It’s been a tough week for leadership in North America, with calls for resignation dominating the headlines on both sides of the border.

Paul Wells joins Emilie Nicolas to discuss the larger global context around Trudeau’s recent struggles, and how the international rise of the far right is an important and underreported factor in Canadian politics.

Then, Biden loses the debate and the New York Times. Unpacking the editorial board’s call for the president to step aside.

Host: Emilie Nicolas

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), max collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Paul Wells

Further reading:

• I know the inside story of the Liberal revolt against Justin Trudeau. How? I overheard it in a train station - Toronto Star
• The West Misunderstands Its Own Far Right - Foreign Policy
• Push it to the limit: What might be too extreme for Europe's far-right parties? | Euronews
• DiEM25 | @yanis.varoufakis on the political situation in France | Instagram
• Spain's Vox party hosts global far right ahead of EU elections - Le Monde
• To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race - The New York Times
• My Unsettling Interview With Steve Bannon - The New York Times

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“All I will say is that my scientific opinion is that there is something real going on in New Brunswick that absolutely cannot be explained by the bias or personal agenda of an individual neurologist.” Those are the words of Dr. Michael Coulthart, a microbiologist employed by our federal government, specifically by Public Health Canada. He’s talking about the mysterious neurological disease that is striking down people in New Brunswick. We were not supposed to read his words. They are from a leaked email obtained by Canadaland, first published by the newspaper The Guardian.

Then there was another leaked email. Doctor Samuel Weiss, a neuroscientist and the scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In his leaked email, he states, “I felt incredibly optimistic that an all out government effort to unravel the mystery was in the cards. However, in short order, the scientific effort was shut down at the request of the governments.”

It’s nine years since the first case was documented. The numbers, by some reports, have grown to over 300 suspected cases. And we still have no answers. Our reporters, Cherise Sucheran and Sarah Lawrynuik present the latest instalment in our ongoing investigation.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Cherise Sucheran and Sarah Lawrynuik (Reporters)

Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Max Collins (Production Manager), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:

• Second Canadian Scientists Alleges Brain Illness Investigation was Shut Down
• Top Canadian Scientist Alleges in Leaked Emails He Was Barred From Studying Mystery brain Illness
• Government Officials Mislead the Public About the “Mysterious” New Brunswick Neurological Disease, and We Have the Documents to Prove it

Sponsors: Douglas, Article, Squarespace

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What’s going on in Han Dong’s defamation case against Global News? Last week, Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Perell made a decision in that case. And, rightly or wrongly, it was scorching.

With The Epoch Times at the centre of a fraudulent money-laundering crypto scam, what does that mean for the Canadian columnists who write for them? Jonathan dives into the strange world of Shen Yun, Falun Gong, and propaganda rags.

Host: Jonathan Goldsbie

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Lisa Taylor

Further reading:

• Judge finds no documentation to support Global News' reporting on Han Dong allegations - The Canadian Press
• Dong v. Global News Reasons for Decision - Ontario Superior Court of Justice (via Polley Faith)
• Han Dong was warned by Liberal Party member that CSIS was watching him, national security source says - The Globe and Mail
• Global News defends reporting in face of Han Dong lawsuit (2023) - The Canadian Press
• Journalism for the Public Good: The Michener Awards at Fifty - University of Calgary Press
• CBC executive reassigned follow racism allegations - Playback
• What The Hell Is The Epoch Times? (2020) - CANADALAND
• Stepping Into the Uncanny, Unsettling World of Shen Yun (2019) - The New Yorker
• DoJ accuses far-right Epoch Times of being money-laundering operation - The Guardian

Sponsors: Douglas, Squarespace,

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This was a time when Assange and other punks like him were running circles around governments. It seemed like the ability for the powers that be to keep secrets was over. It was just done. Thanks to Assange et al we were going to know if a cell phone company was surveying everyone. We were going to know if a government assassinated a bunch of people who turned out to be journalists. We were going to know. And between Anonymous and Wikileaks and Edward Snowden, it was happening in a way that felt like it was a force of nature, and there was no containing it. The authorities, what could they do? Information wanted to be free.

Then, it all ended. Julian Assange has been rotting away in Belmarsh prison in the UK. Edward Snowden tweets from Russia. Wikileaks. When's the last time they released anything? The Empire struck back. There were arrests, there were accusations, and the machine was surprisingly effective and merciless in containing the free flow of information and government secrets. That's what happened to all those guys. You don't hear about them much anymore. But what about Jacob Appelbaum? What about that guy? No, nothing? Name doesn't ring a bell? Jacob Appelbaum was known to the authorities as Wikileaks Associate Number Three. He was also once the toast of the cyber community, feted by European politcos, and making red carpet appearances.

Then the accusations came. And it all ended for Appelbaum. Just like that nobody wanted to talk about Jacob Appelbaum. But we do.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Production Manager), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:

• Nobody wants to talk about Jacob Appelbaum — Jamie Kastner
• Inconsistencies in Rape Allegations — Die Zeit (In English)
• What Has This Man Done? (A four part series) — Die Zeit (In English)
• Digital privacy activist Jacob Appelbaum denies colleagues' assault allegations — The Guardian
• Power, secrecy and cypherpunks: how Jacob Appelbaum ripped Tor apart — The Guardian

Sponsors: Douglas, Indochino

If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

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Après des résultats record aux élections européennes, l’extrême droite française est en passe de remporter les législatives. Si certains sont surpris, plusieurs observateurs ont remarqué que les idées d’extrême droite sont omniprésentes dans les médias depuis des années maintenant, notamment sur la chaîne télévisée CNews. Comment se déroule ce processus de banalisation? Quelles stratégies sont employées par les journalistes et les éditorialistes de CNews pour encourager la montée de l’extrême droite? Le journaliste de Médiapart Yunnes Abzouz en parle avec Emilie et démonte, brique par brique, la méthode CNews. Dans la deuxième partie de l’émission, on se tourne vers l’éditorialiste québécois préféré des médias français, et en particulier de CNews: Mathieu Bock-Côté. Yunnes explique comment le chroniqueur, auteur et sociologue emploie les mêmes stratagèmes que CNews, levant le voile sur les ressorts discursifs de la désormais célèbre “méthode MBC”.

After record results in the European elections, the French far right is on the verge of winning the legislative elections. While some are surprised, several observers have noticed that far-right ideas have been omnipresent in the media for years now, notably on the television channel CNews. How does this process of trivialization take place? What strategies are used by CNews journalists and editorialists to encourage the rise of the far right? Médiapart journalist Yunnes Abzouz talks about it with Emilie and dismantles, brick by brick, the CNews method. In the second part of the show, we turn to the favourite Quebec columnist of the French media, and in particular of CNews: Mathieu Bock-Côté. Yunnes explains how the columnist, author and sociologist uses the same stratagems as CNews, lifting the veil on the discourse of the now famous “MBC method’.

Animation : Emilie Nicolas

Générique : Lucie Laumonier (Production), Tristan Capacchione (Production technique), Max Collins (Coordination de production), Karyn Pugliese (Rédactrice en chef)

Coanimation : Yunnes Abzouz

Pour en savoir plus :

• Enquête sur CNews, “matrice du projet d’extrême droite de Bolloré” – Médiapart (en accès libre)
• Dans certaines rédactions, le conflit israélo-palestinien échauffe les esprits – Médiapart
• Violences sexuelles et conjugales surreprésentées chez les policiers – Le Devoir
• Tordre la vérité avec Bock-Côté – La Presse

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Can a newspaper commit treason? The NSICOP report singles out China as the biggest foreign influence on Canadian media (and it’s more than just advertorial inserts.) Joanna Chiu joins us to unpack the scale and scope of foreign propaganda campaigns in Canada.

Is the daily coverage of campus protest encampments a form of bias, and what sorts of stories are getting missed as a result? Jesse responds to some tough questions about bias in the coverage of the war in Gaza.

Clarification (June 21, 2024, 12:20pm ET): an unclear statement in an earlier version of this episode could be interpreted to mean that Shree Paradkar spread messages advocating for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel, which she did not. This statement should have been that Shree Paradkar spread messages from someone (Amanda Gelender) who has advocated for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Joanna Chiu

Further reading:

• Marc Edge: If the NSICOP report on foreign interference won’t name Canadian media outlets, I will - The Hub
• A website spread disinformation about Canada. Why did major Indian outlets treat it as news? - Toronto Star
• Toronto 'Walk with Israel' event held amid high security, faceoffs with protesters | Ontario News | thecanadianpressnews.ca
• Youth's death shows more mental health supports needed in Winnipeg, Muslim community members say | CBC News
• Grade 3 students ‘terrorized’ after Ontario man walks into gym class, goes on tirade | Globalnews.ca
• How a student petition on Israel sent a law school’s progressive ideals crashing into Bay Street’s hard realities - The Globe and Mail
• For a full list of reading material, visit the episode webpage

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When Canadaland commissioned its new series “A Field Guide to Gay Animals” (listen to it here), the topic wasn’t really in the news. But since then, it’s started to take the world by storm. From rage on the extreme right, a documentary series on Peacock, to the first photos of humpback whale sex being male-male.

And the relevance is more important than ever, legislation across Canada and the United States regularly denies queer rights, sometimes based on old-school notions that sex is about reproduction and the animal kingdom proves it. Except it doesn’t… 25 years ago, one Canadian scientist wrote a book that detailed the history and science of gay animals: Biological Exuberance.

Today, podcast hosts Owen Ever and Laine Kaplan Levenson join Jesse to talk about the wonderful world of gay animals.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:

• Biological Exuberance, by Bruce Bagemihl — Macmillan Publishers
• Humpback sex photographed for first time – and both whales were male — The Guardian
• Peacock’s ‘Queer Planet’ features lion ‘bromances,’ pansexual monkeys and more — NBC
• A Field Guide to Gay Animals — Canadaland

Sponsors: BetterHelp, Oxio, Article

If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

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With Jesse away, Justin Ling takes over to talk about Google’s $100 million payment for Canadian news and how a ragtag group of independent publishers will end up deciding who gets the money. Is Google trolling us?

Plus, Canada has entered its foreign interference era, but are we too polite to name names? Paul McLeod helps unpack new allegations of treason in Ottawa, and what we should do about it.

Host: Justin Ling

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Paul McLeod

Further reading:

• Google signs deal with organization to distribute $100M to Canadian news companies | Politics | thecanadianpressnews.ca
• Canadian Journalism Collective to represent Canadian news businesses under Online News Act - The Canadian Journalism Collective
• How we’re moving forward with the Canadian news ecosystem - Google
• The Behind-the-Scenes Bill C-18 Battle: How Newspapers, Big Broadcasters and the CBC Are Trying to Seize Control Over How Google Money is Allocated to Canadian Media - Michael Geist
• Password Sharing OK: Judge | Blacklock's Reporter
• The Logic announces $4M capital raise, led by FT Ventures - The Logic
• Some MPs helping foreign actors like China and India meddle in Canadian politics: report | CBC News
• Green Leader Elizabeth May says there's no list of disloyal current MPs in unredacted NSICOP report | CBC News

Sponsors: oxio, Squarespace

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

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