February 25, 2025
SHARE
The Backbench
#119 Is There Going to Be a War Over the Arctic?
The Arctic is quickly becoming the center of a geopolitical shitstorm.
Noor Azrieh
Producer
Aviva Lessard
Senior Producer
Sam Konnert
Producer
Caleb Thompson
Audio Editor
max collins
Director of Audio
Jesse Brown
Host & Publisher

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 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: Gavin John

 

Background reading:

 

Want to help us improve the show? Take our audience survey at canadaland.com/survey

 

Sponsors: 

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.

More from this series
The Arctic is quickly becoming the center of a geopolitical shitstorm.
February 25, 2025
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.
February 18, 2025
The government hired 110,000 workers over the past 10 years, did we get 110,000 times more efficient?
February 11, 2025
A trade war is bad, but some businesses might fare better than others.
February 4, 2025
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.
January 28, 2025
Donald Trump’s back, but Canada is STILL divided on how to respond.
January 21, 2025
We are gathered here today, united by BS and a profound sense of annoyance, to bid farewell…
January 14, 2025
Yesterday Trudeau announced that he would prorogue parliament and resign as Prime Minister. Now, the Liberal Party is embarking on a journey to replace him.
January 7, 2025
all podcasts arrow All Podcasts
The Backbench