The Secret Life of Canada

About this podcast

The country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. New episodes every second Thursday.

Visit us at www.cbc.ca/secretlife for show links, transcripts and more!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Subscribe to Sounds Good: CBC's Podcast newsletter for the finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives.

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The Secret Life of Canada

The Secret Life of Canada

CBC

About this podcast

The country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. New episodes every second Thursday.

Visit us at www.cbc.ca/secretlife for show links, transcripts and more!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Subscribe to Sounds Good: CBC's Podcast newsletter for the finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives.

more

Language

Categories

Top CategoriesView all

Religion & Spirituality Society & Culture Music Christianity Education Business Arts Technology Comedy TV & Film

105 episodes

S6: Was the plot to assassinate Lincoln hatched in Canada?

S6: Was the plot to assassinate Lincoln hatched in Canada?

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 ...

00:25:47

S6: Welcome to Canada’s island of wild horses

S6: Welcome to Canada’s island of wild horses

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 ...

00:14:18

S6: Treaty 6

S6: Treaty 6

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. T...

00:56:13

Bonus: How to celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day all summer long

Bonus: How to celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day all summer long

Today we have a special bonus episode for you from our sibling show Unreserved, a fearless space for Indigenous voices. Host Rosanna Deerchild is ready to Indigenize your summer with a tastemaker’s guide to the best books, movies, podcasts (with Falen!) and more. More episodes of Unreserved are avai...

00:52:00

S6: The Royal Proclamation

S6: The Royal Proclamation

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 ...

00:29:26

S6: Crash Course on Private Mary Greyeyes

S6: Crash Course on Private Mary Greyeyes

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....

00:10:25

S6: Canadian Comedy

S6: Canadian Comedy

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...

00:44:46

S6: Crash Course on The Persian

S6: Crash Course on The Persian

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 pe...

00:10:30

S6: General Idea

S6: General Idea

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, f...

00:36:15

S6: Crash Course on Icelandic Canada

S6: Crash Course on Icelandic Canada

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 h...

00:13:06