Podcasts: A guide for immigrants to Canada

Approximately since 2010, when they first gained significant traction, podcasts have erupted onto the global media scene. Today, most people’s content consumption is dominated by these audio talks, with about a third of Canadians dedicating around an hour a day to their favorite podcasts.

Commercial reports indicate that permanent residents, international students, and workers are more likely to listen to podcasts than their Canadian-born colleagues, indicating that newcomers to Canada are also embracing new media.

As a result, CIC News has put up the information below for foreigners who want to learn more about Canada through podcasts. See how you can add a fantastic new show to your schedule while learning more about Canadian life and culture by reading on.

Podcast of The Secret Life of Canada

The Secret Life of Canada, a collection of lesser-known stories from all throughout Canada, aims to publicize the strange and untold tales of our nation. This podcast, hosted by Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson, discusses a variety of subjects, including historical summaries of various towns and civilizations as well as important but lesser-known personalities in Canadian history. Nearly 60 episodes of The Secret Life of Canada podcast have now been aired, with fresh episodes arriving roughly every two weeks.

Study up on Canada

Why don’t we begin at the beginning? The following podcasts are all about discovering more about Canada—its politics, culture, and populace. These programs, which feature a variety of human profiles, interesting anecdotes, travel-show comments, and other content, might be helpful to newcomers both inside and outside of Canada.

The podcast “New to Canada”

The New to Canada podcast is created by and for newcomers, with a new guest appearing each week. Kate, the host, delves into the details of immigrant life in Canada, discussing topics like relocating, workplace culture, sports, mental wellbeing, and much more. The show also includes a ton of extra content, such as community meetups, a newcomer journal, and more. The New to Canada podcast includes 50 episodes as of this writing, with new episodes released every week.

Podcast of The Secret Life of Canada

The Secret Life of Canada, a collection of lesser-known stories from all throughout Canada, aims to publicize the strange and untold tales of our nation. This podcast, hosted by Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson, discusses a variety of subjects, including historical summaries of various towns and civilizations as well as important but lesser-known personalities in Canadian history. Nearly 60 episodes of The Secret Life of Canada podcast have now been aired, with fresh episodes arriving roughly every two weeks.

learning French and English

The ability to speak French and English is essential for immigration eligibility, but it is also a major indicator of immigrants’ success in the short- and medium-term. The following podcasts can be used to improve your English and French language skills.

Bob the Canadian will teach you English

With more than 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube, “Learn English with Bob the Canadian” has transitioned to podcasting. This podcast teaches English to a global audience by covering all facets of language acquisition, such as vocabulary, sentence structure, common phrases, tenses, and more. Every month, six to nine episodes—some of which date back to 2020—are uploaded. In addition to his official website, Bob also has a YouTube channel where listeners can find more supplemental content.

Coffee Break podcast in French

For those who are new to the language and want to study and improve their French, the Coffee Break French podcast is a fantastic option. The program, which is a part of the larger Coffee Break series and features several languages, including Spanish, English, German, Italian, Chinese, and more, is hosted by Mark and Anna, a French language student. The series’ fundamental premise is that viewers should allot around 30 minutes to each episode or lesson—roughly the length of a coffee break. Although the podcast is free, there is also a paid companion course that listeners can sign up for. There are already more than five seasons’ worth of episodes, covering everything from verb conjugations to sentence structure and vocabulary.

Mauril

Even while it isn’t a podcast in and of itself, the Mauril application provides an intriguing service that may be useful to newcomers wishing to advance their French and English skills. Mauril helps users develop their listening and comprehension abilities by delivering audio and video content from CBC and Radio-Canada that is suited for their understanding levels (set with the help of an initial placement exam). Following this, participants are given more questions to improve their writing and comprehension skills. The application includes a wide range of resources available for newcomers to use to improve their language abilities in a context that is specifically Canadian, including a big selection of training content (including kids shows, news and current affairs broadcasts, archival content, and more).

news from Canada

The following podcasts address news and current affairs in Canada, including politics, sports, and global concerns.

The Major Event

The Big Story, the nation’s first daily news podcast, covers “events, topics, and moments that matter to Canadians from coast to coast.” The podcast, which is hosted by reporter and editor Johnathan Heath-Rawlings, has a goal of summarizing the most important daily news in Canada in no more than 30 minutes. One of Canada’s most popular podcasts, with over 16 million downloads and numerous accolades, it can assist newcomers in becoming familiar with the local daily news.

Plan of Action with Steve Paikin

The Agenda with Steve Paikin, one of Television Ontario’s (TVO) longest-running programs, is now accessible as a podcast. The Agenda seeks to provide viewers with deeper studies of important subjects in Canadian culture rather than a daily current events show. Listeners are encouraged to an unbiased investigation of themes in a way that seeks to give them a broader perspective on the current events and life in Canada in general. themes covered range from the nature of money to why we love movies, the state of Canadian farming, and much more. The program, hosted by Steve Paikin and Nam Kiwanuka, includes 30 episodes as of this writing, each lasting around 30 minutes.