CanCon

Would you call Walmart Canada a "Canadian" company? It's a much more complex question than it appears—but I think most of us would agree on the general answer. It's a Canadian subsidiary of a giant US retail behemoth. But when it comes to procurement spending from the federal government, often these are kinds of companies that can meet qualifications to describe themselves as "Canadian" and earn an edge over their competitors. It shouldn't be a surprise that government spending can get complicated, but it does raise a fascinating question: For the past year many of us have learned a lot about what makes a food item or a retail product Canadian—but what about a company? Vass Bednar, managing director of the Canadian Shield Institute, joins Jordan to puzzle through that question, and how our tax dollars are spent because of it. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

When the World Happiness Report first began scoring countries on their self-reported levels of happiness in 2012, Canada was consistently in the top 10. It felt right, we were pretty happy. Over the past several years, things have been changing, first slowly and now rapidly. In the recently published edition of the report, Canadians' happiness levels ranked 25th in the world, by far a new low. And that precipitous drop has been driven predominantly by one demographic... UBC Professor Emeritus and co-creator and editor of the World Happiness Report John Helliwell joins us to discuss what's changed, who's unhappy and what we know about how to generate happiness in our own lives from two decades of scientific research. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

In any other entertainment medium, a Canadian-made product winning the equivalent of a Best Picture Oscar would be historic, headline-grabbing news. But when Canadian-made games win Game Of The Year—and they have, multiple times—the country barely bats an eye. Games are big business in Canada, and we have some of the world's premier talent, in both massive corporate studios and tiny indie development houses. Yet unless you're really, really into video games, you'd never know. Why? Jonathan Ore of the CBC hops on the show to talk about video games in Canada, how good they are, and why nobody even knows where the games they play are made. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

One might've thought we'd learned our lesson in 2020. That being hit with waves of deeply ill patients that pushed our health care system—especially its front lines in hospitals and ERs—to the brink would have woken us up to just how close to disaster we were operating. Alas. On this episode of Cancon, Emergency Room physician, podcaster and author Dr. Brian Goldman takes us inside the ongoing low-level crisis that happening in emergency rooms across the country. Like any good doctor, he diagnoses the root of the problem, outlines the kind of long-term treatment it requires, and gives us some take-home instructions for the next time we find ourselves with a loved one in need of emergency care. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

The federal Liberals miraculous early-2025 comeback was one of the biggest sudden shocks in Canadian political history. In response to Justin Trudeau's resignation, Donald Trump's threats and tariffs and the ascendance of Mark Carney, Canadian voters flocked back to the party that had been in power for a decade. The party they appeared ready to abandon. In the wake of that, things seemed to settle into a new normal—something resembling a two-party system, with the Liberals and Conservatives neck and neck. But in the first two months of this year, the tides seem to have turned again, but not in a way many predicted. The political landscape in this country, at least according to the polls, is looking different by the day. And upcoming byelections could push the Liberals into a majority. What's happening here? How much of this is real? And what have we learned about Canadian polling at a time when misinformation is a major part of many people's news diet? Canadian polling expert Philippe J. Fournier, creator of 338Canada, joins Jordan for a conversation on the recent federal shift, what it tells us about the year to come, and the state of political polling in Canada. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

A little less than a decade ago, the podcast industry was ascendant in Canada. Independent shows were finding an audience, major media companies were starting podcast network and buying up podcast production houses, and it was assumed the medium would continue to grow alongside the American industry. Podcasting had arrived. Today, despite audience growth that surged during the pandemic and continues today, the industry is struggling. It's not for lack of quality, as Canadian shows win international awards and Canadian hosts and producers often go on to work on massive shows in the United States. So why is the industry shrinking in Canada? Do Canadian audiences want Canadian shows? And what does the future of the format in this country look like? Jordan sits down with longtime producer Kattie Laur, who runs Canada's podcast newsletter Pod The North, hosts her own show, Canardian, and has had just about every job there is in podcasting, as she explains just what happened to the Canadian podcast boom that never came. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

You know the joke about Canada being three (insert sector here) companies in a trench coat? Well, it's kind of always been that way. When Canadians complain about the lack of choices for consumers in so many industries, they're continuing a long tradition that began with the founding of our nation. Ever since the Hudson's Bay company was handed control of the fur trade and our railroad was built by Canadian Pacific we've had it in our DNA. But now, when global competition is supposed to define the landscape, little has changed. Why is that? And why has our government been so unsuccessful in stopping it? This week, Jordan is joined by Peter Nowak, host of Do Not Pass Go, a podcast dedicated to exploring monopolies across Canadian sectors to unpack why, exactly, a nation that recently claimed to be beefing up the powers of its competition bureau struggles to offer its citizens real choices in their everyday lives. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

Marshall Cohen is one of the last of the old masters. His job, for more than four decades, has been to personally select from the tons and tons of fresh produce that roll through the Ontario Food Terminal every day, the best and freshest fruits and vegetables possible. It's an art form, and he's widely regarded as the best around.The terminal itself, the largest fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Canada, is a uniquely fascinating place, offering a glimpse into how massive supply chains operate to bring food from Canadian farms and international sellers to local grocery stores—and eventually to your fridge. But the game has been changing, and Marshall Cohen's well-earned, hands-on wisdom is being replaced by more modern, "efficient" methods.Last year, Jake Edmiston, a business reporter at the Toronto Star, shadowed Cohen as he made his rounds. Jake takes us inside how the terminal works, what makes Cohen a "legend" (just ask anyone who's worked with him) and how the old masters of the food terminal may give way to whatever comes next... Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

As you may have heard (over and over again), travel to the United States by Canadians is way down. Other countries are also avoiding the US, whether due to political stances or security concerns. But Canadians, Europeans and others are still part of the post-pandemic travel boom. So where are they going? You got it!Canadians are looking to explore their own country more than ever before. Foreigners are still looking to visit North America, just maybe not ... you know. All this has created the best chance Canada has had in decades to supercharge its growing travel industry. The only questions are if we're ready to seize it, and how we go about doing that...Jordan speaks to Erin Hynes, a longtime travel industry expert and the host of Curious Tourism: A Responsible Travel Podcast, about what the past year has taught us about Canadian travel and where it might be headed this year. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

You may wonder, in the middle of a trade war, why Ontario's premier was pouring out a gigantic bottle of Crown Royal whisky, the spirit perhaps associated with this country more than any other. And why Doug Ford is now threatening to remove Crown Royal products from the shelves of Ontario's liquor stores. Well ... it's complicated. Part of it is political theatre, of course. Part of it is intimidation. And part of it is perhaps because Crown Royal is not as Canadian as you might think, and there's a decent chance that, whatever your preferred brand, your favourite Canadian whisky isn't either... In Episode 2 of Cancon, Jordan Heath-Rawlings is joined by Emily Osborne, a policy research associate at the Canadian SHIELD Institute, for a deep dive into exactly who makes what in Canada when it comes to the booze the rest of the world sees as "Canadian". Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

Decades ago, our government, and the body that oversees Canadian broadcasting, decided that homemade content was in danger of being overwhelmed by the vast flood of music, television, and film coming from the United States. The solution? A policy that required broadcasters to fill a certain amount of their programming with Canadian-made content, or "CanCon" as it came to be known. But the media landscape looks very, very different today than it did in 1991. And while Canadian-made content still manages to break through (see: Rivalry, Heated), and the CRTC has periodically updated the regulations, there's no question the CanCon policy no longer covers all it was intended to. Should it change? Did it work? Is it still needed? Not at all, or more than ever? Michael Geist is the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, and one of the country's foremost experts in media policy in the digital age. He joins Jordan to explain 35 years of CanCon, and if we need 35 more. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

Welcome to CanCon!From (most of) the team that brought you Elbows Up, comes a show dedicated to telling Canadian stories, rather than focusing our energy on the rhetoric of our neighbours. These are conversations about who we are, how we got here, and where we're going. We hope you'll join us. Episode 1 debuts in two weeks, on Jan. 28, 2026. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

This summer, given ... everything going on down there, Canadians are more interested in exploring their own backyard than traveling to the United States. And since we've spent four months exploring everything about this country we need to fix, we wanted to spend Canada Day looking around at everything we don't. No matter where you live, this episode will give you some incredible ideas for your next getaway.Bestselling author Robin Esrock (The Great Canadian Bucket List) takes us on a tour from coast to coast to coast, starting in the North, then moving from West to East. There are so many beautiful, meaningful, fun and just plain weird places in this country that we thought we'd try to celebrate them all. Later, Esrock shares travel tips for everyone from those with the money for a cross-country train ride to those who need to stick closer to home, and their budget.After that, Jordan, Laura and Mat share the podcast's plan for this summer and beyond. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

One of the biggest problems Canadians face—that anyone faces—is the onslaught of misinformation online. Plenty of studies, including a new Reuters News survey, have shown that social media has passed traditional media as the go-to source of news for most Americans and plenty of Canadians. So we can talk about it all day, but what are we doing about it?Canadian journalist Kevin Newman—who has also anchored American news broadcasts—is one of the leads behind a new venture called Get Fact, a non-partisan coalition of volunteers that applies traditional fact-checking principles to AI tools, to offer news consumers a way to determine the veracity of what they're seeing in their feeds, or anywhere else. Jordan and Kevin discuss the state of journalism, the problem of misinformation and disinformation and what we can do beyond simply lamenting a past that's never coming back. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].

Millions of Canadians are voting with their feet, and their wallets, refusing to travel to the United States this summer—or even cancelling plans they've already made. But not everyone has that luxury. Some travel may not come with cancellation options. Some Canadians need to travel south, for work or to grow their business. And others may have family across the border they need to see. Some of those might even be dual citizens, wondering when they can go home again.Between tariffs and the threat of immigration officials—one arm of which has inspired a week-long protest in Los Angeles, which the Canadian government has advised travellers to stay far away from—the prospect of crossing the border can be daunting. In this episode, Jordan and Laura discuss what, if anything, it would take to get them heading through customs, then Jordan speaks to Canadian immigration lawyer Cindy Switzer, who works with MKS Immigration Lawyers and is the Chair of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Immigration Law Section, on what you need to consider if you have to—or want to—make the trip. Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: [email protected].