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In the last 50 or so years the number of independent first-time political candidates elected to office in Canada could fit in a car. Five candidates have made it to, albeit a very small portion of political power, without party support. That covers both provincial and federal elections.

As Canadian elections become increasingly presidential affairs, focusing on the personality at the top of the ticket, the quality that seems most necessary in an aspiring MP is fealty to the Party, the leader, the mantra.

The pressures of social media, political parties’ reliance on marketing data, and the 24-hour news cycle all play a part in the clamping down on new or maverick voices.

What is the cost of canceling out the independent voice in our MPs? And how did we get here?

Alex Marland, author of No I in Team: Party Loyalty in Canadian Politics and Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada has interviewed hundreds of politicians trying to answer those questions.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor & Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

Further Reading:

• Alex Marland — Acadia University

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If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

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A lapse in leadership and Canada’s China conundrum. 

Liberal MP Paul Chiang’s troubling comments gave Carney an opportunity to take a strong stance on Chinese interference, but he fumbled his chance to distinguish himself from Trudeau. 

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Sandy Garossino

Further reading: 

• Liberal candidate Paul Chiang withdraws from race after suggesting people claim China's bounty on Conservative | CBC News 
• Mark Carney rejects boosting trade ties with China, points to Europe - The Globe and Mail 
• Carney set up a blind trust, screens to avoid conflicts of interest. Is that enough? | CBC News 
• Independent MP Han Dong won't seek re-election in suburban Toronto riding | CBC News 

Sponsors:

Fizz: Visit fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 25$ off and 10GB of free data.

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If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.  

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are hundreds of unvetted candidates vying for a seat in Parliament…

Canada has 343 federal electoral districts stretching from coast to coast to coast. In every riding, candidates are stepping up…some for the first time. This means there are hundreds of unvetted candidates vying for a seat in Parliament.

This week, we’re looking at a few standouts: a candidate who bragged about making coin flipping condos, an MP that’s a “published writer on Mi’kmaw laws, history, and knowledge” but said an appalling thing about Indigenous women, and a candidate who somehow thought the death of Nathan Cirillo was a great opportunity to sell hams. Yes, hams.

Host: Sam Konnert

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Background reading:

• MP says she is sorry for antigay remark – Globe and Mail
• MP Gallant compares abortion to Iraq beheading – CTV News
• The Real (Estate) Talk with Peter Muraca | Ned Kuruc
• Trudeau won't remove Liberal candidate for racist, sexist social media posts | CBC

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The call is coming from inside the party. 

With reports swirling about Poilievre’s campaign dysfunction at the end of week one, Sandy Garossino joins to unpack why Conservatives are sabotaging their own party. 

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Sandy Garossino

Further Reading On Our Website

Sponsors: 

PolicyMe: Get Covered in Minutes—No Hassle, No Hidden Fees.Visit policyme.com to explore insurance plans that cover your needs.

oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free! 

Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit article.com/canadaland and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout

Squarespace: Check out Squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With 78 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons, Quebec isn’t just a battleground…it could decide the entire election. And this time, the usual Bloc-Liberal-NDP tug-of-war is taking some unexpected turns. We hit the streets of Montreal to find out what is on people’s minds, and host Noor Azrieh sits down with Martin Patriquin to unpack what it all means. 

And, you’ll hear from Philippe J. Fournier, founder of 338, to talk about where the parties are at in the polls, and if we can even trust the polls…at all. 

Plus, the latest on tensions rising inside the Conservative party, and the phone call heard around the world between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Host: Noor Azrieh

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Guests: Martin Patriquin, Philippe J. Fournier

Further Reading on Our Website

Sponsors: 

Visit fizz.ca to learn more about Fizz and its long list of added-value features, and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 25$ off & 10GB of free data. 

Visit policyme.com to explore insurance plans that cover your needs. Whether you're

protecting your family’s health or their financial future, PolicyMe is reliable and makes it

effortless and fast.

Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadaland

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. 

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Internet trolls, doxing, conspiracy theories, harassment, criminal investigations, all the usual things that spring to mind when you think of small town council meetings. Welcome to Pickering, Ontario, best known for its nuclear power plant.

Is the alt-right driving Pickering to political meltdown? Or is the town council trying to silence a duly elected official over political disagreements? Either way things have gotten so out of hand that city council has locked the doors to the public. Council meetings have moved online. Now political foes don’t have to sit in the same room.

From Pickering to the wave of recent news stories south of the border where politicians from left to right are being shouted down at town hall meetings by angry constituents, are we witnessing the death of civil discussion in the civic sphere?

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: André Proulx (Reporter), Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

Further Reading:

• December 30, 2024 — City of Pickering YouTube Channel
• Lisa Robinson’s YouTube Channel — YouTube
• Lisa Robinson’s Halloween haunt event is back on — Durham Region
• Kevin J. Johnston Podcast — Rumble
• What Happens When An Anti-Muslim Internet Personality Begins To Face Consequences — CANADALAND

Sponsors: 

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today.  Visit https://douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer

Squarespace : Check out https://squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

BetterHelp:  Visit https://BetterHelp.com/canadaland today to get 10% off your first month.

If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada’s sudden political reorientation.

As Trump continues to escalate the trade war, Paul Wells joins to consider the lasting impact on our relationship with the US. What started as anger is reshaping our politics. 

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Paul Wells

Further reading: 

• Trump says larger tariffs could be imposed on Canada, EU if they cause US 'economic harm' | Reuters
• Trump’s auto tariffs a ‘direct attack,’ Carney says as leaders react | Globalnews.ca
• I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped | US immigration | The Guardian
• ‘Breakdown of rule of law’: McGill professor cancels trips to U.S. amid immigration crackdown - CTV News
• Here’s what experts say when it comes to U.S. border agents looking at your phone - CTV News
• Federal leaders' debates scheduled for April 16-17 in Montreal | CBC News
•      

Sponsors: 

oxio: Head over to canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free! 

PolicyMe: Get Covered in Minutes—No Hassle, No Hidden Fees.Visit policyme.com to explore insurance plans that cover your needs.

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First on the list of Paul Wells’s 4 Rules of Canadian Politics: “For any given situation, Canadian politics will tend toward the least exciting possible outcome.” In an election marked by foreign interference, an unelected newcomer leading the incumbent party, and annexation fears, what does “least exciting” even look like? 

Journalist and aforementioned rule-maker Paul Wells joins Jesse to review possible outcomes of the snap federal election.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Sam Konnert (Fact Checking), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Paul Wells

Further reading: 

• CSIS alleges India organized support for Poilievre’s 2022 Conservative leadership bid - The Globe and Mail
• ‘Let’s just put things on pause': Alberta premier under fire for Breitbart interview - CTV News
• Paul Wells’s Rules of Canadian Politics, Annotated - Macleans
• Mike Myers joins Mark Carney in Liberal ad supporting ‘elbows up’ movement - CTV News
• OPINION: Pierre Poilievre’s advantage is slipping rapidly away. So he’s trying something he’s never done before - Toronto Star

Sponsors: 

Douglas:  Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today.  Visit douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer

PolicyMe: Get Covered in Minutes — No Hassle, No Hidden Fees. Visit https://policyme.com to explore insurance plans that cover your needs. 

oxio: Head over to https://canadaland.oxio.ca and use code CANADALAND for your first month free!

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And we’re off to the races! It’s time for the matchup, and election, of a generation. Newly minted Prime Minister Mark Carney is taking on former front-runner Pierre Poilievre on April 28th. It’s a 5-week campaign. In the backdrop of a trade war, Trump’s annexation threats, And almost 10 long years of Liberal leadership. 

For over a year, Poilievre pretty much held a 20-point lead. A landslide Poilievre win wasn't just possible, it felt inevitable. But now? The game has changed. Somehow, against all odds, the Liberals have clawed their way back to the top. Host Noor Azrieh sits down with conservative strategist Amanda Galbraith and progressive strategist Jordan Leichnitz to dissect what went so wrong for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.

And the latest on, Mark Carney’s long-awaited seat announcement coupled with the ousting of Liberal MP Chandra Arya, and Premier Danielle Smith’s untimely appearance on Breitbart.

Host: Noor Azrieh

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Guests: Amanda Galbraith, Jordan Leichnitz 

Further Reading On Our Website

Sponsors: 

Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at douglas.ca/canadaland

Visit fizz.ca to learn more about Fizz and its long list of added-value features, and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 25$ off & 10GB of free data. 

Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more! To claim, visit ARTICLE.COM/BACKBENCH, and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. 

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s possible that this will be the most consequential vote you’ll ever cast. With our sovereignty, our nation, our very future on the line Jesse breaks down the big questions for you. How can Miss Manners help Carney? And why is Poilievre’s Schwarzenegger impersonation glitching?

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor, Mixing & Mastering), Julian Abraham (Fact Check) Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher) 

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

Further Reading:

• Canada's housing bubble can be traced to Mark Carney and his bias for easy policy - Financial Post
• Housing hell: How we got here and how we get out [Video]
• WACKOS: the weird, wild, woke & wonderful world of the people running our country [Video]
• Carney in the coal mine  [Video]
• Canada, Pierre Poilievre Is Just Like Donald Trump [Video]
• This is Carbon Tax Carney—he's Just Like Justin! [Video]

Sponsors: 

Douglas: Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today. Visit https://douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer

PolicyMe: Get Covered in Minutes — No Hassle, No Hidden Fees. Visit https://policyme.com to explore insurance plans that cover your needs. 

Article: Get $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Visit article.com/canadaland and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

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If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.