CANADALAND

A Canadian intern, Biwei Zhang, is alleged to have spied on NATO for China, raising questions about the persistence of Chinese espionage in Canada. 

The former civil servant held positions for a number of Canadian agencies including StatsCan, the National Research Council, and the Canadian Space Agency. In 2023, she was found to have committed fraud on her application to the Canada Border Services Agency. 

Combined with other high profile cases of Chinese spying in the Canadian civil service, Harrison Lowman of The Hub joins to discuss why Canada is a soft target for Chinese espionage, and whether closer trade ties with China carries an increased security risk.

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: Harrison Lowman

Photo: icc-rcn.ca

Further reading: 

• What we know so far about the Canadian NATO intern accused of spying for China - The Globe and Mail
• Carney says Canada involved ‘from the start’ in NATO intern spying case - National | Globalnews.ca
• Ex-government scientist accused of copying work files to further new career in China - The Globe and Mail
• Ex-Hydro-Québec employee accused of espionage: Verdict expected - CTV News 
• Chinese Spies Are Recruiting Canadians on LinkedIn | The Walrus
• EDITORIAL: Canada sacrificing security for trade | Toronto Sun
• Accused NATO Spy Photographed Justin Trudeau Speaking at a Toronto Gala in July 2014, Years Before Entering Government - The Bureau

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.

Fizz Mobile: 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 douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

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.

A report in the Globe and Mail says Canada is offering concessions to get a trade deal. Canadians and pundits aren’t happy with the idea. Is it just a trial balloon or is Carney willing to pay the political price to reduce tariffs? 

Meanwhile, rolling back Trudeau’s digital policies targeting tech giants is one concession Carney seems happy to make. But how will it impact Canadian media funding?

Plus, Canada continues to scale back its peacekeeping efforts, and a crime wave hiding in new StatsCan data.

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: Harrison Lowman

Photo: Jolanda Flubacher, World Economic Forum

Further reading: 

• Ottawa discussing trade concessions with U.S. in return for some tariff relief, sources say - The Globe and Mail
• Making concessions to get a trade deal when the public’s in a fighting mood - The Globe and Mail 
• Concession Carney faces his Neville Chamberlain moment - The Globe and Mail
• Carney would rather concede to Trump than risk short-term economic pain — The Globe and Mail
• Dispatch from the Front Lines: No deal. - The Line
• Follow the Money All the Way to Mark Carney’s Canada - Bloomberg
• Ottawa hastens its retreat from online regulation - Marc Edge
• Canada’s Big Tech shakedown failed. Now Carney retreats in the face of American pressure - The Hub
• Canada cuts its UN peacekeeping forces as it tilts to Europe and Indo-Pacific - The Globe and Mail
• The case of the misleading fall in crime rates - The Globe and Mail

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 douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

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

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.

Wealthsimple just launched its new betting platform, but for now, Canadians can only bet on the economy, financial markets, and the weather.

So what happens when we start betting on politics?

Host Sam Konnert talks to Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Katherine Long about the wild world of Polymarket and Kalshi, the scandals that have followed them in the US, and what Canada can learn before prediction markets inevitably expand.

Host: Sam Konnert

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Guests: Katherine Long

Photo: Rafael Minguet Delgado

Additional music by Audio Network

Background reading:

• #1338 Reality is a Casino as Prediction Markets Enter Canada
• Lawmakers Call for Federal Probe of Polymarket Over Deceptive Advertising – The Wall Street Journal
• We Investigated Polymarket’s Deceptive Marketing Campaign. Here’s What We Found. – The Wall Street Journal
• Think you can win on prediction markets? Here's why you're more likely to lose – CBC News 
• Wealthsimple’s pivot into risky business reflects young Canadians’ financial nihilism – The Globe and Mail
• Canada has banned some prediction markets. Wealthsimple is showcasing them anyway – Canada’s National Observer
• Prediction Markets Are Good, Actually – Maclean's

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 CAN25 to get 25 off and 10GB of free data.

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Did you know we have a monthly supporter exclusive show?

Next month on Off The Record we are back to our call-in show format. On Thursday August 27, 2026 we will be taking your calls on a new question:

What do you wish you had known when starting school or what’s a piece of advice you would give to someone starting school. Kindergarten, Middle school, High school, CEGEP, university, anything!

The call-in period will be Thursday, August 27th, 4:30-6:30 PM ET. When the time comes, head over to https://callinstudio.com/show/canadaland. You can also dial in at 1-888-401-7056.

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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 us @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram and @Canadaland_Media on TikTok!

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They’re shamed, banned, or driven underground but “repugnant markets” have a way of surviving. Organ sales, MAID, even blood sales fall into the category. Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth comes to Canadaland to discuss his latest book, Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal about How Markets Work.

Further Reading:

• The Nobel Prize - Alvin E. Roth
• Can economics save lives? -  Alvin E. Roth
• Repugnance as a Constraint on Markets - Alvin E. Roth
• A Conversation with Alvin Roth - The Conversation
• Kidney Paired Donation Program - Canadian Blood Services

Host: Gemma Boothroyd

Credits: Gemma Boothroyd (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Fact Checking by: Julian Abraham

Additional Music by: Audio Network

Photo: Linda A. Cicero, Stanford University

Sponsors: 

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

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

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.

Last Wednesday, Foreign Policy CAN tweeted that "Canada condemns the ongoing violence in the West Bank..." So later that day, the Embassy of Israel in Canada responded with "Israel condemns the ongoing violence against Jews in Canada..." Which begs the question, just what exactly is Canada’s social media strategy? Does it even have one? 

It also got us thinking about the responsibility both the government and the media have when it comes to discussing Israel, and how the hyperfocus on one country impacts the safety of Canadian Jews.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Jen Gerson

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading: 

• https://x.com/CanadaFP/status/2082478897514389914
• https://x.com/IsraelinCanada/status/2082538835930669094
• https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2082554515962651030
• Opinion | It's time Canada cut diplomatic ties with Israel
• Opinion | As former diplomats to Israel and Palestine we know why Canada shouldn't cut ties with Israel 
• Canada, 3 other countries summon Israeli ambassadors over video taunting flotilla activists
• Canada summons Israeli ambassador over video of minister taunting activists | CBC.ca
• ‘Israel Behind it’: Spain ACCUSES Israel For Migrants Crisis After 60,000 Moroccan’s Storms Ceuta
• MLS investigating reports of antisemitic comments hurled at player in Montreal | CBC News
• China's 'ethnic unity' law- a new tool to silence dissent? | DW News
• Canada's Carney warns antisemitism at postwar high - YouTube
• Two Jewish-owned bakeries attacked in Toronto; police release image of vehicle involved
• Owners of Montreal kosher restaurant vow to rebuild after 'suspicious' fire
• Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences — Government of Canada

Sponsors:

Fizz Mobile: 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 douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

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.

Last year, we published an episode about all the tape that didn’t make it into one of our shows. Today is different… but similar. Here are three interviews we did that just never made it to air. And we’ll tell you why they never made it to air.

Next month on Off The Record we are back to our call-in show format. On Thursday August 27, 2026 we will be taking your calls on a new question.

Seasonal news hooks are really common in the news business, they’re practical, easy to plan for, and most people need them. So we wanted to flip that a bit for the back to school season.

What do you wish you had known when starting school or what’s a piece of advice you would give to someone starting school. That can be Kindergarten, Middle school, High school, CEGEP, university, anything.

The call-in period will be Thursday, August 27th, 4:30-6:30 PM ET. When the time comes, head over to https://callinstudio.com/show/canadaland. You can also dial in at 1-888-401-7056.

Host: Sam Konnert

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer, Senior Production Supervisor), Tony Wang (Executive Producer), Jesse Brown (Publisher)

Photo: Tony Wang

Additional music by Audio Network

Further Reading:

• Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult
• North Korea's girl dad dictator — Apple Podcasts
• O'leary Reserve Wines - Crazy Deal — Kevin O’Leary YouTube Channel
• Last of the lookouts — Canadian Geographic
• Fire Tower Trailer — Underwire Films
• Hot Docs president warns this year's festival could be its last without more financial support — CBC

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.

Seven years in, we're looking at what might just be the longest and most involved media defamation trial in Canadian history: former Alberta United Conservative Party candidate Caylan Ford is suing PressProgress, the CBC, Toronto Star and several others, for $7.65 million. She says that they wrongly portrayed her as a white supremacist, they say that they were only quoting her… 

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Jen Gerson

Photo

Further reading: 

• Caylan Ford Statement of Claim
• PressProgress Statement of Claim
• Defend Canadian Journalism - Broadbent Institute 
• Defend Canadian Journalism - PressProgress 
• Litigation — Caylan Ford
• Support PressProgress - Defend Canadian Journalism
• Caylan Ford speaks out: Former UCP candidate reveals why she was “cancelled” | Keean Bexte 
• Resisting the mob (feat. Caylan Ford) 
• When the Mob Came
• Alberta Needs Anti-SLAPP Legislation! 
• UCP Candidate Complained ‘White Supremacist Terrorists’ Are Treated Unfairly, Leaked Messages Show
• Press Progress claims my lawsuit is a frivolous SLAPP action. Here are the facts.  

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 douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

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

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.

Stories about The Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex just won’t die. Lumber barons, dead brides, Trudeau’s secret pool, nacho machines, you name it.

But now, the Prime Minister’s crumbling, rat-infested, maybe haunted official residence is getting a re-vamp.  Carney just launched a fifty-million-dollar national campaign to actually fix the place. What is he planning? And what does it say about Canadians that we’d rather crowdfund a roof than just pay for one?

Host: Sam Konnert

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Background reading:

• More than 2,000 Canadians have donated toward restoration of 24 Sussex Drive - CBC News
• Scrap 24 Sussex Drive. Canada Can Do Better - The Walrus

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

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

Did you know we have a monthly supporter exclusive show? 

On the next episode of Off The Record, we bring you a collection of short interviews that just didn't make it to air. Each interview will bring you into the nitty gritty of our reporting.

To hear that episode become a supporter at canadaland.com/join and connect your ad-free feed to hear it. 

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.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is a Palestinian-American writer who grew up in Gaza City. When he was eleven years-old he survived an Israeli airstrike that killed two of his friends and left him with permanent hearing loss in one ear. He travelled to the United States as a teenage exchange student in 2005 and later received political asylum after Hamas took over in Gaza. He now leads Realign for Palestine, a project advocating for what he calls, "a radically pragmatic approach to peace.”

Today he talks to Canadaland about Hamas, Israel, the international response to the war in Gaza, and how his views on war and possible peace have turned him into a target from almost every direction.

Host: Archie Matlow

Credits: Caleb Thompson (Mixing & Mastering), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Additional music by Audio Network

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

More information:

Realign For Palestine

Atlantic Council

Hamas and It’s Two Million Hostages - Jewish Quarterly

Hamas’s Western Apologists Have Become Hamas Enthusiasts. As a Gazan, I’m Horrified - Newsweek

Follow Amhed on X

Follow Amhed on Instagram

Sponsors: 

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

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 douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

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

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San Grewal and Rahim Mohamed discuss Robyn Urback's opinion piece in the Globe and Mail, titled, “Like a bad ex, Donald Trump is accidentally making Canada become its best self”. Indeed, national pride seems to be at an all-time high, but is it warranted? After all, hate crimes are on the rise, two Jewish bakeries were vandalized last weekend, and a group of white supremacists just threw a "family-friendly festival” called Bigotfest in North Bay. 

Host: San Grewal 

Credits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Rahim Mohamed

Further reading: 

• Like a bad ex, Donald Trump is accidentally making Canada become its best self - The Globe and Mail
• Human rights group warns of 'Bigotfest' event in North Bay
• 2025 Hate Crime Report shows drop in reported incidents last year, as the Service addressed Prevention, Reporting, and Outreach
• Four extremist plots to attack Jewish targets disrupted in Canada, report says | Globalnews.ca
• Toronto police investigate after Jewish-owned bakery chain hit by gunfire and vandalism - CNN
• White Nationalism in Canada: Organized, Emboldened, and Growing - Canadian Anti-Hate Network
• What's Fuelling White Nationalism in Canada? | The Rundown
• Canadian military members identified on white supremacist dating site | CBC.ca
• Canadian, U.S. fascist fight clubs joining forces south of the border, CBC investigation finds

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.

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 douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

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.