The Secret Life of Canada

About this podcast

The Secret Life of Canada is a history podcast about the country you know and the stories you don't.

The Secret Life of Canada

Episodes

Season 3
S3: Crash Course on the "Whiskey War"
Did you know that Canada and Denmark “battled” over a small, barren island in the far north for decades? Among their weapons: Canadian whiskey and Danish schnapps. In today’s crash course, the strange but true story of "a cheeky little spat" known as The Whiskey War.
March 2, 2021
8 min
S3: The Indian Pavilion at Expo 67 (Part 1)
You may have heard of Expo 67 — Canada's biggest flex during its centennial year — but do you know the fascinating history of the Indian Pavilion? It was separate and distinct from the Canada Pavilion, and it was primed to make that distinction matter. In the first part of a two part episode, Falen takes Leah on a minirail tour around the Expo grounds. (Content warning: clowns.)
February 16, 2021
37 min
S3: Crash Course on Mohawk ironworkers
For over a century, Mohawk ironworkers have been shaping our skylines. Leah and Falen look into the contributions these workers have made in Canada and beyond, including their crucial role in the aftermath of 9/11.
January 27, 2021
11 min
S3: Project Habakkuk, Jasper’s top secret ice ship
This is the story of how Geoffrey Pyke, a Jewish inventor from the U.K. came up with one of the most mind-boggling plans to win the war. Namely: to build a ship made out of ice. Code name: Habakkuk. Then, what happened when Canada tried to build a test vessel in secrecy, using the labour of conscientious objectors. With special guest, Erin Brandenburg
January 13, 2021
37 min
S3: Crash Course on Canada’s First Mosque
Al Rashid Mosque — the first mosque in Canada — opened in Edmonton in the late 1930s, but getting it built was no small feat. It happened thanks to the determination of a group of Lebanese Muslim women, led by Hilwie Hamdon, who brought Albertans of all faiths together to help make history.
December 29, 2020
9 min
S3: You should know The Indian Film Crew
In the late 60s the National Film Board decided it was time that First Nations got to be behind the camera and in charge of how they were seen. Although short lived, the Indian Film Crew would create films that changed how the NFB operated, as well as the face of Indigenous filmmaking in this country.
December 16, 2020
43 min
S3: Crash Course on Trees
When did the Apple tree arrive in Canada and why do some trees in B.C live over a thousand years? A quick peek into some of the history kept by our land’s oldest living knowledge keepers — trees.
November 25, 2020
12 min
S3: The Mounties Always Get Their Land (Part 2)
In 1919 almost half the working population of Winnipeg walked off the job in the largest strike in Canadian history. The events that followed led to the creation of a new police force called the R.C.M.P. In part two, we continue to learn about early policing in Canada and why the R.C.M.P are not our country’s only police force. We connect the dots from past to the present to find out why many Black and Indigenous communities still have a distrust of the police. We’ll talk about the concept of the “Carceral State,” continue our journey into old Mountie films and make way too many references to the TV show Law & Order and the Mission Impossible franchise. Then, with the help of guests, Sonya Ballantyne, a filmmaker and writer from Manitoba, and Toronto artist and activist Syrus Marcus Ware, we’ll learn about the grim history of “starlight tours” as well as the modern day abolitionist movement. *This episode contains strong language and content.
November 11, 2020
49 min
S3: Crash Course on British Home Children
Over 100,000 “home children” were sent from the U.K. to Canada to work as labourers, from 1869 through to the 1940s. We find out who they were and what happened once they arrived here. Plus, Alan Dilworth tells us the story of his grandfather, Tom Selby, who arrived in Canada at the age of 8.
October 6, 2020
17 min
S3: The Mounties Always Get Their Land (Part 1)
The Mountie is one Canada’s most enduring symbols. Found on souvenirs from keychains to dish towels, our national police force are icons to the rest of the world. Weird, right? In this episode, we try to figure out how this happened and talk about: the image of the Mountie in early Hollywood, what Irish and Indian resistance to British rule has to do with it, and why young Canada felt a greater need for policing in the West. With the help of Dr. Winona Wheeler, we dive into the early years of the North-West Mounted Police (precursor to the RCMP) and look at their complex relationship with Indigenous people that, for better or worse, continues to this day. *Warning, strong language and content.
September 16, 2020
45 min
S3: Crash Course on L. M. Montgomery (a.k.a. Maud without an E)
Today we look into the life of Lucy Maud (L.M.) Montgomery, creator of iconic characters like Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon. The lesser-known story is that of the writer herself, who had many struggles within her own life, especially with her mental health. Today we are going to talk about that.
August 19, 2020
19 min
S3: Kanesatake 300 Years Later (Part 2)
On July 11 1990, the so-called Oka Crisis erupted near the small resort town of Oka. The 78 day conflict between the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk Nation) the Quebec provincial police (Sûreté du Québec) and the Canadian Army would go on to change the course of history. In this second part of a two part episode, Falen and Leah go beyond the sensational photos and headlines to find out what happened during 78 days of resistance at Kanesatake.
August 5, 2020
53 min
S3: Crash Course on Superheroes!
From Captain Newfoundland to Shaman and Alpha Flight, what can some of the most iconic Indigenous and Canadian Superheroes tell us about our history? Turns out, quite a lot.
July 15, 2020
21 min
S3: Kanesatake 300 Years Later (Part 1)
Anniversaries can be a strange thing in Canada, depending on who you are and which side you're watching from. It's been 30 years since an event you may know as the Oka crisis; but that's not where the story begins for this podcast. In this first part of a two part episode, Leah and Falen look at the 300 year lead up to the “crisis” on Mohawk land.
June 24, 2020
34 min
S3: Crash Course on Dr. James Barry and Victoria’s Transgender archives
How we should think and talk about Trans and Non-Binary people who lived well before those terms existed? In this Crash Course, we explore that question through the story of Dr. James Barry, a celebrated military surgeon. With the help of Dr. Aaron Devour, Chair of Transgender Studies at the University of Victoria, we also learn how Victoria B.C. ended up with the world's largest Transgender archives. For more information about the archives visit www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives
June 16, 2020
13 min
S3: What's the deal with blackface?
In this episode we look into the past to try to figure out why some present-day people are still doing blackface — including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We talk to Dr. Cheryl Thompson and look at what a minstrel show is, what “O, Canada” has to do with it, and how Canadian universities are connected. We also give a quick breakdown of blackface in entertainment — Kim Kardashian and her spray tan are on notice. (Note: This episode was recorded in January 2020, before the pandemic.)
June 10, 2020
45 min
S3: Crash Course on Black Nurses
In this Crash Course we look into the surprisingly young history of Black nurses in Canada and why many of these women had to travel to the U.S. for their education. We also take a look at the story of the Black Cross Nurses and how Black nurses went from shutouts to leaders in a matter of decades.
May 27, 2020
11 min
S3: Where is Japantown?
Why isn't there a Japantown in every major city across Canada? This episode, we look into early Japanese Canadian history and figure out the “Asiatic Exclusion League” is not what we thought it was. Then, with the help of Lisa Uyeda from the Nikkei Museum we connect the dots between internment during the Second World War and the huge fallout for multiple generations. And what happened when theatre artists Julie Tamiko Manning and Matt Miwa, found out their families were both sent to Tashme — the largest internment camp in B.C.
May 12, 2020
57 min
S3: Crash Course on "Uncle Tom"
Today we try to figure out the true story of Uncle Tom, with the help of Dr. Cheryl Thompson. You may know “Uncle Tom” as a racial slur. Or from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. But the name’s also linked to Josiah Henson, who escaped to Canada through the Underground Railroad. So which one is right?
April 21, 2020
18 min
S3: Sasquatch in the Gift Shop
In the first full episode of Season 3, Leah and Falen explore the truth behind two very old stories. Sasquatch and Ogopogo are legendary creatures of land and sea — but how exactly did they go from sacred figures in Indigenous oral histories to terrifying beasts and dopey-looking mascots?
April 14, 2020
38 min

The Secret Life of Canada

About this podcast

Categories

About this podcast

Categories

The Secret Life of Canada

Episodes

S3: Crash Course on the "Whiskey War"

S3: The Indian Pavilion at Expo 67 (Part 1)

S3: Crash Course on Mohawk ironworkers

S3: Project Habakkuk, Jasper’s top secret ice ship

S3: Crash Course on Canada’s First Mosque

S3: You should know The Indian Film Crew

S3: Crash Course on Trees

S3: The Mounties Always Get Their Land (Part 2)

S3: Crash Course on British Home Children

S3: The Mounties Always Get Their Land (Part 1)

S3: Crash Course on L. M. Montgomery (a.k.a. Maud without an E)

S3: Kanesatake 300 Years Later (Part 2)

S3: Crash Course on Superheroes!

S3: Kanesatake 300 Years Later (Part 1)

S3: Crash Course on Dr. James Barry and Victoria’s Transgender archives

S3: What's the deal with blackface?

S3: Crash Course on Black Nurses

S3: Where is Japantown?

S3: Crash Course on "Uncle Tom"

S3: Sasquatch in the Gift Shop