The True Canadians Podcast
For over two centuries, the Métis have fought for recognition as an Indigenous people and as a Nation. It’s a story worth telling, but until recently, it hasn’t been heard enough.
The True Canadians podcast is based the book of the same name, and refers to the fact that the Métis truly are people born of this land — well before Canada became a country of its own.
Host David Wylynko is a media consultant, writer, and former journalist. He grew up in the Winnipeg suburb of Fort Garry, not far from the actual Fort Garry, where the Métis first set up a provisional government in 1869, and he’s had a lifelong fascination with the Métis.
While he and his co-author, Patricia Russell, a Métis writer and former CBC journalist, were touring the country to promote the book, they discovered that readers wanted to know more about the people, places, events, and milestones featured in the pages of The True Canadians. A podcast seemed to be the best way to share what they learned. So they invited some of the personalities they wrote about, and some new voices, to tell more of their stories.
Each episode digs deeper into the important roles the Métis have played — and are continuing to play — in the evolution of Canada. Listeners will get to know the leaders, the artists, and the executives who are defining what it means to be Métis in the twenty-first century, and hear about the ongoing campaigns to win recognition, forge a stronger sense of community, and advance genuine reconciliation with other Canadians.
Original music for the podcast was composed and performed by Metis fiddler Alex Kusturok. Each episode begins with the words of the late Métis leader Jim Sinclair, delivered at the closing of the 1987 Meech Lake negotiations in Ottawa.
The podcast is available on most podcasting platforms, including:
Latest episode
A Journey to Forgiveness
She was a young child when she was taken from her home in the Northwest Territories and placed in a boarding school run by an order of Catholic nuns. Even at such a young age, Angie Crerar knew that what was happening to her and others was wrong. Her story is one of many that recount the horrid legacy of Residential schools, and which collectively stain the history of Canada.
In the latest episode of The True Canadians podcast, Angie shares with host David Wylynko what it means to be taken from a loving family and denied even the most rudimentary human respect. In a remarkable display of resilience and hope, Angie also describes her journey toward forgiveness for such egregious treatment. She tells of how much it meant to get the chance to journey to Rome and express her feelings to the head of the Catholic Church: Pope Francis himself.
More information
- The True Canadians book
- Angie Crerar and the papal apology (Global TV)
- Intro and outro music by Métis musician Alex Kusturok
- Opening quote from an address by Métis leader Jim Sinclair during the 1987 Canadian constitutional talks
→ Previous episodes
Podcast host David Wylynko and his co-author, Patricia Russell.