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Beyond Riel

It is well known that Cana­da is a bilin­gual coun­try. How­ev­er, there is a com­mon mis­con­cep­tion that there is a near­ly com­plete lin­guis­tic seg­re­ga­tion. That is, Québec is pre­dom­i­nant­ly com­posed of Fran­coph­o­nes while the rest of Cana­da is deprived of French. This mis­con­cep­tion is present with Fran­coph­o­nes in Québec and also amongst Anglo­phones across Cana­da. This pod­cast is in Eng­lish to tar­get this sec­ond group, that is, the non-Fran­coph­o­nes across Cana­da that are not aware that there are vibrant Fran­coph­o­ne com­mu­ni­ties out­side of Québec. Our hope is that this pod­cast will help Cana­di­ans appre­ci­ate that Cana­da is bilin­gual from sea to sea to sea.

This is Beyond Riel, a lim­it­ed series pod­cast that will explore the his­to­ry, cul­ture, and chal­lenges fac­ing minor­i­ty Fran­coph­o­ne com­mu­ni­ties in Cana­da. This pod­cast is being co-host­ed by André Marchildon, a Fran­co-Man­i­to­ban, and Ian T. D. Thom­son, a born and raised Win­nipeger who grew up speak­ing only English.

The name of this pod­cast, Beyond Riel, refers to Louis Riel, often called the founder of the Province of Man­i­to­ba. Riel was instru­men­tal in ensur­ing pro­tec­tions for the French lan­guage were enshrined in Manitoba’s con­sti­tu­tion. The impor­tant his­to­ry of Riel is taught exten­sive­ly in schools in Man­i­to­ba and in oth­er provinces. How­ev­er, the his­to­ry of French in Man­i­to­ba, and across Cana­da, is so much greater than just Riel. This pod­cast will go Beyond Riel in explor­ing Fran­coph­o­ne com­mu­ni­ties in Cana­da out­side of Québec. 

The music in Beyond Riel comes from the Fran­co-Man­i­to­ban Rayan­nah. You can find more of her music here: http://​www​.rayan​nah​.ca. This series is spon­sored by la Société de la fran­coph­o­nie man­i­to­baine and sup­port­ed by a Tak­ing It Glob­al grant.

Our hope is that this pod­cast will help Cana­di­ans appre­ci­ate that there is French in Cana­da from sea to sea to sea. You can sub­scribe to Beyond Riel via Apple Pod­casts or Spo­ti­fy. If you would like to reach out with ques­tions or con­cerns, you can do so at beyond.​riel@​umfm.​com.

Hosts

  • André Marchildon, Executive Producer and co-Host

    André is a Franco-Manitoban who was born and raised in Winnipeg. He moved to Toronto in 2017 to pursue a Master of Applied Science at the University of Toronto in Aerospace Engineering. André completed his masters in 2019 and is currently working on his PhD in the same field. His current research involves developing novel optimization methods that can be used to optimize the shape of airplanes to make them more aerodynamic and thus more efficient. André has been extensively involved in student organizations and is passionate about the environment and linguistic rights.

  • Ian T. D. Thomson, Executive Producer and co-Host

    Ian is a public policy consultant, providing research and strategic advice to governments, media outlets and research institutes including the Positive Energy Initiative and Ontario 360. Over the years, he has produced and hosted several radio shows and podcasts, including UMFM’s After Immunity and The 7 Deadly Songs; the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy’s Beyond the Headlines; and the University of Ottawa’s Positive Energy Podcast. Ian is currently pursuing a degree in Law at the University of Toronto.

  • Frédérick Demers, Technical Producer

    Frédéric is a St-Boniface university alumni who graduated from the Digital media program. Frédéric has done all of his schooling in French and grew up in the middle of the French production scene. He has a passion for motion graphics and always is on the lookout for his next project. Frédéric has worked with CBC-Manitoba, WorkerBee.tv, and Manitomedia to help create both animated and video-based work to tell impactful stories.

  • Gabriel Tougas, Consultant Producer

    Gabriel is a filmmaker and television director who was born and raised in Winnipeg. At only 19 he started working for Les Productions Rivard where he directed over fifty hours of programming. In 2013 Gabriel co-wrote and directed the movie Héliosols, a feature-length French movie produced in Manitoba. Gabriel continues to write and direct documentary series for national broadcast, and favourite themes of his include environmentalism, cultural identity and youth engagement.

Episodes

  • September 5, 2021

    Episode 8: Francophone Rights and Representation

    For our final episode we will be looking at organizations that represent Francophones in Manitoba and across Canada. We will also talk about the Official Languages Act, which mandates the federal government, among other things, to provide French and English services across Canada. To guide us on this conversation we’ve invited Justin Johnson. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thomson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • September 5, 2021

    Episode 7: Who is Part of the Francophone Community? - Part 2: Newcomers To Canada

    In our last episode, we spoke with Derrek Bentley about his experiences as someone who identifies as a Francophone, despite not coming from a Francophone family. Derrek’s experience is not unique to him; on today’s episode we discuss Francophone identity and community inclusion through the lens of immigration. We welcome Blandine Tona to explore this important aspect. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thomson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • September 5, 2021

    Episode 6: Who is Part of the Francophone Community? - Part 1: French as a Second Language

    Our previous episodes explored how a common language and lively culture brings together Francophone communities. Our next topic concerns who is part of these Francophone communities. In the next two episodes, we will explore this question by talking to two individuals who historically would not have been considered part of the Francophone community. We will begin this conversation with Derrek Bentley. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thomson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • September 5, 2021

    Episode 5: The Rich Francophone Culture Across Canada, Part 2

    This is part 2 exploring the culture of the Francophone communities in Canada, today we delve deeper into the culture of Francophone communities by looking at some of the original content produced by Gabriel Tougas. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thoson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • August 29, 2021

    Episode 4: The Rich Francophone Culture Across Canada, Part 1

    Francophone communities in Canada are diverse but there is one aspect that they all share, a lively local culture, to talk about these ideas today is Gabriel Tougas. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thomson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • August 29, 2021

    Episode 3: Manitoba’s French Linguistic Crisis

    In our previous episode we highlighted the decisive role Louis Riel and the Metis played in enshrining French and English rights in Manitoba’s constitution. Today we explore the French linguistic crisis of the 1980s and how this tumultuous period has shaped French rights in Manitoba today, to guide us on this historical tour we’ve invited the historian Jacqueline Blay. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thomson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • August 29, 2021

    Episode 2: Louis Riel and French Rights During Manitoba’s Inception

    In 2020 Manitoba celebrated its 150th birthday. French has been spoken in Manitoba since its inception as a province and long before that. Today we explore the fascinating and tumultuous history of French in Manitoba, to guide us on this historical tour we’ve invited the historian Jacqueline Blay. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thomson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • August 29, 2021

    Episode 1: La Francophonie Across Canada

    For this inaugural episode we will highlight the vibrant Francophone community in Manitoba. This is just one of several Francophone communities outside of Québec with their own lively and distinct culture. The ability to study, socialize and work in French in Manitoba will also be discussed with our guest Chloé Freynet-Gagné. This pod­cast is co-hosted by executive producers André Marchildon, a Franco-Manitoban, and Ian T. D. Thomson, a born and raised Winnipegger who grew up speaking only English. The music in Beyond Riel comes from Franco-Manitoban artist Rayannah. The series is sponsored by la Société de la francophonie manitobaine and sup­ported by a Taking It Global grant.   Read more ›

  • August 20, 2021

    Introducing Beyond Riel...

    Beyond Riel is a limited series that explores the identity, culture, and challenges facing minority Francophone communities in Canada. Hosted by André Marchildon and Ian T. D. Thomson, this podcast was created with the goal of highlighting to non-Francophone Canadians that French is present all across Canada. For more information on Beyond Riel please visit: https://umfm.com/series/beyond-riel   Read more ›