The Backbench

Canadaland just launched its first ever celebrity interview podcast and it’s not great. It’s The Worst Podcast.

Celebrities are always talking about their bests. Now hear them at their worst.

Join award-winning filmmaker and noted curmudgeon Alan Zweig for refreshingly honest conversations with “notable people” about the worst things in life.

Alan has no interest in best-selling books or Hollywood triumphs, and doesn’t know (or care) much about his guests. 

He’s looking for real conversations that dig deep and get to the worst things: nagging fears, embarrassing secrets and haunting regrets. And he’ll no doubt share a few of his own along the way.

Listen to The Worst Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

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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 Azrieh (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guests: Minister Sean Fraser

Background reading:

• Liberal Housing Plan
• UN report on Canada's temporary foreign workers details the many ways they've been abused - CBC News
• Housing minister denies he ignored warning about immigration levels and housing supply - National Post
• Feds identify 56 government properties for conversion to affordable housing - CP24

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

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.

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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 with Assistant Commissioner Michele Paradis. 

We want to hear from YOU! Fill out our quick survey to tell us what you think of the show, what you’re enjoying, and what you want more of. Complete the survey: https://forms.gle/t5n1dQxHjCs7uEMU6

Host:  Mattea Roach

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Production Manager (Max Collins), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guests: MP Mendicino, MP Damoff, Senator Clement, Assistant Commissioner Michele Paradis

Background reading:

• Harassment of MPs spiked almost 800% in 5 years, says House sergeant-at-arms - CBC News
• Former safety minister wants 'protective zones' for MPs' offices as threats increase - CBC News
• Why Canadian Politics Is Still Unsafe For Female Politicians - Chatelaine

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

Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit ARTICLE.COM/BACKBENCH

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.

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 approach an upcoming election when you’re so clearly ahead? Who's he meeting with? Where is he focusing his energy? 

This week, host Mattea Roach welcomes Fred Deleroy, Host of iPolitics' On Background podcast and former National Campaign Manager for the Conservatives, Stuart Benson, a reporter with The Hill Times and Tyler Meredith, the lead author of the 2019 and 2021 winning election platforms of the Liberal Party. 

Host:  Mattea Roach

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guests: Fred DeLorey, Stuart Benson, Tyler Meredith

Background reading:

• ‘It could be a great night for the NDP’: potential byelection wins could trigger end of Lib-NDP agreement, say political players | Hill Times
• Liberal donations up, but Conservatives still lead fundraising | CBC
• Conservatives launch attack ads on NDP, calling leader 'Sellout Singh' | CBC
• Tory fundraising on track to smash 2023 record as Liberal donations, ad spending tick up ‘slowly but surely’: politicos | Hill Times

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

Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more.

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.

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?

To find out, Mattea Roach asked Laura Dawson, executive Director of the Future Borders Coalition, Senior Washington Correspondent for Capital Forum Paul Mcleod, and Toronto Star staff reporter Richard Warnica.

Host:  Mattea Roach

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guests: Laura Dawson, Paul McLeod, Richard Warnica

Background reading:

• Canada already in talks to avoid Trump tariffs | CBC News
• Trump destabilized Canada in 2016. Trudeau doesn’t want it to happen again. | POLITICO
• Opinion: Kamala Harris is better for Canada – and the world – than another Trump White House

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. 

Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit ARTICLE.COM/BACKBENCH  

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.

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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 the truth and myths of Canadian politeness. 

More episodes of The Secret Life of Canada are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/5FPMYDg9

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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 as f*ck.

Cheeky and contemplative, curious and raunchy, Field Guide shows us that the natural world is more exuberant, more joyful, and more gay than we could possibly imagine.

Episode two is available now. Follow A Field Guide to Gay Animals wherever you listen to podcasts.

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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 Roach asked Globe and Mail reporter Steven Chase, Wesley Wark, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and Michelle Tessier the former Deputy Director of Operations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. We also spoke to Green Party leader Elizabeth May, the first opposition leader to view the unredacted report. 

Host:  Mattea Roach

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guests: Elizabeth May, Steven Chase, Michelle Tessier, Wesley Wark

Background reading:

• Trudeau says he has 'concerns' about some findings of foreign interference report - CBC
• Green Party leader calls on colleagues to discuss contentious NSICOP report in private - CBC
• Trudeau still not saying whether Liberals were among MPs involved in foreign interference - The Globe and Mail
• Poilievre is the sole party leader forgoing access to classified report on foreign interference - The Globe and Mail

Sponsors: Douglas, Article

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.

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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 to flourish? 

To find out, Mattea Roach asked professor Gillian Kolla, journalist Andrea Woo, and former drug user and advocate Guy Felicella.

Host:  Mattea Roach

Credits: Noor Azrieh (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guests: Guy Felicella, Andrea Woo, Gillian Kolla

Background reading:

• #36 Is Canada Ready to Decriminalize Drugs?  – The Backbench
• Detox beds in B.C. routinely sit empty because of staff shortages – The Globe and Mail
• Opinion: Backtracking on drug decriminalization is politically cowardly – and illogical – The Globe and Mail
• British Columbia drops decriminalization of drugs in public – The Guardian
• Addictions minister had ‘deep concerns’ with Toronto’s decriminalization pitch – Global News
• Decriminalization in B.C.
• Decriminalizing people who use drugs in B.C.

Sponsors: Douglas, AG1

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.

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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 the legality of the protests and we also ask why the police response looked so different across the country.

To find out, Mattea Roach asked journalist Justin Ling, professor Roberta Lexier and professor James Turk. We also speak with a professor in an exclusive interview who witnessed the police action against protesters at an encampment at the University of Calgary. 

Host:  Mattea Roach

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guests: Justin Ling, Roberta Lexier, James L. Turk

Music credit: For What It’s Worth - Buffalo Springfield. Columbia Records (1966) 

Background reading:

• Queen’s Park and Gaza - Canadaland Wag the Doug
• 5 people arrested following pro-Palestinian protest at University of Calgary - CBC
• The Columbia Protests Made the Same Mistake the Civil Rights Movement Did - NYT
• What the backlash to student protests over Gaza is really about - VOX
• Protesters unsatisfied by the University of Toronto’s concessions to end encampment - Globe and Mail
• Quebec Superior Court judge rejects McGill injunction request to remove encampment - CBC

Sponsors: AG1, Article

For a limited time, get 6 months of exclusive supporter benefits for just $2/month. Go to canadaland.com/join to become a supporter today. 

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.