The Backbench

He was the immigration minister when we rehauled the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. He’s now the housing minister, tackling Canada’s massive housing crisis. He’s got a huge job. This week, host Mattea Roach asks the hard-hitting questions about mistakes the Liberals have made, and how they plan to fix it. Host:  Mattea Roach Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Noor A...

Harassment of MPs has risen around 800% in the past five years. One-off threats can so easily turn to real violence. Many leaders are calling it quits — saying it’s just too much. What does that feel like for those in office? And for the team responsible for keeping these politicians safe?  We get into it with MP Marco Mendicino, MP Pam Damoff and Senator Bernadette Clement. We also speak wit...

Pierre Poilievre isn’t just on the campaign trail, he’s pounding the pavement. And by jove, he’s following it all the way to the top of the polls relying on several rhyming promises. Nanos polling has the Conservatives at 41 per cent nationally, with the Liberals dragging at 25, and the NDP at 17 per cent. It also has Poilievre as the preferred choice as PM by 14 percentage points. How do you appr...

Two team Canadas… two wildly different levels of athleticism. While our athletes head to Paris, our politicians are flooding to the USA to promote Canadian interests in a wildly turbulent time. Our panelists are closely tracking trade, immigration, and our own election. But no matter who wins the next election, the road may get tough for Canadians. How do we prevent this? What's actually at stake?...

We’re bringing you a special episode of a show we love! The Secret Life of Canada from CBC Podcasts is a podcast about the country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. In this episode, “Sorry not Sorry”, they explore the history of the national relationship to the word "sorry" and...

Strap on your binoculars and lace up your boots: today we’re sharing an episode of the newest show on the network, A Field Guide to Gay Animals. A Field Guide to Gay Animals explores sexuality, gender, and joy in the animal world. Animal enthusiasts Owen Ever and Laine Kaplan-Levenson take us on a quest to see beyond the natural world as we know it and into the natural world as it is: queer a...

On June 3, a cross-party committee released a redacted document alleging some parliamentarians have been "semi-witting or witting" participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in Canadian politics.  Trudeau says he has “concerns,” Singh says he’s “alarmed,” May is “relieved,” and Poilievre won’t even look. So who’s right about foreign interference in Canada? To find out, Mattea...

When B.C. decriminalized small amounts of drugs in January 2023, it was seen as a promising weapon in the battle against the drug crisis. In May, B.C. walked that policy back, saying it caused disorder in the streets. In a similar move, Toronto tried decriminalizing, but the feds quickly shot down their attempt. So what gives? Was this year-long experiment a disaster? Was it not given enough time...

When the first group of students parked up at Columbia University, it sparked a movement that has gripped schools across the world. These encampment protests have now gripped universities across Canada- at U of T, U UOttawa, McMaster, U of C, McGill, U of A, UBC, and Dalhousie.   The encampments have sparked a debate on the legality and ethics of protests in shared spaces. We dive into t...

Today we’re sharing with you a preview of the first episode of Canadaland’s newest show Pretendians . What do some of the most prominent and successful Indigenous artists, leaders and thinkers have in common? They aren’t Indigenous.   From major universities, to the halls of power, to Hollywood, there are people claiming to be Indigenous in the interest of power, money, and status. There...

Temporary foreign workers are relied upon to fill the gaps in the Canadian labour market. But the system is convoluted and ripe with exploitation – all at a time when immigrants are being blamed by politicians and the public for the housing crisis. The system needs an overhaul to protect our economy and the workers that make it tick. Are immigrants really to blame for the housing crisis? What type...

The Canada Strong and Free conference is one of the biggest events of the year for Canadian conservatives. The party is polling high, and this event was set to be a launching point for an upcoming wave of victories. Boris Johnson and former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott were in the house, along with premiers Danielle Smith and Blaine Higgs. It’s a strange place, where the movement grapples...

We’re bringing you a special episode today from our friends at Commons . Over thirteen seasons, Commons has exposed Canada’s foundational reliance on monopolies, our addiction to real estate and the dark side of hockey. In their new season, host Arshy Mann is now dissecting the state of work in Canada to ask – how did we get here? And what can we do to fight back? Across Canada, emergency rooms ha...

When the trucks moved out of Ottawa in 2022, our public discourse changed. Grievance politics thrived, and our political parties adapted. Supporters of the convoy splintered into different groups. They became very politically engaged in causes like the 1 Million March for Children, the Save the Children Convoy, Canadians for Truth and even a grassroots lobby group - Take Back Alberta.  As the...

Richard Warman used to take neo-nazis he found online to the human rights commission. He used an obscure provision called Section 13, which was repealed in 2014.  But it may be coming back. The long-awaited Online Harms Act includes a section allowing human rights complaints over online hate speech. Free speech advocates are worried, but some say it’s time trolls start behaving.  Who get...

Canadian universities are barely scraping by. Queen’s is in a whole lot of debt, Laurentian declared insolvency in 2021, Alberta universities are slashing budgets, and McGill and Concordia are in danger over an out-of-province tuition battle. On top of it all, the international student visa cap will limit revenues for cash-strapped universities. Combined, it could have huge implications for our kn...

Alberta Premier and UCP leader Danielle Smith has unveiled what many are describing as some of the strictest anti-trans policies in the country. Shortly after, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who famously stated he would lead a “mind your own damn business party,” didn’t mind his own damn business and supported Smith’s move in interfering with trans kids' access to healthcare.  Why is i...

The ICJ court ruled that Palestinians in Gaza face a “real and imminent risk” of genocide, and laid out the provisional measures Israel must take in order to prevent it. Canada has a legal duty to take steps to prevent genocide - yet their relationship to Israel may compromise their obligations to the Genocide Convention. What will it take for Canada to pivot on its special relationship with Israe...

Lack of investment in affordable rental units, increased financialization of housing, soaring land prices, and jacked-up mortgage rates are just some of the reasons behind the rental and housing crisis we find ourselves in. But how the hell do we get out of this crisis while still being able to sip on our $5 coffees?  Host:  Mattea Roach Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Pr...

This year has been one hell of a political rollercoaster. Host, Mattea Roach, sits down with Riley Yesno, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, and Kyle Duggan to make sense of key political moments of this year, and to make predictions of their future implications. They unpack everything from Canada’s foreign interference problem and the controversial carbon tax, to the housing crisis and the NDP-Liberal confidenc...

We’re bringing you a special episode from the Canadaland feed.   It’s the holidays, and on your TV or radio you’re inevitably hit with ads telling you that this is the season of giving - it’s time to donate to a food drive. Conservative politicians, Liberal politicians, banks, broadcasters, grocery stores: they all are united in this message. With the promotion of food banks from virtual...

Editor's note: For additional context Hamas emerged in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising, or intifada, as an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestinian branch. The group is committed to armed resistance against Israel and the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state in Israel's place. For more:  https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2284721219710#:~:text=A%20spotlight%20was%20ca...

Often underreported or ignored by national media, the unique and complex issues facing the people who call Yukon home rarely get the attention they deserve. In this LIVE TAPING Mattea Roach, Michelle Friesen, Tosh Southwick, and Carissa Waugh take part in a smart, nuanced, and engaging conversation centering the opportunities, and political and social challenges up north. But most importantly, thi...

Why did Canada abstain on an emergency resolution at the UN General Assembly calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” in Gaza? Mattea Roach, Emilie Nicolas, Ethan Cox & Murtaza Hussain will break down the past 3 weeks' worth of news in the backdrop of decades of context, and get granular about Canada's response to it all. ...

When you think about film, art and creativity, government policy probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Make no mistake about it, our policy makers & politicians can crucially impact the art we make, who gets to make it, & the culture we consume. Good policy can create a thriving, diverse culture — & bad policy can destroy it.  Mattea Roach joins Matt Hatfield , Haydn...