In this conversation-packed episode, we ask two Canadian leaders, Cameron Bailey in the arts and Naheed Nenshi in politics, to share thoughts on the experience of being a visible minority in a high-profile position.

On this, the first episode of Colour Code, we try to figure out Indian Status: who gets it, what it means, where it came from and how it resonates in Canada and indigenous communities today.

We talk to: Stephanie Pangowish, a comedian with the indigenous troupe Manifest Destiny’s Child, Michael Etherington, cultural program manager of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, and Damien Lee, who grew up on the Fort William First Nation outside of Thunder Bay, Ont.

Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s new podcast series about race in Canada. For hosts Denise Balkissoon and Hannah Sung, it’s first things first: What is race? And why do we need this conversation right now?