The country you know and the stories you don’t. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. New episodes every second Thursday.
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People don’t think Graham Isador is losing his sight. They think he’s an asshole.
Short Sighted is an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds.
Written and hosted by master storyteller Graham Isador, the show’s mini episodes are an intimate and irreverent look at accessibility and its personal impacts.
Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human.
More episodes of Personally are available at: lnk.to/SASSIAq9
Ah, the smell of fry bread, bright regalia, and vendors selling everything from dreamcatchers to expensive jewellery — the modern day powwow is really a feast for the senses. But did you know we can trace the roots of these gatherings to dodgy medicines and even old wild west shows? And how do you pronounce scone dog? Falen and Leah take to the powwow trail to find out what the powwow was and what it is now, and how it is helping some connect to culture.
Check out our episode on the history of blackface here.
And check out our episode on the potlatch ban here.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
Our country’s first sex scandal! At the height of the cold war several ministers in John Defeinbaker's government decided to have an affair. Turns out, they all ended up with the same woman. Was she really a spy for East Germany?
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
It’s been called Canada’s Titanic. 106 years ago the Princess Sophia crashed into a coral reef on route to Vancouver and Victoria. Over 300 passengers died and it was the worst maritime disaster in the Pacific Northwest, so why haven’t we heard more about it?
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
Don't Drink the Milk – The curious history of things from DW is a podcast that traces the unexpected backstories of everyday things that have traveled the world, by force, by chance, or by choice. In this episode, host Rachel Stewart unravels the history of witch hunts from deadly conspiracies in medieval Europe to use of the term today by powerful figures like Donald Trump. Why is it important to remember this history and how has the power shifted?
More episodes of Don't Drink the Milk – The curious history of things can be found at: https://pod.link/1704462801
In 1955, Canada’s immigration officials began a special experimental program to bring in Palestinian refugees through Pier 21. Falen and Leah take a look back at this historic port of entry that saw almost a million immigrants and refugees arrive in Canada and then find out what has changed since Pier 21’s heyday. And then they try to find out if we are currently better or worse at responding to refugees in crisis zones like Gaza and Sudan.
With special guests Jan Raska from the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 and Gauri Sreenivasan from the Canadian Council for Refugees.
Related episodes:
Crash Course on Ukrainian Canadians
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
In honor of spooky season, Falen and Leah are joined by producer Eunice Kim to learn why Winnipeg became known around the world for communicating with the dead. Together they’ll light some candles and find out why, in the mid-1900s, holding seances became sought after and then how that popularity inspired one of the most famous supernatural comedy films of all time — Ghostbusters.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
Leah and Falen take a (fully clothed) deep dive into the history of nudism in Canada. They learn the origins behind the naturist movement which includes a love of the outdoors, embracing nudity in a non-sexual way and most importantly, the use of a towel when sitting down. So, when did it all start here, who were the members of the clubs and what happened when someone got ...visibly aroused? We have all the answers in this brief history of nudism.
*Content warning: this episode contains sexual content and adult themes which may not be suitable for younger listeners.
Recommended companion episodes:
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
In a lot of history books we hear the names of European explorers who “discovered” the Americas. Columbus, Cook, Champlain. All boo-worthy men. But what about the people who went the other way? Indigenous people have been crossing oceans and going to Europe, too. But why don’t we know their names? In this episode Leah and Falen look into the story of those who went willingly and those who did not, those who came home and those who did not. With special guests Caroline Pennock, Coll Thrush, and Peter Morin.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.
How did this country end up with the biggest Caribbean Carnival in North America? Leah and Falen dive into history of how a small one time event during Expo ‘67 became one of the longest running street parties in Canada — all courtesy of Trinidad and Tobago. With special guests Michelle Walker and Martin Scott-Pascall.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
The Secret Life of Canada went live at Hot Docs. Leah and Falen take a historical deep dive into the greatest thieves, crooks and liars that have made this country what it is today.
Featuring guests, Sharjil Rasool and Brandon Hackett and music by Andrew Penner.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.
People have been taking their clothes off for as long as they’ve been wearing them, but when did people start doing it for entertainment? In this episode Leah and Falen look into the history of burlesque in Canada and talk to a legend of the stage who’s been delighting audiences across the world for decades. With special guest, Judith Stein.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.
Why did John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, spend so much time in Montreal? We learn about how Canada was both the last stop on the Underground Railroad and the destination for Southern Confederate leaders and supporters to strategize, stash money and come up with plots against Abraham Lincoln. With special guests Dr. Afua Cooper and Julian Sher.
For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/transcripts
Sable Island is the stuff of legends. A desolate tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, where no one is permitted to live, except for wild horses. We figure out how they got there, how they’ve lived without humans since the 1700s and why many scientists think it's time to remove the horses out of their unique habitat.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/secretlife
For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/transcripts
Deception, backdoor dealings, unfulfilled promises and Canada’s largest mass hanging.
Treaty 6 is one of the most well documented treaty signings in Canadian history. But what did it take to get there and why does it matter today? In this special episode Falen and Leah chat with guest Kyle Muzyka. They learn about all the mistranslations, misunderstandings and misinterpretations that were involved in the creation of Treaty 6.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
Today we have a special bonus episode for you from our sibling show Unreserved, a fearless space for Indigenous voices. Host Rosanna Deerchild is ready to Indigenize your summer with a tastemaker’s guide to the best books, movies, podcasts (with Falen!) and more.
More episodes of Unreserved are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/JwTpaTTm
It’s been called the Indigenous Magna Carta and the Indigenous Bill of Rights. But what exactly does that mean? In this episode Falen and Leah dive into the history of the Royal Proclamation, a document that is often spoken about when discussing the history of Canada and Indigenous land rights. But what do we really know about it?
Listen to our Crash Course on Beavers (as mentioned in the episode) here, and listen to our episode on Water here.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.
A curious World War II-era photograph shows an unnamed woman in military uniform kneeling next to a man in a headdress who holds a pipe above her. We dig into the true story behind this photograph and the identity of this mystery woman.
For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/secretlife
Comedy has been called one of Canada’s biggest exports. But why exactly is that, and why can’t the country seem to keep our funny people at home? In this episode Leah and Falen look at the roots of comedy in Canada and look into why Canadians are so funny wherever they are in the world. And RIP Just For Laughs?
For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
It’s another baking episode! This time Leah and Falen look at why Thunder Bay, Ontario has their own sweet roll that you can't find anywhere else. We find out how these sweet buns with pink frosting came to be and who Persians are named after (spoiler — it strangely has nothing to do with Persian people).
For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
When three young queer men formed an art collective in the late 60s in Toronto named "General Idea", no one expected that they would end up becoming one of the most iconic art collectives of the 20th century. For 25 years Felix, Jorge and AA became internationally known for their edgy, subversive, funny and boundary pushing work. Leah and Falen learn about the early days of the collective [2:11], the time Life magazine tried to sue them [13:17], why they started a ”Miss General Idea” beauty pageant [16:51], and how they ended up creating one of the most indelible images of the AIDS epidemic [25:26]. And then, they’ll hear about the group’s final push to produce a catalog of work before AIDS took the lives of Felix & Jorge in 1994 [30:30]. With special guest AA Bronson.
Here are some of the pieces referenced in the episode:
For more links on General Idea’s work and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
Gimli is more than a dwarf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series Lord of the Rings, in fact the community in Manitoba is home to the world’s largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. So how did Canada become home to all these Icelanders, why did they end up living on a reserve and what exactly happens during Islendingadagurinn?
Listen to Part 1 of our episode The Mounties Always Get Their Land (referenced in the episode) here.
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Explore an important part of the rich history of Chinese-Canadians in this episode of Canadian Time Machine from The Walrus Lab. In the 1880s, Chinese men played a pivotal role in building the Canadian Pacific Railway, enduring challenges for a fraction of the wages. Discover the impact of the head tax and the infamous Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, known as "Humiliation Day." The episode delves into the intergenerational effects and gains insights from Dr. Melissa Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum, on the compelling exhibit, "The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act." More episodes are available at: https://lnkfi.re/slofcxctm. To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage. There is also a French counterpart of this show called Voyages Dans L’Histoire Canadienne so if you’re bilingual and want to listen to more, visit https://lnkfi.re/Voyages-dans-lhistoire-canadienne
From PSAs to Euphoria, the identity of the teen on TV has shifted a lot over the years. Leah and Falen take a look back at the invention of the teen and teens on TV. They make the case that thanks to a little upstart franchise called Degrassi, the teen drama is a Canadian invention.
Here is the link to our episode Bread and Cheese. And be sure to check out The Degrassi Kid Podcast!
Follow us on social media. We're on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.
It would become one of the key moments in Black history in Canada. In 1968, six Black students from Sir George Williams University in Montreal filed a complaint of racism against their biology professor. By 1969, the university denied their complaint and more than 200 students began a peaceful sit-in. By the end of it, a fire broke out, police in riot-gear were sent in and 97 people were arrested. Named “The Sir George Williams Affair” it is now considered to be the largest student protest in Canadian history.
Here is a link to previous episode mentioned in this episode:
The Province of Jamaica: https://link.chtbl.com/OOwfXRW2
For links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
Canadians are always apologizing, or are they? We are back for a sixth season and in this episode [1:29] Leah and Falen discuss how they use the word “sorry” and why [4:20] and take a deep dive into the theory that it comes from the country's British foundations. [8:33] We learn that the British and French brought dueling with them as a way to resolve conflict. [20:00] Then we look at how the word is connected to conflict resolution, which Indigenous people already were doing before contact [21:44] and examine the many apologies of the Canadian government [25:05] and try to find out whether or not Canadians actually apologize any more than anyone else.
Here are links to previous episodes mentioned in this episode:
Kanesatake 300 Years Later, Part 1: https://link.chtbl.com/eUDOXoMZ
Kanesatake 300 Years Later, Part 2: https://link.chtbl.com/jeMsG6HU
For other links, references, transcripts and more about this episode, visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada
Most major cities across Canada have a Chinatown - but how did they start, and why? This episode, a look at the early history of Chinese people this side of the Pacific, and the historic Chinatown in B.C. that predates Confederation. (Hint: it's not in Vancouver.) For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/inappropriate-questions-transcripts-listen-1.6740372
We've developed free teaching materials for this episode. Check them out here.
Nunavut has the largest landmass out of all the provinces and territories in Canada - and yet, it is an area that many of us know the least about. In this episode, we look at the forced relocation of the Inuit, the Eskimo Identification System, and the dog slaughter perpetuated by the Canadian government. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/inappropriate-questions-transcripts-listen-1.6740372
We've developed free teaching materials for this episode. Check them out here.
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.