
130 episodes

The Backbench Canadaland Politics
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- Science
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4.2 • 894 Ratings
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Dig into Canadian politics from the best seats in the House with host Fatima Syed and our rotating roster of panelists from across the country - Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Jason Markusoff, Drew Brown, Emilie Nicolas, Jaskaran Sandhu, Murad Hemmadi, Leena Minifie, and Stuart Thomson. Stay on top of things through sharp commentary and incisive analysis. Drops every other Tuesday.
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Leaders Who Don't Lead
In this week’s episode, we talk about what constitutes good leadership, and why our leaders are struggling to meet the moment amid a global ripple of failed democratic leadership. Plus, is provincial immigration autonomy going to save us from the 2.7 million applicant backlog? Producers note: Due to technical difficulties, Fatima's voice may sound a little different.
Panelists: Drew Brown, Riley Yesno, Jaskaran Sandhu
Sponsors: Oxio, Douglas
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The Catastrophe Commissioner
In this episode, Jerry DeMarco, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, delves into the Canadian federal response to climate change, and why our response is still insufficient. DeMarco unpacks 30 years of failed climate progress and offers an analysis of our government’s actions and inactions to deal with our seemingly impending doom.
Links:
2022 Reports 1 to 5 of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the Parliament of Canada
Federal environment commissioner presents his 2022 spring reports – April 26, 2022
Sponsors:
Oxio, The Peak, Calm, Douglas
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Why Don’t Women Run For Office?
It’s 2022 and our politics remain dominated by men. We talked to three women who spent time in office to try to find out why.
We’re joined by former NDP MP Peggy Nash, current NDP MP Leah Gazan, and former Vancouver city councillor Andrea Reimer.
This event was organized by Between the Lines, the publisher of Peggy Nash’s book Women Winning Office: An Activist’s Guide To Getting Elected.
Panelists: Peggy Nash, Leah Gazan, Andrea Reimer
Sponsors: Oxio, Douglas, Images
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All Policing Is Political
Are our policing systems broken? Today, we dive into reimagining public safety following an array of policing scandals across the country. Plus, what did our government achieve and fail to achieve in Parliament this past year?
Sponsors: Images Festival, Calm, The Peak
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Justinflation Or Chrystia Frecession
What is happening to the Canadian economy? Stephen Gordon, director of the department of economics at Université Laval, helps unpack the ins and outs of the Bank of Canada, an institution we know little about. He talks to Fatima about the worries of a hyper-politicized economy and helps us understand how the next months under this economic turmoil will unfold.
Sponsors: Oxio, 22 Murders
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Does Voting Have To Suck?
Could changing Canada’s electoral system solve the crisis of voter apathy? Today, we dive into electoral reform. Plus, a new bill that would give border guards wide discretion to search our phones and computers.
UPDATE: After we recorded on Monday, senators on the national security and defence committee passed an amendment to Bill S-7 to replace the term "reasonable general concern" with "reasonable grounds to suspect." Read more here: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/senate-amends-bill-that-would-create-controversial-new-standard-for-cellphone-searches-at-border
Panelists: Drew Brown, David Moscrop, Raisa Patel
Links:
Read Senator Paula Simons’ op-ed about Bill S-7 in The Line: https://theline.substack.com/p/paula-simons-the-government-is-trying
Sponsors:
Douglas, 22 Murders, The Peak
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Customer Reviews
Fatima is an expert interviewer
I love this podcast and the way Fatima interviews. My favourite episode was when she interviewed a PPC voter. As someone more on the left, I would love if Fatima could continue to interview people who have views that are more on the fringe to help bridge understanding across the political divide.
Call the wambulance…
The Confessions of an International Student episode was brutal. How informative is it to listen to someone gripe about how no one hired them in the pandemic? Honey, everyone was laid off, not just you. It seems this person had unrealistic expectations of their “cake walk” life in Canada.
Exactly what I’ve looked for in a Canadian politics podcast
I’ve long looked for a Canadian politics in the vein of Slate’s political gabfest: an informal discussion between smart and informed people about the current state of politics. I’m happy to say that I think the Backbench is that podcast. As much as I love cbc’s podcasts, you really don’t learn anything new from listening to an interview with a cabinet member, they’re just there to spout their piece and dodge questions. The sorts of informal discussions that occur on the Backbench are so much more interesting, engaging, and ultimately enlightening.