Here is the link to our episode Bread and Cheese. And be sure to check out The Degrassi Kid Podcast!


    Follow us on social media. We're on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

    14 March 2024, 8:10 am
  • 16 minutes 38 seconds
    S6 Crash Course: How Black students led Canada's largest student protest

    It would become one of the key moments in Black history in Canada. In 1968, six Black students from Sir George Williams University in Montreal filed a complaint of racism against their biology professor. By 1969, the university denied their complaint and more than 200 students began a peaceful sit-in. By the end of it, a fire broke out, police in riot-gear were sent in and 97 people were arrested. Named “The Sir George Williams Affair” it is now considered to be the largest student protest in Canadian history. 


    Here is a link to previous episode mentioned in this episode:


    The Province of Jamaica: https://link.chtbl.com/OOwfXRW2


    For links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada

    29 February 2024, 9:10 am
  • 32 minutes 24 seconds
    S6: Sorry not Sorry

    Canadians are always apologizing, or are they? We are back for a sixth season and in this episode [1:29] Leah and Falen discuss how they use the word “sorry” and why [4:20] and take a deep dive into the theory that it comes from the country's British foundations. [8:33] We learn that the British and French brought dueling with them as a way to resolve conflict. [20:00] Then we look at how the word is connected to conflict resolution, which Indigenous people already were doing before contact [21:44] and examine the many apologies of the Canadian government [25:05] and try to find out whether or not Canadians actually apologize any more than anyone else.


    Here are links to previous episodes mentioned in this episode:


    Kanesatake 300 Years Later, Part 1: https://link.chtbl.com/eUDOXoMZ

    Kanesatake 300 Years Later, Part 2: https://link.chtbl.com/jeMsG6HU


    For other links, references, transcripts and more about this episode, visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada

    22 February 2024, 6:10 am
  • 2 minutes 2 seconds
    The Secret Life of Canada returns with Season 6!
    Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson are back with a brand new season of conversations about the country you thought you knew. Catch our premiere episode on February 22, 2024 with new episodes biweekly.
    23 January 2024, 8:10 am
  • 8 minutes 13 seconds
    BONUS | The story Falen never thought she’d tell: On stage at Hot Docs
    Falen Johnson took to the stage at the Hot Docs festival to speak candidly about her experience of growing up on Six Nations, a place that was both idyllic and complicated — especially when it came to water and the lack thereof.
    13 June 2023, 8:10 am
  • 11 minutes 45 seconds
    S5: Crash course on losing the Shanghai Restaurant
    In this episode we talk about lost buildings across Canada. Falen and Leah look into the history of the now torn-down Shanghai Restaurant, owned by the Lee family for over 70 years and a long-time staple of downtown Winnipeg and find out if the #99 Wonton in sweet ketchup sauce is as good as former customers say it is? Featuring Raymond Biesinger. For more about this episode visit us at : www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
    8 June 2023, 8:10 am
  • 38 minutes 42 seconds
    S5: The Potlatch Ban
    In 1921, Chief Dan Cranmer held a secret Potlatch — a ceremony celebrated by many First Nations along the Pacific Northwest. But because the ceremony had been banned by the Canadian government, authorities arrested people and confiscated many ceremonial items. These items then ended up in private collections and museums all over the world. This episode traces the winding journey of the ripple effects of a ban that lasted almost 70 years. We sit down with Dan Cranmer's son Bill Cranmer from the U'mista Cultural Centre to learn about his father’s story and the long process of repatriation by the Kwakwaka'wakw people of these precious items. We also speak with educator Sara Florence Davidson to talk to her about the book Potlatch as Pedagogy, what she has learned through the Potlatch and how her father, Haida artist Robert Davidson, worked to reclaim ceremony and artistic practice after the ban. With guests Chief Bill Cranmer and Sara Florence Davidson. For links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
    1 June 2023, 8:10 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App
© MoonFM 2024. All rights reserved.