Indigenous Podcasting in Canada: A Growing and Important Movement

Indigenous podcast creation in Canada is one of the most significant and underrecovered stories in

the country's media landscape. A growing number of Indigenous creators are using podcasting to

tell stories from their communities, preserve cultural knowledge, address political and social issues,

and build platform for Indigenous voices that mainstream media has historically overlooked.

The Landscape As it Stands: Shows like Unreserved (CBC), Red Man Laughing, and a growing

number of independent productions have built meaningful audiences for Indigenous-centered

content. The medium's low barrier to entry and direct distribution model — bypassing traditional

gatekeepers — has made podcasting an especially accessible format for Indigenous creators who

have faced exclusion from mainstream media institutions.

The Funding Context: Several funding programs specifically support Indigenous media content in

Canada, including through the CMF's Indigenous language and culture programming, the

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network's (APTN) digital funding, and various provincial arts

councils with Indigenous-specific streams.

What Non-Indigenous Podcasters Should Know: For non-Indigenous podcasters covering topics

that intersect with Indigenous issues, communities, or history in Canada: the same principles of

responsible reporting that apply in journalism apply in podcasting. Consultation with community

members, prioritizing Indigenous voices rather than speaking on behalf of communities, accuracy

about historical and contemporary context, and willingness to be corrected by community members

are foundational practices.

The Canadian history of residential schools, land rights, and ongoing systemic issues affecting

Indigenous communities is not a content niche — it's the context within which all Canadian

podcasting about history, policy, and identity operates.