The Backbench

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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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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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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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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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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Shiv Ruparell is a young, transit-loving, urban bike advocate. He’s also a conservative, born and raised in Alberta, who has been active in politics at all levels. He talks to Fatima his view of conservative politics right now and why he remains optimistic about our political future. 

Sponsors: Oxio, Calm

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Alberta Premier Jason Kenney was one of the heavyweights of Canada’s Conservative movement. We discuss his resignation and what it might tell us about conservatism today. Plus, Canada was left out of a major Indo-Pacific trade deal. Are we losing our place on the world stage?

Panelists: Catherine Griwkowksy, Murad Hemmadi, Stuart Thomson, 

Sponsors: Oxio, Ground News, Skipper Otto

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Parliament is heading towards a vote on an NDP Private Member’s Bill that would decriminalize drug possession for personal use, among other changes to address Canada’s overdose crisis. The Liberals have also proposed a bill that would amend the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.

Garth Mullins of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users has been fighting for decriminalization for a long time as he’s watched friends die and get incarcerated. He talks about these two bills and his vision for healthy drug policy in Canada. 

Links:

• Listen to Crackdown, Garth’s podcast about the drug war: https://www.crackdownpod.com/

Sponsors: Oxio, The Peak, Ground News, Skipper Otto

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The abortion debate is back in Canadian politics. Our panel discusses the state of reproductive rights in Canada and what else the Government can do. Plus, a new report suggests civil servants are afraid to speak up and offer expert advice. 

Panelists: Leena Minifie, Emilie Nicolas and Raisa Patel

Links: 

• Further reading on Canada’s abortion laws: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/how-canada-came-to-have-no-federal-law-whatsoever-on-abortion
• A chart showing abortion access in Canada: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/resources/factsheets-guidelines/2019-09-19-access-glance-abortion-services-canada
• The full Top Of Mind report about the civil service: https://iog.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Top-of-Mind-Summary-Report-EN.pdf
• Read about the pointy-headed whales: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/16/arctic-mine-expansion-rejection-narwhal-canada

Sponsors: 22 Murders, Oxio

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Shefali Mann came to Canada as an international student in 2019. She was hoping to follow the path to permanent residency, but then the pandemic happened. She has been navigating a confusing, shifting set of programs and rules ever since, while the federal government bets on international students to help ease some of Canada's labour shortages.

Links:

• Read more about how international students are affected by these changes in the Toronto Star

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/04/22/canada-unveils-new-measures-to-keep-international-students-from-running-out-of-status.html

Sponsors: 22 Murders, The Peak, Oxio

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