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. 

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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.

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

Nunavut has the largest landmass out of all the provinces and territories in Canada - and yet, it is an area that many of us know the least about. In this episode, we look at the forced relocation of the Inuit, the Eskimo Identification System, and the dog slaughter perpetuated by the Canadian government. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/inappropriate-questions-transcripts-listen-1.6740372

We've developed free teaching materials for this episode. Check them out here.

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 Art

FILE magazine

The Miss General Idea Pageant

P is for Poodle

IMAGEVIRUS, AIDS

Fin De Siècle

For more links on General Idea’s work and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada

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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.

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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!

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It would become one of the key moments in Black history in Canada. In 1968, six Black students from Sir George Williams University in Montreal filed a complaint of racism against their biology professor. By 1969, the university denied their complaint and more than 200 students began a peaceful sit-in. By the end of it, a fire broke out, police in riot-gear were sent in and 97 people were arrested. Named “The Sir George Williams Affair” it is now considered to be the largest student protest in Canadian history. 

Here is a link to previous episode mentioned in this episode:

The Province of Jamaica: https://link.chtbl.com/OOwfXRW2

For links and more about this episode visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada

Canadians are always apologizing, or are they? We are back for a sixth season and in this episode [1:29] Leah and Falen discuss how they use the word “sorry” and why [4:20] and take a deep dive into the theory that it comes from the country's British foundations. [8:33] We learn that the British and French brought dueling with them as a way to resolve conflict. [20:00] Then we look at how the word is connected to conflict resolution, which Indigenous people already were doing before contact [21:44] and examine the many apologies of the Canadian government [25:05] and try to find out whether or not Canadians actually apologize any more than anyone else.

Here are links to previous episodes mentioned in this episode:

Kanesatake 300 Years Later, Part 1: https://link.chtbl.com/eUDOXoMZ

Kanesatake 300 Years Later, Part 2: https://link.chtbl.com/jeMsG6HU

For other links, references, transcripts and more about this episode, visit us at: www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada

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/secretlife

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/transcripts