Co-host Pauls Wells may be the only person aside from Trudeau who wants an election right now. We look ahead to the campaign and debates to come. WE is back in the news. And The Rebel has another defamation case dismissed.
August 12, 2021
The Backbench
#8 Erin O’Toole Doesn’t Want to Fight
With massive childcare announcements and talk of abortion access, the Liberal government seems to be focusing on women lately. Is it pre-election pandering or just good governance? And we look at the state of the Conservative Party, whose leader says he does not want an election.
August 10, 2021
The Backbench
#6 Pandering Season
More and more election season tropes have revealed themselves recently, particularly in Quebec, Alberta and Tiktok. And the mutiny against the Green Party leader Annamie Paul reaches its final stage next week - How did we get here?
July 13, 2021
The Backbench
#5 A Two-Dose Election?
The spectre of a fall federal election looms large with a flurry of activity in the House, Trudeau calling Parliament toxic, and a high-profile Minister announcing she won’t run again. And further fallout after more unmarked graves were found at a residential school.
June 29, 2021
The Backbench
#2 Justin Trudeau Has No Friends
The conflict of interest and ethics commissioner weighs in on the meaning of friendship; is Prime Minister Trudeau home free from WE? And the government steps into a legal battle over the Line 5 pipeline.
May 18, 2021
The Backbench
Introducing Our New Show: The Backbench
Dig into Canadian politics from the best seats in the House. Host Fatima Syed welcomes our rotating roster of panelists from across the country: Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Jason Markusoff, Drew Brown, Emilie Nicolas, Jaskaran Sandhu, Murad Hemmadi, Leena Minifie, and Stuart Thomson. Stay on top of things through sharp commentary and incisive analysis.