Paradise Canada

Synopsis

Breathtaking natural beauty, tolerant, safe and prosperous. That is the picture we have of Canada in the Netherlands. But is it really that paradisical, or does Trudeau's country know how to put on a mask of civility? Writer Emy Koopman travels in Paradise Canada from Vancouver to Montreal and looks at the problems brewing beneath the surface. The series delves into all the urgent themes of our time and examines the state of Canada with racism and gender equality, migration, climate change and the welfare state. Emy Koopman speaks to famous Canadian intellectuals such as Charles Taylor, Margaret Atwood and Jordan Peterson.

First Air Date: 2020-08-30

Last Air Date: 2020-09-27

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 5

Networks: VPRO

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Emy Koopman as Presenter

Seasons

Season 1 (2020)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Lost Women (2020-08-30)

In Canada, indigenous women are six times more likely to die of violent causes compared to white women. Emy Koopman speaks to relatives of an indigenous girl who disappeared along the 'Highway of Tears' twenty-five years ago, and discovers that these disappearances are still not a thing of the past. Since the 1970s, unofficial estimates suggest that more than 40 (most of them indigenous) women and girls have disappeared along British Columbia's endless highway. This is said to be the result of more than a hundred years of colonial policy, whereby indigenous children were snatched from their families to be placed in boarding schools to destroy 'the Indian in the child'. Practices that took place well into the 90's.
Ep. 2: Toxic Masculinity (2020-09-06)

Emy Koopman investigates the struggle of equality between men and women in Canada. The country seems extraordinarily progressive, but there have been two attacks so far, specifically targeting women. The perpetrator of the 'Toronto van attack' stated that he belonged to the 'incels', an online group of men who do not have sex and blame women for it. How can such misogyny proliferate in Canada and what is being done about it? Koopman talks with male feminists and female boxers, but also speaks to self-help guru and psychology professor Jordan Peterson, who became known for his critique of contemporary feminism. Is Canada Polarizing?
Ep. 3: The Price of Black Gold (2020-09-13)

Emy Koopman explores how the oil industry affects the lives of Canadians and poses the question of how sustainable this industry is in times of climate change. Canada's countryside is stunningly beautiful, but no place has become so representative of unscrupulous gain than Fort McMurray, Alberta. The oil extracted here from 'tar sands' has made Alberta one of the richest provinces in Canada. The oil is deeply anchored in the identities of the residents, and President Trudeau is happily letting Alberta soldier through. Despite the enormous CO2 emissions that this causes and the poisoning of the important Athabasca River, the indigenous population of the province also contributes to the extraction of oil.
Ep. 4: Booming Vancouver (2020-09-20)

Vancouver is one of the most livable cities in the world, according to several lists, with a thriving film industry, an important port, a mild climate and a relaxed lifestyle. But the city also shows how much the housing market can be derailed by the big money from foreign investors. Especially prosperous Chinese see the relatively nearby metropolis as the ideal place to keep their (illegal) money safe. Vancouver has become one of the cities where house prices and disposable income differ the most. Homeless people occupy the streets of the center with their tents.
Ep. 5: A New Fatherland (2020-09-27)

Multiculturalism has been official Canadian state policy since the 1970s, but in Quebec xenophobia and Muslim hatred are flaring up. Emy Koopman explores the fear of foreigners and speaks with 'the Schindler of Guelph'. Without migrants, the vast country of Canada couldn't prosper. Thanks to a selection system, the newcomers are often more highly educated than the average Canadian. It sounds idyllic, but since Trump's election, thousands of Americans have crossed the border, sparking xenophobia and Muslim hatred in French-speaking Quebec, traditionally concerned about preserving its own cultural identity. In early 2017 it came to a shooting in a mosque. Emy Koopman follows victims of that attack on the way to the trial against the perpetrator.