COMMONS
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COMMONS is a documentary podcast that proves Canada is anything but boring. Each season, host Arshy Mann guides you through the country's dark underbelly, bringing you stories about crime, corruption and all manner of misdeeds. This season: the truly unbelievable story of Canada's longest war.
COMMONS
1d ago
This episode was originally published on November 24, 2021.
Twenty-six men were working underground when an explosion tore through the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia. Their friends and colleagues went into the wreckage to try to save them.
The story of Westray is one of managerial malice and the heroism of everyday people. But why is it that governments let this happen over and over again, at the expense of so many lives?
Featured in this episode: Vernon Theriault, Tom Sandborn
To learn more:
Westray: My Journey From Darkness to Light by Vernon Theriault and Marjorie Coady
“Hell’s His ..read more
COMMONS
1w ago
Migrant farm workers are the backbone of Canada’s agricultural economy. But because they can be fired and deported at will, their voices are rarely ever heard in this country.
But Gabriel Allahdua is one of the few who can now speak up. And the story he has to tell is startling.
It’s a story of racism and labour exploitation that goes back decades, even centuries. And it’s a prophecy of what is to come — that the hardships inflicted on migrant farm workers are only a trial run for the rest of us.
This is the second episode in a two-part series on farm labour.
Featured in this e ..read more
COMMONS
2w ago
The creation of the Canadian Farmworkers Union, as it would come to be called, was the first step in a struggle that continues to this day.
Because even now, farmworkers have far fewer rights than almost any other class of worker. And even today, the men and women who grow our food are subject to horrific working conditions and racial discrimination.
But to understand why the situation remains so bad, we need to go back in time to a moment when there was progress and hope. A moment when it looked like things might truly change for the better.
This is the first episode in a two-part series o ..read more
COMMONS
3w ago
Across Canada, emergency rooms have been shutting down, leaving desperate people in the lurch. And at the heart of this health care crisis, is a labour crisis.
Nurses are leaving their jobs in droves, leaving hospitals understaffed and sometimes unable to carry out their most basic obligations.
In this episode, we'll tell you how nursing went from a profession hailed as heroic to one in an utter state of crisis, all through the eyes of a woman who lived through it all.
Featured in this episode: Nadira Ross
To learn more:
“How Canadian hospitals became dependent on expensive, out-of-town n ..read more
COMMONS
1M ago
Labour has undergone a seismic shift over the past decade.
The rise of gig work and temp agencies have made employment more precarious than ever. In the interest of profits, companies are turning more and more towards temporary foreign workers and international students for minimum wage jobs. And even for those with seemingly secure employment, wages and benefits continue to be squeezed.
One thing seems clear: workers are getting screwed.
This season of COMMONS will dig into the fascinating history and ever-changing present of what it means to be a worker in Canada.  ..read more
COMMONS
1M ago
Labour has undergone a seismic shift over the past decade.
The rise of gig work and temp agencies have made employment more precarious than ever. In the interest of profits, companies are turning more and more towards temporary foreign workers and international students for minimum wage jobs. And even for those with seemingly secure employment, wages and benefits continue to be squeezed.
One thing seems clear: workers are getting screwed.
This season of COMMONS will dig into the fascinating history and ever-changing present of what it means to be a worker in Canada.  ..read more
COMMONS
3M ago
This episode was originally published on August 28th, 2023.
Listen to Monopoly 1 - Lost in the Supermarket and Monopoly 17 - Food Fight
In the past several years, Loblaws, Metro and Empire have spent billions on their own stock – And at a time of food price inflation and grocery workers on strike.
Why are they doing it? And why do some economists say stock buybacks should be abolished?
Featured in this episode:
William Lazonick, professor emeritus of economics at University of Massachusetts
Jim Stanford, director of the Centre for Future Work
Further re ..read more
COMMONS
4M ago
This episode was originally published on November 7th, 2022.
Listen to episodes 1 & 3
Richard Marsh was born into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. He got out of the group he calls a cult and has made it his mission to expose the Brethren for their alleged abuses. Now he’s on the run from Brethren members who’ve been searching for him for years. The man hired to hunt Marsh down? David Wallace.
Written and reported by Jesse Brown and Cherise Seucharan
Audio editing and sound design by Tristan Capacchione
Original music by Nathan Burley Additional mus ..read more
COMMONS
4M ago
We live in a world of obsessive fandoms. The Stans, Swifties, Potterheads, Beliebers, Trekkies, Bronies, Barbs and their ilk are everywhere to be found.
But at what point does it go from being harmless entertainment and turn into something more sinister?
Featured in this episode: Zoe Alderton, Robert Lawson
To learn more:
“‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom” by Zoe Alderton in Religions
“Andrew Tate: how the ‘manosphere’ influencer is selling extreme masculinity to young men” by Robert Lawson in The Conversation
Everything I Need I Get fr ..read more
COMMONS
4M ago
Romana Didulo, the self-proclaimed Queen of Canada, is unlike almost any other cult leader Canada has ever seen. In an incredibly short amount of time, she’s been able to gain a mass following, despite her absurd claims and alarming rhetoric.
At various points, she’s claimed to be a political leader, a monarch, an interdimensional being communing with aliens, and so much more. She’s urged her followers to take up arms and execute migrants on sight.
And now, she’s taken up residence in a small Saskatchewan town that doesn’t know what to do.
Featured in this episode: Mack Lamoureux (VICE News ..read more