COMMONS

Canadians are being squeezed at every end. When it comes to cell phone bills, grocery bills, housing, entertainment, we’re all paying more than ever before.

But a small number of companies that dominate their industries are reaping in enormous profits.

This season of COMMONS we’ll be digging into all of the monopolies, oligopolies and cartels that dominate our lives. And for our first stop, we head to the supermarket.

Featured in this episode: Vass Bednar, Marco Chown Oved (Toronto Star)

To learn more

“Supermarkets are hiking prices faster than necessary — and profiting from inflation, Star investigation suggests” by Marco Chown Oved in the Toronto Star

Regs to Riches by Vass Bednar 

“Canada’s competition watchdog to investigate grocery industry in wake of soaring food prices” by Ghada Alsharif in the Toronto Star

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Associate Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator)

Additional music from Audio Network

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From broadband to banking to blueberries (yes, even blueberries), life in Canada is ruled by monopolies. In the latest season of COMMONS, host Arshy Mann and producers Jordan Cornish and Noor Azrieh will bring you the stories of how these monopolists bullied their way to the top, strangled their rivals, and cornered their markets with help from the government.

Our new season launches on November 9th.

If you’re a Canadaland supporter, you can listen to the first episode now! Become a supporter at canadaland.com/join 

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Meet David Wallace, political fixer. After decades in the game he says he’s getting out, telling all, and dumping his files in public. The result is the viral "Klondike Papers" theory of conspiracies, conservatives, and cults. But are the allegations true? And why is he really implicating himself, and so many others? A wild, true story.

Series launches October 31st.

Subscribe now (link).

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Afghanistan has endured more than four decades of almost ceaseless war. But since the Taliban takeover, Afghans have been abandoned by the global community and are now facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

What was all of this for? And is Afghanistan destined for yet another cycle of violence?

Featured in this episode: Rangina Hamidi, Mohsin Amin, Stephen M. Saideman

To learn more:

“Americans nurtured Afghanistan’s economy. Now they’re gutting it” by Mohsin Amin in The Washington Post

Adapting in the Dust: Lessons Learned from Canada's War in Afghanistan by Stephen M. Saideman

‘No Father Wants to Sell His Son’s Kidney.’ Afghans Pushed to Desperate Measures to Survive” by Sune Engel Rasmussen in The Wall Street Journal

“Hope and despair: Kathy Gannon on 35 years in Afghanistan” by Kathy Gannon in The Associated Press

“Taliban Splits Emerge Over Religion, Power and Girls’ Schools” by Sune Engel Rasmussen & Margherita Stancati in The Wall Street Journal

Additional music from Audio Network

This episode is brought to you by Douglas, Oxio, Calm

If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.

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Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuart Langridge was a model soldier. But when he returned from a tour in Afghanistan, his family noticed that something was off. 

He was suffering from PTSD. But instead of providing him the treatment he needed, Stuart was punished and humiliated by the Canadian Forces. 

Like too many Afghan veterans, Stuart ended up taking his own life. And when his parents began to ask questions about what had happened to their son, the Canadian military went to war against them.

Featured in this episode: Sheila Fynes, Shaun Fynes, David Pugliese (The Ottawa Citizen), Steven Staples, Bruce Moncur, Sean Teal

To learn more:

“The Canadian military’s war against a soldier’s family” by David Pugliese in The Ottawa Citizen

“Former soldier who lost part of his brain for Canada says sacrifice being demeaned” by Ryan Maloney in HuffPost Canada

“Veterans with PTSD should have MedicAlert IDs, says Afghanistan vet” by Stephen J. Thorne in Legion Magazine

“The Unremembered” by Renata D’Aliesio, Les Perreaux and Allan Maki in The Globe and Mail

Additional music from Audio Network

This episode is brought to you by Douglas, Oxio, Calm

If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.

https:/apple.co/3wjxaRW

Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

The Afghan Detainee scandal became the defining story of Canada's war in Kandahar. It exposed Canada's complicity and direct involvement in war crimes. And it helped fuel the insurgency that eventually brought down the Afghan government.

Despite repeated denials by senior government and military officials, there's evidence that many Canadians knew they were sending Afghans to be tortured.

So why did so few people do anything to stop it? And what role did Harjit Sajjan, Trudeau's first Minister of Defence, play in ensuring that the full story will never come out?

Featured in this episode: Ahmad Malgarai, Amir Attaran, Sharif Sharaf, Craig Scott, Harjit Sajjan

To learn more:

“From Canadian custody into cruel hands” by Graeme Smith in The Globe and Mail

“Canada defended Afghan 'human-rights abuser,' memos allege” by Murray Brewster in The Canadian Press

“Ethics commissioner acknowledges Sajjan downplayed his role and knowledge of Afghan detainee issue” by David Pugliese in The Ottawa CItizen

The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan by Graeme Smith 

Additional music from Audio Network

This episode is brought to you by Oxio, Images Festival, HelloFresh, Calm

If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.

https:/apple.co/3wjxaRW

Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

During the Afghan War, it was clear who the enemy was. The Taliban were a group of religious zealots who harboured terrorists, killed with fervour and enslaved women.

But then why did so many Afghans join with the Taliban during the years that Canada was fighting in Kandahar? 

And if the Taliban were our enemies, who exactly were our friends and allies? In many cases, they were torturers, rapists and murderers themselves.

Featured in this episode: Rangina Hamidi, Matthieu Aikins, Ahmad Malgarai, Bruce Moncur, David Pugliese (Ottawa Citizen)

To learn more:

“Our Man in Kandahar” by Matthieu Aikins in The Atlantic

“House of Pain: Canada's connection with Kandahar's ruthless palace guard” by Graeme Smith in The Globe and Mail

The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan by Graeme Smith 

“Today We Shall All Die” Afghanistan's Strongmen and the Legacy of Impunity by Human Rights Watch

Additional music from Audio Network

This episode is brought to you by Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders, HelloFresh

If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.

https:/apple.co/3wjxaRW

Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Operation Medusa has become the most celebrated battle in recent Canadian history. It was hailed as a stroke of military genius that may have vanquished the Taliban once and for all. 

But the soldiers and commanders on the ground have a different story to tell. A rushed battle. Flawed intelligence. And generals putting political considerations ahead of Canadian lives. 

And even though Canada had defeated the Taliban on the battlefield, that didn't mean they were winning the war.

Featured in this episode: Sean Teal, Bruce Moncur, Omer Lavoie, Adnan R. Khan, Eugene Lang

To learn more:

“Operation Medusa: The Battle For Panjwai” by Adam Day in Legion Magazine

“Afghanistan veteran recounts brutal battle” by Stephen J. Thorne in Legion Magazine

“It's time for a hard look at Operation Medusa” by Adnan R. Khan in Maclean's

The Unexpected War: Canada In Kandahar by Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang

Additional music from Audio Network

This episode is brought to you by Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders, HelloFresh, Skipper Otto

If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.

https:/apple.co/3wjxaRW

Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Bill Wilson and Chris Kopp were two of the first Canadian soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.

One night in April 2002, they were at a training exercise at Tarnak Farms, Osama Bin Laden's old hideout outside of Kandahar.

All of a sudden, they see a blast, and chaos surrounds them. What happens next would change their lives — and the Canadian military — forever.

Featured in this episode: Chris Kopp, Bill Wilson, Michael Friscolanti, Eugene Lang

To learn more:

Friendly Fire by Michael Friscolanti

“Lest we forget: Each year, three Canadian medics who served in Afghanistan take stock of their war” by Ted Barris in Zoomer

Additional music from Audio Network

This episode is brought to you by Rotman's Risk Management Program, Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders

If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.

Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

In the days after 9/11, Canada joined in the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Right away, it became painfully obvious that we didn't understand the country, its people, or its history.

That would have profound consequences. 

Within months, Canadian special forces were participating in secret operations at the behest of some of the most sinister men in the country.

Our actions in the early days of the war would go on to endanger the lives of Afghans and Canadian soldiers alike in the years to come. 

Featured in this episode: Murwarid Ziayee, Mohsin Amin, Arthur Kent, David Pugliese (Ottawa Citizen)

To learn more:

No Good Men Among the Living by Anand Gopal

Return To Afghanistan by Arthur Kent

“Eyes Wide Shut: The Government's Guilty Secrets in Afghanistan” by Jon Stephenson in Metro Magazine

Additional music from Audio Network

This episode is brought to you by Rotman's Risk Management Program, Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders

If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.

https:/apple.co/3wjxaRW

Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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