Stay ConnectedCOMMONS 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.
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Stuart Langridge was a model soldier. But when he returned from a tour in Afghanistan, his family noticed that something was off.
He was suffering from PTSD. But instead of providing him the treatment he needed, Stuart was punished and humiliated by the Canadian Forces.
Like too many Afghan veterans, Stuart ended up taking his own life. And when his parents began to ask questions about what had happened to their son, the Canadian military went to war against them.
Featured in this episode: Sheila Fynes, Shaun Fynes, David Pugliese (The Ottawa Citizen), Steven Staples, Bruce Moncur, Sean Teal
To learn more:
“The Canadian military’s war against a soldier’s family” by David Pugliese in The Ottawa Citizen
“Former soldier who lost part of his brain for Canada says sacrifice being demeaned” by Ryan Maloney in HuffPost Canada
“Veterans with PTSD should have MedicAlert IDs, says Afghanistan vet” by Stephen J. Thorne in Legion Magazine
“The Unremembered” by Renata D’Aliesio, Les Perreaux and Allan Maki in The Globe and Mail
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Douglas, Oxio, Calm
If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Afghan Detainee scandal became the defining story of Canada's war in Kandahar. It exposed Canada's complicity and direct involvement in war crimes. And it helped fuel the insurgency that eventually brought down the Afghan government.
Despite repeated denials by senior government and military officials, there's evidence that many Canadians knew they were sending Afghans to be tortured.
So why did so few people do anything to stop it? And what role did Harjit Sajjan, Trudeau's first Minister of Defence, play in ensuring that the full story will never come out?
Featured in this episode: Ahmad Malgarai, Amir Attaran, Sharif Sharaf, Craig Scott, Harjit Sajjan
To learn more:
“From Canadian custody into cruel hands” by Graeme Smith in The Globe and Mail
“Canada defended Afghan 'human-rights abuser,' memos allege” by Murray Brewster in The Canadian Press
“Ethics commissioner acknowledges Sajjan downplayed his role and knowledge of Afghan detainee issue” by David Pugliese in The Ottawa CItizen
The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistanby Graeme Smith
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Oxio, Images Festival, HelloFresh, Calm
If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
During the Afghan War, it was clear who the enemy was. The Taliban were a group of religious zealots who harboured terrorists, killed with fervour and enslaved women.
But then why did so many Afghans join with the Taliban during the years that Canada was fighting in Kandahar?
And if the Taliban were our enemies, who exactly were our friends and allies? In many cases, they were torturers, rapists and murderers themselves.
Featured in this episode: Rangina Hamidi, Matthieu Aikins, Ahmad Malgarai, Bruce Moncur, David Pugliese (Ottawa Citizen)
To learn more:
“Our Man in Kandahar” by Matthieu Aikins in The Atlantic
“House of Pain: Canada's connection with Kandahar's ruthless palace guard” by Graeme Smith in The Globe and Mail
The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistanby Graeme Smith
“Today We Shall All Die” Afghanistan's Strongmen and the Legacy of Impunityby Human Rights Watch
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders, HelloFresh
If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Operation Medusa has become the most celebrated battle in recent Canadian history. It was hailed as a stroke of military genius that may have vanquished the Taliban once and for all.
But the soldiers and commanders on the ground have a different story to tell. A rushed battle. Flawed intelligence. And generals putting political considerations ahead of Canadian lives.
And even though Canada had defeated the Taliban on the battlefield, that didn't mean they were winning the war.
Featured in this episode: Sean Teal, Bruce Moncur, Omer Lavoie, Adnan R. Khan, Eugene Lang
To learn more:
“Operation Medusa: The Battle For Panjwai” by Adam Day in Legion Magazine
“Afghanistan veteran recounts brutal battle” by Stephen J. Thorne in Legion Magazine
“It's time for a hard look at Operation Medusa” by Adnan R. Khan in Maclean's
The Unexpected War: Canada In Kandahar by Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders, HelloFresh, Skipper Otto
If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bill Wilson and Chris Kopp were two of the first Canadian soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.
One night in April 2002, they were at a training exercise at Tarnak Farms, Osama Bin Laden's old hideout outside of Kandahar.
All of a sudden, they see a blast, and chaos surrounds them. What happens next would change their lives — and the Canadian military — forever.
Featured in this episode: Chris Kopp, Bill Wilson, Michael Friscolanti, Eugene Lang
To learn more:
Friendly Fireby Michael Friscolanti
“Lest we forget: Each year, three Canadian medics who served in Afghanistan take stock of their war” by Ted Barris in Zoomer
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Rotman's Risk Management Program, Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders
If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the days after 9/11, Canada joined in the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Right away, it became painfully obvious that we didn't understand the country, its people, or its history.
That would have profound consequences.
Within months, Canadian special forces were participating in secret operations at the behest of some of the most sinister men in the country.
Our actions in the early days of the war would go on to endanger the lives of Afghans and Canadian soldiers alike in the years to come.
Featured in this episode: Murwarid Ziayee, Mohsin Amin, Arthur Kent, David Pugliese (Ottawa Citizen)
To learn more:
No Good Men Among the Living by Anand Gopal
Return To Afghanistan by Arthur Kent
“Eyes Wide Shut: The Government's Guilty Secrets in Afghanistan” by Jon Stephenson in Metro Magazine
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Rotman's Risk Management Program, Oxio, Ground News, 22 Murders
If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The War in Afghanistan was Canada's longest war. More than 40,000 Canadian troops served. And countless Canadian civilians went to work in the country. But after twenty years, billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives lost, Afghanistan is worse off than before.
When the Taliban marched into Kabul last August, the world watched as Afghans clung to planes in an attempt to escape. We bring you the true story of the end of one of the forever wars through the eyes of the people who were there.
Featured in this episode: Wasai Rahimi, Ghousuddin Frotan, Brian Castner, Mohammed Sharif Sharaf, Matthieu Aikins
To learn more:
“Inside the Fall of Kabul” by Matthieu Aikins in New York Times Magazine
“Escape from Afghanistan” by Mark MacKinnon in The Globe and Mail
“Horror at Kabul's gate to freedom” by Nick Paton Walsh, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Masoud Popalzai, Sitara Zamani, Abdul Basir Bina, Katie Polglase & Gianluca Mezzofiore in CNN
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Rotman's Risk Management Program, Oxio, Escaping Denver, and Ground News
If you listen on Apple, subscribe to Canadaland Politics for $2.99/month for ad-free episodes of COMMONS, Wag the Doug and The BackBench.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Narcolords in league with the government. Hundreds of millions of dollars that vanish into thin air. Arrogant decision-making that leads to the deaths of Canadians and Afghans alike. This season of COMMONS will bring you the war stories that Canada wants you to forget.
First episode drops March 30, 2022.
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 2007, the small Guatemalan village of Lote Ocho, Spanish for Lot 8, was burned to the ground by military, police and security for a Canadian-owned mine. Eleven women claim they were raped during the evictions.
A few years later, a prominent community activist is murdered in broad daylight by the head of security for the mining company.
These are just some of the many crimes that Canadian mining companies have been accused of committing in this region over the last 60 years.
Many Canadian mining companies are pariahs around the world. So why does Canada allow this to happen? And is this industry violent by its very nature?
Featured in this episode: Angélica Choc, Grahame Russel, Catherin Nolin, Heather Gies, Richard Poplak
To learn more:
“How a Canadian mining company infiltrated the Guatemalan state” by Max Binks-Collier in The Intercept
“Guatemala mine's ex-security chief convicted of Indigenous leader's murder” by Sandra Cuffe in The Guardian
Paradise Lost by CTV's W5
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Rotman's Behaviourally Informed Strategy Program & Dispatch Coffee
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Papua New Guinea is a part of the world that few Canadians ever think about. But for the people of Porgera, their lives have been shaped by the decisions of Canadian companies.
It's hard to wrap your head around the atrocities that people in Porgera have suffered over the last thirty year. Environmental devastation. Murder as a matter of course. Hundreds of women and girls who have been raped.
So why is Barrick Gold, the company that has operated the mine for the last decade and a half, still celebrated across the country? And why is Barrick's founder, Peter Munk, still viewed as a philanthropic and corporate icon?
Featured in this episode: Everlyn Gaupe, McDiyan Robert Yapari, Stanley Peter, Cressida Kuala, Catherine Coumans, Richard Poplak
To learn more:
“Canadian Mining's Dark Heart” by Richard Poplak in The Walrus
“The Shooting Fields of Porgera” by the Akali Tange Association
“Raped by Canadian Gold Mine Guards, These Women Are Looking for Justice” by Hilary Beaumont in VICE News
Additional music from Audio Network
This episode is brought to you by Rotman's Executive Leadership Online & Dispatch Coffee
Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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