COMMONS

All labour exists on a spectrum, ranging from enslavement at one pole, to fully, freely given on the other.And, in Canada, at the most extreme end of that spectrum are prison labourers. Incarcerated people have few rights and fewer options when it comes to their working lives.If we want to truly understand our criminal justice system and Canadian labour, we need to examine how prisoners work.Featured in this episode: Jordan House, Asaf RashidTo learn more:Solidarity Beyond Bars: Unionizing Prison Labour by Jordan House & Asaf Rashid“Prison breaking-point: Canada’s jail system is in crisis, and that affects all of us” by Justin Ling in The Globe and Mail“The case for a prisoners’ union” in Briarpatch  by Jordan House & Asaf RashidCredits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Additional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Douglas For a limited time, get 6 months of exclusive supporter benefits for just $2/month. Go to canadaland.com/join to become a supporter today. 

Today we’re sharing with you a preview of the first episode of Canadaland’s newest show Pretendians.What do some of the most prominent and successful Indigenous artists, leaders and thinkers have in common? They aren’t Indigenous.  From major universities, to the halls of power, to Hollywood, there are people claiming to be Indigenous in the interest of power, money, and status. There are dozens of outrageous cases of Indigenous identity fraud that we know about, and likely thousands that we do not. So why do these so-called “Pretendians” do it? How do they pull it off? And what happens when they are exposed?  To hear more follow Pretendians in your podcast app or click here.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, fishing is more than just an industry or a job. It truly is a way of life. It’s at the core of what has made this place what it is.Today, as fishers leave the industry in droves, all of that is at risk of dying.But is it even worth it to try to keep all of that alive? After all, there’s plenty of ways to make a living. And what kind of future is in store for the people who refuse to let go?Featured in this episode: Kimberly Orren, Leo Hearn, Jenn Thornhill Verma, Ryan ClearyTo learn more:“Could smaller, more sustainable cod fishing make a comeback? Newfoundlanders look cautiously for ways to rebuild” by Jenn Thornhill Verma in The Globe and Mail“Fishing school takes students out of the classroom and out on the water” by Amanda Gear in CBC News“The Fishing Revolution and the Origins of Capitalism” by Ian Angus in Monthly ReviewCredits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Additional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Rotman, AG1If 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, 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.

The cod collapse is a harbinger of the many environmental disasters we’re about to face. But what happens to workers in the aftermath of that kind of catastrophe? In Newfoundland and Labrador, monopolistic corporations took advantage.The history of the Atlantic fishery can be understood as a power struggle between fishermen and merchants. And the merchants are winning.Featured in this episode: Glen Winslow, Ryan Cleary, Jenn Thornhill-VermaTo learn more:“Who Controls Fish Processing in Newfoundland & Labrador?” by Jenn Thornhill-Verma & Jack Daly in The Independent“Why are fish harvesters protesting in Newfoundland?” in CTV News“Danish company Royal Greenland buying 4 more N.L. fish plants” in CBC NewsCredits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Additional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Douglas, AGI 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, 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.

The closure of the cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador was the most devastating mass layoff in Canadian history. And its impacts are still being felt to this day.The collapse of Newfoundland cod is a story of man-made environmental calamity that turned into economic devastation. It’s a story of a government ignoring the knowledge of working people, in favour of the so-called expertise of industry, to disastrous effect.But this isn’t just history. It’s prophecy. It’s a vision of what may come if we continue to ignore the ecological limits of this planet in the pursuit of profit.Featured in this episode: Bernard Martin, Jenn Thornhill-Verma, Ryan Cleary, Glen WinslowTo learn more:Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys by Jenn Thornhill-VermaLament for an Ocean: The Collapse of the Atlantic Cod Fishery by Michael HarrisManaged Annihilation: An Unnatural History of the Newfoundland Cod Collapse by Dean BavingtonCod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark KurlanskyCredits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Additional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Rotman, Douglas 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, 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.

This episode was originally published on November 24, 2021. Twenty-six men were working underground when an explosion tore through the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia. Their friends and colleagues went into the wreckage to try to save them.The story of Westray is one of managerial malice and the heroism of everyday people. But why is it that governments let this happen over and over again, at the expense of so many lives?Featured in this episode: Vernon Theriault, Tom SandbornTo learn more:Westray: My Journey From Darkness to Light by Vernon Theriault and Marjorie Coady“Hell’s History” by Tom Sandborn in The TyeeThe Last Shift by CBC’s The Fifth EstateAdditional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Douglas, AG1If 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, 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.

Migrant farm workers are the backbone of Canada’s agricultural economy. But because they can be fired and deported at will, their voices are rarely ever heard in this country.But Gabriel Allahdua is one of the few who can now speak up. And the story he has to tell is startling.It’s a story of racism and labour exploitation that goes back decades, even centuries. And it’s a prophecy of what is to come — that the hardships inflicted on migrant farm workers are only a trial run for the rest of us. This is the second episode in a two-part series on farm labour. Featured in this episode: Gabriel Allahdua, Chris RamsaroopTo learn more:Harvesting Freedom: The Life of a Migrant Worker in Canada by Gabriel Allahdua with Edward Dunsworth“‘Overtly racist’: Lawsuit challenges Canada’s migrant farmworker system” by Jillian Kestler-D'Amours in Al-Jazeera“Former Ontario seasonal farmworker speaks out about exploitation, files class action lawsuit” by Jon Woodward in CTV News“The Canadian state and the racialization of Caribbean migrant farm labour 1947–1966” by Vic Satzewich in Ethnic and Racial StudiesCredits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Additional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Rotman, AG1If 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, 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.

The creation of the Canadian Farmworkers Union, as it would come to be called, was the first step in a struggle that continues to this day.Because even now, farmworkers have far fewer rights than almost any other class of worker. And even today, the men and women who grow our food are subject to horrific working conditions and racial discrimination.But to understand why the situation remains so bad, we need to go back in time to a moment when there was progress and hope. A moment when it looked like things might truly change for the better.This is the first episode in a two-part series on farm labour. Featured in this episode: Raj ChouhanTo learn more:A Time To Rise by Anand Patwardhan & Jim MunroUnion Zindabad!: South Asian Canadian Labour History in British Columbia by Donna Sacuta, Bailey Garden & Anushay Malik“Charan Gill: An ‘Epic’ Life of Advocacy” by David P. Ball in The Tyee“1983: The Year BC Citizens and Workers Fought Back” by Rod Mickleburgh in The TyeeCredits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Additional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Douglas, Athletic Greens 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, 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.

Across Canada, emergency rooms have been shutting down, leaving desperate people in the lurch. And at the heart of this health care crisis, is a labour crisis.Nurses are leaving their jobs in droves, leaving hospitals understaffed and sometimes unable to carry out their most basic obligations.In this episode, we'll tell you how nursing went from a profession hailed as heroic to one in an utter state of crisis, all through the eyes of a woman who lived through it all.Featured in this episode: Nadira RossTo learn more:“How Canadian hospitals became dependent on expensive, out-of-town nurses” by Tu Thanh Ha, Kelly Grant and Stephanie Chambers in The Globe and Mail“How nursing staffing agencies are costing Ontario hospitals untold millions” by Mike Crawley in CBC News Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief) Additional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: Douglas, AG1If 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, 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.