The Backbench

Our new host, Mattea Roach, ponders Poilievre’s political playbook with Riley Yesno, David Moscrop and Catherine Griwkowsky on this week’s panel episode. And you know the saying, leaders come and go. As Pierre Poilievre makes his way into the Conservative leadership, Queen Elizabeth II has left us. Is it time to crack open our constitution and jettison the monarchy once and for all?

We’re thrilled to announce that Mattea Roach will be hosting the brand new season of The Backbench.

Where are the fresh faces in Canadian politics? Today, we dive into career politicians—the good the bad, and the ugly. Plus, why can’t our various levels of government just work together? It’s time to end the federal, provincial and municipal war. Also, guest contributors join Fatima’s last episode for her last point of order segment.

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?

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.

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. 

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?

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.