CANADALAND

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:

• For Canada, the march of the killer robots is getting hard to avoid | The Logic
• Judge temporarily blocks Pentagon's blacklist of AI company Anthropic | CBC News
• At Canada’s biggest weapons show, the soldiers were the target | Globe and Mail
• Canada’s largest arms expo drawing record turnout as Ottawa boosts defence spending

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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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: 

• 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'antisémitisme [YouTube] 
• Opinion: Mark Carney, antisemitism is not a public relations problem | National Post 
• NP View: What Jewish Canadians need to hear from Mark Carney 
• The United States Should Offer Asylum to Canadian Jews - Flashpoints & Frontlines [Substack] 
• Opinion | The Star tried something with AI it had never done before. Then, we pumped the brakes. Here's why - Toronto Star
• China’s top diplomat says Canada ties ‘fully restored’ - The Hindu  

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. 

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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 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: Robert Diab

Background reading:

• The Lawful Access Two-Headed Surveillance Monster: How Bill C-22 Went Off the Rails – Michael Geist
• Lawful access bill could lead to exit from Canada, major VPN provider says - National – Global News
• Why the U.S. is noticing this Canadian security bill – CBC News
• Signal warns it would pull out of Canada if made to comply with lawful access bill – The Globe and Mail
• Meta joins Apple in opposing Canada’s digital wiretapping bill – The Logic
• Facing mounting backlash, Anandasangaree says U.S. tech companies are 'misinterpreting' his lawful access bill – CBC 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.

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We're going to be in Halifax on June 18th! Come see Canadaland Politics LIVE at the Halifax Convention Centre: Noor will be interviewing Nova Scotian politician Becky Druhan, and we'll be breaking the tension with comedian Clare Belford (This Hour Has 22 Minutes). For more information about our live show and to RSVP, head over to canadaland.com/live

Did you know we have a monthly supporter exclusive show?

Off The Record is our monthly call-in show, and last Thursday y’all called to chat with host Sam Konnert about your favourite story.

That episode comes out this Thursday, June 4th 2026! 

If you want to hear it (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!

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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 complex subjects with informed guests in front of a live audience.

Host: Stephen Marche

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

Photo: U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada

Sponsors: 

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

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.

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

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.

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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 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: Rahim Mohamed

Further reading: 

• Carney calls Smith's Alberta referendum question a 'dangerous bluff' | CBC News
• Danielle Smith tries to blame 700,000 illusory Albertans for her separatism gambit - The Globe and Mail
• Alberta Separation: Three-in-five say they’d vote in October to stay, but half say the question is “confusing” - Angus Reid Institute
• Dispatch from the Front Lines: Canada ain't perfect, but we still stand for it
• B.C. Conservative leadership hopeful Findlay flees own press conference | Chilliwack Progress
• Audio Journalism Fellowship 2026 — CanadaLabs  

Sponsors:

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.

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!  It’s our biggest sale of the year! Save 80% on a Canadaland subscription and become a supporter for only $2/month. You’ll get all of our podcasts ad-free, free access to our live events, and much, much more. What are you waiting for? Go to canadaland.com/join

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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.

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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 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: Rahim Mohamed

Further 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 | CNN
• I was Canada’s ambassador to Israel. Its reaction to the flotilla is undermining its own case - Toronto Star
• Sask. separatists buoyed by Alberta referendum plan | CBC News 
• The Online Streaming Act Bill Comes Due: Why the CRTC’s Latest Ruling Guarantees Years of Trade and Legal Battles - Michael Geist 

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!  It’s our biggest sale of the year! Save 80% on a Canadaland subscription and become a supporter for only $2/month. You’ll get all of our podcasts ad-free, free access to our live events, and much, much more. What are you waiting for? Go to canadaland.com/join

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