The Backbench

For the first time since 2021, the Liberals are beating the Conservatives in a recent poll. We’ll find out on March 9th if Carney is officially sticking around for the long haul. And then? He’s going to be the Prime Minister - at least for a little while. Carney-mania is going around - is it real? Or seriously overblown? Is he Canada's Kamala Harris - mild, overhyped, and fated to lose - or a serious contender? Host Noor Azrieh and Luke Savage try to diagnose what's behind Carney-mania– how a socially conscious banker became the man of the moment. And the latest, on the ongoing saga of Trump’s tariffs. Also, King Charles’s sit-down with PM Justin Trudeau over “matters of importance” to Canadians. And BREAKING NEWS, Donald Trump doesn't like Chrystia Freeland or Pierre Poilievre. Host: Noor AzriehCredits: 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: Luke SavageFurther Reading on our WebsiteSponsors: Visit fizz.ca to learn more about Fizz and its long list of added-value features. That's fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 25$ off and 10GB of free data. Get Covered in Minutes—No Hassle, No Hidden Fees. 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—go check it out today!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/canadalandArticle 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 checkoutIf 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.

The Arctic is quickly becoming the center of a geopolitical shitstorm. We’re talking power, resources, and territory at stake. And everyone wants a piece of it. Donald Trump floated taking Greenland and Canada to make his claim. But he’s not the only one. Russia’s making moves. So is China. And Canada? Politicians, left and right, are talking about it. Host Noor Azrieh sits down with Gavin John, a freelance journalist embedded in the Arctic, and asks, what’s really at stake for Canada in the Arctic? Is this frozen tundra our greatest vulnerability or our most valuable asset?And the latest on, the crash and burn of Liberal candidate Ruby Dhalla, and PM Justin Trudeau’s Ukraine visit. Oh, and don’t forget the Ontario election. Host: Noor AzriehCredits: 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: Gavin JohnBackground reading:Canada Tries to Break the Ice With Trump – Foreign PolicyTrump’s Manifest Destiny in the Arctic: The Greenland Gamble – Modern DiplomacyPoilievre's Arctic follies – The Hill TimesCanada to open consulates, appoint Arctic ambassador under new foreign policy – CBC NewsPoilievre promises new military base in Nunavut as part of Arctic defence plan – CBC NewsWant to help us improve the show? Take our audience survey at canadaland.com/surveySponsors: Canada’s Federal Workers want you to take action at remoteworks.ca today to support a future of work that benefits everyone.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.

Jagmeet Singh has taken a lot of shit: his nice watch, his ambivalence on taking down the Liberals, and of course his polling. But he says he’s not giving up. He says he’s here to win.Sit down with Noor as she goes past the “corporate interest” talking points and grills the leader on all things NDP. Why doesn’t he have a successor? Why won’t he step down? Why is he so fancy for a lefty?Host: Noor AzriehCredits: 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: Jagmeet SinghBackground reading:#115 Did Jagmeet Singh Miss His Big Chance? - CANADALANDGet ready for an early federal election, NDP tells candidates in an internal memo – CBC NewsJagmeet Singh's NDP is in deep trouble – National ObserverSingh says he will bring down government in March but wants to pass Trump tariff relief first – CBC NewsSponsors: 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/canadalandTake action at remoteworks.ca today to support a future of work that benefits everyone. Stay tuned for the video version of this podcast by subscribing to Canadaland Podcasts on YouTube channel.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.

The government hired 110,000 workers over the past 10 years, did we get 110,000 times more efficient? It doesn’t look like it, but veteran public servant Michael Wernick breaks it all down for Noor. And, yes folks, we’re talking about tariffs again, because Donald Trump enacted a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, with NO exceptions. Plus, our nominations for Fentanyl Czar, and the defamation case against Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman, CIJA, and Ezra Levant.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: 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: Michael WernickBackground reading:How a ballooning public sector is reshaping Canada’s economy - The Globe and MailAttrition is the 'worst way' to shrink federal public service, says former clerk - Yahoo NewsOpinion: Canada can learn from Trump and cut its bloated bureaucracy - The Globe and MailPoilievre says he wants to cut the federal public service, doesn't mind remote work - CBC NewsWhat does Justin Trudeau's departure mean for federal public servants? - CBC NewsSponsors: Take action at remoteworks.ca today to support a future of work that benefits everyone. 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.

On Saturday, President Trump followed through with his promise of 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and 10 percent on energy. We clapped back with our own.But late yesterday, after a couple of calls between the two leaders, Trump relented after Trudeau said he outlined Canada’s $1.3 billion border plan and also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl. Trump said he’d pause for 30 days.  A trade war is bad, but some businesses might fare better than others. Our producers went out to see how they were reacting.Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)Guests: Jeff Kirstein, Adam Brierley, Kacee VasudevaBackground reading:These industries would be hit hardest by Trump's 25 per cent tariffs - DiscoverHumboldt.comTrump has a 'good talk' with Trudeau — then calls again for Canada to become 51st stateMexico president says U.S. tariffs on her country delayed for 1 monthDefence minister accelerates 2% NATO spending timeline to 2027 amid pressure from TrumpPhoto credit: Presidencia de la República Mexicana via FlickrSponsors: 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/canadalandTake action at remoteworks.ca today to support a future of work that benefits everyone. For more information about Canada-first advertising on Canadaland please contact dory@canadaland.comIf 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.

When Justin Trudeau stepped down earlier this month, it should have been the perfect opportunity for Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to swing the narrative. To seize control.But they haven’t done any of that. What used to be Canada’s worker’s party seems like a shell of its former self. Why can’t they reach voters when everything is up in the air?This week Noor sits down with columnist and critic Max Fawcett, and former NDP strategist Mélanie Richer to unpack Singh’s woes.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (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: Mélanie Richer, Max FawcettBackground reading:The NDP is getting outflanked — again – National ObserverGinny Roth: The NDP don’t take themselves seriously, so why should we? – The HubIs It Time for Singh to Go? – The WalrusIs Jagmeet Singh’s job at risk in the upcoming election? – iPoliticsSingh says NDP still plan to vote to topple Liberals ‘at the earliest opportunity,’ regardless of leader – CTV NewsIf 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.

The Copernic Affair is available now, wherever you get your podcasts.The life of an unassuming sociology professor in Canada gets turned upside down when he is accused of carrying out a 1980 bomb attack on a synagogue in Paris. Hassan Diab says heʼs innocent, but French investigators are determined to prove otherwise.Journalists Dana Ballout and Alex Atack take listeners through the twists and turns of this extraordinary story, all the while asking…Is Hassan Diab guilty, or is he a scapegoat? And what if one person’s justice means committing an injustice to another?You can become a Canadaland supporter to listen to the whole series early and ad-free.

Join Noor Azrieh and Sam Konnert for a discussion to bid farewell to key legislation that is likely to be lost due to Parliament's prorogation. From the Online Harms Act, to clean drinking water for First Nation communities, there’s a lot to mourn.And, how could a new liberal leader possibly win back young men? We speak with Aiden Fox Ivey, who reached out after he heard our interview with a conservative bro.Host: Noor AzriehCredits: Aviva Lessard (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: Aiden Fox Ivey, Taylor Owen, Chris MooniasBackground reading:With the House of Commons prorogued, some key Liberal legislation may not pass - CBC NewsYoung Canadians now more politically conservative than their elders – National PostPoilievre’s Youth: Meet the young voters supporting the Conservatives – Global NewsHasan Piker on how Trump seized online culture – CBC Podcasts, FrontburnerSponsors: 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/canadalandIf 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.