Canadaland

In 2015, award-winning author and (former) UBC professor Steven Galloway became the target of a social media storm after an allegation was leveled that he had sexually assaulted a student. An allegation, Galloway has denied ever since.But at the time, a number of both staff and students at UBC came out publicly in support of the accuser. In turn, Galloway sued them for defamation. Defendants include 20 people who tweeted, commented, or spoke about the allegations. In one case, the individual being sued simply reviewed an art show, and never even printed Galloway's name.Many of these defendants said this defamation suit is meant to silence sexual assault survivors, so they filed a SLAPP suit in response. Some were dismissed by a judge, others weren't. And which were and which weren't leads to all kinds of questions about how the legal process deals with sexual assault allegations. Meanwhile, Galloway says the SLAPP suit has delayed his ability to clear his name by years.Is this case a path to justice for

Short Cuts is off this week, so instead we bring you our latest episode of the best politics show in Canada, The Backbench. As nations around the world cut off business with Russia, can Canada help fill the international demand for oil and gas? More importantly, should we? And the pandemic caused unprecedented government spending, as well as shifting priorities on everything from work to healthcare. How will that all play out in the upcoming budget?This week's contributors: Jason Markusoff, Caroline Elliott, Murad Hemmadi Further reading:Shannon Proudfoot's Maclean's profile of Pierre PollievreAnd the accompanying Q&ASponsors: Rotman, Squarespace, Policy Me, Skipper OttoSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So many journalists would look down their noses and sneer at the likes of BlogTO, Narcity, MTL Blog or any of the similar media companies that have populated the Canadian landscape over the last decade. But while companies that pride themselves on hard news are struggling to find a funding model that works, BlogTO just sold for $15 million.  Featured in this episode: Tim Shore, Founder of BlogTOFurther reading:ZoomerMedia announces acquisition of blogTO, Yahoo FinanceFreshdaily Lays Off Entire Editorial Staff Two Weeks After Launching, CANADALANDWe want to know more about the people who listen to this show, so we can make the content you want to hear about! Fill out the survey to help us do just that.Support Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinSponsors: OXIO, Skipper Otto, Manscaped, ArticleSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canadian MPs wax poetic about how President Zelensky inspires them… but is that really going to change anything? And how defamation lawsuits help cover up the truth and keep journalists silent. Jan Wong co-hosts.  Links:CBC Reporter Travis Dhanraj's video asking a question to Chrystia Freeland and Melanie JolyPresident Zelensky's address to Canadian ParliamentPrime Minister Trudeau's promo videoCBC piece re: Manifesting a houseGlobe & Mail opinion piece by Doug Saunders Sponsors: PolicyMe, Skipper Otto, Freshbooks, SquarespaceSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Polley has come forward with memories of a violent sexual encounter with Jian Ghomeshi when she was 16. But why is the press tongue-tied about describing the alleged violence? Sarah sits down with Jesse to discuss how to safely run towards danger, and whether it's even possible to ethically use child labour in the production of TV and film.Further reading:Run Towards the Danger, Sarah PolleySarah Polley Is OK With Oversharing, New York TimesSarah Polley breaks silence about traumatic encounter with Jian Ghomeshi, CBC RadioFor Reference: The Adventures of Baron MunchausenSupport Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinTake our survey: canadaland.com/surveySponsors: Rotman, oxio, HelloFresh Additional Music is by Audio Network.Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Brown has had his name cleared - according to an anonymous source. And the media loves a good war story. Karen Geier co-hosts. Links:CTV News piece re: Patrick Brown with updateNational Post piece re: Patrick BrownNational Post piece re: GiveSendGo and Freedom Convoy fundraisingHaaretz piece re: Stephen BanderaCBC piece re: Chrystia Freeland holding black-and-red scarfLe Devoir piece re: Serhii FilimonovSponsors: CFUV, Squarespace, Freshbooks, Skipper Otto, ManscapedSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canadaland doesn't have a foreign bureau, so we can't bring you the latest on the ground conflict in Ukraine. What we can do is show you another side of the conflict that has deeply influenced this ground invasion: the information war.  This week, we take a deep-dive into the inner workings of Russia's information chaos machine and how its use in Ukraine laid the groundwork for what was to come in other countries, including - you guessed it: Canada. We also get a first-hand look at how the information war has led to the rise of cyber sleuths, like our friend James. (Not his real name.) Featured in this episode: Alya Shandra, editor-in-chief of Euromaidan Press, Douglas Selvage, a senior research fellow at the Institute for History, Humboldt University (Berlin); Aaron Erlich, assistant professor at McGill University.Further reading:Top Russian news host takes aim at Ukrainian Canadians, CBC NewsFalse Claims of U.S. Biowarfare Labs in Ukraine Grip QAnon, Justin Ling, Foreign P

Why do stories coming out of Ukraine feel different from other wartime coverage? And we look at the uneven media treatment of those who are impacted by war. Our French-language correspondent Emilie Nicolas and senior producer Sarah Lawrynuik co-host in Jesse's absence.Links: Sarah's recent piece in the Winnipeg Free PressEmilie's recent piece in Le DevoirDavide Mastracci writes in Passage about a glaring omission by the mediaSponsors: OXIO, RotmanSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long before Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly stepped down amidst criticism that the force had failed to stop the convoy occupation, there was trouble brewing within the Ottawa Police Service.Officer misconduct, sexual harassment, abuse, and violent behaviour, has been a pattern within the OPS for years. Dan Donovan, publisher of Ottawa Life magazine, knows these cases well, and he's currently being sued by Sloly himself, for publishing an article titled 'Rapes and lies—the cancerous misconduct at the Ottawa Police Service'.Donovan sat down with reporter Cherise Seucharan to discuss the case, as well as recently a leaked video of Sloly being questioned about his conduct when he was a staff inspector with the Toronto Police Service.Featured in this episode: Dan Donovan, Publisher & Managing Editor of Ottawa Life magazineFurther reading:Ottawa Life Magazine stands by its scathing portrait of Ottawa police: court filings, Gary Dimmock, Ottawa CitizenOttawa police officer convicted of assault, then charged

Overcorrecting an overstatement creates confusion; how nice were the police in Ottawa really? And the emergency is over! Though the media seemed to suggest there wasn't really one anyways. Managing Editor at Ottawa Lookout Robert Hiltz co-hosts.Links:NYT's generalizations about Canada can be found here Robert duly noted this piece in Passage Sponsors: PolicyMe, Squarespace, Dispatch CoffeeSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a lot of chaos and division in Canada right now. Beyond the people who got arrested in Ottawa over the past few days, there are thousands more Canadians who have financially supported the Freedom Convoy or been rooting for them from afar.In this episode, the CANADALAND team reaches out to regular everyday people who support the Convoy to ask about who they are, how they ended up supporting the Convoy and what they think about the racist and dangerous aspects of the movement. This is not a scientific survey, we did not do a poll. These three people are not necessarily representative of everybody else who supports this movement, but we've got to start somewhere.Further reading:Ottawa police arrest 170 amid push to clear convoy blockade, Global News(Feb. 19)Who is who? A guide to the major players in the trucker convoy protest, CTV News'So many angry people': Experts say online conversation around trucker convoy veering into dangerous territory, CTV NewsMaking sense of the flags and symbols at

The kinder, gentler Emergencies Act should not be underestimated. And framing the convoy as foreign-funded and US-inspired does more harm than good. Writer Nora Loreto co-hosts.UPDATE: An earlier version of this episode included a partial comment without proper context. The comment has been removed.Links:Nora's piece in Passage that she took heat forJimmy Thomson's tweetsSponsors: PolicyMe, Article, SquarespaceSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is bursting your love bubble by digging into the dark side of love. You'll hear four personal stories that show, with increasing intensity, just how broken Canada's divorce system is. People who were held hostage for years by a slow-moving process that sent them hurdling into debt. And beyond that, we rarely talk about divorce as a life or death situation, but it certainly can be. Senior producer Sarah Lawrynuik brings you this one.For people who are living with family violence, don't struggle alone. Here is a list of resources available to you in your area. Or the Assaulted Women's Helpline is 1-866-863-0511.Further reading:What a 4-year-old's death says about Ontario's strained family courts, Toronto StarDivorce in the rich world is getting less nasty, The EconomistBroken marriages becoming pandemic's other toll, CBC NewsCalls for a unified family court system and further changes to Canada's Divorce Act, CTV NewsThe Family Law System in Canada is "Broken" says veteran

Angry, bias-confirming echo chambers seem evident this week when it comes to the Freedom Convoy. And "a Toronto star at the Toronto Star" dies this week and Jesse dares to speak ill—or at least some truth—of the dead. Maclean's senior writer Paul Wells co-hosts. Links:Richard Martineau's piece in Le Journal de MontréalNews editor Jonathan Goldsbie's tweet re: Faith Goldy's face during the land acknowledgementSponsors: Squarespace, Policy MeSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CANADALAND has spent a lot of time in Thunder Bay exploring the deep-rooted racism in the city and the stories of Indigenous people who live there, not to mention the stories of the Indigenous people who have died there. In 2018, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director released the Broken Trust report, concluding that Thunder Bay's police service was a home for systemic racism. The civilian oversight board and the police force executive leadership was cleared and new people were brought in. But the outcome of the staffing changes and all the reports - at least to this point - is not a success story. The cycle of denial has continued.This story is reported by Thunder Bay-based journalist and producer on the Thunder Bay series, Jon Thompson.Further reading:Thunder Bay police board member details Ontario human rights complaint, calls for new leadership, CBC NewsThunder Bay Police Service on the ‘brink of collapse' says board member, APTNThunder Bay deputy police chief suspended pendin

The media may have missed the Freedom Convoy plot yet again. And as several Canadian artists pull their music from the platform, Spotify wades into publisher territory as they work towards content advisories for select podcasts. National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino co-hosts.UPDATE: This episode says there's been a vacuum of information on Canadian truckers stuck at the Alberta-Montana border at Coutts, AB. Since recording this episode, journalists have reported that one lane has opened in each direction.UPDATE 2 (Feb 9, 2022): In this episode, Jesse referenced a clip where a protester asked another attendee whether they were a white supremacist to which they responded yes. Jesse says that this was the moment the first protester was made aware that they were among extremists and he hoped they would up and leave. Since publishing, it has been brought to our attention that the person who said they were a white supremacist was likely a person of colour and they may have been joking. Sponsors: Rot

It's a story about deception, coverups, and some say, about murder. This is a story about Groundhog Day. The true story of Wiarton Willie.CANADALAND Editor Jonathan Goldsbie digs into the shell game of dead groundhogs that spans decades. Featured in this episode: Liam Casey, a reporter/editor in the Ontario bureau for the Canadian Press; Frank Gunn, a national photographer for the Canadian PressFurther reading:Yet another Wiarton Willie is dead. Here's a look at the strange history behind the beloved groundhog, Liam Casey, Canadian Press/CBCThe legend of Wiarton Willie lives on (2011), Toronto StarFrank Gunn's photo of 1999 Wiarton Willie funeral, Canadian Press/Toronto StarSupport Canadaland at canadaland.com/joinSponsors: Zensurance, Article, FreshbooksAdditional Music is by Audio NetworkSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many anti-vax trucker convoys were there?! And people are making the case to break up the CBC again.Canadaland contributing editor Danielle Paradis cohosts. Further reading & links:GoFundMe actually froze money for the convoy's campaignTom Hooper's investigation into Pride Toronto and the misuse of money from the federal governmentThe Narwhal's story on the maple syrup meltdownSponsors: Zensurance, Squarespace, Freshbooks, RotmanSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada has a nuclear problem... a nuclear waste problem. Since the dawn of nuclear power technology, solutions to waste have all been remarkably temporary given the longevity of the danger the material presents. For decades, the hunt for a solution has spanned across provinces — even across countries. But the hope is that by 2023 Canada will have found a home - and permanent solution - for all of the country's nuclear waste.This endeavor is pitting neighbour against neighbour — community against community. And the stakes are high for the future of the nuclear industry.CANADALAND senior producer Sarah Lawrynuik ventures to Northwestern Ontario to bring you this story.Further reading:Small northwestern Ontario town considers if it's willing to house nuclear waste from across Canada, CBC NewsHolding in the deep: What Canada wants to do with its decades-old pileup of nuclear waste, The NarwhalNuclear's Role in Canada's Low-Carbon Future?, Energy vs Climate podcast30,000 shipment

The hunger for stories about Toronto's snow backfires. And when a story is about a hostage situation at a synagogue, why is there reluctance to call it antisemitism?Canadaland contributing editor Danielle Paradis co-hosts.Links: A tribute to CBC Edmonton's radio host Adrienne PanCBC's piece on Texas Synagogue HostagesSponsors: Zensurance, Hot Docs Podcast Festival, Freshbooks, SquarespaceSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.