Follow Canadian politics from ‘The best seat in the house’

School of Journalism alum Fatima Syed is hosting Canadaland’s (external link)  revamped political podcast, The Backbench.

The Backbench covers Canadian politics in a way that every listener can understand and follow the topics being discussed.

While Syed is the host, the podcast also features eight panelists spread from B.C to N.L.

Unlike other political podcasts, Syed says this one feels more welcoming due to its friendly tone and relaxed conversation.

“These panelists are my friends. So when I talk about the friend vibe, some of them are literally my friends,” Syed said. “Even though it’s in an awkward podcast environment, it’s still casual and warm.”

Syed says that having a podcast about politics is easier than reading or writing traditional newspaper stories.

“I think sometimes you just have to talk things through. As much as we can read about Canadian politics, sometimes you just need to talk it through and understand the various aspects of it,” she said. “I think it’s harder to do that if you’re reading the newspaper.”

Syed says the only downside to having a political podcast is having to cut some conversations short.

“Even though conversations are fluid, podcasting still has a structure. You have to stay with a time,” she said. “There are often times where I’m just like, oh, we could’ve talked about this for another hour.”

Something that also makes this podcast special is that while they all live different lives and lifestyles, the panelists can discuss similar experiences they’ve shared, despite living on opposite sides of the country.

“That really brings it home, right, that politics has an impact on you no matter where you are. And oftentimes, it can be similar and that surprises you,” Syed said. “You see parallels and that suddenly brings you closer together, almost, in understanding each of your communities.”

What Syed really hopes is that this podcast opens more conversations for Candians to have surrounding politics.

“[Politics]has so many impacts on your day to day, on your week to week, on your year to year, and we can’t just pay attention when it’s time to vote,” she said. 

You can find more about The Backbench podcast, here (external link) , as well as find it anywhere you stream podcasts.