I’ve just finished the “Corruption” season and I’m nearly done “Crude” and I’ve learned so much about Canadian politics, policy, economics, business, and law in these episodes. I never knew that Canada is globally known for how easy it is to commit white collar crime and get away with it. I had no idea how young hockey players in Canada are treated. And as an Albertan, I’m almost ashamed to admit how little I knew about the oil and gas industry and the myriad ways it’s hurting Albertans (and not just the environment). Above all, it’s a well-researched and well-supported podcast that uncovers many hidden truths that haunt Canada and that explain why things are the way they are. Too many of us Canadians comfortably trust in our governments, believing the lines we’re fed, blissfully unaware of the decisions being made on our behalf - more of us need to pay attention. Commons and all Canadaland podcasts generously keep us informed and encourage critical thinking - the perfect podcast to add to Canadians’ daily news sources, especially as a counterpoint to mainstream narratives.

Some divergent event took place somewhere in 2024. This used to be about trashing The House of Commons. Now Jessie comes off as a liberal shill. He exposed the WE Scandal and became my hero. I was excited for every new episode. But ya lost me on Jessie’s bias. Someone who deconstructs the media or proclaims to be a watch dog are now giving opinion pieces of how bad Pierre is, but nothing exposing Trudeau in any of the 26 scandals. Jessie’s seems to want JT in power forever and lost objectivity. So far that reason my subscription was pulled. We definitely need a media watchdog, but that person or company has to be able to recognize their own bias and acknowledge it. Good luck in the future.

Layers of sound tell the stories of two amazing and ordinary women. I felt it in my body — the injustice and heart break of a broken guitar — the scent of summer rain when it meets the dust of Afghanistan.

This was a fantastic series. I was planning on listening one episode here and there. So glad I had full access right away through my subscription. It was incredible. Heartbreaking, yet hopeful in a way?

I’ve listened to these seasons again and again and again.

The “work” series is you’re finest work yet. People just don’t do this kind of reporting anymore.

COMMONS WORK # 12 was a real gem! Zakaria Amara’s call for meaningful connection, as personal as it was, resonates with me as something we’re all needing more of. I learned much from his description of circumstances inside Canada’s prisons, his awareness that carceral bureaucracy *can’t* by definition create the conditions for rehabilitation, and his insights into his own journey of transformation. I’ll be thinking for a long time about the conversation — thank you, COMMONS! — and I wish Mr. Amara all the best in what I hope will be a long, productive, and well-connected life to come.

Over the years I have wondered how and why Canada has become what it is today… and this Oscar answered my questions and nagging faith in Canada. I learned why our healthcare system is the way it is, now, why our hospitals are on the brink of collapse, and why nurses—who should be venerated—are instead treated like garbage, by our government. I learned how awful farm labourers were treated in the 70s/80s… how laps and strides in worker rights should have made things better… but yet today, farm/migrant labourers still are seen and treated as “beneath”. And I learned what we already see through the Galen/Per Bank Boblahblah (Loblaws) scandal: that the rich and corporations can get away with anything, and rules that apply to us, do not apply to them. And that is why “leaders” (more like opportunists) like the Kielburger bros., Doug Ford, and the (dis)honourable Trudeau are able to get away with scam and scandal after scam and scandal. Keep on pushing these stories! Thank you for bringing them to light. I wish/hope that more people will hear about this podcast—and I hope it will help reorient Canada into what it should be.

This comment is in regards specifically to the episode of WORK that addresses the fishery in NL. I’m sorry but you do not get to have it both ways. You cannot bemoan a price fixing system in times of high inflation and low exchange rate (CND dollar vs USD) and vice versa bemoan a few market system (Canadian dollar trending high, low inflation like the early 2000s). This is what had been going on with crab fishermen in NL. This podcast is so biased toward the “workers” that it does not stop to ask ANY critical thinking questions about ANYTHING. Like. Ok. Crab fisherman are getting screwed. But today they are blaming the fixed market pricing system that they FOUGHT FOR in the mid 1990s. But now that that’s not offering them the prices they need to pay the mortgages on their McMansions in Holyrood and the southern shore they are holding a whole province’s government hostage. Honestly this reporting is shamefully uninformed. There’s no poor fisherman. They want the system that gives them the highest price in the moment. Today that’s free market capitalism. Yesterday it was state sanctioned price fixing. Tomorrow. Who knows? Gas up the f-150 and get all the family their stamps.

My daughter is about to graduate as a nurse. We have both become involved in the Ontario Health Coalition recently. This was an excellent piece on some of the difficulties in health care. I am going to subscribe. You’re doing good work!

This podcast hits home on so many levels. Free trade was a lie and Brian Mulroney the biggest liar. This in-depth dissection of how we got to this gig economy should be heard by all. Excellent work!

As just another Canadian who consumes way too much American content, I turn to Canadaland and Commons for a refreshing, thorough and high-quality investigation into important and often-overlooked Canadian issues. Excellent journalism!

Canadaland is good at covering important topics, in depth, that are passed over by mainstream media.

I don’t listen to every season because the topics don’t always appeal to me, but the new season about Work is excellent. The experience of workers in our economy is something journalists haven’t paid enough attention to. This podcast does!

This is a really interesting and though provoking podcast. I don’t always agree with the conclusions but they are well presented and informative. One issue I have with this last season is the presentation of the Blackmore clan and its disgusting leader as misunderstood, blameless victims. A propaganda session with a favored child - given the mic unchallenged-to downplay the harm inflicted on followers. Disgusted for those young girls who were forced to marry old men and were sexually abused and treated like chattel. Very disappointing.

Well worth Canadaland subscription just for Commons alone.

Most of the smart things I say at dinner parties come from this podcast. Thanks guys! I owe you one.

How the might have fallen. Commons, you’re brilliant but two ad breaks in 5 min is worse than cable television

One of my pet peeves in life is how news stories talking about racism in hockey or people of colour in hockey seem to almost always skip over players like Henry Maracle, Fred Sasakamoose, and Larry Kwong. All these players played in the NHL long before Willie O’Ree. Kwong played in the QSHL against Jean Beliveau. In 51-52 Beliveau scored 45 goals in that league and Kwong was second with 38. I get it. There was a narrative being told in the two episodes, but when talking about racism in hockey and the history of hockey, these players weren’t even worthy of a quick mention? Especially when we’re talking about the first indigenous player and the first Asian player. All persons of color before O’Ree

I’m a Canadian who barely cares about hockey, but this show make it clear just how powerful hockey is in this country, and the horrifying harm it does: to players and to women anywhere near those players.

With this podcast you get what you get from CBC & NPR one sided left wing government funded reporting. Pass.

Have been listening to COMMONS for a little bit and am pretty addicted to PODCASTS in general. As a lifelong hockey player, fan, former coach/ Referee, essentially a rink rat. I found this to be one of the most compelling PODCATS I have listened to. As disturbing as some of it is thank you for having put the effort in to create such a vivid portrait of what the players go through. I have never played at that level whether CHL or higher but have frineds who have and I just hope they didnot have to go through what has been described in some of the episodes. Outstanding work.

Embarrassing targeted “journalism” from people who don’t know sports. So bad it ruins the way I feel about the other seasons of this show

PLEASE keep up with this series. So many stories to highlight. Corruption in Hockey Alberta , BCHL departure from HC , Evolution of the NHLPA Players Assistance program, differences in Elite hockey player development between Canada & US, coaching misconduct and repression of players human rights. DONT STOP INVESTIGATING these issues and making the content available to those who wish to know the TRUTH.

Always informative and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.

Wow ! Terrific pod series (so far). No joke, in having listened to thousands of podcasts on hockey and Nova Scotia history - I have never learned as much from dozens of combined places (let alone classes, books, etc) than in this series. Wow ! Thank you for bringing this learning to me … us.

Love the research that goes into this show. Great work!

Thorough coverage of important stories.

Love listening to every episode!

gbrsh

Thanks to Arshy for driving so many meaningful deep dives into what makes up our shared Canadian legacy, so that we might learn from our folly. Let’s end our colonial mindset for a better Canadaland!

Of all the Canadaland podcasts this is the one that keeps it real and focuses on the fundamental challenges that Canada faces. There are so many issues in Canada that we can all agree on and I really enjoy listening to the team tackle things like housing, monopolies and corruption from a wonky and politically neutral position. Listening to the show makes me feel passionate an engaged, but I like that at the end of the series I feel like writing a letter to an MP rather than being annoyed at groups of fellow citizens. This show punches up and works hard to find common ground and keep citizens in the same boat.

Great podcast with engaging presentation and well researched stories that deserve attention.

The presentation, the fitting and dramatic story telling. The intense and fitting soundtrack and sound effects. The information, knowledge, first hand testimonials and the spoken word artistry. All this combined to be by far one of the important and necessary podcasts to listen to.

While the Commons series about the war in Afghanistan has merit, there are obvious biases that give the western ruling class the benefit of the doubt while misrepresenting the pre soviet history of Afghanistan. There’s also a basic misunderstanding of what a state is and what a national army does in relation to its own nation state and others. Insinuating that the Canadian army had any good intentions is quite ignorant of the reality of what an army’s job is, contrary to whatever the Canadian state likes to portray itself as “peacekeepers”, this is a farce. I would suggest reading Engels (Origin of the Family, private property and the state) and Lenin’s (State & Revolution) works on the state.

I find this show regularly blows me away and seems to get better with every season. The quality of the investigative journalism, as well as the structure in how it’s delivered is phenomenal. This is by far my favourite podcast!

I’m a Canadian army veteran of Afghanistan, Task Force 1-07. This podcast is bringing up important questions that must be answered. We knew about war crimes and horrors committed by the Talibans but what have we done that turned the rural population against us? Botched drone attacks, war crimes, raids based on bad intelligence, etc Too many people lost their lives and souls on both sides to not get the answer we deserve.

Wether you are left or right wing this is a good podcast to see a different perspective that for the most part does a good job giving the facts.

Just discovered this podcast, looking forward to more. Just listened to Episode 82, about the Sixties Scoop. I grew up in Toronto and am currently 69 years old. This podcast reminded me of something I saw growing up but had forgotten. It reminded me of a regular column in the newspaper highlighting a child up for adoption, and I’m sure a significant number were aboriginal. It is only now that I realize what was happening and where those children were from. I went to high school in the Sixties, and I think Residential Schools were mentioned, but as history. The impact on the children was not addressed nor that it was still happening at that time.

Great research and reporting

I love this podcast. The stories are truly fascinating. Every Canadian should listen and learn about our true history!

Commons is a total delight. I’m finding myself really engaged by the stories, but they also get me thinking about bigger issues: international money laundering, occupational health and safety, affordable housing, environmental justice, white collar crime.... I didn’t think they could top the season on housing, but the new one on mining is phenomenal. Defined worth a listen.

So incredibly well done and illuminating. The Canadian stories people need to hear!

Each season is extremely well done... and can we give it up for whoever does the music!? 👏

Is a great source of history knowledge and excellent support to build a better and better community.

Just lies!

I first started listening to Commons during the “crude” season, and have listened to every season since then. I have learned so much about the history of industry, politics, and culture in Canada that otherwise go unnoticed. Real Estate has been excellent so far! If you haven’t listened to Commons: Crude go do it!

I love the Canadian perspective and how they focus on lesser-known aspects/stories of prominent current events. Investigatory journalism done well.

Very leftist views and reporting, only good thing is that you get to learn things about Canada

You will probably learn more about Canada than you want. Each season is a deep dive on a subject; and each episode is a deeper dive on an important aspect of that subject. The pressure can be heavy but you won’t want to surface until you learn the truth.