CANADALAND
Trail Films is privileged to work on the Canadaland podcast, offering production and audio engineering to the network's flagship Monday show, its long-form documentary and investigative journalism stream.
Canadaland has been fiercely independent and listener-funded since 2013. The Monday episodes are single-subject, often reported over months, and they run long and deep.
I work alongside senior producer Bruce Thorson, senior production supervisor Tristan Capacchione, host and publisher Jesse Brown, and a team of incredible reporters, crafting each week's episode from raw interview tape, scripts and sourced materials.
Listen for free at CANADALAND. But this kind of journalism only exists because listeners pay for it — so if you value it, support Canadaland and get ad-free streams and a Canadian metric ton of bonus perks.
SELECTED EPISODES
#1418 — The Prime Minister in Exile Who Drives a Bus in Edmonton
Abdulahat Nur grew up in East Turkistan. That’s what many Uyghurs, a Muslim Turkic people of Central Asia, call it. But if you’re a Chinese state official the region is called Xinjiang, or “New Frontier.” For many it echoes the same sort of arguments that surround Tibet. China’s treatment of the Uyghurs has led to intense international scrutiny, particularly its use of internment camps or what China calls “vocational training centres.” The level of allegations against China has risen to accusations of genocide.Raising awareness of the Uyghur cause is one of Abdulahat Nur’s primary roles as Prime Minister of East Turkistan. But there is his bus route in Edmonton as well…
#1406 — Fastened to a Dying Animal: How to Survive the Collapse of the U.S. Empire
Is the American empire officially in its “dying animal” era? Author and cultural critic Stephen Marche certainly thinks so and for the first time in his career, he’s feeling downright optimistic. In Stephen’s view, the collapse of U.S. global dominance isn’t a tragedy for Canada; it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ditch our toxic relationship with American markets, invest in our own sovereignty, and reinvent ourselves on the world stage. Host Jesse Brown isn’t quite ready to pop the champagne. Armed with a weak Canadian dollar, decaying public infrastructure, and the words of Leonard Cohen, Jesse steps into the ring to challenge Stephen’s sunny outlook.
#1398 — Cash for Eggs: Canada's Fertility Industry Secret
Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act made it illegal to pay a woman to donate her eggs in Canada. The goal was to avoid incentivizing women to donate their eggs without fully understanding the risks of the procedure. But loopholes and a lax regulatory system have let a “grey market” prosper. In her investigation Gemma Boothroyd spent months meeting egg donors, doctors, researchers, lawyers — the long list of people working, often unseen, to make a baby for intended parents.
#1394 — Canada's Goal to Save Footballers' Lives
Investigative reporter Laura Robinson and Senator Marilou McPhedran were accused of faking government documents. The RCMP were called in followed quickly by the Senate Ethics Committee. Several weeks ago that committee finally handed down their verdict. For years Robinson could say little about the case. But today she brings the whole story to Canadaland. The story of her part in an operation to save the lives of hundreds of Afghan footballers.
Host & Publisher Jesse Brown
Senior Production Supervisor Tristan Capacchione
Senior Producer Bruce Thorson
Production & Engineering Chad Galloway
Reporter Gemma Boothroyd
Reporter Julian Abraham
Reporter Sam Konnert
Theme Music So-Called
Additional Music Audio Network
Syndication UMFM 101.5 FM Winnipeg