Pretendians

Agnew Johnston was a lawyer who represented the state against criminals. But he was a criminal himself, paying underage girls for sex. His defence? Everybody in Thunder Bay is doing it, so why are you picking on me? The story of a case that implicated Thunder Bay's elite. Support us here: canadaland.com/join. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if Thunder Bay isn't broken?What if it's working just as it's supposed to?Support us here: canadaland.com/join. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New stories from Thunder Bay. Coming November, 2020.Original artwork by Blake Angeconeb and Michah Dowbak.Support us at canadaland.com/join.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s infamous as the homicide and hate crime capital of Canada. And now, Thunder Bay has been officially diagnosed as racist. But so what? Does knowing this mean that anything will change?Welcome to Canada's first post-truth town.Support us here: canadaland.com/join. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a system is broken, you can work outside of it to create something new, or you can try to change it from within. But what happens when you need the system?Support us here: canadaland.com/join.This episode is brought to you by Missing From the Village and HelloFresh. Additional music by AudioNetwork.CORRECTION: An earlier edit of this episode presented an incomplete criticism of the editorial focus of CBC Thunder Bay. Apologies to Michael Dick and his team for this oversight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The verdict arrives in the trial that everyone’s talking about. Can there be justice? As Thunder Bay grapples with the truth about itself, people are still dying. Kids are still dying. So where do we go from here?Support us here: canadaland.com/join.This episode is brought to you by HelloFresh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For over five years, Canadaland has been investigating Thunder Bay, Ontario. Specifically, we have been trying to figure out why there were so many unanswered questions around the deaths of Indigenous people in this one Ontario town. We have looked at the cops. The schools. The courts. The  government. The people in the town itself. But we never looked at the coroners and the forensic pathologists who are a central part of death investigations. And once we started to do so, freedom of information requests and leaked reports pointed to even greater problems with how deaths are investigated, that could span the entire province. And so we went back to Thunder Bay.Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Cherise Seucharan (Reporter), Jon Thompson (Reporter), Ryan McMahon (Reporter), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Further reading: Lawyer says families 'ignored' as Broken Trust final report on death reinvestigations expected within weeks, CBC News, Feb 15, 2022Reports on racism and a reckoning for Thunder Bay, TVO Today, Jan 17, 2019Ontario coroners looking to unionize over working conditions, upcoming reforms, CBC News, June 14, 2023Horwath calls for review of Hamilton forensic pathology unit closure, CBC News, August 23, 2019'Disappointing' response so far to 7 youth inquest recommendations, says Aboriginal Legal Services, CBC News, August 23, 2017Thunder Bay TV series, CraveAdditional music by Audio NetworkSponsors: Douglas, Communauto, IndochinoIf 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.

Ryan McMahon and Jon Thompson team up with Cherise Seucharan for the conclusion to Post Mortem, a two-episode dive into the connection between the police, the coroners, and the canary in a coal mine for death investigations across the province.Host: Jesse Brown Credits: Jon Thompson (Reporter), Cherise Seucharan (Reporter), Ryan McMahon (Reporter), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Further reading: Reinvestigation into nine Indigenous deaths to focus on ‘finding the truth’ — TBNewswatch, October 16, 2019Lawyer says families 'ignored' as Broken Trust final report on death reinvestigations expected within weeks — CBC News, Feb 15, 2022Reports on racism and a reckoning for Thunder Bay — TVO Today, Jan 17, 20192 police officers step on handcuffed man's back as doctor watches at First Nation nursing station — CBC News, Jul 10, 2017Thunder Bay Police Board chair apologizes to families after report urges more death reinvestigations — CBC News, March 16, 2022Thunder Bay TV series, CraveAdditional music by Audio NetworkSponsors: Oxio, Squarespace, Better HelpIf 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.

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?  Find out on Tuesday, May 14. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do people pretend to be Native? Hosts Robert Jago (Kwantlen First Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe) Angel Ellis (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) begin their journey by asking someone who has been doing just that. He’s not just your average imposter – "Grand Chief" Guillaume Carle is the king of the “pretendians", a French Canadian who made a small fortune creating his own fake First Nation and issuing phony Indian Status Cards to thousands of other identity thieves. Pretendians cannot get made without you. For a limited time, become a Canadaland Supporter for just $2/month and get every episode one week early and ad-free.Sponsors: AG1 BetterhelpYou can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marvin "Casper" Ouimet was your ordinary terrifying Hells Angel mob boss until he was sent to prison for conspiracy to commit murder. That's where he declared himself to be Indigenous. The prison asked no questions, and granted him access to a special program for Native inmates, in which prisoners get private cells, spiritual guidance, better food and ultimately – reduced sentences. But what about the real Natives in these programs?Hosts: Robert Jago & Angel Ellis Credits: Jesse Brown (Publisher, Executive Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor, Mixer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)   Pretendians cannot get made without you. For a limited time, become a Canadaland Supporter for just $2/month and get every episode one week early and ad-free. Sponsors: AG1, BetterHelpYou can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oklahoma's Republican governor Kevin Stitt is a card-carrying member of the Cherokee Nation. So why is he also considered the most "anti-Native governor" in history? A look at his family history reveals some wild surprises, and shows how Indigenous identity can be used as a weapon against Native nations.Pretendians cannot get made without you. For a limited time, become a Canadaland Supporter for just $2/month and get every episode one week early and ad-free. Sponsors: AG1, BetterHelpYou can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when Pretendian investigations go wrong? Robert talks to Jacqueline Keeler, the person behind the “Alleged Pretendians List". Then, he talks to Kiros Auld, whose name appeared on that controversial list. The problem? Kiros is legitimately Native.Editors Note - An earlier version of this episode stated that "the Pamunkey Indian Tribe is the only federally recognized tribe in the state of Virginia" Since publishing it was brought to our attention that The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is one of seven federally recognized tribes in the state of Virginia.​​Pretendians cannot get made without you. Become a Canadaland Supporter and get every episode one week early and ad-free.Sponsors: BetterhelpYou can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are no shortage of stories about movie stars who played Native and kept the act going even after the cameras stopped rolling. Iron Eyes Cody, Sacheen Littlefeather, and Johnny Depp – being a Pretendian is a Hollywood tradition! A history of how they did it, and how well they were paid for it. ​​Pretendians cannot get made without you. Become a Canadaland Supporter and get every episode one week early and ad-free.Sponsors: AG1 BetterhelpYou can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes people fake being Native? How do they explain it once the truth comes out? And is there any way to be not Native, but….Native adjacent? We talk to three people who lived it.​​Pretendians cannot get made without you. Become a Canadaland Supporter and binge the entire first season ad-free.Sponsors: AG1 BetterhelpYou can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.