Armed conflicts across the world are increasingly demanding the attention of Canadians and prompting the federal government to get involved. This episode, host Mattea Roach is joined by Emilie Nicolas, Arshy Mann, and Steven Chase to talk about what Canadian intervention in Haiti could and should look like, and they also tackle the existential questions we have about our military: What is the state of our military? Are we prepared to take on an expanded role? Should we?

On December 14th, we brought The Backbench to you LIVE and in-person from the Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto. It was an evening of “serious” political discourse and endless laughs. Our host Mattea Roach and our expert panelists, Emilie Nicolas, David Moscrop, and Murad Hemmadi unpacked the seriously eventful year that was 2022 – from faulty infrastructure, to the Pope’s visit, to our 2023 political wish list, and more. 

In this episode, host Mattea Roach, and panelists, Karen Restoule, Jaskaran Sandhu, and Arshy Mann, unpack the controversial expansion for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) set to change on March 17, 2023. Also, Canada is trying to re-establish itself on the international stage after announcing its Indo-Pacific Strategy in Beautiful British Columbia. Does Canada’s future lie in the Indo-Pacific?

The six weeks of dramatic testimony have officially come to an end with testimony from the Prime Minister himself. Join our host, Mattea Roach, and an exceptional panel with Stuart Thomson, David Moscrop, and Sandy Garossino for a deep retrospective on Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act against the 'Freedom Convoy' this past February. Also, the Green Party has a “new” leader. Welcome back Elizabeth May. This episode Mattea and our panelists discuss the future of the Green Party.

Financial Minister Chrystia Freeland’s mini-budget is at your service to save us from inflation. Or is it Justin-flation? This week our host, Mattea Roach, is joined by Emilie Nicolas, Murad Hemmadi, and Nick-Taylor Vaisey to talk about the effectiveness of the proposed budget, the impending recession, and the “costly-coalition.” They also tackle the increasingly common use of the notwithstanding clause—what does it mean, and should we be worried?

BC NDP leadership candidate Anjali Appadurai had the rug pulled out from under her. This week Mattea Roach is joined with Stuart Thomson, Jaskaran Sandhu, and Arno Kopecky to talk about how and why the BC-NDP ended up disqualifying Appadurai, leaving David Eby to be sworn in as Premier of British Columbia. Also, this week the backbenchers talk about the Federal handgun freeze that is supposedly the strongest action in a generation. We’ll see about that…

What is going on in the Wild Rose Country? Mattea Roach is joined by experts Catherine Griwkowksy, Emilie Nicolas, and David Moscrop. Together they unpack the implications of Alberta’s new premier's calls for more sovereignty and the possible unravelling of our beloved Canadian federalism. This week we also get into Canada’s complicated diplomatic response to the Iranian protests.