Michelle Latimer was the buzziest Canadian director and showrunner of 2020. But it all came crashing down in December when a CBC investigation called into question her Indigenous identity claims.

The book world has been thrown into turmoil by sexual assault allegations, inter-generational fighting and questions over Indigenous ancestry. Is this inside baseball for a tiny industry, a microcosm of the culture wars or a battle over who gets to tell Canada's story?

After ending the campaigns of several Tory candidates with his muckraking during the 2015 federal election, Macleans dubbed Robert Jago, “the most dangerous blogger in Canada”. The next year, Jago broke the Joseph Boyden scandal, and this past January he exposed Senator Lynn Beyak for publishing racist letters on her website, which resulted in her ousting from the conservative caucus. Jago has quickly risen as an incisive, evocative voice in Canadian media. He’s a regular contributor to The Walrus and CANADALAND — but he says he doesn’t plan on giving up his day job anytime soon. So. Who is this guy? Robert Jago joins Jesse. — This episode of CANADALAND is brought to you by Endy.

Joseph Boyden has emerged from his winter burrow like a collared lemming (it’s an arctic mammal — look it up!) to plug his forthcoming book weigh in again on questions of his Indigenous ancestry. Despite his insistence that his connection to — and friendship with — Indigenous communities should automatically confer some sort of Indigenous status, he went ahead and got a DNA test anyway. Robert Jago wrote an excellent dissection of Boyden’s latest plea for acceptance/publicity stunt, while Eric Andrew-Gee dug into Boyden’s complicated family history in a Globe & Mail feature.   Also, with literally no Canadians waiting with baited breath, the CBC finally announced its cadre of Peter Mansbridge replacements. Rosemary Barton, Ian Hanomansing, Adrienne Arsenault, and Andrew Chang have collectively made the cut, while network mainstays Ernie Coombs, Bruno Gerussi, and Al Waxman remain in reserve in case any of the new lead anchors bolt for CTV. National Post journalist and Commons co-host Ashley Csanady joins us.   DULY NOTED: Ashley vents about three Toronto cops acquitted of sexually assaulting a parking enforcement officer; Speaking of Toronto cops, Toronto Sun columnist Sue-Ann Levy doesn’t like that they’re being given Naloxone to prevent Fentanyl users from dying in front of them. Toronto mayor John Tory wrote the op-ed equivalent of a facepalm; A Google employee writes a 10-page memo explaining that Silicon Valley is rightfully a bro-fest because women are bad at math. Almost as egregious? A 10-page memo! Who has time to read a 10-page memo? A Toronto-based Business News Network reporter is stunned to discover Muslim women wear undergarments; Finally, Vice’s Canadian operation lays off 10 employees, including four members of its editorial team. Those with pink slips include: Sarah Hagi, Tamara Khandaker, Max Mertens and Amanda Roth, all talented writers.

To be First Nations, you must first belong to a nation.

Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch released a video this week that was somewhere between political platform and performance play. Also, Kevin O'Leary continues to draw a paycheque from CNBC while running for the same role.

Joseph Boyden is a celebrated, award-winning indigenous novelist - who might not actually be native.

To a growing number of newspaper and magazine pundits, the Joseph Boyden controversy is about political correctness run amok, a public...