The Secret Life of Canada

Throughout the years, the Beothuk people have been written about as an “extinct” nation, whose numbers were few at the time of European contact to Newfoundland. By 1828, they were…

How did this place end up being called Canada? We look into the lore behind the naming of the country and the push to reclaim Indigenous place names across this land. Links: Reclai…

How did the donair become the official food of Halifax? We find out how it travelled to Canada and transformed after getting here. We learn about its inventor and that famous sweet…

Why does Canada have the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world? We talk to historian Dr. Rhonda Hinther from Brandon University to find out why so many people from Ukraine…

When candy maker A.J. Russell created a recipe for puffed wheat bars in 1913, it became a popular dessert. But only in one half of the country. We look at why the west loves them a…

Why are there so many Canadians in pro wrestling? We take a deep dive into carnival and sideshow history to find out why Canada became one of the centers of early pro wrestling. We…

Canada’s much-touted multiculturalism was hard-fought-for and started to materialize in the aftermath of immigration policy changes in the 1950s and 60s. A lot of that change is th…

Abolitionist, activist, teacher and trailblazer Mary Ann Shadd wore many hats in her extraordinary life. We take a look at the story of the first Black woman in North America to pu…

When the CBRE, Canada’s railway union, was created in 1908, it intentionally shut out Black porters. What ensued was a historic and decades-long struggle for Black railways employe…

Sleeping car porters were notoriously underpaid and had to fight for tips, condemning most to poverty. Historian Dr. Dorothy Williams describes how porters turned to side hustles a…

For decades, Canada attempted to purge queer people out of the public service and the military. We look into why it all started during the Cold War, what the fear of the Soviet Uni…

In the early 20th century, musicians and audiences flocked to Montreal for its jazz scene, earning the city the nickname “Harlem of the North.” Historian Dr. Dorothy Williams expla…

Where porters went, Black neighbourhoods often followed. Historian Dr. Dorothy Williams breaks down how porters — and the location of railways — catalyzed the creation of historica…

Beavers are everywhere, on our money, crests, and keychains. So, why do some people see them as a nuisance? We take a look back at the story of the animal who was almost wiped out…

Introducing ‘Porter Primers’ — 6 short episodes that shed a little light on Black porter history with the help of historian Dr. Dorothy Williams. For this first episode, Dr. Willia…

How did Vancouver end up with the oldest Little India in North America? We take a look back at the history of South Asian people in British Columbia to learn how the Punjabi market…

When vaudeville performer Nora Hendrix ended up in Vancouver in the early 1900s, she became a fixture in Hogan's Alley, the neighborhood at the center of Vancouver's Black communit…

They are some of the most shared images connected to the Canadian residential school system. A pair of photos from the late 1800s, taken a few years apart, feature a young Indigeno…

We did it! We made it to our last episode of the season. Today Falen and Leah sort through the mail and answer your questions about treaties and unceded land; tell the story of a w…

How did an ice age determine what animals and insects are only now found on the land we now call Canada? Leah and Falen go way, way back to find the answers. See also: "Ours To Sav…