Canadian author Jerry Amernic has accused the CBC and a production company of setting him up for a hidden-camera comedy series that aimed to mock individuals critical of mainstream narratives on Canadian history and Indigenous issues.
Amernic, who wrote the book "Sleepwoking" about historical revisionism, described receiving an email on April 20 from a producer named Pam Gibson. She invited him to Vancouver for an interview in a documentary series defending the legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald, with all expenses paid and an honorarium. The production was said to involve Forge Media TV and was slated for CBC airing in the fall.
"She called me an essential voice in the movement," Amernic wrote in a National Post opinion piece. He confirmed details with professor Patrice Dutil before traveling to Vancouver, where the interview location shifted from CBC studios to another site because the broadcaster was reportedly "not comfortable with us filming this kind of content from within the headquarters."
During the session, Amernic encountered what he later learned were actors and impersonators. An actor dressed as Macdonald appeared, and questions turned to topics like Indian Residential Schools and Macdonald's policies on Indigenous peoples. Amernic defended Macdonald, noting budget cuts in the 1880s and the prime minister's efforts to provide famine relief and vaccinations. "He saved thousands of Indigenous lives," Amernic stated, adding that such details require research beyond social media.
Two days after returning home, Amernic discovered through a contact that the interview was a setup. The producer "Pam Gibson" was actually Molly Gore, described as an American producer of left-wing ecosocialist documentaries. The interviewer "Becky" was Indigenous comedienne Dakota Ray Hebert, and "Mike Smith" was Igor Vamos, an associate professor associated with the activist duo The Yes Men.
Amernic was not the only target. Academic Frances Widdowson and former B.C. Conservative staffer Lindsay Shepherd also participated. Widdowson, fired from Mount Royal University after disputing claims of genocide at residential schools, noticed something amiss when two men dumped children's shoes in front of her and began filming the crew with her phone. Shepherd, who wrote a children's book about Macdonald outside the dominant narrative, had been in the group's sights since February.
The scheme reportedly extended to retired RCMP officers lured to the Vancouver studio under the pretense of an honoring event, only to face questions about perceived injustices. The project was tied to a comedy series called Northland Tales, co-produced by the CBC and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, styled after Borat-style pranks by an Indigenous activist trio.
On May 19, the CBC announced it was halting production. "It is important for us in the execution that this entertainment series does not negatively impact our news brand," the broadcaster stated. Amernic compared the effort to the bumbling Inspector Clouseau or Police Squad's Frank Drebin, calling the participants "The Three Stooges."
The payments came in cash, with Amernic receiving crisp $100 bills in an envelope after his honorarium was increased by 50 percent. Other potential targets who declined included politicians and journalists questioning reports of unmarked graves at former residential schools, such as those in Kamloops.
Widdowson has authored books including "Disrobing the aboriginal industry" and "Separate but unequal," both examining Indigenous policy and short-listed or recognized in Canadian public policy circles. Amernic referred to her as "public enemy no. 1" for the woke community in his own writing.
The incident highlights tensions around publicly funded media and comedy productions that blend activism with pranks. Similar efforts have drawn criticism for impersonation tactics, though the CBC emphasized protecting its news reputation when pulling the plug.
Amernic said the experience left him concerned about how footage might portray him. "They weren't who they said they are," he noted of the crew. The episode follows years of debate over historical figures like Macdonald and interpretations of Canada's past.
Officials at the CBC have not issued further comments beyond the May announcement. The full series remains unaired following the cancellation.