The Secret Life of Canada

Ah, the smell of fry bread, bright regalia, and vendors selling everything from dreamcatchers to expensive jewellery — the modern day powwow is really a feast for the senses. But did you know we can trace the roots of these gatherings to dodgy medicines and even old wild west shows? And how do you pronounce scone dog? Falen and Leah take to the powwow trail to find out what the powwow was and what it is now, and how it is helping some connect to culture. Check out our episode on the history of blackface here.And check out our episode on the potlatch ban here. For  more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

Our country’s first sex scandal! At the height of the cold war several ministers in John Defeinbaker's government decided to have an affair. Turns out, they all ended up with the same woman. Was she really a spy for East Germany?For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

It’s been called Canada’s Titanic. 106 years ago the Princess Sophia crashed into a coral reef on route to Vancouver and Victoria. Over 300 passengers died and it was the worst maritime disaster in the Pacific Northwest, so why haven’t we heard more about it? For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

In 1955, Canada’s immigration officials began a special experimental program to bring in Palestinian refugees through Pier 21. Falen and Leah take a look back at this historic port of entry that saw almost a million immigrants and refugees arrive in Canada and then find out what has changed since Pier 21’s heyday. And then they try to find out if we are currently better or worse at responding to refugees in crisis zones like Gaza and Sudan.With special guests Jan Raska from the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 and Gauri Sreenivasan from the Canadian Council for Refugees.Related episodes:Crash Course on Ukrainian CanadiansThe Halifax DonairThe province of JamaicaFor more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

In honor of spooky season, Falen and Leah are joined by producer Eunice Kim to learn why Winnipeg became known around the world for communicating with the dead. Together they’ll light some candles and find out why, in the mid-1900s, holding seances became sought after and then how that popularity inspired one of the most famous supernatural comedy films of all time — Ghostbusters.  For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

Leah and Falen take a (fully clothed) deep dive into the history of nudism in Canada. They learn the origins behind the naturist movement which includes a love of the outdoors, embracing nudity in a non-sexual way and most importantly, the use of a towel when sitting down. So, when did it all start here, who were the members of the clubs and what happened when someone got ...visibly aroused? We have all the answers in this brief history of nudism.*Content warning: this episode contains sexual content and adult themes which may not be suitable for younger listeners.Recommended companion episodes:Eugenics in CanadaWhere is Japantown?For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

In a lot of history books we hear the names of European explorers who “discovered” the Americas. Columbus, Cook, Champlain. All boo-worthy men. But what about the people who went the other way? Indigenous people have been crossing oceans and going to Europe, too. But why don’t we know their names? In this episode Leah and Falen look into the story of those who went willingly and those who did not, those who came home and those who did not. With special guests Caroline Pennock, Coll Thrush, and Peter Morin.For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

How did this country end up with the biggest Caribbean Carnival in North America? Leah and Falen dive into history of how a small one time event during Expo ‘67 became one of the longest running street parties in Canada — all courtesy of Trinidad and Tobago. With special guests Michelle Walker and Martin Scott-Pascall.For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

The Secret Life of Canada went live at Hot Docs. Leah and Falen take a historical deep dive into the greatest thieves, crooks and liars that have made this country what it is today. Featuring guests, Sharjil Rasool and Brandon Hackett and music by Andrew Penner.For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

People have been taking their clothes off for as long as they’ve been wearing them, but when did people start doing it for entertainment? In this episode Leah and Falen look into the history of burlesque in Canada and talk to a legend of the stage who’s been delighting audiences across the world for decades. With special guest, Judith Stein.For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

Why did John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, spend so much time in Montreal? We learn about how Canada was both the last stop on the Underground Railroad and the destination for Southern Confederate leaders and supporters to strategize, stash money and come up with plots against Abraham Lincoln. With special guests Dr. Afua Cooper and Julian Sher.For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/transcripts

Sable Island is the stuff of legends. A desolate tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, where no one is permitted to live, except for wild horses. We figure out how they got there, how they’ve lived without humans since the 1700s and why many scientists think it's time to remove the horses out of their unique habitat.For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/secretlifeFor transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/transcripts

Deception, backdoor dealings, unfulfilled promises and Canada’s largest mass hanging. Treaty 6 is one of the most well documented treaty signings in Canadian history. But what did it take to get there and why does it matter today? In this special episode Falen and Leah chat with guest Kyle Muzyka. They learn about all the mistranslations, misunderstandings and misinterpretations that were involved in the creation of Treaty 6. For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.

It’s been called the Indigenous Magna Carta and the Indigenous Bill of Rights. But what exactly does that mean? In this episode Falen and Leah dive into the history of the Royal Proclamation, a document that is often spoken about when discussing the history of Canada and Indigenous land rights. But what do we really know about it?Listen to our Crash Course on Beavers (as mentioned in the episode) here, and listen to our episode on Water here.For more links and more about this episode visit us at cbc.ca/secretlife.Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

A curious World War II-era photograph shows an unnamed woman in military uniform kneeling next to a man in a headdress who holds a pipe above her. We dig into the true story behind this photograph and the identity of this mystery woman.For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/secretlifeFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

Comedy has been called one of Canada’s biggest exports. But why exactly is that, and why can’t the country seem to keep our funny people at home? In this episode Leah and Falen look at the roots of comedy in Canada and look into why Canadians are so funny wherever they are in the world. And RIP Just For Laughs?For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanadaFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok!

It’s another baking episode! This time Leah and Falen look at why Thunder Bay, Ontario has their own sweet roll that you can't find anywhere else. We find out how these sweet buns with pink frosting came to be and who Persians are named after (spoiler — it strangely has nothing to do with Persian people).For more links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada

When three young queer men formed an art collective in the late 60s in Toronto named "General Idea", no one expected that they would end up becoming one of the most iconic art collectives of the 20th century. For 25 years Felix, Jorge and AA became internationally known for their edgy, subversive, funny and boundary pushing work. Leah and Falen learn about the early days of the collective [2:11], the time Life magazine tried to sue them [13:17], why they started a ”Miss General Idea” beauty pageant [16:51], and how they ended up creating one of the most indelible images of the AIDS epidemic [25:26]. And then, they’ll hear about the group’s final push to produce a catalog of work before AIDS took the lives of Felix & Jorge in 1994 [30:30]. With special guest AA Bronson.Here are some of the pieces referenced in the episode:Mail ArtFILE magazineThe Miss General Idea PageantP is for PoodleIMAGEVIRUS, AIDSFin De SiècleFor more links on General Idea’s work and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanadaFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.

Gimli is more than a dwarf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series Lord of the Rings, in fact the community in Manitoba is home to the world’s largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. So how did Canada become home to all these Icelanders, why did they end up living on a reserve and what exactly happens during Islendingadagurinn?Listen to Part 1 of our episode The Mounties Always Get Their Land (referenced in the episode) here.Follow us on social media. We're on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

From PSAs to Euphoria, the identity of the teen on TV has shifted a lot over the years. Leah and Falen take a look back at the invention of the teen and teens on TV. They make the case that thanks to a little upstart franchise called Degrassi, the teen drama is a Canadian invention. Here is the link to our episode Bread and Cheese. And be sure to check out The Degrassi Kid Podcast!Follow us on social media. We're on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.