CANADALAND

In the 1960s and 70s, there was a fear that cult leaders were brainwashing young people into joining their new, strange movements. But is it even possible to “brainwash” anyone?

At a psychiatric hospital in Montreal, one mad scientist, with the help of the CIA, tried to find out.

Featured in this episode: Alison Steel, Lisa Ellenwood

To learn more:

Brainwashed by Michelle Shephard, Lisa Ellenwood & Chris Oke on CBC Podcasts

The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA and Mind Control by John Marks

Father, Son and CIA by Harvey Weinstein

MK Ultra: CIA mind control program in Canada by CBC’s The Fifth Estate

“Federal government quietly compensates daughter of brainwashing experiments victim” by Elizabeth Thompson in CBC News

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host & Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Listen to the rest of the season here. 

Sponsors: Squarespace, oxio, Athletic Greens, 

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.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

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

Stories of big news breaking when everyone else is on vacation

People might take holidays, but the news doesn’t. For your holiday listening needs, here are stories from reporters who have worked Christmas in their newsrooms. It’s the good, the bad and the funny.

A Canadaland tradition, now updated with a new story.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Bruce Thomson (Producer) Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor) Jonathan Goldsbie (News Editor), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Sponsors: Oxio, Communauto

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.

Dans ce dernier épisode de l'année, Emilie Nicolas co-anime avec Aurélie Lanctôt, chroniqueuse au Devoir et doctorante à l'Université McGill. Revenant sur un été marqué par des feux de forêt records, les co-animatrices s'interrogent sur le paradoxe entre les effets de plus en plus tangibles des changements climatiques et l'absence inquiétante d'action politique de la part de nos gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux. Alors que les grèves se poursuivent dans le secteur public québécois, le gouvernement caquiste changera-t-il son ton lors des négociations en cours ?

In this final episode of the year, Emilie Nicolas co-hosts with Aurélie Lanctôt, columnist for Le Devoir and doctoral student at McGill University. Looking back on a summer marked by record forest fires, the co-hosts reflect on the paradox between the increasingly tangible effects of climate change and the disturbing lack of political action on the part of our federal and provincial governments. As strikes continue in Quebec's public sector, will the CAQ government change its tone during ongoing negotiations?

Animation : Emilie Nicolas

Générique : Nancy Pettinicchio (Production), Caleb Thompson (Production technique), Karyn Pugliese (Rédactrice en chef)

Co-animation : Aurélie Lanctôt

Pour en savoir plus :

• Point de bascule planétaire – Aurélie Lanctôt dans Le Devoir
• Détention des migrants : Québec repousse sa date butoir – Radio-Canada
• Javier Milei promises 'drastic' changes for Argentina after dominant election win – CBC
• Un blitz de négociations s’amorce – La Presse

Si vous appréciez ce podcast, soutenez-nous ! Vous obtiendrez un accès en prime à toutes nos émissions gratuitement, y compris les premières diffusions et le contenu bonus. Vous recevrez également notre lettre d'information exclusive, des rabais sur les produits dans notre boutique, des billets pour nos événements en direct et virtuels, et surtout, vous ferez partie de la solution à la crise du journalisme au Canada. Vous ferez en sorte que notre travail reste gratuit et accessible à tout le monde.

Vous pouvez écouter sans publicité sur Amazon Music, inclus avec Prime.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support us! You'll get bonus access to all of our shows for free, including early releases and bonus content. You'll also receive our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch in our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and most importantly, you'll be part of the solution to the journalism crisis in Canada. You'll help keep our work free and accessible to everyone.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime.

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

Islamophobia and antisemitism are on the rise in Canada - but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that teenagers becoming radicalized and making homemade bombs is not okay. 

Plus, the latest on how Bill C-18 the Online News Act continues to screw over independent media…this time with Google’s $100 million exemption pie for Canadian broadcasters to scrap over.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Jess Schmidt (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Jan Wong

Further reading: 

• Rex Murphy: An antisemitic menace stalks Canada and Trudeau couldn't care less - National Post
• Rupa Subramanya’s response to the Hanuman statue at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton - X
• Scanner Price Accuracy Code - Retail Council of Canada
• Ari Ben-Menashe says his car insurance was cancelled because Trudeau doesn't like his business - National Post
• Peter Menzies: The government surrenders to reality with rewritten Online News Act—and pleases no one - The Hub

Sponsors: Douglas, Article,

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.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

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

We asked people to call Jesse and argue about… whatever, in the true spirit of this festive season.

A return for a second listen to this evergreen Holiday Season special from 2020. Featuring CBC Radiohost Piya Chattopadhyay, newsletter maker Marc Weisblott, journalist Kareem Shaheen, Maureen from Calgary, Simon from Toronto and so many more….

Support Canadaland at canadaland.com/join

Sponsors: Athletic Greens Squarespace Communauto

Additional Music is by Audio Network.

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

With so much going on in the world, how could we possibly cover it all on one Short Cuts? By breaking it up into digestible chunks of varying levels of importance, that’s how!

Jonathan and Karyn reteam for an all–Duly Noted edition of Short Cuts, spanning everything from the National Post’s somehow-even-more-conservative-than-before coverage of Israel to that one baseball man who people thought was on his way to Toronto but wasn’t. And did a whistleblower actually deliver anonymous, in-person testimony to Parliament this week? Sort of!

Host: Jonathan Goldsie

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Karyn Pugliese

Further reading: 

• Whistleblower testifies about 'gross mismanagement' at federal green fund - CBC News
• New Brunswick’s access regime among the most restrictive in Canada, Globe audit finds - The Globe and Mail
• Why responsive records aren't included in the Secret Canada database - Secret Canada
• CTV issues apology after war footage airs during Hanukkah story - Toronto Sun
• Postmedia Called Out For Publishing Israeli Propaganda As ‘News’ - The Maple
• Ottawa eyes change to border rules for Indigenous communities. 'It is an injustice that continues to divide our people' - Toronto Star
• Ohtani-watch rivets Toronto as flight trackers, restaurant reservations spark frenzy - The Athletic

Sponsors: Douglas, oxio,

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.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

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

Usually when Canadaland does a story on reporters in conflict we’re talking to a reporter who has had boots on the ground, someone who’s dodged bullets in hot zones and has the scars and the PTSD to prove it. But not this time. This time we’re speaking with Anthony Feinstein a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He specializes in the psychological distress of journalists. He treats journalists as patients, and he does research into the kind of psychological trauma that commonly afflicts them. In fact, he created the field of study focused on psychological trauma in journalists - it simply did not exist before him. 

Host: Jesse Brown 

Guest: Anthony Feinstein, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

Credits: Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Jonathan Goldsbie (News Editor), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Further reading:

• Moral Courage: 19 Profiles of Investigative Journalists by Anthony Feinstein
• Shooting War by Anthony Feinstein
• In the face of moral challenges, journalists need help

Sponsors: Communauto Squarespace Oxio

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all 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. Support Canadaland at canadaland.com/join

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

À la suite de son mandat de députée de Québec solidaire à l'Assemblée nationale de 2018 à 2022, Catherine Dorion s'est lancée dans l'écriture d'un livre. Paru le 13 novembre dernier, Les têtes brûlées : Carnets d'espoir punk raconte l'attention médiatique qui a entouré Catherine durant son mandat. L’ex-députée se joint à Émilie, qui a elle aussi grandi dans la région de Québec, pour réfléchir à l'influence des médias – en particulier de la radio-poubelle – non seulement sur la politique provinciale, mais aussi sur la vie quotidienne de divers groupes marginalisés. Un échange sincère entre deux femmes de Québec qui dérangent.

Following her mandate as a Québec solidaire Member of National Assembly from 2018 to 2022, Catherine Dorion set out to write a book. Released on November 13, Les têtes brûlées : Carnets d'espoir punk recounts the media attention that surrounded Catherine during her mandate. Catherine joins Emilie, who also grew up in the Quebec City region, to reflect on the influence of the media – and more specifically of trash-radio – not only on provincial politics but also on the everyday lives of various marginalized groups. A heartfelt exchange between two Québec City women who disrupt the status quo.

Animation: Emilie Nicolas

Générique: Nancy Pettinicchio (Production), Tristan Capacchione (Production technique), Karyn Pugliese (Rédactrice en chef)

Coanimation: Catherine Dorion

Pour en savoir plus :

• Les têtes brûlées : Carnets d’espoirs punk – Lux Éditeurs
• Attentat dans une mosquée au Québec 2017 : « Il est temps de faire un examen de conscience » – Radio-Canada
• Radio-poubelle : « une radio de combat pour la classe dirigeante » – Pivot

Si vous appréciez ce podcast, soutenez-nous ! Vous obtiendrez un accès en prime à toutes nos émissions gratuitement, y compris les premières diffusions et le contenu bonus. Vous recevrez également notre lettre d'information exclusive, des rabais sur les produits dans notre boutique, des billets pour nos événements en direct et virtuels, et surtout, vous ferez partie de la solution à la crise du journalisme au Canada. Vous ferez en sorte que notre travail reste gratuit et accessible à tout le monde.  

Vous pouvez écouter sans publicité sur Amazon Music, inclus avec Prime.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support us! You'll get bonus access to all of our shows for free, including early releases and bonus content. You'll also receive our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch in our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and most importantly, you'll be part of the solution to the journalism crisis in Canada. You'll help keep our work free and accessible to everyone.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime.

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

David Suzuki spent decades of his life sounding the alarm about environmental destruction, as host of the CBC TV show The Nature of Things and other radio programs. When he looks at the world today, he’s frustrated. “We haven’t done a goddamn thing about the issues being raised,” he tells Jesse.

He also talks about the failures of Capitalism, the people who have tried to take him down, and his concerns with the state of discourse today.

This conversation was recorded in September, 2023

Sponsors: Douglas, Communauto

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.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

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

CBC makes huge cuts - with plans to eliminate 600 positions. Is it time for a good hard look in the mirror to figure out what its future could look like? And Pierre Poilievre turns to documentary film to explain the housing crisis. 

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Paul Wells

Further reading: 

• CBC/Radio-Canada to cut 10 per cent of workforce, end some programming as it faces $125M budget shortfall - CBC News
• EMERGENCY EPISODE: Catherine Tait Makes Her Case for the CBC - The Paul Wells Show
• Court dismisses CBC copyright infringement lawsuit against Conservative Party - CBC News
• Canada Proud sues Dean Blundell for defamation - Toronto Star
• Housing hell: How we got here and how we get out. 
• With one video, Pierre Poilievre has taken control of the housing debate - The Globe and Mail
• Justin Trudeau: An economy that benefits us all

Sponsors: oxio, Article, Athletic Greens, Calm

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.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Free Canada-wide shipping on our store until December 11th!

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