We've been on a summer hiatus, but I'm happy to say we're back with some really interesting episodes coming your way.
First up is something different from our usual format. I'm a huge fan of in-depth history podcasts that focus on storytelling—especially Revolutions by Mike Duncan, where each season explores a different revolution like the French, Haitian or Russian.
I've always wished there was something like that for Canada. Canadian history is far more fascinating and important than we usually give it credit for. While there are definitely people doing great Canadian history content, nothing quite scratches that specific itch for me.
So we decided to try our hand at it ourselves. The time period we chose is one many people might have passing familiarity with: the events surrounding the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
This era is particularly fascinating because so many major events converge at once — Canada's westward expansion, the Red River Resistance, the Pacific Scandal, the rise of the robber barons, the Great Buffalo Famine and the Northwest Rebellion.
And the story of the CPR truly does speak to what it means to be a Canadian. You can see so many of the themes of our history, so much of what it means to be Canadian, in this monumental endeavour.
There’s the resistance to the American behemoth; the taming of a wild, unforgiving landscape; the ingenuity and persistence of thousands of Canadians working together to build one of the greatest marvels of the industrial age.
But there’s also the unparalleled corporate and political corruption; labour exploitation on a scale that’s hard to fathom; and the utter subjugation of the Indigenous peoples of this land.
And all of that put together is what makes the story of the construction of the CPR a fitting foundational myth for Canada.
So we've created a three-part miniseries on the CPR. Paid supporters can listen to all three episodes over the next three days, while everyone else will get weekly releases. If you haven't already, consider becoming a paid supporter—it's only $11 a month.
And stay tuned, because we have so much more coming your way in September.
