Jesse Brown is an ideological slut. Well, so he says. His past votes have jumped, in no particular order, from the Conservatives to the NDP “....maybe there was a fringe party or Parti Québécois vote in there somewhere, I can’t even remember who I’ve thrown in with over the years — I have no loyalty, I’m politically promiscuous.”
April 28, 2025
CANADALAND
Investigation: What Mark Carney Won’t Say About Brookfield
“ Here is what I would've done if I was Mark Carney, right? Just let it be out there. If you really have nothing to hide, don't hide.” - Professor Partha Mohanram
April 14, 2025
CANADALAND
Election Dysfunction and Bozo Eruptions
“...the tentacles of party discipline and party control have completely grabbed a hold of everybody and they have a really hard time breaking free. We just no longer have politicians who can speak their minds, politicians who can stand up on behalf of their constituents.” -Alex Marland, author of Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada
April 7, 2025
CANADALAND
#1120 Trudeau Dumpster Dive
We take a dumpster dive to look at all the legislation that got thrown out when Trudeau prorogued Parliament. Jesse tests the theory that one person’s trash is another’s treasure.
March 10, 2025
The Backbench
#98 Parliament is Back and More Childish Than Ever
Male bravado, tearing up friendship contracts and begging your enemies for support. Canadian politics – or the new season of Love Island? Tune in to make sense of the messy year ahead.
September 24, 2024
CANADALAND
#1010 The Menswear Guy Ranks Trudeau, Poilievre, and Singh
He’s given Donald Trump tips on removing makeup stains from his suit collars, advised Boris Johnson on how to not dress like a schlub, and now The Menswear Guy sets out to rank the sartorial splendor, or lack thereof, of Trudeau, Poilievre and Singh.
July 29, 2024
The Backbench
#69 What’s Up With Canada’s Political Left?
Mattea kicks it with esteemed Backbencher and political journalist David Moscrop at a café in Ottawa to talk about the current climate in Canadian politics, the impact of social media on discourse, the state of Canada’s political left, and are we in for an election next year?
July 25, 2023
The Backbench
#61 The Federal Budget: Betting on Clean Tech
It’s that time of the year again! Budget season… AND, the story about Chinese government influence just keeps getting even more complicated. This week Mattea Roach is joined by Murad Hemmadi, Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Stuart Thomson to unpack how the complex issue of government interference is being seized on by various parties, and how feasible Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland’s proposed budget is for this country’s future.
April 4, 2023
The Backbench
#57 Bail Reform And National Reconciliation
A proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit has been reached between the federal government and 325 First Nations, which applies to Indigenous children who attended residential schools during the day—students who were left out of the 2006 residential schools settlement. This episode gets into the legal elements of this lawsuit, how we got here, and what impacts it might have going forward. And, all 13 provinces and territories are calling for “immediate action” to strengthen Canada’s bail system in the wake of the death of an Ontario Provincial Police officer in late December. What does the bail system look like in Canada? How is this specific moment being politicized? And, what would the consequences of bail reform be?
February 7, 2023
CANADALAND
#854 Big Trouble with Meddling China
The Chinese state has infiltrated Canadian democracy at all levels, according to a bombshell report from investigative reporter Sam Cooper of Global News. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a stern denial, throwing cold water on the story. Who's telling the truth? And exactly what is Beijing up to in Canada? Sam Cooper explains his work.