Reconsidering Canada
Reconsidering Canada is a podcast for settlers confronting the myths we grew up with. We explore Canadian history, denial, and decolonization—with truth, not neutrality, at the centre.
Recent Episodes
Recognition at Last?
Episode 9 – Recognition at Last? How the Nisga’a Nation changed Canadian law—and why recognition wasn’t enough. In 1973, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a landmark ruling in Calder v. British Columbia , a case that brought...
Unceded and Unsettled
Unceded and Unsettled: The Empty Promises of the Douglas Treaties What does it mean when land is called “unceded”? And what happens when treaties weren’t real agreements at all? In this episode, we travel to Vancouver Island ...
Staring Down the State
Episode 7: Staring Down the State What does real decolonization look like? In this episode, we return to the summer of 1990—to the barricades at Kanehsatà:ke and the standoff that came to be known as the Oka Crisis. Through a...
You Didn't Settle Anything, Right?
“I didn’t settle anything.” It’s one of the most common things settlers say when the topic of colonialism comes up. But the truth is, being a settler isn’t about what your ancestors did. It’s about where we stand now—and how ...
The Reconciliation Industry?
When two BC MLAs dismissed Indigenous sovereignty as “unfounded” and described reconciliation as an “industry,” they weren’t just engaging in political rhetoric; they were defending colonialism. In this episode of Reconsideri...
They Didn't Mean to Kill Them
Content Warnings: This episode discusses residential schools, systemic neglect, child death, colonial violence, and genocide. Listener discretion is advised. They Didn't Mean to Kill Them... "They died of tuberculosis." "No o...
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Recent Blog Posts
Zen and the Art of Bridge Building
This essay accompanies Episode 7 of Reconsidering Canada, “Staring Down the State,” but it isn’t a recap. It’s a deeper dive into one of the episode’s most unsettling ideas: that settlers and Indigenous peoples don&rsqu…
Who Gets to Call Reconciliation a Scam?
Content warning: This post discusses residential school deaths, unmarked graves, and the legacy of colonial violence. Please take care while reading. In April 2025, two BC MLAs—Tara Armstrong and Dallas Brodie—stood up in the provinci…
About the Host
Chris Bolster
Producer and Host
Chris Bolster is a settler, writer, and former journalist living on the unceded territory of the Tla’amin Nation. He created Reconsidering Canada as a space for settlers to confront the myths we’ve inherited and reckon with what we owe. Drawing on historical research, survivor testimony, and current Indigenous resistance, the podcast asks settlers to move beyond guilt or defensiveness—and take responsibility for the future we’re part of.