Gurbaj Singh Multani is just playing basketball when the ceremonial dagger that symbolizes his Sikh faith falls onto the playground of his Montreal school. The next thing the 11-year-old knows, his principal is giving him an ultimatum: hand over his kirpan, a symbol of his Sikh faith, or leave school. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Sonali Karnick take us through the case of Multani v Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys. It sparks a heated public debate over multiculturalism in post 9/11 Quebec, with grown-ups hurling slurs at the tween, and ends with a landmark ruling for religious freedoms in Canada.
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The Mi’kmaw fisher who waded into a war over treaty rights
Donald Marshall Junior just wants a quiet life: hanging out with his girlfriend and fishing for eels in rural Nova Scotia. And who can blame him? The Mi’gmaw man spent 11 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. So when fisheries officers slap him with a ticket for selling eels without a licence, he’s dragged into a new fight. And this one’s for his people. Host Falen Johnson unpacks R v Marshall: a case about whether a centuries old treaty means First Nations have the right to fish and sell their catch outside the quota system. Can Donald — who has already lost so much to the justice system — shoulder this high-stakes debate? And what happens when non-Indigenous fishers fear for their livelihoods, and a war on the water begins?
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Part 2 | The teen convicted of murder and the mother turned detective
After twenty-two years behind bars, David Milgaard finally gets to speak his truth before the Supreme Court of Canada: he didn’t kill Gail Miller. And the new evidence his mother Joyce has been gathering can be heard.Host Falen Johnson and journalist Laura Lynch bring us the culmination of R v Milgaard — a case Laura covered at the Supreme Court in the 1990s. She recounts the courtroom drama — from the day David went missing, to the moment the real killer took the stand. And we hear the complex aftermath of a case that shook Canadians’ views of their justice system (and inspired the Tragically Hip).This episode is part two of two. Find part one here.
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Part 1 | The teen convicted of murder and the mother turned detective
David Milgaard is no angel, a high school drop out who likes to party. But the 17-year-old swears he’s not a killer, even after his 1969 conviction for the rape and murder of nurses aid Gail Miller. His mother Joyce believes him — and starts working to prove it. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Laura Lynch tell the epic tale of R v Milgaard. We hear about David’s life in the bowels of a notorious prison, and how his mom upends her small-town Saskatchewan life to hunt for clues about the real killer. But are the powers-that-be ready to listen? This episode is part one of two. Find Part 2 here.
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The store owner who pushed for your right to shop on Sunday
If you’ve ever had a cheeseburger delivered in the middle of the night, you might find it hard to believe there was a time when shopping on Sundays was against the law. But back in 1982, a plucky Calgary drug store decided to flout that law, got slapped with a ticket, and inadvertently changed the way Canadians shop, forever. Host Falen Johnson and journalist Allison Dempster bring us the story of R. v. Big M Drug Mart, and the twenty-something shop owner who gets so sick of paying fines for being open on Sunday, she fights the charge all the way to the Supreme Court, sparking a nation-wide debate about the need for a day of rest.
The stories behind the legal battles that changed Canada — and the unlikely people who made it happen. Some were sh*t disturbers, some were convicts, and some were just regular folks dragged into a fight.Each week, host Falen Johnson teams up with a journalist to dig into a case that challenged the status quo, and asks: what kind of person takes on the law? What are the costs? And what would our lives look like if these cases never happened?Because let's be real, just because a case is closed doesn't mean the story’s over.New episodes weekly from Tuesday Sept. 16 to Nov. 4, 2025.
Canada - english