The Backbench

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

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-borderPanelists: Drew Brown, David Moscrop, Raisa PatelLinks: Read Senator Paula Simons’ op-ed about Bill S-7 in The Line: https://theline.substack.com/p/paula-simons-the-government-is-tryingSponsors: Douglas, 22 Murders, The Peak Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

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

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 PatelLinks: Further reading on Canada’s abortion laws: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/how-canada-came-to-have-no-federal-law-whatsoever-on-abortionA chart showing abortion access in Canada: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/resources/factsheets-guidelines/2019-09-19-access-glance-abortion-services-canadaThe full Top Of Mind report about the civil service: https://iog.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Top-of-Mind-Summary-Report-EN.pdfRead about the pointy-headed whales: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/16/arctic-mine-expansion-rejection-narwhal-canadaSponsors: 22 Murders, Oxio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Starhttps://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/04/22/canada-unveils-new-measures-to-keep-international-students-from-running-out-of-status.htmlSponsors: 22 Murders, The Peak, Oxio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Government has launched an inquiry into the use of the Emergency Act during the Freedom Convoy. And the Canadian Armed Forces released a scathing report about racism and discrimination within its ranks. Can the culture of the military be changed?Panelists: Emilie Nicolas, Stuart Thomson and Paul Wells. Links:Read the report about racism and prejudice in the Canadian Armed Forces here.Sponsors: Oxio, 22 Murders, Ground News, The Waves Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eight people are in the running for leadership of the Conservative Party, but only one will emerge victorious and get a chance to become the next Prime Minister of Canada. We're joined by Politico’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Backbench regular Jason Markusoff to introduce our candidates. What's their vision? What have they done? And who’s most likely to flame out publicly?Links:Subscribe to Politico’s Ottawa Playbook newsletter See the picture of teenage Patrick Brown with a Jean Charest poster on his wallAt the time of recording, Joseph Bourgault was not yet confirmed as a candidate, but he is also in the running. His website is available hereAdditional music from Audio NetworkSponsors: 22 Murders, The Peak, Ground News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We dig into the first two chapters of the government’s new budget: housing and economic growth. This week’s contributors: Murad Hemmadi, Caroline Elliott, David Moscrop Links:Read Budget 2022Read Jen Gerson’s piece that Caroline mentions, “No One Is Going to Fix Housing”Sponsors: Oxio, 22 Murders, Skipper Otto, Ground News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.