Muddied Water

Louis Riel used his poetry to sort through his thoughts. It’s one of the ways we begin to understand the complexity of the man -- one who has been called a variety of names including: rebel, hero, traitor and lunatic. He is also called the Founder of Manitoba. In this episode host Stephanie Cram explores the legacy of Louis Riel, 150 years after he ushered Manitoba into confedera

First Nations people living in and around the Red River Settlement had a name for Métis people. Translated from Saulteaux, it is “the people that own themselves.” Métis people maintained much of their independence in the settlement because of their ability to organize and govern themselves. From the carts that made the journey possible to the hunt which provided sustenance to

Where are you from? The answer to that is an important part of understanding the identity of Métis people. Having a strip of land to call home is not just an issue of Indigenous rights but an important factor in one’s connection to community and culture. Frank Sais is from Rooster Town, a Métis community that once stood in what is now the southwest portion of Winnipeg...but was

Métis people have a complicated relationship with the Church. For some, Catholicism is an important part of their identity; for others it is a reminder of the harm done by colonization, particularly when it comes to the role Christian churches played in residential schools and a state-sponsored attempt to assimilate Indigenous people. As we look at Canada’s attempts to control M

Throughout history, Métis people have protected the land with their bodies and sometimes their lives, which is a source of inspiration for Jenna Vandal whose own family stories of resistance motivated her to block developers from taking over a stretch of traditional Métis land. The act of resistance is an important part of reclaiming and reviving the history and culture of Métis

Who are the Métis? It’s complicated. This podcast explores the history of Métis people in Manitoba, beginning with Louis Riel who was hero to some and traitor to others. Host Stephanie Cram unravels the intricate history of the Métis...and follows the thread from resistance to renaissance.

Muddied Water: 1919 explored a city divided by the conditions that led to the Winnipeg General Strike. The flu pandemic that hit the city one year before served to emphasize many of the inequities in our society at that time, and now, 100 years later, the COVID-19 pandemic is doing the same. In this bonus episode of Muddied Water: 1919 we consider the parallels of a city struck by

On June 21st, the government sent in the militia. One man is shot dead, dozens are wounded, and thousands are sent running for their lives. Hear from eyewitnesses to the event known as Bloody Saturday, the day that broke the back of the strike. Produced by Kim Kaschor and Marcy Makusa. With files from Margaux Watt.

May 30th, 1919, Winnipeg police officers were asked to sign a document. In it they pledge allegiance to the Police Commissioners and promise not to join 30,000 other workers in a city-wide strike. It was called "the slave pact" by many of the 252 members who refused to sign it, and it led to them being replaced by a group of citizen constables called the "Specials." Some remember t

On the other side of 30,000 striking workers one man's name stands alone: A.J. Andrews. He and his Citizens Committee of 1,000 are credited with breaking the back of the strike in 1919. But how did they do it? Meet the man at the head of the business elite and hear what some of his descendants think of his actions today. It's time to visit the south side of the tracks. Produced by