Canadaland

Wealthsimple just launched its new betting platform, but for now, Canadians can only bet on the economy, financial markets, and the weather.So what happens when we start betting on politics?Host Sam Konnert talks to Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Katherine Long about the wild world of Polymarket and Kalshi, the scandals that have followed them in the US, and what Canada can learn before prediction markets inevitably expand.Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), imogen sayers (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Katherine LongPhoto: Rafael Minguet DelgadoAdditional music by Audio NetworkBackground reading:#1338 Reality is a Casino as Prediction Markets Enter CanadaLawmakers Call for Federal Probe of Polymarket Over Deceptive Advertising – The Wall Street JournalWe Investigated Polymarket’s Deceptive Marketing Campaign. Here’s What We F

They’re shamed, banned, or driven underground but “repugnant markets” have a way of surviving. Organ sales, MAID, even blood sales fall into the category. Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth comes to Canadaland to discuss his latest book, Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal about How Markets Work.Further Reading:The Nobel Prize - Alvin E. RothCan economics save lives? -  Alvin E. RothRepugnance as a Constraint on Markets - Alvin E. RothA Conversation with Alvin Roth - The ConversationKidney Paired Donation Program - Canadian Blood ServicesHost: Gemma BoothroydCredits: Gemma Boothroyd (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)Fact Checking by: Julian AbrahamAdditional Music by: Audio NetworkPhoto: Linda A. Cicero, Stanford UniversitySponsors: Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at http

Last Wednesday, Foreign Policy CAN tweeted that "Canada condemns the ongoing violence in the West Bank..." So later that day, the Embassy of Israel in Canada responded with "Israel condemns the ongoing violence against Jews in Canada..." Which begs the question, just what exactly is Canada’s social media strategy? Does it even have one? It also got us thinking about the responsibility both the government and the media have when it comes to discussing Israel, and how the hyperfocus on one country impacts the safety of Canadian Jews.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jen GersonAdditional music by Audio NetworkFurther reading: https://x.com/CanadaFP/status/2082478897514389914https://x.com/IsraelinCanada/status/2082538835930669094https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2082554515962651030Opinion | It's time Canada cut diplomat

Last year, we published an episode about all the tape that didn’t make it into one of our shows. Today is different… but similar. Here are three interviews we did that just never made it to air. And we’ll tell you why they never made it to air.Next month on Off The Record we are back to our call-in show format. On Thursday August 27, 2026 we will be taking your calls on a new question.Seasonal news hooks are really common in the news business, they’re practical, easy to plan for, and most people need them. So we wanted to flip that a bit for the back to school season.What do you wish you had known when starting school or what’s a piece of advice you would give to someone starting school. That can be Kindergarten, Middle school, High school, CEGEP, university, anything.The call-in period will be Thursday, August 27th, 4:30-6:30 PM ET. When the time comes, head over to https://callinstudio.com/show/canadaland. You can also dial in at 1-888-401-7056.Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer, Senior

Seven years in, we're looking at what might just be the longest and most involved media defamation trial in Canadian history: former Alberta United Conservative Party candidate Caylan Ford is suing PressProgress, the CBC, Toronto Star and several others, for $7.65 million. She says that they wrongly portrayed her as a white supremacist, they say that they were only quoting her… Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Jen GersonPhotoFurther reading: Caylan Ford Statement of ClaimPressProgress Statement of ClaimDefend Canadian Journalism - Broadbent Institute Defend Canadian Journalism - PressProgress Litigation — Caylan FordSupport PressProgress - Defend Canadian JournalismCaylan Ford speaks out: Former UCP candidate reveals why she was “cancelled” | Keean Bexte Resisting the mob (feat. Caylan Ford) When the Mob CameAlberta Needs Anti-SLA

Stories about The Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex just won’t die. Lumber barons, dead brides, Trudeau’s secret pool, nacho machines, you name it.But now, the Prime Minister’s crumbling, rat-infested, maybe haunted official residence is getting a re-vamp.  Carney just launched a fifty-million-dollar national campaign to actually fix the place. What is he planning? And what does it say about Canadians that we’d rather crowdfund a roof than just pay for one?Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Background reading:More than 2,000 Canadians have donated toward restoration of 24 Sussex Drive - CBC NewsScrap 24 Sussex Drive. Canada Can Do Better - The WalrusSponsors: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattr

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is a Palestinian-American writer who grew up in Gaza City. When he was eleven years-old he survived an Israeli airstrike that killed two of his friends and left him with permanent hearing loss in one ear. He travelled to the United States as a teenage exchange student in 2005 and later received political asylum after Hamas took over in Gaza. He now leads Realign for Palestine, a project advocating for what he calls, "a radically pragmatic approach to peace.”Today he talks to Canadaland about Hamas, Israel, the international response to the war in Gaza, and how his views on war and possible peace have turned him into a target from almost every direction.Host: Archie MatlowCredits: Caleb Thompson (Mixing & Mastering), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)Additional music by Audio NetworkFact checking by Julian AbrahamMore information:Realign For PalestineAtlantic CouncilHamas and It’s Two Million Hostages

San Grewal and Rahim Mohamed discuss Robyn Urback's opinion piece in the Globe and Mail, titled, “Like a bad ex, Donald Trump is accidentally making Canada become its best self”. Indeed, national pride seems to be at an all-time high, but is it warranted? After all, hate crimes are on the rise, two Jewish bakeries were vandalized last weekend, and a group of white supremacists just threw a "family-friendly festival” called Bigotfest in North Bay. Host: San Grewal Credits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Rahim MohamedFurther reading: Like a bad ex, Donald Trump is accidentally making Canada become its best self - The Globe and MailHuman rights group warns of 'Bigotfest' event in North Bay2025 Hate Crime Report shows drop in reported incidents last year, as the Service addressed Prevention, Reporting, and OutreachFour extremist plots

After the Premier's meeting in PEI last week hosts San Grewal and Rahim Mohamed look at who got the media's attention, who didn't, and what strategies Premiers are using to capture the nation's interest.Host: San Grewal Credits: Andrea Varsany (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Rahim MohamedAdditional music by Audio NetworkFurther reading: A test for Team Canada - POLITICOPremiers’ Performance: Eby, Smith, and Ford each tumble to new lows approval - Angus Reid InstitutePrime Minister Carney delivers remarks following the First Ministers’ MeetingFirst Ministers’ Joint StatementCanadian premiers eye energy as weapon against U.S. tariffs. But Quebec has another planSmith touts Alberta diplomacy in finding U.S. ‘advocates’ to help hold off Trump trade warDoug Ford says Ontario has ‘most to lose’ as premiers await Carney’s tariff planCanadian premiers eye ene

Canada's relationship with Donald Trump feels like it's one big, messy, public fight. Meanwhile, Mexico seems... strangely calm. Has President Claudia Sheinbaum figured out how to deal with Trump in a way we haven’t? Host Noor Azrieh talks to journalist David Agren, who has covered Mexico for more than two decades, about Trump's latest tariff threats, the CUSMA negotiations, and whether there's actually something Canada can learn from Mexico, or whether the story is a lot more complicated than we think.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: David AgrenBackground reading:How Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum won over Trump – Los Angeles TimesSheinbaum takes on cartels, Trump and the legacy of 1968 – Al JazeeraThe Mexican President Who’s Facing Off with Trump – The New YorkerSepar

Is the American empire officially in its "dying animal" era? Author and cultural critic Stephen Marche certainly thinks so and for the first time in his career, he’s feeling downright optimistic. In Stephen's view, the collapse of U.S. global dominance isn't a tragedy for Canada; it's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ditch our toxic relationship with American markets, invest in our own sovereignty, and reinvent ourselves on the world stage. Host Jesse Brown isn't quite ready to pop the champagne. Armed with a weak Canadian dollar, decaying public infrastructure, and the words of Leonard Cohen, Jesse steps into the ring to challenge Stephen’s sunny outlook.Will global chaos force Canada to finally thrive on its own, or are we forever tethered to a dying beast?Further Reading:Gloves Off Podcast - Stephen MarcheThe Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future — Stephen MarcheTrump's new 50% tariffs to hit even CUSMA-compliant goods — CBCDo you believe in the Old Canada, or the New Canada?  

Decoding Carney’s climate pivot. Despite the headlines about pipelines and Carney’s offer to double oil exports to the US, Canada’s future as an energy superpower may still be clean and green. Max Fawcett joins to explain why Carney is distancing himself from Trudeau’s climate policies, while laying the groundwork for Canada’s energy transition.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Max FawcettFurther reading: Canada has been sold a false promise of being an ‘energy superpower’ - The Globe and MailCarney says Trudeau-era climate plan was 'too expensive' and 'divisive' | CBC NewsCarney defends new pipeline in face of questions over wildfires, climate - National PostMajority of Canadians support both pipelines, but Alberta-B.C. project is favoured: poll - National PostLe gouvernement Carney dépense 4 M$ pour des p

After threatening to tariff Canada in response to wildfire smoke crossing the border, Trump announces 50% tariffs on a long list of products, ostensibly in response to Canada’s "discriminatory" trade practices.Trump says these aren’t the wildfire tariffs, but are they the wildfires tariffs?Meanwhile, will Canada finally get serious about wildfires as a result of Trump’s absurd threats?Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Max FawcettFurther reading: Trump retaliates against U.S. booze ban, dairy with 50% tariffs on Canadian goods - CTV NewsWhy Trump is threatening new 50% tariffs on Canadian exports right now | CBC News As wildfires burn across Canada, Ford government faces growing criticism over province’s response - The Globe and MailCanada Is Primed to Burn. Why Aren’t We Ready? | The Walrus Minister says no

Unsealed U.S. indictments allege that India-based organized crime networks orchestrated political assassinations, extortion schemes, and large-scale drug trafficking across North America and Europe. And according to prosecutors, Canada wasn't just another country caught in the crossfire. It was both a target for extortion and a hub for cross-border operations.Host Noor Azrieh asks Punjab-based journalist and author Jupinderjit Singh: who and what, exactly, are we dealing with? Plus a conversation with Sikhs for Justice organizer Inderjeet Gosal, who says he’s got a bounty on his head.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), T ony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Jupinderjit Singh, Inderjeet GosalBackground reading:International Crackdown on India-Based Organized Crime Gangs Results in 24 Arrests in U.S., Canada, an

Kevin O'Leary is not just a rich Canadian businessman — he's a phenomenon. He's a media phenomenon both here in Canada and in the US. And he's known for one thing: being an asshole. But is he really an asshole? Is it just a schtick? A character? A clown that he plays on TV to entertain us all? Or is it all sincere? Does he mean all of the stuff he says? And if he does mean it, why should we believe anything he says? Is he actually an expert? In life, in business, in politics? We tracked down the people who worked with him as his legend was being spun, including the guy that "discovered" him.Further Reading:Kiddies’ Togs Manufacturing Company Ltd. — McCord MuseumLearning from Mattel — Tuck School of Business at DartmouthMATTEL – How the Giant Toy Maker Fell So Far So Fast — L.A. Business JournalKevin O'Leary: He's not a billionaire, he just plays one on TV — Globe & MailRichard Stursberg leaves CBC — CBCLawsuits in fatal cottage country boat crash involving Kevin O’Leary finally se

Danielle Smith announces a $13 billion Meta data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta, set to be the largest in Canada.In contrast to Carney’s federal A.I. strategy, which promised clean, sovereign, and ethical A.I.,  Smith refers to the Meta project as a “digital refinery,” fuelled by a natural gas plant that will be built to power it. Instead of digital sovereignty, is Canada going to end up being a branch-plant, resource economy at the service of Big Tech? Plus, the best Canadian films you probably haven’t seen, and Big Tech’s new hiring target: philosophers. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Douglas SoltysFurther reading: Big Tech joins Calgary Stampede oil bash, as Alberta courts data centres | CBC News Meta to build $13 billion data centre in Alberta, largest outside the U.S. | Globalnews

Booze, bridges, and the fog of the trade war.Canada’s booze boycotts are working, and Senator Adam Schiff says it’s unfair and devastating for the California wine industry. Isn’t that the point? Meanwhile, Carney offers concessions to Trump on the Gordie Howe Bridge deal. Did we get bamboozled? Plus, a Wall Street Journal deep dive paints Carney as the leader of the resistance against Trump. Host: Jesse BrownCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Douglas SoltysFurther reading: Canada’s boycott of U.S. wines ‘causing devastating harm,’ California senator says - CTV NewsRepublican bill targets Canada's provincial booze bans | CBC NewsU.S. “We demand Canada stop this alcohol boycott that isn’t working and also we don’t even care” - The BeavertonOntario runs $8M tab storing U.S. alcohol, as province's plans for stockpile still

Canada’s Access to Information Act was supposed to give Canadians a window into their government. But more than 40 years later, critics say the system is failing — with delays, redactions, and a culture of secrecy. Host Noor Azrieh speaks with transparency activist Ken Rubin, journalist Dean Beeby, and lawyer Matt Malone about the fight over the future of access to information in Canada, and why proposed changes could make it even harder to hold governments accountable.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Annie Tuba (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Photo: Tony WangGuests: Ken Rubin, Dean Beeby, Matt MaloneBackground reading:Ottawa experts raise alarm over ‘regressive’ government proposals for access-to-information law – Ottawa CitizenInformation commissioner 'disappointed' by lack of federal ambition on acc

Canada’s  Assisted Human Reproduction Act made it illegal to pay a woman to donate her eggs in Canada. The goal was to avoid incentivizing women to donate their eggs without fully understanding the risks of the procedure. But loopholes and a lax regulatory system have let a “grey market” prosper.In her investigation Gemma Boothroyd spent months meeting egg donors, doctors, researchers, lawyers — the long list of people working, often unseen, to make a baby for intended parents.Host: Gemma BoothroydCredits: Gemma Boothroyd (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)Fact checking by Lucie Laumonier   Additional music by Audio NetworkMore information:What 53 Egg Donors Said They Wish They Knew…Alana Cattapan’s research team’s work on egg donors in Canada Canadian assisted reproductive technologies registry CARTR PLUS annual report The Human Egg Trade | The Wa

Canadian newsrooms are hesitant to embrace A.I. but new tools offer the potential to revolutionize workflows and expand the capacity of individual journalists. Rather than a threat to journalism, Kevin Newman joins Julian Abraham to explain why A.I. should be viewed as an opportunity for newsrooms to create new business models and do more in-depth reporting.  Host: Julian AbrahamCredits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)Guest: Kevin NewmanPhoto: igovar igovarAdditional music by Audio NetworkStudents and new-to-audio reporters: Canadaland is launching another year of our Audio Journalism Fellowship! If you’re a journalism student or audio storyteller looking to gain some invaluable experience, this is a really unique opportunity. Find out more:https://www.labs.canadaland.com/ Further reading: Journalists pushing AI into newsrooms