CANADALAND

29 minutes 9 seconds

Should Robert Fife be Celebrated, or Should Reporters Retire Friendless and Despised?

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 Brown

Credits: 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 Wong

Photo: Mark Blevis

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:

Sponsors:

Fizz: Visit fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit do uglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.ca

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 June 2026, 10:00 am

46 minutes 44 seconds

Teenage Gunmen? There's an App for That (also, that Kielburger stuff)

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 Brown

Credits: 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 Wong

Apply to CANADALAND’s Audio Journalism Fellowship at labs.canadaland.com

Go to canadaland.com/live to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!

Further reading:

Sponsors:

oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit do uglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

BetterHelp: Visit BetterHelp.com/canadaland today to get 10% off your first month.

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 June 2026, 10:00 am

40 minutes 25 seconds

Shouty Carney Gets Sh*t Done

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 Azrieh

Credits: 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 Djuric

Background reading:

'He yells': Mark Carney's focus has Liberal MPs bristling – Toronto Star
With just over a week left on the legislative clock, here’s the current state of play in the House of Commons – iPolitics
Ottawa moves to ban kids under 16 from social media – CTV News
‘We know how to work together’: U.S. Ambassador Hoekstra on partnership with Canada amid CUSMA talks – CTV News

Sponsors:

Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadaland

Visit fizz.ca to learn more about Fizz mobile and its long list of added-value features, and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Get ahead of your to-do list with fifteen dollars off your first task at Taskrabbit.ca or on the Taskrabbit app using promo code: canadaland.

Did you know we have a monthly supporter exclusive show?

Next month on Off The Record, something different: Sam Konnert interviews Jesse Brown following up on what he told us 6 months ago. Did he keep his promises? Also, the deep dive on what the Theresa Kielburger lawsuit means for Canadaland and the story that was lost in the shuffle. Episode out Thursday, July 2.

If you want to hear that (or if you want to catch up on all the great episodes of Off The Record you’ve missed!), become a supporter at canadaland.com/join.

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’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Make sure you’re up to date on our upcoming events by going to canadaland.com/live!

Can't get enough Canadaland? Follow us @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram and @Canadaland_Media on TikTok!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 June 2026, 10:45 am

29 minutes 14 seconds

Kick to the Balls: MAGA’s World Cup

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 relation to the other Zidane….

Clarification: A previous version of this podcast had an omission. The podcast stated that Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entrance to the U.S. for the World Cup because of his nationality. The updated version of this episode now includes the information that the U.S. government claims Artan was denied entry to the United States because of his “association with suspected members of terror organisations.” Artan denies the accusation.

Further Reading:

Host: Bruce Thorson

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor & Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Fact checking by: Julian Abraham

Additional music by: Audio Network

Sponsors:

oxio: Head over to https://canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!

Squarespace: Check out https://squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit https://article.com/canadaland and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

BetterHelp: Visit https://betterHelp.com/canadaland today to get 10% off your first month.

Can’t get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.

Find out more about our live events at https://canadaland.com/live

Find out more about the our Audio Journalism Fellowship programme at https://labs.canadaland.com

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 June 2026, 10:45 am

35 minutes 5 seconds

Poilievre Trolls Carney With Help From A.I.

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 Nicholson

Credits: 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 Soltys

Additional music by Audio Network

Apply to CANADALAND’s Audio Journalism Fellowship at labs.canadaland.com

Go to canadaland.com/live to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!

Further reading:

Sponsors:

Fizz: Visit fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit do uglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.ca

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 June 2026, 10:30 am

35 minutes 9 seconds

Did Carney Invest in A.I. Right Before it Crashes?

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?

Correction: Canada’s AI Strategy contains the word “must” 22 times, not 25 times, as is suggested by host James Nicholson.

Host: James Nicholson

Credits: 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 Soltys

Apply to CANADALAND’s Audio Journalism Fellowship at labs.canadaland.com

Go to canadaland.com/live to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!

Further reading:

Sponsors:

Fizz: Visit fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.ca

Taskrabbit: Get fifteen dollars off your first task RIGHT NOW with promo code CANADALAND at Taskrabbit.ca or with the Taskrabbit app

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 June 2026, 10:30 am

36 minutes 17 seconds

Ottawa’s Killer Robot Problem

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? [email protected]

Host: Noor Azrieh

Credits: 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 Goebel

Background reading:

Go to Canadaland.com/live to find out more about our live show, June 18th at the Halifax Convention Centre!

Sponsors:

Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadaland

Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!

Head to squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, use OFFER CODE:Canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Did you know we have a monthly supporter exclusive show? Last episode, y’all called to chat with host Sam Konnert about your favourite story.

If you want to hear that (or if you want to catch up on all the great episodes of Off The Record you’ve missed!) become a supporter at canadaland.com/join or call in on and we’ll give you a free month of Canadaland premium.

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’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Can't get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 June 2026, 10:30 am

30 minutes 55 seconds

A Cohere Founder on What A.I. Critics Get Wrong

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 Marche

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Photo: Gabriel Hutchinson

Additional music by: Audio Network

Sponsors:

Fizz: Visit https://fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit https://douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at https://shopify.ca

Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit https://article.com/canadaland and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

Can’t get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 June 2026, 10:45 am

40 minutes 32 seconds

What the Media (Including Us) Got Wrong About Residential School Graves

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 Brown

Credits: 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 Lowman

Further 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 of graves in orchard - CBC [YouTube]
‘Horrible History’: Mass Grave of Indigenous Children Reported in Canada - The New York Times
SAY WHAT?: Ranking the Top Ten most painful English speakers in Canadian politics - Western Standard
Tim Hortons to dial back use of Temporary Foreign Worker program, aims to hire 10,000 locally - The Globe and Mail
'Where’s the melt?' Tim Hortons customers complain of unmelted grilled cheese sandwiches - National Post

Sponsors:

Squarespace: Check out Squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!

Taskrabbit: Get fifteen dollars off your first task RIGHT NOW with promo code CANADALAND at Taskrabbit.ca or with the Taskrabbit app.

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 June 2026, 10:30 am

1 minute 54 seconds

BONUS: Local Legends and Lore

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 Konnert

Credits: 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 Network

To learn more about all of our live events, including the upcoming show in Halifax, go to https://canadaland.com/live

This show is available exclusively to Canadaland supporters. To become one, go to https://canadaland.com/join/. 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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 June 2026, 10:45 am

31 minutes 24 seconds

Mark Carney's First Big Failure

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 Brown

Credits: 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 Lowman

Further reading:

Sponsors:

oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!

Squarespace: Check out Squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

BetterHelp: Visit BetterHelp.com/canadaland today to get 10% off your first month.

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 at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 June 2026, 10:30 am