This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This month we’re addressing common questions, like: can I get immunotherapy as a first line treatment for cancer? In Canada, certain immunotherapies are available as first line treatments for specific cancers, but for the majority of cases the standard of care continues to rely on chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Immunotherapies being developed through research supported by organizations like BioCanRx are most commonly available through clinical trials after standard of care treatment options have been exhausted. As more immunotherapies demonstrate safety and efficacy, this will continue to change, so it’s important to study the options for your specific cancer indication. Thanks to BioCanRx for their continued partnership in answering these questions. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Hogan argues that the referendum itself is only part of the story. The larger question is what happens afterward: does separatism become a durable political force that future Alberta governments have an incentive to keep alive? Or does the current crisis produce a lasting change in the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa? Jen and Hogan discuss what the federal government can realistically do to address western alienation, and where responsibility ultimately rests with Alberta’s own political leadership.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Budget season in Ottawa is filled with asks for new programs, new tax measures and new investment. But for Canada’s forest products sector, the biggest opportunity for growth doesn’t require new spending — it requires smarter rules.Regulatory inefficiencies are costing the average Canadian mill an estimated one million dollars a year each. That’s money that could be reinvested in workers, communities, and modernization instead.The Forest Sector Transformation Task Force gave Ottawa a clear playbook. As the federal budget takes shape, the fastest way to unlock private investment is to remove the made-in-Canada barriers standing in the way.Learn more at FPAC.ca.

They also get into the practical obstacles facing the government’s pro-building agenda. That means pipelines, major infrastructure, consultation with First Nations, and the increasingly important question of what Indigenous consent means when governments are trying to move projects forward. Hogan explains why he believes Canada is finally becoming more serious about building things again — and what will have to change for that rhetoric to translate into actual projects.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Building Canada's energy future means creating jobs for Canadian workers. That's why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating and ready to deliver the power we need. Choosing the AP1000 means a reactor built by Canadians, creating skilled jobs in construction, fabrication and the trades while keeping more investment and economic benefits here at home.If we are serious about creating Canadian jobs and strengthening our economy, the choice is clear.To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

As always, check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe! And we'll talk to you soon.

#OnTheLine #Alberta #AlbertaPolitics #AlbertaSeparatism #CanadaPolitics #CoreyHogan #Federalism #Pipelines #CanadianEnergy #IndigenousConsultation #MajorProjects #JenGerson

This episode is brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementers, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

The pipeline also gives Canadians something unusually useful: a clear benchmark for judging the Carney government. The “Carney method” has committed to getting the project shovel-ready in just one year. That’s a much easier promise to evaluate than grand plans whose results might not become apparent for a decade. So we’ll be watching.

Next, your hosts turn to another speech in Alberta. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre spoke in Edmonton this week about why Alberta should remain in Canada. Jen was impressed by the speech — but also thinks it’s too little, too late. Matt argues that the Conservatives increasingly talk about Alberta staying in Canada the way the Liberals talk about antisemitism: they don’t seem particularly invested in the issue, but they know they need to tick the appropriate boxes so nobody can accuse them of saying nothing.

This episode is also brought to you by Cardus. For years, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of the most famous atheists in the world. Then she converted to Christianity. Now she argues that faith is the key to renewing Western civilization. Hear her make the case live in Calgary, October 8th, at the 2026 Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by the think tank Cardus. Get your tickets at Cardus.ca/ayaan.

Finally, Matt and Jen venture outside their usual Canadian focus to discuss the case of Christa Pike, the Tennessee woman scheduled to be executed this week after three decades on death row for a horrific murder. The state botched the execution despite warnings that exactly that could happen. Your hosts discuss their own views on capital punishment and wrestle with a larger question: is there a position on the death penalty that could satisfy the public while still respecting the concerns that make so many Canadian elites recoil from it?

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. We’ve been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we’re focusing on the “made-in-Canada” part.

Unlike other G7 nations, Canada lacks an anchor company and patient capital with pockets deep enough to pay for the lengthy process of bringing drugs to the Canadian market. Not for profits like BioCanRx are stepping in, but if the government decides to inject funding into the pipeline, how can we be sure money is going to projects with a real chance to succeed? Performance monitoring is essential, because if you’re going to fail it’s better to do it quickly. BioCanRx checks on all its funded projects every six months. Advised by a group of international experts, project milestones are tracked and, if necessary, funds can be cut.

Government departments won’t have the technical expertise to scrutinize researchers that closely, but by leveraging partners with the necessary expertise they could make sure taxpayer dollars are being invested wisely. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us tell this story. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe!

#TheLinePodcast #MarkCarney #DanielleSmith #PierrePoilievre #PacificLinkPipeline #AlbertaPolitics #CanadianPolitics #StephenHarper #CapitalPunishment #CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we're focusing on the "made-in-Canada" part.

Unlike other G7 nations, Canada lacks an anchor company and patient capital with pockets deep enough to pay for the lengthy process of bringing drugs to the Canadian market. Not for profits like BioCanRx are stepping in, but if the government decides to inject funding into the pipeline, how can we be sure money is going to projects with a real chance to succeed? Performance monitoring is essential, because if you’re going to fail it’s better to do it quickly. BioCanRx checks on all its funded projects every six months. Advised by a group of international experts, project milestones are tracked and, if necessary, funds can be cut.

Government departments won't have the technical expertise to scrutinize researchers that closely, but by leveraging partners with the necessary expertise they could make sure taxpayer dollars are being invested wisely. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us tell this story. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

First: what is Carney actually doing? Matt and Stephanie look at both his day-to-day activities and the larger mission taking shape around his government. They also dig into the legislative agenda now before the House of Commons, including major economic legislation the government has made a centrepiece of the fall sitting. Can Carney get it done? The opposition may not be able to stop him — but what about divisions within the Liberal caucus?

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.

For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.

We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.

Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.

Next: what has happened to Parliament itself? After the strange final stretch of the Trudeau era, there’s a new boss in town. Dress codes have changed. The workers are back in their cubicles. And the opposition is still figuring out how to respond (we assume). Who is going to hold Carney accountable when the inevitable screw-ups happen? And why might the answer be … Quebec?

This episode is also brought to you by Cardus. For years, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of the most famous atheists in the world. Then she converted to Christianity. Now she argues that faith is the key to renewing Western civilization. Hear her make the case live in Calgary, October 8th, at the 2026 Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by the think tank Cardus. Get your tickets at Cardus.ca/ayaan.

Finally, a vibe check. What does Parliament Hill actually feel like these days compared with recent years? Stephanie jokes that she and her colleagues are all having to learn an entirely new line of reporting. They’re all business journalists now.

Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe. 

#OnTheLine #CanadaPolitics #MarkCarney #ParliamentHill #Ottawa #LiberalParty #HouseOfCommons #CanadianPolitics #StephanieLevitz #GlobeAndMail #QuebecPolitics #MattGurney

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.

The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.

A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.

Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Then it's on to the main event: Mark Carney goes to New York and talks to American reporters, including about the possibility of a U.S. attack on Canada. Matt is irritated by the reaction back home. The military considering bizarre and unlikely scenarios isn't evidence that the prime minister has lost his mind. It's literally the military's job to think about weird scenarios before they happen. In attacking Carney over this, Matt argues, his critics are really attacking the Canadian military for doing exactly what Canadians pay it to do.

This episode is also brought to you by Cardus. For years, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of the most famous atheists in the world. Then she converted to Christianity. Now she argues that faith is the key to renewing Western civilization. Hear her make the case live in Calgary, October 8th, at the 2026 Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by the think tank Cardus. Get your tickets at Cardus.ca/ayaan.

Next, Jen provides an update from Alberta, where there is, as usual, a lot going on. She suspects Danielle Smith may be coming a little unhinged. Matt, ever the diplomat, decides to court controversy by asking when so many Albertans turned into Torontonians, terrified of saying anything that might offend somebody. You guys used to be braver than that.

Finally, your hosts discuss the horrific attack on a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, before turning to two media stories they think listeners should know about. And Matt has a question for Jen: is the CBC actively trying to get itself scrapped?

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. We’ve been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we’re focusing on the “made-in-Canada” part. One way to leverage existing Canadian government investments in biomanufacturing would be to make it easier for Canadian innovators to develop their discoveries into therapies here in Canada.

Aside from organizations like BioCanRx, there are few funding sources for the “translational research” activities necessary to build the significant body of evidence required for clinical trial approval from Health Canada — without which these therapies could never reach patients. If funding mechanisms are created to support translational research in Canada, more Canadian discoveries can generate work for Canada’s biomanufacturing facilities — leading to more sovereign capacity, and more therapies made in Canada for Canadian patients.

But how could we make sure new investments aren’t wasted? More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out, but do not hack!, our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe!

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we're focusing on the "made-in-Canada" part. One way to leverage existing Canadian government investments in biomanufacturing would be to make it easier for Canadian innovators to develop their discoveries into therapies here in Canada. Aside from organizations like BioCanRx, there are few funding sources for the "translational research" activities necessary to build the significant body of evidence required for clinical trial approval from Health Canada — without which these therapies could never reach patients. If funding mechanisms are created to support translational research in Canada, more Canadian discoveries can generate work for Canada’s biomanufacturing facilities –– leading to more sovereign capacity, and more therapies made in Canada for Canadian patients. But how could we make sure new investments aren’t wasted? More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

First, Markus Bernsen joins Jen to discuss the reported U.S.-Greenland agreement, what remains unknown, and why the negotiations have caused so much anxiety in Greenland and Denmark. They discuss military access, investment, sovereignty, and the damage already done to the Denmark-U.S. relationship.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.

For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.

We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.

Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.

Then Brussels-based foreign correspondent Jack Parrock joins Jen to discuss Canada’s push for closer ties with the European Union. What would “associate membership” actually mean? How much is substance and how much is symbolism? And could Canada and Europe build deeper links in trade, payments and defence as both reconsider their dependence on the United States?

From Greenlandic sovereignty to diplomacy in Strasbourg, it’s a look at how the Western alliance is being reshaped — and where Canada might fit.

This episode is also brought to you by Cardus. For years, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of the most famous atheists in the world. Then she converted to Christianity. Now she argues that faith is the key to renewing Western civilization. Hear her make the case live in Calgary, October 8th, at the 2026 Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by the think tank Cardus. Get your tickets at Cardus.ca/ayaan.

Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and as always, like and subscribe. Stay tuned Friday for the next episode of The Line Podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.

The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.

A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.

Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Your hosts discuss the trip, the PMO’s continuing inability to develop a workable communications strategy and the credibility problems that creates. But the most fascinating part may be the American reaction. Donald Trump has now threatened retaliation over Canada’s growing ties with Europe. Matt and Jen wonder: is Washington finally beginning to realize just how badly it may have miscalculated?

This episode is also brought to you by Cardus. For years, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of the most famous atheists in the world. Then she converted to Christianity. Now she argues that faith is the key to renewing Western civilization. Hear her make the case live in Calgary, October 8th, at the 2026 Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by the think tank Cardus. Get your tickets at Cardus.ca/ayaan. 

Next, they turn to the Canada Investment Summit hosted by the prime minister in Toronto. There’s a lot to like about the ambition behind it, your hosts agree — but Canada now has to actually deliver the projects it is promising. And then there’s Stephen Harper. The former Conservative prime minister closed the summit by praising the initiative and arguing that Canada must reduce its reliance on the United States. Jen connects Harper’s remarks to a point Matt made in his column this week and goes considerably further: did Harper just politely drive a stake through the heart of Pierre Poilievre’s political career? Jen thinks so, and says so on the record: it’s over, Tories. Poilievre is never going to win. Move on.

Finally, Matt provides a quick update on some increasingly serious warnings from Canada’s European allies about the possibility of Russian attacks against NATO territory. Jen then brings things home with a major update from Alberta, now just one month away from its October 19 referendum.

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We’ve been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we’re focusing on the “made-in-Canada” part.

Federal and provincial governments have made strong investments in the biomanufacturing sector, but Canada’s drug development ecosystem has contracted over time, and there is not yet enough domestic demand to fully utilize many of these advanced biomanufacturing facilities. This becomes a sovereignty problem. If our biomanufacturing facilities can’t remain in operation, we lose the ability to develop and manufacture homegrown therapies. We wait for therapies developed in other countries to make their way here –– with no control over when that might happen. BioCanRx requires the research projects it funds to work with Canadian facilities whenever possible, which has helped build and sustain networks across Canada –– but there is still a lot of untapped potential.

How can we make sure our infrastructure isn’t sitting idle? More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe!

#TheLinePodcast #MarkCarney #PierrePoilievre #StephenHarper #CanadianPolitics #CanadaUSRelations #Europe #Russia #AlbertaPolitics #CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we're focusing on the "made-in-Canada" part.Federal and provincial governments have made strong investments in the biomanufacturing sector, but Canada's drug development ecosystem has contracted over time, and there is not yet enough domestic demand to fully utilize many of these advanced biomanufacturing facilities. This becomes a sovereignty problem. If our biomanufacturing facilities can’t remain in operation, we lose the ability to develop and manufacture homegrown therapies. We wait for therapies developed in other countries to make their way here –– with no control over when that might happen. BioCanRx requires the research projects it funds to work with Canadian facilities whenever possible, which has helped build and sustain networks across Canada –– but there is still a lot of untapped potential. How can we make sure our infrastructure isn’t sitting idle? More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

First, the trade war. Prof. Fellows recently wrote for The Line about what game theory can tell us about the ongoing trade war, and he and Matt dig into the incentives shaping the decisions being made on both sides of the border. The Americans may be behaving rationally if their objective is to maximize their leverage in the short term. But there are costs to that strategy, particularly as other countries begin making long-term decisions based on the assumption that the United States is no longer a reliable economic partner.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.

For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.

We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.

Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.

Matt and Kent also discuss the upcoming International Investment Summit in Toronto. It’s a good idea: Canada badly needs more investment, greater productivity and stronger economic growth. But attracting investors to a summit is one thing. Convincing them that Canada can actually overcome the regulatory, political and structural obstacles that have discouraged investment in the first place is another.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.

A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada. Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Then, a special announcement: The Line is growing.

Alan Findlay has joined The Line as a reporter and as the first recipient of our Build Canada Fellowship. Over the next year, Alan will be doing fact-based, straight-up investigative reporting into the policy obstacles that are hobbling Canadian productivity and economic growth — digging into what isn’t working, why it isn’t working, and what could be done differently.

And he’s hitting the ground running. Alan will be at the prime minister’s investment summit in Toronto this week, reporting on what the government is proposing, what investors are saying, and whether Canada is actually prepared to make the changes required to become a more competitive place to invest, build and grow.

The Line is excited to have him aboard — and we’re looking forward to showing you what he finds. You can read more about the fellowship here. 

Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the team. And as always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca.

#OnTheLine #CanadaPolitics #TradeWar #CanadaUS #GameTheory #KentFellows #CanadianEconomy #Productivity #Investment #BuildCanada #AlanFindlay #MattGurney

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada. A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada. Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Next, your hosts turn to drones. Canada is partnering with Ukraine as warfare rapidly evolves, and Matt explains why the deal makes a great deal of sense for both countries. Ukraine has extraordinary real-world expertise in drone warfare, while Canada urgently needs to build up its own capabilities. But buying and building drones is the easy part. What exactly is Canada going to do with them? Where will they be stored? How quickly could they be deployed? And under what circumstances might Canada actually use them in, ahem, contingencies? The technology is moving quickly. Canadian defence policy will have to keep up.

This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Finally, Matt and Jen wrap up with a grab bag of looming problems. The Canada–U.S. trade war has become strangely lower-energy on the American side, and they discuss some of the reasons Washington may be increasingly hobbled in pursuing it. Then there's time for a quick tour through the AI apocalypse and the latest on Alberta's referendum.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. We’ve been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we’re focusing on the “made-in-Canada” part. Since 2015 BioCanRx has supported the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, in building a truly Canadian pipeline so Canadian patients don’t have to wait for cancer therapies developed elsewhere to reach a clinical trial here.

In the first iteration, genetic engineering happened in labs in Vancouver, a lab in Ottawa created a viral delivery system, and a facility in Victoria modified each patient’s immune cells. The resulting therapy was shipped to a research-intensive hospital where the patient received it. More than 100 patients in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario received treatment. Now the network is growing: new biomanufacturing facilities are preparing to produce cells in Calgary and Ottawa, and new clinical trial sites are being onboarded in other provinces. CLIC technology is being used in three active Canadian clinical trials, with more on the way.

So when it comes to producing made-in-Canada cancer immunotherapies, Canada isn’t starting from scratch. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us share these stories. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe.

#TheLinePodcast #September11 #CanadaUSRelations #CanadianPolitics #Ukraine #DroneWarfare #CanadianForces #TradeWar #ArtificialIntelligence #AlbertaPolitics

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we're focusing on the "made-in-Canada" part. Since 2015 BioCanRx has supported the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, in building a truly Canadian pipeline so Canadian patients don't have to wait for cancer therapies developed elsewhere to reach a clinical trial here. In the first iteration, genetic engineering happened in labs in Vancouver, a lab in Ottawa created a viral delivery system, and a facility in Victoria modified each patient's immune cells. The resulting therapy was shipped to a research-intensive hospital where the patient received it. More than 100 patients in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario received treatment. Now the network is growing: new biomanufacturing facilities are preparing to produce cells in Calgary and Ottawa, and new clinical trial sites are being onboarded in other provinces. CLIC technology is being used in three active Canadian clinical trials, with more on the way. So when it comes to producing made-in-Canada cancer immunotherapies, Canada isn't starting from scratch. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us share these stories. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Harary takes Jen through the early days of Spin Master and the risks that he and his partners were willing to take while they were still young enough — and perhaps naive enough — to take them. They discuss why your twenties can be an unusually valuable time to take big swings, what entrepreneurs can learn from failure, and why intuition and an understanding of history can matter when trying to distinguish a durable trend from the latest industry bubble.

The conversation then widens to Canada’s entrepreneurial culture. Harary argues that Canada has enormous creative talent but needs to become more comfortable with ambition, risk and the possibility of failure. He and Jen discuss the difference between building and servicing, the importance of protecting time for deep creative work, and why a successful innovation economy needs diversity not simply of backgrounds, but of ideas, experiences and ways of thinking.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.

For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.

We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.

Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.

Finally, they look at what Canada could do differently. Harary offers ideas for encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, attracting and developing talent, and creating a culture in which more Canadians are willing to build companies capable of competing globally.

It’s a conversation about toys and business, but also about ambition, creativity, risk and what Canada needs to do if it wants to produce more globally successful companies.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada. A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada. Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

As always visit our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and don't forget to like and subscribe!

#OnTheLine #RonnenHarary #SpinMaster #PAWPatrol #Entrepreneurship #CanadianBusiness #Innovation #Canada #Startups #BusinessAdvice #JenGerson

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.

The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.

A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.

Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Jen and Josh unpack the breakdown of the latest negotiations, including the competing Canadian and American accounts of what happened and the domestic political pressures shaping both governments. They discuss what Washington actually wants from Canada, how the dispute looks from inside the United States, and what Canadians may be misunderstanding about the political forces driving American policy.

This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage. Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how. Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

They then widen the lens to the broader state of U.S. politics: Donald Trump’s hold over the Republican Party, the strength of America’s democratic guardrails, the coming midterms, and where the country may be heading politically. Finally, they consider what all of this means for Canada—and for a bilateral relationship that Canadians can no longer take for granted.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. Over the summer we partnered with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September, we want to better understand the “made-in-Canada” part. Many drugs discovered in Canada leave to be developed and commercialized in the United States –– with the benefits accruing there. Completely made-in-Canada immunotherapies are rare because Canada doesn’t have a major domestic pharma company to support the development costs or regulatory requirements. BioCanRx is one of the rare not-for-profits with the capacity and expertise to help move Canadian-discovered and manufactured immunotherapies towards the market, both through translational research funding and regulatory support. Promising examples include several therapies now in clinical trials through the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, which are fully designed and manufactured in Canada to target certain blood cancers and, more recently, solid tumours. More on those next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe!

#TheLinePodcast #CanadaUSRelations #TradeWar #DonaldTrump #MarkCarney #CanadianPolitics #USPolitics #JoshWingrove #USMidterms #CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. Over the summer we partnered with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September, we want to better understand the "made-in-Canada" part. Many drugs discovered in Canada leave to be developed and commercialized in the United States –– with the benefits accruing there. Completely made-in-Canada immunotherapies are rare because Canada doesn’t have a major domestic pharma company to support the development costs or regulatory requirements. BioCanRx is one of the rare not-for-profits with the capacity and expertise to help move Canadian-discovered and manufactured immunotherapies towards the market, both through translational research funding and regulatory support. Promising examples include several therapies now in clinical trials through the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, which are fully designed and manufactured in Canada to target certain blood cancers and, more recently, solid tumours. More on those next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

First up is Rob Shaw, who has spent more than 18 years covering British Columbia politics and now reports for CHEK News in Victoria. He also hosts the weekly Political Capital podcast and YouTube show, serves as a political correspondent for CBC Radio’s All Points West and Radio West, and contributes columns to Business in Vancouver and BC Business Magazine.

Rob joins Matt to try to make sense of the unfolding chaos in B.C. politics, where the provincial Conservative Party is in full-on meltdown and Premier David Eby may have an increasingly tempting opportunity to call a snap election and secure a majority as the trade war heats up. The situation is moving so quickly that news was breaking even as Matt and Rob were recording. God only knows what will have happened by the time you hear this. Things are crazy over there.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag. For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment. We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home. Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.

Then Matt is joined by Jamie Carroll of Carroll and Co. Consulting. Carroll is a former national director of the federal Liberal Party, but this time he’s not here to talk politics — at least not initially. Instead, the two discuss Carroll’s recent proposal in The Hill Times arguing that Canada needs to grow up, recognize that the rules have changed, and start organizing itself accordingly.

His proposal is pragmatic: Canada should find ways to get the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard working much more closely together. Matt and Jamie discuss how that could strengthen Canada’s ability to patrol and defend its enormous maritime approaches, make better use of existing resources, and build national capacity at a time when sovereignty and security are no longer abstract concerns.

And then, yes, Matt asks him about the politics of it all.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.

The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.

A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.

Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, like and subscribe, and take good care.

#OnTheLine #BCPolitics #BritishColumbia #BCConservatives #DavidEby #RobShaw #CanadaPolitics #CanadianNavy #CanadianCoastGuard #NationalSecurity #JamieCarroll #MattGurney

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com

Next, Matt and Jen argue that Canada still needs to get much better at fighting the communications and information war. The United States has recently confronted Chinese influence operations aimed at shaping its domestic politics, which raises an uncomfortable question: how confident should Canadians be that nobody is trying the same thing here? And if information operations are becoming a normal instrument of state power, should Canada be thinking seriously about developing the capacity to play offence as well as defence?

This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementers, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Finally, your hosts turn to a CBC controversy that sounds considerably crazier in the headlines than it actually is. CBC's longstanding journalistic policy is to avoid independently designating particular acts as “terrorism,” preferring to use the term with attribution—a policy shared in various forms by several major international news organizations. But an internal reminder applying that rule to the 9/11 attacks has predictably exploded into a controversy suggesting that Canada's public broadcaster somehow doesn't believe 9/11 was terrorism. Matt and Jen explain why the underlying policy isn't nearly as stupid as it looks—and also why, in this particular case, it's still dumb enough that CBC should fix it.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. Through our partnership with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx this summer, we’re talking about potential solutions for the problems that are limiting Canada’s ability to domestically develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer. Today: new methods for biomanufacturing.

Immunotherapies are created using living components –– sometimes even our own cells — so they’re extremely complex and costly to create and deliver to patients. That’s why in the United States, only one in five people who could be treated by a personalized therapy like CAR T can afford to receive it. Fortunately, new manufacturing paradigms have the potential to increase accessibility. Similar to how 3D printers can efficiently produce individual mechanical components, closed-system manufacturing creates immunotherapy drugs in self-contained, benchtop machines that enhance efficiency through automation. This turns many hospitals across Canada into potential manufacturing sites and makes scaling up the delivery of personalized therapies to individual Canadian patients a real possibility.

Some new manufacturing technologies can even scale from producing a single patient’s personalized dose to mass-producing doses for 100,000 patients per day — meaning they could mass-produce vaccines during an emergency.

BioCanRx is working with federal partners to understand where this technology can fit within our biomanufacturing regulatory structure, and how AI might help. More on that next time. Learn more at BioCanRx.com.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast
#CanadaUSRelations
#DonaldTrump
#DougFord
#MarkCarney
#TradeWar
#ForeignInterference
#CBC
#CanadianPolitics
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. Through our partnership with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx this summer, we’re talking about potential solutions for the problems that are limiting Canada’s ability to domestically develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer. Today: new methods for biomanufacturing. 

Immunotherapies are created using living components –– sometimes even our own cells –– so they're extremely complex and costly to create and deliver to patients. That's why in the United States, only one in five people who could be treated by a personalized therapy like CAR T can afford to receive it. Fortunately, new manufacturing paradigms have the potential to increase accessibility.  Similar to how 3D printers can efficiently produce individual mechanical components, closed-system manufacturing creates immunotherapy drugs in self-contained, benchtop machines that enhance efficiency through automation. This turns many hospitals across Canada into potential manufacturing sites and makes scaling up the delivery of personalized therapies to individual Canadian patients a real possibility.

Some new manufacturing technologies can even scale from producing a single patient’s personalized dose to mass-producing doses for 100,000 patients per day –– meaning they could mass-produce vaccines during an emergency. 

BioCanRx is working with federal partners to understand where this technology can fit within our biomanufacturing regulatory structure, and how AI might help. More on that next time. Learn more at BioCanRx.com.

Dijkema argues that the change isn’t actually neutral. Instead, he sees it as part of a longer-running bureaucratic effort to reduce the visible role of religion within the Canadian Armed Forces. He and Gerson dig into the philosophical question at the heart of the dispute: is secular humanism really a neutral baseline for a diverse society, or is it itself a worldview that the state risks imposing on everyone else? They also talk about what military chaplains actually do. Dijkema argues that chaplains serve a special purpose. Questions about death, war, morality and meaning are not simply clinical problems, and military personnel should have access to people capable of engaging with them through their own religious traditions.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s resilience will not be built through diversified trade and good intentions alone. It will be built with strong domestic supply chains, reliable Canadian materials, and industries that invest in workers and communities here at home. Two months ago, the federal government acknowledged the Forest Sector Transformation Task Force Report and the practical path it set out. Now the focus must be action. Canada’s forest products sector can help deliver the homes, infrastructure, and economic potential the country needs. But that requires predictable access to manage our forests, transportation systems that work, and a regulatory environment that rewards investment rather than delays it. The direction is clear. Now Ottawa needs to turn recognition into results.

Learn more at FPAC.ca.

Gerson and Dijkema also examine the directive’s special treatment of Indigenous spiritual practices, which Dijkema argues is both logically inconsistent and ultimately patronizing. His preferred alternative is straightforward: expand the space available to religious and non-religious Canadians alike rather than trying to make everyone conform to a supposedly neutral middle ground.

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers. To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and as always, like and subscribe.

#OnTheLine #CanadianForces #MilitaryChaplaincy #ReligiousFreedom #Pluralism #BrianDijkema #Cardus #CanadaPolitics #CanadianMilitary #JenGerson

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com

The first segment is, admittedly, a bit of a placeholder. Until there is an actual Canada-U.S. trade deal to read, it's difficult to have firm opinions about it — assuming there even is a deal. Your hosts walk through what's been reported so far and explain why they're reserving judgment until the details are public. That said, Matt highlights one rumoured provision that, if true, would represent a uniquely Canadian style of spectacularly self-inflicted policy failure. For the deeper analysis, look for Sunday's Dispatch.

This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementers, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Next, Matt and Jen examine the early political reaction to both the negotiations themselves and the rumours surrounding the deal. Both were struck by comments this week from Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. With a combination of clarity and folksy charm, Kinew articulated what your hosts believe is the strongest criticism of Mark Carney's handling of the America file they've heard so far. They're not suggesting Kinew is about to jump into federal politics. He doesn't need to. If someone can make a compelling case that this deal is bad for Canada, Carney could find himself under pressure from both the left and the right.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. Through our partnership with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx this summer, we’re talking about potential solutions for the problems that limit Canada’s ability to domestically develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer.

Today: Canada’s biomanufacturing capacity. A biomanufacturing industry, like any other industry, does not appear at the swipe of a bureaucrat’s pen. Simply allocating money to a new economic development program doesn’t replace the years of effort necessary to help a sector put down lasting roots. Canada already has many building blocks in place. For example, infrastructure developed for pandemic readiness after COVID, and money invested in research facilities across Canada, can be leveraged to give us a head start — but they need to be coordinated and given steady work.

BioCanRx supports core Canadian biomanufacturing facilities and connects them with active Canadian research projects, making sure both sides have resources and the chance to gain experience. But more activity is needed to ensure these facilities can build up expertise, maintain readiness, and foster innovation. Building this capacity can position Canada to develop new drugs more quickly — and to be ready for a health emergency, all while delivering products to Canadian patients today.

There are promising paradigm shifts on the horizon that could change the way we manufacture biologic products like immunotherapies. More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Finally, Matt reflects on his recent travels through the United States. There are many ways Canada will never compete directly with America — they're simply bigger and richer. But there are also areas where Canada once had a visible edge and has quietly lost it. Chicago has always had more crime and a higher murder rate than Toronto. That's nothing new. What is new, Matt argues, is that downtown Chicago is now noticeably cleaner and better maintained than downtown Toronto. That's not a consequence of American military power, economic dominance, or Donald Trump. That's a Canadian policy failure. 

And the really damning part? Downtown Detroit is cleaner than Toronto now, too.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe! 

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadaUSRelations
#TradeDeal
#CanadianPolitics
#WabKinew
#Toronto
#Chicago
#PoliticalAnalysis
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. Through our partnership with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx this summer, we’re talking about potential solutions for the problems that limit Canada’s ability to domestically develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer. Today: Canada’s biomanufacturing capacity. A biomanufacturing industry, like any other industry, does not appear at the swipe of a bureaucrat’s pen. Simply allocating money to a new economic development program doesn’t replace the years of effort necessary to help a sector put down lasting roots. Canada already has many building blocks in place. For example, infrastructure developed for pandemic readiness after COVID, and money invested in research facilities across Canada, can be leveraged to give us a head start –– but they need to be coordinated and given steady work. BioCanRx supports core Canadian biomanufacturing facilities and connects them with active Canadian research projects, making sure both sides have resources and the chance to gain experience. But more activity is needed to ensure these facilities can build up expertise, maintain readiness, and foster innovation. Building this capacity can position Canada to develop new drugs more quickly –– and to be ready for a health emergency, all while delivering products to Canadian patients today. There are promising paradigm shifts on the horizon that could change the way we manufacture biologic products like immunotherapies. More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

First up is Anthony Robb, a 24-year veteran of the Canadian Army who now serves with Canada Company. He joins Matt to discuss the organization’s work strengthening the connection between Canadians and their military, and why that relationship matters more than ever. They also talk about one of Canada Company’s most meaningful initiatives: supporting the children of Canadian Armed Forces members who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, and ensuring those families know their sacrifices have not been forgotten. 

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s resilience will not be built through diversified trade and good intentions alone. It will be built with strong domestic supply chains, reliable Canadian materials, and industries that invest in workers and communities here at home.Two months ago, the federal government acknowledged the Forest Sector Transformation Task Force Report and the practical path it set out. Now the focus must be action. Canada’s forest products sector can help deliver the homes, infrastructure, and economic potential the country needs. But that requires predictable access to manage our forests, transportation systems that work, and a regulatory environment that rewards investment rather than delays it. The direction is clear. Now Ottawa needs to turn recognition into results.
Learn more at FPAC.ca.

Then Matt is joined by Peter Jones, professor of international relations at the University of Ottawa, for a conversation about one of Canada’s most enduring national stories. Canadians often describe their country as a “middle power,” but Jones argues that label hasn’t accurately described Canada for quite some time. If we aren’t a middle power anymore, what are we? And, more importantly, what should we aspire to be in a world that is becoming less stable, more competitive, and increasingly defined by great-power rivalry? For more on the professor's thoughts on this topic, please read his recent essay in The Walrus.

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers. To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

If you like this — or hey, even if you hated it, we don't mind — check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Be sure to like and subscribe!

#OnTheLine #CanadaCompany #CanadianForces #Veterans #AnthonyRobb #PeterJones #ForeignPolicy #CanadaPolitics #NationalSecurity #MattGurney

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com

Your hosts are in complete agreement: Canada should not accept a bad deal. A bad deal wouldn't buy lasting peace, they argue — it would simply set the stage for the next round of American demands. In their view, there is no stable middle ground. Canada either resists now or surrenders now. They also examine the unusual political psychology of the Americans currently running the White House, while cautioning listeners not to expect salvation from the Democrats. A future Democratic administration may be less abrasive, but it won't undo the underlying shift in American policy. As Matt puts it, quoting the late Chris Cornell, "Arm yourselves because no one else here will save you." That includes the likes of Gavin Newsom and Chuck Schumer.

This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementers, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

From there, the hosts turn to Alberta and a fascinating Toronto Star investigation tracking the flow of money supporting the separatist movement. The reporting closely matches what both Line editors had already concluded independently. Jen offers an update from the ground in Alberta, while Matt steps back to consider the national implications. Both arrive at the same frustrating conclusion: it would be helpful if Canada's institutions were capable of recognizing foreign interference when it was happening. Recent history suggests we're not only bad at it — we don't even seem particularly interested in trying.

Finally, Matt and Jen close with a friendly disagreement over the controversy surrounding Prime Minister Mark Carney's vacation in Italy. They don't see eye to eye, and by the end of the conversation it's clear Matt is unlikely to invite Jen along on his next European vacation. If you'd like to help fund that hypothetical trip, your hosts suggest the usual: like, subscribe, and donate generously.

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit. This summer, BioCanRx and The Line have been talking about potential solutions for the problems that are limiting Canada’s ability to domestically develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer.

We ask a lot of Canadian cancer researchers. The work required to discover new therapies for numerous diseases, and get them to patients, costs far more than the half-billion dollars invested in cancer research by all levels of government and charities — and often the available grants specialize in only one part of the spectrum: discovery. We need to be sure we’re supporting researchers at every step of this complex scientific and regulatory process.

BioCanRx has proved you can meaningfully support this part. The entire team is only 12 people, but they know what it takes to do things like submit a clinical trial application or safely manufacture a drug, so the researchers they fund are held to firm, realistic standards that make sense in the real world of Canadian health-care systems and industry. That’s how a tiny not-for-profit has helped bring 16 new drugs to clinical trials that have treated more than 400 people in just 10 years.

But research is only one part of the puzzle — can we manufacture new therapies in Canada? More on that next time.

Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadaUSRelations
#TradeWar
#CanadianPolitics
#AlbertaPolitics
#ForeignInterference
#GavinNewsom
#ChuckSchumer
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit. This summer, BioCanRx and The Line have been talking about potential solutions for the problems that are limiting Canada’s ability to domestically develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer. We ask a lot of Canadian cancer researchers. The work required to discover new therapies for numerous diseases, and get them to patients, costs far more than the half-billion dollars invested in cancer research by all levels of government and charities –– and often the available grants specialize in only one part of the spectrum: discovery. We need to be sure we're supporting researchers at every step of this complex scientific and regulatory process. BioCanRx has proved you can meaningfully support this part. The entire team is only 12 people, but they know what it takes to do things like submit a clinical trial application or safely manufacture a drug, so the researchers they fund are held to firm, realistic standards that make sense in the real world of Canadian health-care systems and industry. That’s how a tiny not-for-profit has helped bring 16 new drugs to clinical trials that have treated more than 400 people in just 10 years. But research is only one part of the puzzle — can we manufacture new therapies in Canada? More on that next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

While recent polling has suggested that support for outright separation may be softer than some headlines imply, neither Wesley nor Boessenkool is particularly sanguine about the outcome of the coming referendum campaign. They argue that low turnout and voter suppression could produce a result that overstates support for separatism, creating a misleading picture of where Albertans actually stand.

The discussion also examines the changing relationship between Alberta and Ottawa, and whether recent improvements between the provincial and federal governments have meaningfully reduced the political grievances that have fuelled separatist sentiment. They explore the concept of moral hazard in Canadian federalism, the incentives facing provincial leaders, and whether those dynamics are helping—or hurting—the cause of national unity.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s resilience will not be built through diversified trade and good intentions alone. It will be built with strong domestic supply chains, reliable Canadian materials, and industries that invest in workers and communities here at home.Two months ago, the federal government acknowledged the Forest Sector Transformation Task Force Report and the practical path it set out. Now the focus must be action. Canada’s forest products sector can help deliver the homes, infrastructure, and economic potential the country needs. But that requires predictable access to manage our forests, transportation systems that work, and a regulatory environment that rewards investment rather than delays it. The direction is clear. Now Ottawa needs to turn recognition into results.Learn more at FPAC.ca.

Finally, Gerson asks what happens after the vote. Whatever the result, will the United Conservative Party be able to hold together, or are the internal tensions that have defined Alberta conservatism for years becoming too great to contain?

As always, check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca — and never, ever forget to like and subscribe!

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

#OnTheLine #Alberta #AlbertaPolitics #Separatism #LeadNotLeave #JaredWesley #KenBoessenkool #CanadaPolitics #JenGerson #TheLinePodcast

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To larn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

The conversation then shifts to Ontario politics, where many of the same themes are playing out. It should be a quiet summer at Queen’s Park, but instead the Ford government finds itself taking hits from all directions, including from an opposition party that doesn’t currently have a permanent leader. Matt and Scott discuss why the Ontario NDP appears so adrift. New Democratic governments are commonplace elsewhere in Canada, so why does the party remain unable to break through in Ontario, even with Doug Ford leading the PCs and the Liberals still searching for direction? Matt has a theory.

This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Finally, Scott brings listeners up to speed on the growing controversy surrounding Gianni Infantino and FIFA. The discussion broadens into a look at why major sports organizations seem almost inevitably to attract corruption—and why it’s so fascinating to watch the rare moments when those organizations actually decide to push back.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a Canadian not-for-profit working to help Canadian researchers and companies develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer.

A key challenge for Canada will be familiar to anyone trying to grow a business here: we have some of the brightest people in the world, we just can’t keep enough of them. Canada is home to researchers making breakthrough discoveries every day. But bringing a new therapy from the lab to patients takes more than great science. It also requires specialists who know how to manufacture complex products, navigate regulatory approval, and help new treatments be integrated into the health-care system. Too often, that expertise leaves Canada before the work is done.

BioCanRx has supported hands-on training for more than 900 trainees over the past decade, but without a strong domestic industry, retention becomes a challenge. So how do we keep these highly-skilled people? Next time we’ll talk about how changing what we incentivize can maximize the impact of research money Canada already spends to sustain more drug development here in Canada. For now, go to BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:37 Can Carney keep conceding? (Yup!)
26:39 Fall of Ford
48:34 FIFA WTF

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadianPolitics
#CanadaUSRelations
#PierrePoilievre
#DougFord
#OntarioPolitics
#FIFA
#GianniInfantino
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a Canadian not-for-profit working to help Canadian researchers and companies develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer.

A key challenge for Canada will be familiar to anyone trying to grow a business here: we have some of the brightest people in the world, we just can’t keep enough of them. Canada is home to researchers making breakthrough discoveries every day. But bringing a new therapy from the lab to patients takes more than great science. It also requires specialists who know how to manufacture complex products, navigate regulatory approval, and help new treatments be integrated into the health-care system. Too often, that expertise leaves Canada before the work is done.

BioCanRx has supported hands-on training for more than 900 trainees over the past decade, but without a strong domestic industry, retention becomes a challenge. So how do we keep these highly-skilled people? Next time we’ll talk about how changing what we incentivize can maximize the impact of research money Canada already spends to sustain more drug development here in Canada. For now, go to BioCanRx.com to learn more.

First up is Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and one of the authors of a new report examining the alarming state of Western ammunition stockpiles. Drawing on the lessons of the wars in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf, Cancian explains how the United States and its allies are consuming critical munitions far faster than they can replace them. The West still possesses enormous military strength, but rebuilding industrial capacity has become an urgent strategic priority. Matt and Mark discuss what's driving the shortages, what governments are finally getting right, and why there are at least a few encouraging signs that production is beginning to catch up.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s resilience will not be built through diversified trade and good intentions alone. It will be built with strong domestic supply chains, reliable Canadian materials, and industries that invest in workers and communities here at home.
Two months ago, the federal government acknowledged the Forest Sector Transformation Task Force Report and the practical path it set out. Now the focus must be action. Canada’s forest products sector can help deliver the homes, infrastructure, and economic potential the country needs. But that requires predictable access to manage our forests, transportation systems that work, and a regulatory environment that rewards investment rather than delays it. The direction is clear. Now Ottawa needs to turn recognition into results.
Learn more at FPAC.ca.

Then Matt is joined by David Shipley of Beauceron Security to discuss a coordinated cyberattack that recently struck a series of public utilities across the United States, causing real disruption to critical infrastructure. They examine who may have been behind the attacks, why utilities remain such attractive targets, and what governments and operators can do to improve their defences. The conversation also turns to whether growing political dysfunction in Washington is making it harder for the United States—and by extension its allies—to respond effectively to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

It's a pair of conversations about resilience, preparedness, and the growing realization that winning future conflicts will depend as much on industrial capacity and digital security as on military hardware alone.

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.
To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

As always, check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and don't forget to like and subscribe.

#OnTheLine 

#MarkCancian 

#DavidShipley 

#CyberSecurity 

#NationalSecurity 

#Defense 

#Military 

#CSIS 

#CriticalInfrastructure 

#MattGurney

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

Next, Jen checks in from Alberta with an update on the separatist movement. While recent polling shows federalist forces comfortably ahead, she's far from reassured. The problem isn't the raw level of support for separation, which remains relatively low. It's the intensity. Separatists are deeply motivated, while federalists may assume victory is inevitable and fail to organize or even show up. If that happens, Jen warns, the result could be much closer than today's polls suggest.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network dedicated to cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials — all in Canada.If a drug is discovered in a Canadian lab, and conducts successful clinical trials in Canada, there’s a chance it will be launched in Canada. So how do we get more drugs out of Canadian labs and keep them here? Every year around $500 million is spent on Canadian cancer research, but 70 per cent of that is for early-stage work — discovering whether a therapy can do something in the lab. That leaves limited resources for the complex and often disjointed process of moving Canadian innovations from discovery to a clinical trial and hopefully into the health system.BioCanRx has stepped into the gap. They specialize in “translational research” — the unsexy work that makes for boring press releases, but gets results: 16 Canadian cancer immunotherapy clinical trials in just a decade, treating more than 400 patients.Thanks to this, BioCanRx has first-hand experience with the systemic disconnects that are trapping discoveries in Canadian labs, or sending them out of the country to be developed. They have straightforward ideas about how to fix the problems, and spoiler alert: the answer isn’t just “add more money.” Stay tuned to learn more in coming weeks, and visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Finally, Matt raises reports about Jagmeet Singh's possible next job after politics, and he's unimpressed. Jen offers a different perspective, suggesting that perhaps there's something to be said for a political class that takes care of its own after public service. Your hosts don't reach a firm conclusion — but they lay out both sides and leave it to listeners to decide.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

#TheLinePodcast
#CanadianPolitics
#MarkCarney
#AlbertaPolitics
#Federalism
#JagmeetSingh
#LiberalParty
#PoliticalAnalysis
#CanadaPolitics
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network dedicated to cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

If a drug is discovered in a Canadian lab, and conducts successful clinical trials in Canada, there’s a chance it will be launched in Canada. So how do we get more drugs out of Canadian labs and keep them here? Every year around $500 million is spent on Canadian cancer research, but 70 per cent of that is for early-stage work –– discovering whether a therapy can do something in the lab. That leaves limited resources for the complex and often disjointed process of moving Canadian innovations from discovery to a clinical trial and hopefully into the health system.

BioCanRx has stepped into the gap. They specialize in "translational research" –– the unsexy work that makes for boring press releases, but gets results: 16 Canadian cancer immunotherapy clinical trials in just a decade, treating more than 400 patients.

Thanks to this, BioCanRx has first-hand experience with the systemic disconnects that are trapping discoveries in Canadian labs, or sending them out of the country to be developed. They have straightforward ideas about how to fix the problems, and spoiler alert: the answer isn’t just 'add more money." Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

This week on On The Line, host Jen Gerson is joined by Jean-François Bélanger, Senior Non-Resident Associate Fellow at the NATO Defense College, for a wide-ranging discussion about Canada’s long-overdue military buildup and what it means for the future of the Alliance. Bélanger’s work focuses on deterrence, nuclear strategy, wargaming, multi-domain operations, and military decision-making, making him well placed to explain the strategic thinking behind today’s defence debates.

As Ottawa commits to dramatically increasing defence spending, Gerson and Bélanger examine what those promises will actually require. Is Canada genuinely preparing for a more dangerous world, or simply catching up after decades of underinvestment? What capabilities do the Canadian Armed Forces need most urgently, and how should those investments be prioritized?

The conversation also explores how NATO has evolved in recent years, how the Alliance has adapted to the return of Donald Trump to the White House, and what Canada’s role should be in an increasingly uncertain international environment. They discuss the growing strategic importance of the Arctic, the impact of emerging technologies on military planning, and how the character of warfare is changing.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest products sector is not asking Ottawa to start over. The federal government has heard the advice. It has recognized the challenges. And it has put a plan on the table. Now the test is action.

That means clearing made-in-Canada barriers: regulatory duplication, transportation bottlenecks, and uncertainty around predictable access to manage our forests. It means working with provinces to protect communities from wildfire risk and giving companies the confidence to invest here at home. Nearly 200,000 Canadians working in this sector are looking for results.

The playbook is written. Now Ottawa needs to deliver. Learn more at fpac.ca.

Along the way, Bélanger explains why modern defence planning increasingly relies on forecasting, simulations, and sophisticated wargaming, and why many Canadians misunderstand both NATO’s purpose and Canada’s obligations within it.

It’s a timely conversation about deterrence, alliance politics, and the difficult choices Canada faces as it prepares for a less stable world.

For more, be sure to check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe  

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

#OnTheLine #NATO #CanadaDefence #CanadianForces #JeanFrancoisBelanger #ArcticSecurity #Geopolitics #MilitaryStrategy #JenGerson #CanadaPolitics

They do not succeed.

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, Ia federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network dedicated to cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

If a drug is discovered in a Canadian lab, and conducts successful clinical trials in Canada, there’s a chance it will be launched in Canada. So how do we get more drugs out of Canadian labs and keep them here? Every year around $500 million is spent on Canadian cancer research, but 70 per cent of that is for early-stage work –– discovering whether a therapy can do something in the lab. That leaves limited resources for the complex and often disjointed process of moving Canadian innovations from discovery to a clinical trial and hopefully into the health system.

BioCanRx has stepped into the gap. They specialize in "translational research" –– the unsexy work that makes for boring press releases, but gets results: 16 Canadian cancer immunotherapy clinical trials in just a decade, treating more than 400 patients.

Thanks to this, BioCanRx has first-hand experience with the systemic disconnects that are trapping discoveries in Canadian labs, or sending them out of the country to be developed. They have straightforward ideas about how to fix the problems, and spoiler alert: the answer isn’t just 'add more money." Stay tuned to learn more in coming weeks, and visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

They begin by unpacking a remarkable week in Canada–U.S. relations. New details about the Gordie Howe Bridge agreement have emerged, and neither host likes what they see. Combined with another round of American tariffs, Jen argues that Prime Minister Mark Carney has committed his first major political fumble. Matt agrees that it's a setback, but also argues that the White House is undermining its own objectives. In an unusual role reversal, Matt even attempts to make the best possible case for Carney's strategy — despite having been the more hawkish voice in recent months. Jen isn't convinced.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest products sector is not asking Ottawa to start over. The federal government has heard the advice. It has recognized the challenges. And it has put a plan on the table. Now the test is action.

That means clearing made-in-Canada barriers: regulatory duplication, transportation bottlenecks, and uncertainty around predictable access to manage our forests. It means working with provinces to protect communities from wildfire risk and giving companies the confidence to invest here at home. Nearly 200,000 Canadians working in this sector are looking for results.

The playbook is written. Now Ottawa needs to deliver. Learn more at fpac.ca.

The conversation then turns inward to Canadian politics. Jen argues that Carney is trying to do too many jobs himself. That observation leads both hosts to an amusing realization: Carney relies on his communications staff so infrequently that neither of them even knew who the key players were. Matt also argues that while the Conservatives remain effective at opposing the government on domestic issues, they're badly missing the mark on foreign affairs, and that's probably because they don't want to admit some things that they'd find awkward and unpleasant. Jen concludes that Canada really needs the Liberals' strategic instincts combined with the Conservatives' tactical effectiveness. Matt predicts, with characteristic optimism, that the country will somehow end up with neither.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

Finally, Matt ties together many of the themes from the episode by examining the recent arrest of a man alleged to have been involved in terrorism on behalf of Hamas against Canadian Jews. Matt simply walks through the timeline of the investigation and the eventual arrest. The chronology, he argues, speaks for itself. All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadianPolitics
#CanadaUSRelations
#TradeWar
#GordieHoweBridge
#PierrePoilievre
#NationalSecurity
#PoliticalAnalysis
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage. Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how. Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Your hosts then turn to the slow-burning civil war within Canadian conservatism. Jen, still falling well short of cottage zen, has a few things to say. Matt observes that while Carney may be a practicing Catholic, he also seems to have accumulated an extraordinary amount of good karma in previous lives — politically speaking, he's facing remarkably little effective opposition from either the left or the right. Matt also warns the Conservatives that, whether they realize it or not, they're in danger of getting "Jagmeet Singhed." And it's not subtle.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network focused on cutting-edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

A new treatment for your cancer has been approved. Can you get it? Maybe, maybe not. Canada isn’t just one health jurisdiction. At the federal level, Health Canada assesses the safety and efficacy of all drugs and therapies in the country, and in a year — sometimes less — they can approve one for sale in Canada. Once approved, — or sometimes while the assessment is happening— the drug’s cost effectiveness is evaluated by Canada’s Drug Agency.

Then the ball goes to the provinces. They work together to negotiate prices with the drug maker, to confirm that it doesn’t duplicate something they’re already stocking, and that its potential value justifies its cost. Only after that can it be provided by each province’s ministry of health. This process can take years. It’s one reason that Canadian innovations leave the country to be developed elsewhere, and why drug companies don’t always choose Canada to initially to launch their products. In the U.S., they get FDA approval, set a price, and wait for the market to decide if the price is right. In Canada, Heath Canada approves and lengthy negotiations start, with no revenue or guarantee of future approval.

Organizations like BioCanRx are willing to wait out the dry years because they’re not-for-profit, but companies with shareholders might skip the Canadian market until they’re making big money elsewhere. This means Canadians have to wait on the system for drugs that could save them, and are saving people in other countries. We’ll talk more about these problems in the weeks to come. Stay tuned for more.

The hosts wrap up by discussing Naheed Nenshi's apology for speaking with an Israeli, which Matt suggests has elevated the Alberta NDP leader to full windbag status. Matt reminds Jen that he used to complain Nenshi needed to get himself into the public eye more often. After this week, he'd like to politely withdraw that recommendation. Jen wonders if maybe this is why he's been invisible — he might just actually be awful at this. Anyway, congrats to Danielle Smith. At this rate, she'll be premier for life.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and keep your kindling and torches ready. Wait for the code word.

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadianPolitics
#DonaldTrump
#CanadaUSRelations
#ConservativeParty
#NaheedNenshi
#AlbertaPolitics
#PoliticalAnalysis
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network focused on cutting-edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.  

A new treatment for your cancer has been approved. Can you get it? Maybe, maybe not. Canada isn’t just one health jurisdiction. At the federal level, Health Canada assesses the safety and efficacy of all drugs and therapies in the country, and in a year — sometimes less — they can approve one for sale in Canada. Once approved, — or sometimes while the assessment is happening— the drug's cost effectiveness is evaluated by Canada's Drug Agency.  

Then the ball goes to the provinces. They work together to negotiate prices with the drug maker, to confirm that it doesn't duplicate something they’re already stocking, and that its potential value justifies its cost. Only after that can it be provided by each province’s ministry of health. This process can take years. It’s one reason that Canadian innovations leave the country to be developed elsewhere, and why drug companies don’t always choose Canada initially to launch their products. In the U.S., they get FDA approval, set a price, and wait for the market to decide if the price is right. In Canada, Health Canada approves and lengthy negotiations start, with no revenue or guarantee of future approval.

Organizations like BioCanRx are willing to wait out the dry years because they're not-for-profit, but companies with shareholders might skip the Canadian market until they’re making big money elsewhere. This means Canadians have to wait on the system for drugs that could save them, and are saving people in other countries. We’ll talk more about these problems in the weeks to come. Stay tuned for more.

Martin explains how his fascination with transit and transportation grew into a successful YouTube channel, and how that work eventually made him a go-to commentator for conventional media on major infrastructure issues. They discuss the opportunities created by the new media landscape, the challenges of building an audience around complex policy topics, and why expertise can now emerge from outside traditional institutions.

From there, the conversation turns to Canada’s infrastructure record. Matt and Jen often joke that “Canada no build good,” and Martin largely agrees — but with important caveats. He explains where Canada consistently goes wrong, why projects take so long and cost so much, and how political incentives often work against good long-term planning.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest products sector is not asking Ottawa to start over. The federal government has heard the advice. It has recognized the challenges. And it has put a plan on the table. Now the test is action.

That means clearing made-in-Canada barriers: regulatory duplication, transportation bottlenecks, and uncertainty around predictable access to manage our forests. It means working with provinces to protect communities from wildfire risk and giving companies the confidence to invest here at home. Nearly 200,000 Canadians working in this sector are looking for results.

The playbook is written. Now Ottawa needs to deliver. Learn more at fpac.ca.

At the same time, Martin argues that Canada has real infrastructure success stories that deserve more attention. Rather than assuming failure is inevitable, governments should study the jurisdictions that consistently deliver major projects on time and on budget, both at home and abroad. If Canada can learn those lessons — and avoid the kinds of procurement failures that have plagued everything from pipelines to military equipment — our cities could finally get the transit systems they need.

And yes, that conversation inevitably leads to the question every Canadian transit enthusiast eventually asks: will Canada actually build true high-speed rail?

Be still, our beating hearts. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and be sure to check out and follow Reece's YouTube channel and Substack, as well. 

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/RMTransit/videos

SUBSTACK: https://www.thetransitbrief.net/

This episode is brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Next, they turn to the proposed Canadian Shield pipeline. On strictly commercial grounds, the project may not make much sense. But Matt and Jen argue that economics may no longer be the primary point. The proposal sends a signal that Canada is prepared to build the infrastructure needed to stand more independently if circumstances require it. That message has value all on its own. As Matt puts it, borrowing from the movie Contact: “Why build one when you can build two at twice the price?”

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network bringing cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research from Canadian labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

A drug that can treat your cancer is being tested in a Canadian clinical trial, but can you access it? Depends — where do you live? Clinical trials taking place in Canada usually open sites in major centers with research hospitals. Smaller hospitals face many challenges including having enough know-how to deliver experimental therapies, and administrative, legal, and regulatory responsibilities that come with a trial. There are also data and interoperability issues at hospitals that don’t routinely participate in research.

So if you don’t live in a major centre, participating in the trial requires you to relocate there for the duration of treatment –– the cost of the treatment is covered, but the cost of being in the city where it happens is your responsibility. Patient advocacy groups might be able to help with some of those expenses, but this obviously can be a barrier for a lot of Canadians.

A therapy might only become available to everyone across Canada if a trial is successful and the drug is approved –– but not necessarily, and maybe not anytime soon. More on that next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Finally, the thoroughly hungover shell of Jen Gerson emerges from ten straight days of Calgary Stampede festivities with a political field report. Beneath the parties and pancake breakfasts, she says, the fractures within Canadian conservatism are becoming impossible to ignore. It’s increasingly obvious who is and isn’t willing to speak to whom. What should have been an outstanding month for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has instead been overshadowed by self-inflicted drama. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre continues to struggle against political newcomer Carney. It’s a remarkable — and, in many ways, surprising — dynamic to watch. Wasn't Poilievre supposed to be the political pro who'd mop the floor with the rookie Euro banker? Guess not!

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca and, always and forever, like and subscribe.

Programming note: The Line is taking a two-week summer holiday. The podcasts will continue, but barring major news events, our page will be quiet for a few weeks. We need a break!

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadianPolitics
#CanadaUSRelations
#PipelinePolitics
#DanielleSmith
#PierrePoilievre
#CalgaryStampede
#Geopolitics
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network bringing cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research from Canadian labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

A drug that can treat your cancer is being tested in a Canadian clinical trial, but can you access it? Depends — where do you live? Clinical trials taking place in Canada usually open sites in major centers with research hospitals. Smaller hospitals face many challenges including having enough know-how to deliver experimental therapies, and administrative, legal, and regulatory responsibilities that come with a trial. There are also data and interoperability issues at hospitals that don't routinely participate in research.

So if you don’t live in a major centre, participating in the trial requires you to relocate there for the duration of treatment –– the cost of the treatment is covered, but the cost of being in the city where it happens is your responsibility. Patient advocacy groups might be able to help with some of those expenses, but this obviously can be a barrier for a lot of Canadians. 

A therapy might only become available to everyone across Canada if a trial is successful and the drug is approved –– but not necessarily, and maybe not anytime soon. More on that next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Recorded on July 2, 2026, just ahead of two major pipeline announcements, the discussion doesn’t cover the specifics of the federal government’s decision to retrace the TMX route or the proposed Canadian Shield pipeline between Alberta and Sarnia. Instead, Gerson and Leach focus on the broader forces shaping Canada’s energy future.

They discuss Prime Minister Mark Carney’s latest Forward Guidance video, the influence of the United States on Canadian energy policy and markets, the promise and limitations of carbon capture and storage, and the political significance of the new Memorandum of Understanding between Alberta and Ottawa. Throughout the conversation, Leach offers his perspective on what has changed — and what hasn’t — in the relationship between governments, industry, and the public.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest products sector is not asking Ottawa to start over. The federal government has heard the advice. It has recognized the challenges. And it has put a plan on the table. Now the test is action.

That means clearing made-in-Canada barriers: regulatory duplication, transportation bottlenecks, and uncertainty around predictable access to manage our forests. It means working with provinces to protect communities from wildfire risk and giving companies the confidence to invest here at home. Nearly 200,000 Canadians working in this sector are looking for results.

The playbook is written. Now Ottawa needs to deliver. Learn more at fpac.ca.

The episode also asks a larger question: after decades of political conflict over pipelines, is Canada finally entering a new era? Could this be the beginning of a more grounded conversation about the country’s oil and gas sector, one that focuses less on symbolic battles and more on practical questions of economics, infrastructure, and national interest?

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to share it, and as always, like and subscribe to us on your podcast or video app of choice. Be sure to check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

#OnTheLine #AndrewLeach #Energy #Pipelines #TMX #OilAndGas #MarkCarney #Alberta #CanadaPolitics #JenGerson

This episode is brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Next, they turn to another round of comments from U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. After a brief discussion of CUSMA, the conversation shifts to Hoekstra’s remarks about the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Your hosts aren’t especially worried. In fact, they think they have the perfect strategy: troll the White House until it becomes so embarrassed that it can’t wait to open the bridge just to make the pain stop. Their suggestions include live episodes of The View from the bridge deck, Bruce Springsteen concerts, and, naturally, renaming it the Barack Hussein Obama Nobel Peace Prize Bridge of Friendship.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network focused on cutting-edge immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.Clinical trials are the way new drugs, including immunotherapies, are tested in patients around the world. Health Canada, our national regulator, reviews and approves all Clinical Trial Applications, or CTAs, returning a decision within 30 days –– a similar turnaround time as the US FDA and other major jurisdictions. To submit a complete CTA, applicants need to provide hundreds –– sometimes thousands –– of pages of data showing that a drug has a compelling chance of providing benefit, that it can be manufactured consistently, and that it’s safe to administer to trial participants. This is especially hard for Canadian researchers because scientific studies that generate the necessary data aren't supported by many federal grants, which usually prioritize originality over real world impact. BioCanRx helps Canadian researchers succeed in the CTA process, and so far they’ve gotten 16 therapies to trial. To learn more, visit BioCanRx.com.

Finally, Matt attempts to diagnose what has gone wrong with Canada’s civic culture and even ventures a possible cure. Toronto, he argues, needs its own version of the Calgary Stampede, and Canada more broadly needs something capable of genuinely uniting the country. The trouble is that neither host can think of an obvious candidate. They conclude that Canada — and Toronto in particular — has become too self-conscious and too embarrassed by its own past to celebrate it with much enthusiasm.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#PipelinePolitics
#CanadianPolitics
#CanadaUSRelations
#CUSMA
#GordieHoweBridge
#AlbertaPolitics
#PoliticalAnalysis
#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network bringing cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research from Canadian labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

Clinical trials are the way new drugs, including immunotherapies, are tested in patients around the world. It’s up to the developer of the drug to decide whether they want to trial it in Canada –– and many do. Health Canada, our national regulator, reviews and approves all Clinical Trial Applications, or CTAs, returning a decision within 30 days –– a similar turnaround time as the U.S. FDA and other major jurisdictions. If they approve, and if the trial receives research ethics approval, it can start enrolling Canadian patients. To submit a complete CTA, applicants must provide hundreds –– sometimes thousands –– of pages of data showing that a drug has a compelling chance of providing benefit, that it can be manufactured consistently, and that it’s safe to administer to trial participants.

This is especially hard for Canadian researchers because scientific studies that generate the necessary data aren't supported by many federal grants, which usually prioritize originality over real-world impact. BioCanRx helps Canadian researchers succeed in the CTA process, and so far they’ve gotten 16 therapies to trial.

But once a trial starts, how can Canadians learn about it, and where can they access it? That question and more next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Drawing on decades in one of the country’s busiest emergency departments, Goldman explains why today’s ERs are under extraordinary strain, and why the problems extend far beyond long wait times. They discuss the pressures facing doctors, nurses, and patients alike, the growing mismatch between demand and capacity, and why the old problem of hallway medicine is increasingly giving way to something even worse: chair medicine, with patients waiting for hours in chairs because there simply isn’t anywhere else to put them.

The conversation also explores the human side of emergency medicine. Goldman reflects on the emotional and psychological toll of working in an overwhelmed system, the stories that inspired The Casino Shift, and what keeps health-care workers coming back despite the mounting pressures.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. A stronger forest industry can help build Canada strong. We need more homes, faster and more affordably, and Canadian wood can be part of the solution. Light-frame construction, mass timber, modular systems, and other modern building methods can support housing, lower embodied carbon, and strengthen domestic supply chains. The same opportunity exists in schools, health facilities, community buildings, and public infrastructure. When Canada builds, Canadian materials and Canadian workers must be part of the plan. Learn more at fpac.ca.

Finally, Matt and Goldman tackle one of the most contentious questions in Canadian health care. Goldman argues that it’s time for a calm, respectful, and evidence-based discussion about whether private options should play a larger role within Canada’s publicly funded system. Rather than treating the issue as ideological warfare, he makes the case for focusing on what actually improves patient care, and how other jurisdictions are approaching this problem.

It’s a frank discussion about the realities facing Canada’s healthcare system, the people trying to hold it together, and the difficult choices that may lie ahead.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to share it, and as always, like and subscribe to us on your podcast or video app of choice, and check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

#OnTheLine #BrianGoldman #Healthcare #EmergencyMedicine #CanadianHealthcare #MountSinai #TheCasinoShift #PublicHealth #CanadaPolitics #MattGurney

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers. To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

From there, they turn to the tragic shooting in Montreal that claimed the life of another police officer. Beyond the immediate heartbreak, your hosts focus on two broader issues. First, they argue that the media should have published the shooter’s manifesto. By choosing not to do so, they contend, some early reporting ended up being incomplete or inaccurate. Second, they discuss the rush by commentators across the political spectrum to comb through the manifesto looking for evidence that the attacker perfectly represented their opponents — or, failing that, had nothing whatsoever to do with their own side. Matt and Jen argue that modern terrorism is often ideologically incoherent, and that treating every attack as an opportunity for partisan point-scoring will only make it harder to understand and prevent future violence.

This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Finally, Jen makes a wardrobe change that only video viewers will fully appreciate before walking Matt through the increasingly strange politics of the Calgary Stampede. What was once simply Alberta’s biggest annual celebration is now becoming another front in an ongoing proxy war between competing factions within the broader conservative movement.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network, which helps bring cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research from Canadian scientists from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada. Cancer is very good at evading your immune system. But in some tumors, researchers find cancer-killing immune cells called tumour infiltrating lymphocytes, or TILs. They get inside the tumour and start fighting — but they’re outnumbered and ill equipped. Researchers in Canada and around the world are studying techniques to extract them from a tumour and multiply them in a lab. Once they number in the millions, they’re injected back into the tumour to do more damage. Research into this line of attack against cancer is ongoing. There are plenty of unanswered questions, and we're working hard to answer them. Learn more about this and other critical work at BioCanRx.com.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and as ever, like and subscribe.

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#CanadianPolitics
#24Sussex
#Montreal
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#CurrentAffairs

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. When your immune system recognizes that cancer is a problem, but can’t kill it, can science help? This summer we’re partnering with BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network, to learn about cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

One of the reasons cancers are so destructive is because they find ways to evade your immune system. But in some tumours, researchers find cancer-killing immune cells called "tumour infiltrating lymphocytes," or TILs. These are like infantry grunts choosing to stand their ground during the final fight in a superhero movie. They get inside the tumour and start fighting – –but they’re outnumbered and ill equipped. They need reinforcements.

Researchers in Canada and around the world are studying techniques to extract them from a tumour and multiply them in a lab environment. Once they number in the millions, they're sent back into the fight. Research into this line of attack against cancer is ongoing, and there are plenty of questions — we'll be covering more of them over the course of the summer. Go to BioCanRx.com to learn more about these new ways of fighting cancer.

First up is Mike Moffatt of the Missing Middle Initiative and co-host of the Missing Middle Podcast. He joins Matt to discuss the much-debated “condo bailout” and why, despite the label, it isn’t actually a condo bailout at all. Moffatt argues that the government has done itself no favours by communicating the policy so poorly, and walks listeners through what the plan is — and what it isn’t. The conversation then broadens into a look at the state of housing in Canada more generally. There are some signs of progress, but the underlying challenges remain enormous, and Moffatt explains why solving them will require much more than a handful of headline-grabbing announcements.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. A stronger forest industry depends on getting goods to market. Forest products move by truck, rail, and ship, and reliability matters. When costs rise or shipments stall, mills, workers, customers, and communities all feel the impact. Stronger trade corridors, better rail performance, labour stability, and reliable transportation should be treated as core parts of Canada’s productivity agenda. For a sector rooted in communities and connected to global markets, transportation is transformation. Learn more at FPAC.ca.

Then Matt is joined by Andrew MacDougall of Trafalgar Strategy for a look across the Atlantic at the increasingly turbulent state of British politics. They discuss the struggles of now-outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the rise of Andy Burnham as a potential future national leader, and why so many observers now see the United Kingdom as becoming increasingly difficult to govern. MacDougall argues that the country’s problems run deeper than any one politician or party, and offers his own diagnosis of what has gone wrong.

It’s a pair of conversations about institutions under strain, political communication, and the challenge of governing in an era when public patience is increasingly in short supply.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and as always, like and subscribe.

#OnTheLine #Housing #MikeMoffatt #MissingMiddle #CanadaHousing #KeirStarmer #AndyBurnham #UKPolitics #AndrewMacDougall #MattGurney

This episode is brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.

Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.

Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

Next, they take a quick tour through the provinces. Matt is increasingly worried that Doug Ford could inadvertently throw Canada-U.S. negotiations into chaos, and explains why. Jen provides an update from Alberta, where the political situation remains bizarre. By the end of the segment, both hosts arrive at a grim conclusion: the incentives facing almost every major political actor now reward escalation, confrontation, and nastiness. That rarely ends well.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network helping Canadian researchers bring treatments from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

Every day, your immune system finds and destroys different types of threats –– both external invaders like viruses, and internal dangers like pre-cancerous cells in your own body. But cancer can sometimes evade detection. Researchers are working to identify flags found on cancer cells, called antigens. By training your immune system to recognize these antigens, immunotherapy can help your immune system destroy cancer. 

In addition to funding clinical trials, BioCanRx supports research teams who identify these cancer antigens, and find new ways to target them. Many challenges remain — and we’re working on solving them. You’ll hear more over the summer. For now, go to BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Finally, Jen disappears down one of her trademark rabbit holes and emerges with a sweeping explanation of how she came to fully appreciate the sheer economic power of the United States. Somehow, this journey involves gas pumps, brisket, beef jerky, the Soviet Union, and the defeat of Imperial Japan in 1945. Your hosts find themselves reflecting on what American economic dominance really means, why it has proven so durable, and what lessons Canada should draw from it as we navigate an increasingly uncertain world.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out on our main page, ReadTheLine.ca.

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#MarkCarney
#DonaldTrump
#CanadaUSRelations
#AlbertaPolitics
#DougFord
#CanadianPolitics
#Geopolitics
#NATO
#CurrentAffairs

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network helping Canadian researchers bring treatments from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada. 

Cancer can hide from your immune system. So how can we target it? Every day, your immune system finds and destroys different types of threats –– both external invaders like viruses, and internal dangers like pre-cancerous cells in your own body. But no system is perfect — sometimes something evades detection. Researchers are working to identify flags found on cancer cells, called antigens. By training your immune system to recognize these antigens as signals for destruction, some forms of immunotherapy equip your immune system to respond to cancer’s asymmetrical threat.   

In addition to funding clinical trials, BioCanRx supports research teams who identify cancer antigens, and find new ways to target them with immunotherapies. There’s still a lot to figure out. Can we train the immune system to hit these antigens before cancer takes root? Why do some cancers still manage to evade therapies designed to find their antigens? Many other questions remain — and we’re working on answering them. You’ll hear more over the summer. For now, go to BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Kawar walks Gerson through the long history of American expansionist ambitions, from schemes that never got off the ground to serious efforts that came much closer to success than many people realize. Along the way, he notes that not every annexation proposal was unwelcome to the people being annexed, and that the historical record is often more complicated than simple stories of American aggression.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. A stronger forest industry means investing in the mills and facilities that anchor communities across Canada. Companies are ready to modernize with cleaner equipment, better energy efficiency, advanced wood products, biomaterials, and smarter use of every part of the tree. These are productive, lower-emission, export-oriented investments. But good projects need a workable business case. Our economy needs practical tools to unlock private capital and keep investment here. Learn more at fpac.ca.

More importantly, Kawar examines why so many of these projects ultimately failed. The United States has often possessed enormous economic, military, and political power, but translating that power into lasting territorial expansion has proven more difficult than many Americans imagined. Again and again, resistance, geography, politics, and simple practicality imposed limits on what even the world’s most powerful country could accomplish.

The result is a fascinating conversation about ambition, empire, national identity, and the often-overlooked constraints on American power. It’s also a discussion that may hold some lessons for Canadians, should they ever find themselves wondering about the limits of U.S. influence. For whatever reason.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

Visit our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Be sure to like and subscribe. We’ll be back on Friday with another episode of The Line Podcast.

#Canada #Politics #UnitedStates #Greenland #annexation #51 #51State #OnTheLine

This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

The hosts then take a very different turn. In what may be the strangest segment of the year, Jen reimagines 250 years of Canada-U.S. relations as a raunchy romantic comedy full of love, betrayal, heartbreak, and, yes, sex. Video viewers can watch Matt become increasingly horrified as the bit unfolds — not because he disagrees with the analysis, but because he finds himself unable to refute it.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally funded, not-for-profit Canadian research network that specializes in bringing Canadian cancer immunotherapy research from the lab all the way to patients in clinical trials in Canada. Immunotherapy is about assisting your immune system in identifying unhealthy cells –– especially cancer –– that have found a way to evade detection. One way researchers are doing this is through something called CAR T. They draw your blood, isolate one type of your immune cells –– T-Cells –– and use a virus to inject genetic instructions that cause them to grow new receptors designed specifically to find and destroy your particular cancer. In one of the 16 trials BioCanRx funds based on Canadian technology, CLIC-01, the median number of months remaining for patients with late-stage leukemia and lymphoma tripled. Some have been cancer free for years.

You’ll hear more over the summer. For now, go to BioCanRx.com to learn more

After that, the hosts wrap up with a discussion about children and social media. Both agree that kids probably shouldn’t be spending their lives online. Their concern is that any attempt by the government to solve that problem could easily create several new ones. If recent experience is any guide, they aren’t especially confident Ottawa can regulate this area without making a mess of it.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and, as ever, like and subscribe. 

#TheLinePodcast
#PierrePoilievre
#AlbertaPolitics
#CanadianPolitics
#CanadaUSRelations
#SocialMedia
#Parenting
#NationalUnity
#PoliticalPodcast
#CurrentAffairs

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by BioCanRX, a federally funded, not-for-profit Canadian research network that specializes in bringing Canadian cancer immunotherapy research from the lab all the way to patients in clinical trials in Canada. Can science help your immune system detect and destroy cancer? Immunotherapy is about assisting your immune system in identifying unhealthy cells –– especially cancer –– that have found a way to evade detection. One way researchers are doing this is through something called CAR T. They draw your blood, isolate one type of your immune cells –– T-Cells –– and use a virus to inject genetic instructions that cause them to grow new receptors designed specifically to bind with your particular cancer. When those cells are re-infused into your body, they hopefully will be able to find and destroy your cancer. 

The results are promising. In one of the 16 trials BioCanRx funds based on Canadian technology, CLIC-01, the median number of months remaining for patients with late-stage leukemia and lymphoma tripled. For some, the response was even bigger: they went from being out of options to cancer free, and have stayed that way for several years.

Many questions remain — and we're working on answering them. You'll hear more over the summer. For now, go to BioCanRX.com to learn more.

First up is PJ Fournier of 338Canada for a look at the latest political numbers. They discuss the good news for Mark Carney, the bad news for Pierre Poilievre, and why the Liberal numbers may not be quite as strong as they first appear. The conversation then turns to Quebec, where the next provincial election is shaping up to be one of the strangest contests either man can remember. Fournier struggles to find a historical comparison. They also discuss softening support for separation in Quebec, how that compares with developments in Alberta, and a point Matt makes that PJ suspects may not be especially popular with Quebec nationalists — even if he doesn’t disagree with it.

Then Matt is joined by David Shipley of Beauceron Security for a discussion about artificial intelligence, social media, and the growing gap between technological change and political institutions. How much of the current AI boom is real, and how much is hype fuelled by companies racing toward public offerings? Shipley argues that Canadians deserve greater transparency around the Tumbler Ridge case, while Matt notes that he can’t even get straightforward answers about transit delays, leaving him less than optimistic about the prospects for accountability.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. A stronger forest industry starts with predictability. Mill modernization, bioenergy, mass timber, and advanced biomaterials all depend on reliable access to usable Canadian wood fibre, workable timelines, and clear rules. Provinces lead forest management, and the federal role should be coordinated, complementary, and focused on results. Every unnecessary delay makes it harder to keep jobs and attract investment. For a sector rooted in communities, regulatory efficiency is economic policy. Learn more at FPAC.ca.

The conversation also examines how major social media platforms are being exploited for fraud and manipulation, an issue Shipley has been testifying about. The core problem, he argues, is that the internet moves at the speed of light while politicians move at the speed of Parliament. That mismatch is creating vulnerabilities that are only getting worse. The episode closes with a warning to Albertans heading into a possible referendum campaign: Shipley isn’t telling anyone how to vote, but he is urging people to be extremely careful about what they believe online. Foreign interference efforts are already arriving, and they’re unlikely to get less sophisticated from here.

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca and be sure to like and subscribe. We’ll be back on Friday with another episode of The Line Podcast.

#OnTheLine #CanadaPolitics #338Canada #PJFournier #MarkCarney #PierrePoilievre #QuebecPolitics #AlbertaPolitics #ArtificialIntelligence #CyberSecurity #DavidShipley #ForeignInterference #MattGurney

This episode is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest industry is a national economic anchor rooted in hundreds of communities across the country. The Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force was created to chart a path toward a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient sector. That means practical federal action on long-standing priorities: stronger supply chains, better productivity, more homes, and regional resilience. Learn more at FPAC.ca.

After that, they discuss Carney’s recent efforts to reassure Canada’s Jewish community. Both hosts agree the attempt fell short. Matt argues that putting Marc Miller in charge of a new advisory panel feels like a very Trudeau-era response to a serious problem — process instead of action. Jen then raises reports that the Trump administration may consider offering asylum to Canadian Jews. She also notes, to Matt's horror, that he warned months ago that such a possibility could eventually arise. Perhaps, they joke, he manifested it.

This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. Nearly half of all Canadians will face a cancer diagnosis in their lives, and Canadian scientists are racing to build better treatments. But it's not just the science — it's the logistics of actually getting it to patients.

BioCanRx is a federally funded, not-for-profit research network that specializes in moving Canadian cancer immunotherapy from the lab to clinical trials here at home. Since 2015, they've funded sixteen trials and treated more than four hundred patients — all with made-in-Canada technology.

So what is immunotherapy? Your immune system eliminates threats every day, including your own cells when they mutate. But sometimes mutating cells are able to evade the immune system — and that's usually when we call them cancer. Immunotherapy supports or modifies your immune system so cancer can't slip past it.

Stay tuned this summer, and visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Finally, the hosts check back in on Alberta after what was, by recent standards, a surprisingly quiet week. Probably won't stay that way for long, though. It never does.

Also: Ricky Martin reference!

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadianPolitics
#CanadaPolitics
#AlbertaPolitics
#MarcMiller
#CanadianJews
#MediaAnalysis
#FederalPolitics
#CurrentAffairs

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by BioCanRX. Nearly half of all Canadians will get a cancer diagnosis in their lives. Canadian scientists are moving fast to come up with better treatments to help these people. But it’s not just about science, it’s about the logistics of implementing it.  

BioCanRx is a federally funded, not-for-profit Canadian research network that specializes in bringing Canadian cancer immunotherapy research from the lab all the way to patients in clinical trials in Canada. Since launching in 2015, they’ve funded 16 clinical trials and treated more than 400 patients across Canada, all with made-in-Canada technologies.

What is immunotherapy? Most immune systems successfully eliminate threats every day –– including our own cells when they mutate in ways they shouldn’t. But when our mutating cells find a way to trick our immune systems, things can start getting out of control. That’s usually when we apply the label "cancer." Immunotherapy is about modifying or supporting your immune system so cancer can't evade it. Stay tuned this summer to learn more about what Canadian research is doing to fight cancer. Go to BioCanRX.com to learn more.

The word “sovereignty” has become a fixture of Canadian political debate in recent years, particularly in response to economic pressure and even annexation rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump. But what does sovereignty actually mean in a world where much of Canada’s digital infrastructure, cloud computing, social media, and online services are controlled by American companies and governed by American laws?

McLeod walks Gerson through the realities of living in a digital ecosystem largely built and operated south of the border. They discuss the vulnerabilities that creates for Canada, the limits of what governments can realistically do to regain control, and the difficult trade-offs involved in pursuing greater independence over data, privacy, and critical digital infrastructure.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest industry is a national economic anchor rooted in hundreds of communities across the country. The Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force was created to chart a path toward a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient sector. That means practical federal action on long-standing priorities: stronger supply chains, better productivity, more homes, and regional resilience. Learn more at FPAC.ca.

The conversation also explores what a Canadian digital sovereignty strategy might actually look like in practice. Can Canada build more domestic capacity? Should it? And what kinds of regulatory and policy tools are available to a middle power trying to assert greater control in a digital world dominated by American technology giants?

It’s a timely discussion about privacy, security, national resilience, and what sovereignty means in the twenty-first century. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca and be sure to like and subscribe. We'll be back on Friday with another episode of The Line Podcast.

#OnTheLine #DigitalSovereignty #Canada #Technology #Privacy #CyberSecurity #DataPrivacy #CanadianPolitics #JenGerson #JamesMcLeod

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com.

Next, Jen asks Matt to explain the Swedish aircraft Canada is buying, giving him an opportunity to walk listeners through the logic behind the deal. Is this a new line for Canada, or just Carney buying himself the room to buy some U.S. equipment next? That conversation quickly expands into a broader rant about Canada’s inability to simply get important things done. Once again, governments are creating new mechanisms, new processes, and new workarounds to accomplish tasks that functioning countries often manage through their existing institutions.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can’t see your own territory, you can’t defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion Dynamics is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. Dominion is starting in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Defend the Dominion. Dominion Dynamics.

Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

In the final segment, the hosts return to Alberta and the ongoing federalist-versus-separatist debate. They spend considerable time discussing what role, if any, Canadians outside the province should be playing in the conversation. Can outsiders help the federalist cause, or do they risk making matters worse? Matt and Jen don’t agree on every detail, but both recognize that the stakes extend well beyond Alberta itself.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast
#MarkCarney
#CanadaUSRelations
#TradeNegotiations
#CanadianPolitics
#AlbertaPolitics
#Federalism
#PierrePoilievre
#DefencePolicy
#Geopolitics

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can’t see your own territory, you can’t defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. We started in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Threats don’t wait for bureaucracy. They are moving faster than our institutions. Dominion is closing that gap. Speed is now the strategic capability, and Dominion Dynamics is proving you can build capability at the speed of the threat.

Defend the dominion. Dominion Dynamics.

Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

First up is Philippe Lagassé of Carleton University, one of Canada’s leading defence analysts, for a discussion about the political and economic realities facing the new government. (You can read Phil's work at his Substack.) They talk about the opportunity Mark Carney may have to make painful but necessary decisions on defence spending, and whether Canadians will remain willing to spend massively on national defence once Donald Trump is no longer dominating the headlines. They also discuss the role domestic industry will need to play in any serious Canadian rearmament effort — and whether the country is actually prepared to invest the money required to make that happen. For now, probably. But for how long? And even after a scandal?

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com.

Then Matt is joined by Lazar Berman of The Times of Israel for an update from the war against Hezbollah. Berman discusses how the terror group has increasingly relied on first-person drones to target the IDF, giving relatively cheap technology an outsized impact on the battlefield. He also explains how the Israelis are adapting, what countermeasures are emerging, and what these developments reveal about the future of warfare more broadly.

It’s a pair of conversations about deterrence, industrial capacity, and how quickly military assumptions are changing in a more dangerous world.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by ACDC. Canada’s defence industrial base is fragmented. Critical platforms are owned and controlled abroad. That model doesn’t work anymore.

The Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies is rebuilding Canada’s sovereign defence-industrial base. ACDC champions Canadian-owned, Canadian-controlled companies that design, build, sustain, and export next-generation defence systems. Change requires new processes, new policies, and new behaviour. ACDC membership is open to Canadian-controlled defence companies ready to lead that change.

To join, email Info@AllianceCanada.com.

For more from The Line, check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and don't forget to like and subscribe.

#OnTheLine #CanadaDefence #PhilippeLagasse #MarkCarney #CanadianForces #Israel #Hezbollah #LazarBerman #DroneWarfare #Geopolitics

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com.

In the second segment, the hosts discuss some of the major personalities shaping events, including Smith, Naheed Nenshi, Jason Kenney, and Pierre Poilievre. Jen also flags a particular political group that listeners should keep an eye on. Matt spends part of the segment stress-testing two of Jen’s arguments, offering an interpretation of Smith’s conduct that could potentially prove constructive, and sketching out a possible good-news scenario that Jen reluctantly entertains. He doesn't think he sold her.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can’t see your own territory, you can’t defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion Dynamics is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. Dominion is starting in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Defend the Dominion. Dominion Dynamics.

Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

To close, your hosts briefly revisit last week’s CBC controversy, which has only become worse as additional targets — including retired RCMP officers — have emerged. The CBC says it has halted funding and launched a review, but neither host believes that will resolve the problem. Both agree that media organizations tend to forget everything they know about how the media works the moment they become the story themselves. Speaking of institutional trouble, Matt closes by asking, only half jokingly, whether the CRTC could perhaps avoid declaring war on the United States for at least the next month or so. If it's not too much trouble.

All that and more on the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out at ReadTheLine.ca, and God help us all.

#TheLinePodcast
#AlbertaPolitics
#DanielleSmith
#CanadianPolitics
#NaheedNenshi
#PierrePoilievre
#CBC
#CRTC
#CanadianMedia
#CanadaUSRelations

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can’t see your own territory, you can’t defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. We started in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Threats don’t wait for bureaucracy. They are moving faster than our institutions. Dominion is closing that gap. Speed is now the strategic capability, and Dominion Dynamics is proving you can build capability at the speed of the threat.

Defend the dominion. Dominion Dynamics.

Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

They discuss the ongoing negotiations around CUSMA, what could happen if the United States ultimately decides to walk away from the deal, and why Canada doesn’t have the luxury of negotiating these disputes loudly or publicly. Volpe explains the deeply integrated nature of the North American auto sector, and why a full reshoring of American automotive manufacturing would be far more disruptive — and far less realistic — than many politicians seem to believe.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com. 

The conversation also touches on the political theatre surrounding the talks, including recent comments from Howard Lutnick suggesting that Canada “sucks” at negotiating. Gerson asks Volpe directly: is there any truth to that criticism, or are Canadians underestimating the constraints they’re operating under?

It’s a practical discussion about trade, manufacturing, political leverage, and the realities of economic interdependence between Canada and the United States.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by ACDC. Canada’s defence industrial base is fragmented. Critical platforms are owned and controlled abroad. That model doesn’t work anymore.

The Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies is rebuilding Canada’s sovereign defence-industrial base. ACDC champions Canadian-owned, Canadian-controlled companies that design, build, sustain, and export next-generation defence systems. Change requires new processes, new policies, and new behaviour. ACDC membership is open to Canadian-controlled defence companies ready to lead that change.

To join, email Info@AllianceCanada.com.

#OnTheLine #Canada #US #Trade #CUSMA #USMCA #Auto #FlavioVolpe #CanadaPolitics #JenGerson

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com.

Next, they talk a bizarre story where the CBC (and APTN) chose to bankroll a so-called comedy group that was trying to "satirize" prominent people from Canada's heterodox right-wing, such as Frances Widdowson and Lindsay Shepherd. Your hosts walk you through the huge number of concerns here, but focus mostly on the CBC's role. This is not a good look for the public broadcaster, and guess what? The people your hosts have spoken among CBC's journalists get that. Very much so. Why didn't their bosses see the danger?

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can’t see your own territory, you can’t defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion Dynamics is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. Dominion is starting in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Defend the Dominion. Dominion Dynamics.

Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

To wrap, they chat briefly about a few overlapping stories that suggest that the world has started to tune Donald Trump out. Matt wonders if that's going to work out — how will Americans, particularly MAGA Americans, end up getting what they want: a world that doesn't rely on American leadership, because we've tuned them out entirely?

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Happy Victoria Day! We'll talk to you next week.

#TheLinePodcast
#AlbertaPolitics
#CanadianPolitics
#CBC
#DonaldTrump
#CanadaEnergy
#PipelinePolitics
#MAGA
#MediaCriticism
#CanadaUSRelations

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can’t see your own territory, you can’t defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. We started in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Threats don’t wait for bureaucracy. They are moving faster than our institutions. Dominion is closing that gap. Speed is now the strategic capability, and Dominion Dynamics is proving you can build capability at the speed of the threat.

Defend the dominion. Dominion Dynamics.

Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

First up is Richard Shimooka of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and The Hub for a discussion about the future of Canadian defence. What does the military actually need to rebuild itself after decades of neglect? Why will restoring real capability take the better part of a decade, even under ideal conditions? They also discuss what Canada’s defence industrial strategy needs to get right if the country is serious about rearmament, and why the costs involved may soon collide with political and fiscal reality.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com.

Then Matt is joined by Dr. Isaac Bogoch of Toronto General Hospital and the University Health Network for a rapid primer on Hanta virus, the recent cruise ship evacuation that drew headlines, and why evacuation isn’t the same thing as quarantine. They also reflect on the lessons of COVID, what Canada learned, what it failed to learn, and what public-health systems need to get right the next time a serious infectious disease threat emerges.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by ACDC. Canada’s defence industrial base is fragmented. Critical platforms are owned and controlled abroad. That model doesn’t work anymore.

The Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies is rebuilding Canada’s sovereign defence-industrial base. ACDC champions Canadian-owned, Canadian-controlled companies that design, build, sustain, and export next-generation defence systems. Change requires new processes, new policies, and new behaviour. ACDC membership is open to Canadian-controlled defence companies ready to lead that change.

To join, email Info@AllianceCanada.com.

All that, plus the usual On The Line conversations about risk, preparedness, and the systems Canadians rely on more than they often realize. Oh. And shotguns.

#OnTheLine #CanadaDefence #RichardShimooka #CanadianForces #Military #HantaVirus #IsaacBogoch #PublicHealth #CanadaPolitics #MattGurney

Kidding. But it is a short episode, because Jen Gerson is travelling this week. She's in Ottawa, attending not one but two conferences. She reports back on the vibe from Ottawa, including her thoughts on a speech given by Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservatives. She notes that the man is much better at rebranding than at changing. They also discuss why Mark Carney and the Liberals are struggling to change, too — the choice of Louise Arbour as our next governor general isn't bad, the hosts agree. Not exactly. But it is a worrying sign of what Matt identifies as path dependency — Arbour is a very old-fashioned move by a government that, at least in terms of what they're saying, understands this country is in deep trouble, and needs to move fast to prepare for a new normal.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com.

Next, your hosts chat about the latest from Alberta. Even though she's been in Ottawa all week, Jen can't quite escape the unfolding story about the data breach. She updates everyone on the latest. Matt also notes that he's been asking for months where provincial NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has been. Well. Seems like we found him! Jen also offers a word of warning about believing the polls. That way, she says, only complacency lies. 

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can’t see your own territory, you can’t defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion Dynamics is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. Dominion is starting in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Defend the Dominion. Dominion Dynamics.

Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.After that, with Jen needing to bolt back to her next conference event, Matt tells her about some funny reaction he's been getting to a column he wrote this week for the Toronto Star. He's a bit worried that we have normalized dysfunction in this country to a point where we are starting to see parts of it as heartwarming, not alarming — a perfect real-world example of the "orphan crushing machine" internet meme. (He explains, don't worry.) Jen notes that she's seeing a lot of that herself on her visit to the capital. It's looking a little bedraggled.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

(Note for video viewers: please forgive the video issues with Jen’s feed late in the third segment — we were at the mercy of hotel wifi.)

#thelinepodcast #CanadianPolitics #AlbertaPolitics #DataBreach #NaheedNenshi
#CanadaUSRelations #UFOs #CurrentAffairs

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can't see your own territory, you can't defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. We started in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.Threats don't wait for bureaucracy. They are moving faster than our institutions. Dominion is closing that gap. Speed is now the strategic capability, and Dominion Dynamics is proving you can build capability at the speed of the threat.Defend the dominion. Dominion Dynamics.Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

Fraser brings a mix of personal anecdotes and sharp observation to the conversation, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the Canadian-born Governors General who have shaped the modern office. There’s a fair amount of gossip — some of it affectionate, some of it less so — but it’s always in service of a larger point: that the personalities who occupy Rideau Hall matter.

The conversation widens into a discussion about monarchism, the role of the Crown in Canada, and why the Governor General still plays a meaningful role. Gerson presses Fraser on whether Canadians take the institution for granted.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com.

Fraser argues that Canada’s history offers a deeper reservoir of ideas and solutions than we often assume. In a political culture that tends to look outward — to the United States, to Europe, to global trends — he makes the case for looking inward, and for taking seriously the institutions that have quietly shaped the country.

They also talk about how the Governor General’s role fits into the modern media landscape, where political leaders dominate headlines. That imbalance, Fraser suggests, can distort public understanding of how power really works in Canada, and where the safeguards in the system actually lie.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by ACDC. Canada's defence industrial base is fragmented. Critical platforms are owned and controlled abroad. That model doesn't work anymore.

The Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies is rebuilding Canada's sovereign defence-industrial base. ACDC champions Canadian-owned, Canadian-controlled companies that design, build, sustain, and export next-generation defence systems. Change requires new processes, new policies, and new behaviour. ACDC membership is open to Canadian-controlled defence companies ready to lead that change. To join, email Info@AllianceCanada.com.

#OnTheLine #GovernorsGeneral #CanadaHistory #CanadianPolitics #Monarchy #GovernorGeneral

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Electro-Federation Canada. Canada’s clean electricity grid gives us a competitive edge in attracting global investment — but to maintain that advantage our system needs to break down barriers and unlock the grid. Aging infrastructure, supply chain constraints, and outdated regulations threaten our ability to expand and modernize the grid — essential components of meeting future capacity needs. Electro-Federation Canada has developed a research-backed roadmap for grid readiness focused on smart policy and regulatory alignment. To learn more, visit MakeTheSwitch.ElectroFed.com. 

Rather than running through the week’s headlines, Matt asks Jen to walk listeners through how her latest column came together. You can read it at ReadTheLine.ca. Back in March, Jen was presented with information suggesting a major data breach involving sensitive government records tied to millions of Albertans. The potential consequences were severe. Individuals whose identities and locations must be kept private to protect their lives were included. Jen explains what the data was, how it was reportedly released, how it reached her, and what happened when she brought it to the authorities as an urgent matter of public safety.

The response, she says, was deeply troubling. Officials did not do much of anything — and then, more alarmingly, they misled the public about what had occurred. It’s a stark and unsettling story about a serious issue, and for The Line it represents an unusual moment: being part of the story, not just covering it.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can't see your own territory, you can't defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion Dynamics is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. Dominion is starting in the Arctic, where extreme conditions demand technology no one else can deliver.

Defend the Dominion. Dominion Dynamics. Learn more at DefendTheDominion.com.

So settle in, if you can, as Matt and Jen unpack this strange and disturbing situation out of Alberta — and how Jen ended up right in the middle of it.

All that, and not much more, in this episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast
#JenGerson
#Whistleblower
#DataBreach
#AlbertaPolitics
#CanadianPolitics
#InvestigativeJournalism
#GovernmentAccountability
#CyberSecurity
#BreakingNews

Having gotten the telethon out of the way, for the rest of the segment, they run through the latest developments in the Canada–U.S. trade dispute. Jen wonders why there’s suddenly so much activity, and Matt offers a surprisingly mundane answer: we’re running out of time before the deal runs out. They assess the credibility of both sides in the negotiations and, in a move that may frustrate some listeners, also take a look at comments made by Pierre Poilievre this week. Jen suggests he's living in a fantasy, and Matt explains what he thinks he's doing when he attacks Mark Carney for not wanting a deal. Matt broadens the lens to include the opposition in the United States as well, and warns that if Canada’s strategy is simply to rag the puck until the midterms, it may be time to rethink the plan. The Democrats may be more predictable, but they're not necessarily going to be much friendlier on the trade front. Trump, and MAGA, have moved the needle on that one. Probably for a generation.

Next, Jen discusses her latest column, which leads to a longer conversation about Canadian complacency and the difficulty of reforming a country that places such a high premium on avoiding hurt feelings. Matt notes that her argument aligns closely not only with his recent writing on the collapse of Canadian accountability, but also with something he wrote years ago — a piece about expectations, and how they can be a problem.

They wrap up with a quick, and somewhat frustrated, update from their respective home provinces. As Matt puts it, we’re not sending our best.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. And if you like what you heard, don't forget to go to Donorbox.org/hold-the-line-928062 to help us hold the line.

#TheLinePodcast

#CanadianPolitics

#CanadaUSRelations

#TradeWar

#PierrePoilievre

#MarkCarney

#CanadianEconomy

#PoliticalAnalysis

#CanadaPolitics

#CurrentAffairs

First up is Jamie Carroll of Carroll & Co., for a conversation about the Liberal Party of Canada now that Mark Carney has secured a majority government. What does he do with it? What are the immediate priorities, and what actually needs to happen to turn political momentum into results? Carroll explains why a slim majority can create unique challenges in managing caucus, and Matt presses him on the perennial risk of Liberal hubris — and whether Carney can avoid the mistakes that have tripped up past governments.

Then Matt is joined by Gregory Jack of Ipsos to talk about what voters are actually looking for. Even in a political environment still shaped by Donald Trump and global uncertainty, the fundamentals haven’t changed: affordability remains the defining issue. Jack walks through the latest polling on what Canadians expect from the government, and where Carney will need to deliver if he wants to hold onto public support.

It’s a practical look at power, priorities, and the narrow path between political success and overreach. Be sure to visit our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and as always, like and subscribe.

#OnTheLine #CanadaPolitics #MarkCarney #LiberalParty #JamieCarroll #Ipsos #GregoryJack #Affordability #CanadianPolitics #MattGurney

From there, they turn to the big story: Mark Carney now has his majority government. Matt and Jen unpack what that means and offer differing views on whether the way he secured it is ultimately a good thing. They also take aim at the Conservatives, particularly over some of the attacks on Carney’s résumé this week. At one point, Matt channels a bit of Donald Trump at his most blunt to explain the kind of Conservative he prefers: the kind that wins. He confesses to his greatest frustration here: the Liberals aren't actually doing that well. The Conservatives ought to be able to land a shot. But they can't. The Liberals are winning, easily. And they'll keep winning until someone in CPC Land can come up with a plan that isn't whining about the media.

They close with a discussion of provincial politics and return to a theme from last week — Canada’s increasingly fragile accountability mechanisms. It’s not the most cheerful conversation, but for anyone curious about Matt’s next column, consider this a preview. He more or less lays out the argument on air, while also noting he wouldn’t mind writing it from somewhere warmer, with lower taxes and better healthcare. Hint, hint.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast

#CanadianPolitics

#MarkCarney

#LiberalParty

#ConservativeParty

#CanadaPolitics

#PoliticalAccountability

#FederalPolitics

#CanadianMedia

#CurrentAffairs

#Canada #Politics #China #EV #MichaelMa #Politics #thelinepodcast

From there, the conversation turns to what both hosts see as a deeper problem: Canada’s broken accountability mechanisms. Matt runs through a series of examples, while Jen focuses more on the media’s role in allowing this situation to develop. As they describe it, the traditional “accountability wolves” have effectively been penned up and turned into zoo exhibits. Both agree on what might actually force change — a harsher, more confrontational political culture that relies on shame, embarrassment, and fear to drive accountability. Think American MAGA podcasters doing livestreams from overcrowded Canadian emergency rooms or savage British columnists ripping apart our civil servants. But they’re skeptical that Canada’s political and media establishment, which they argue created the current system by prioritizing niceness over effectiveness back when things were easier in Canada, would ever allow that kind of environment to take root.

Finally, Matt throws Jen a curveball. Drawing on a pair of recent news stories, he floats a new theory about why aliens are suddenly back in the conversation. Jen is delighted. As always, The Line remains firmly pro-alien.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast

#CanadianPolitics

#LiberalConvention

#MarilynGladu

#FloorCrossing

#PoliticalAccountability

#MediaCriticism

#CanadaPolitics

#PoliticalCulture

#Aliens

The conversation begins with an unusual connection. Hertling had referenced one of Matt’s columns in a recent speech, which a Line reader flagged and sent along. That led to an invitation — and a wide-ranging discussion about the United States’ role in the world, the strain on Western alliances, and what comes next.

Hertling is, at heart, an optimist. He believes American leadership in the Western alliance can recover, even after years of damage, but cautions that rebuilding trust with allies will take time — likely a generation. Matt is a bit less optimistic, but confesses he believes that America, a country he loves, will at least try. The two discuss what went wrong, what can realistically be repaired, and why the long-term trajectory may still bend back toward stability.

The conversation also turns personal. Hertling speaks about his latest book, If I Don't Return, which reflects on the life lessons he wanted to leave behind for his sons in case he didn’t return from war. It’s an emotional segment that resonated deeply with Matt, who has been thinking a great deal about what parents leave behind for their children in recent months. 

It’s a thoughtful, and at times moving, conversation about leadership, legacy, and whether the West can find its footing again.

To order a copy of the general's book, click here.

And to see more from Matt and The Line, go to ReadTheLine.ca.

#OnTheLine #MarkHertling #USPolitics #Geopolitics #Leadership #Military #NATO #Alliances #Parenting #MattGurney

From there, Jen provides an update from Alberta, where recent developments have left her feeling vindicated, albeit in a grim way. They discuss at some length why Jen struggles to convince people of things that are quite obvious; Matt pivots from political analysis to therapy and encourages her to be more comfortable accepting that you can't always argue people into seeing things your way.

The conversation then shifts to federal politics, with Matt arguing that Mark Carney needs to tighten up his government’s communications before he starts squandering some of the advantages he still enjoys early in his mandate. All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all our Line family! 

#TheLinePodcast

#ArtemisII

#SpaceExploration

#CanadianPolitics

#MarkCarney

#AlbertaPolitics

#PersianGulf

#DonaldTrump

#Geopolitics

#CurrentAffairs

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can't see your own territory, you can't defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion Dynamics is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. Dominion is starting in the Arctic, where extreme cold demands technology no one else can deliver. See everything. Defend what matters. Dominion Dynamics. Learn more at DefendtheDominion.com.

The former Conservative Party cabinet minister has become an unwitting spokesperson for conservative federalists in the province as the petition to generate enough names to force a separation referendum continues across Alberta. We talk about the deep roots of populism in Alberta, including the merger between the Wildrose and the old Progressive Conservative Party. Gerson asks the former premier some tough questions about how we got here. Why have generations of Alberta's leaders tried to tap the populist well? And will this vote be the time they tapped the anger of western alienation too deep. 

#Canada #Alberta #Separatism #JasonKenney #Populism #Referendum #thelinepodcast

More broadly, the conversation widens into a darker assessment of Canada’s political health, with Matt arriving at a bleak conclusion: our only remaining, functional mechanism of domestic political accountability increasingly seems to be ... the United States.

From there, the hosts turn to the latest Air Canada bilingualism controversy, centring on Air Canada. Jen offers a characteristically blunt take: Canada keeps returning to language fights, she argues, because they function as a kind of political comfort food — something familiar and easy to argue about while avoiding much harder conversations about a world that is becoming more unstable and dangerous. Matt doesn’t have much of a rebuttal to that. Maybe the Americans can fix that for us, too?

Finally, the discussion shifts back to the United States. Pierre Poilievre’s appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience gets a positive review from both hosts, who see it as a smart move. Jen also shares highlights from a recent trip south, including a rare opportunity to tour the West Wing and the Oval Office. She comes away with a mix of impressions — some good, some less so — and offers a few observations that listeners won’t hear anywhere else.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast

#CanadianPolitics

#MarkCarney

#ChinaRelations

#AirCanada

#Bilingualism

#PierrePoilievre

#JoeRogan

#CanadaUSRelations

#Geopolitics

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Dominion Dynamics. Canada has never had true sovereign awareness of our North. Vast parts of our country are a blind spot. And when you can't see your own territory, you can't defend it, secure it, or respond when threats emerge. Dominion Dynamics is changing that. Dominion Dynamics is building a sovereign command and control capability that lets Canada and its allies see, respond, and defend across every domain. Dominion is starting in the Arctic, where extreme cold demands technology no one else can deliver. See everything. Defend what matters. Dominion Dynamics. Learn more at defend the dominion dot com.

They speak about why Canada no build good; what's holding the country back, brain drain, and the lost Trudeau decade. Hargreaves, a former Liberal staffer, speaks to Gerson about her moment of disillusionment with the previous Liberal government. Is Donald Trump the cause of Canada's woes, or a convenient scapegoat for our own inability to get our economic house in order? Lastly, what does a former Liberal staffer think about the new Carney government? 

#BuildCanada #Tech #Liberal #Politics #thelinepodcast

First up is Gregory Jack, senior vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, for a full update on the federal polling landscape. The latest numbers show the Liberal Party of Canada opening up a significant lead, raising questions about what has gone wrong for the Conservative Party of Canada and why Pierre Poilievre appears to be reinventing himself yet again — even if the effort doesn’t seem to be gaining much traction. Gurney and Jack also dig into the latest polling on separatist sentiment and political change in both Alberta and Quebec, and what those numbers do and don’t actually mean.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. In a volatile world, Canada has to focus on what we can control right here at home. Prime Minister Carney says a country that can’t build itself has few options. The forest products sector provides the literal building blocks for our country — from the lumber and wood products to build new homes and infrastructure; to pulp and paper for household and business use; to the
renewable power we need to support energy security.

We’re already a global trade success story, and we’re ready to do more to build a resilient, self-reliant country.

It’s time to focus on Canada’s domestic strengths. Learn more at www.fpac.ca.

After that, Matt is joined by David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Security and the show’s go-to cybersecurity guy, to discuss the cyber dimension of the new Persian Gulf war. Shipley explains how the conflict opened with a remarkably effective cyber campaign by Israel and the United States, but is now evolving into a cycle of retaliation. That includes Iranian counterattacks and a particularly damaging strike against a major U.S. medical company, offering a glimpse of how cyber warfare increasingly intersects with real-world conflict.

All that, plus the usual On The Line conversation about politics, strategy, and the strange times we’re living through. Check us out at ReadTheLine.ca, and don't forget to like and subscribe.

#OnTheLine #CanadaPolitics #Ipsos #FederalPolling #PierrePoilievre #Alberta #Quebec #CyberSecurity #CyberWar #MiddleEast #MattGurney

The conversation then turns to the war in the Middle East. Jen brings some personal perspective to the discussion — many listeners may not realize that she lived in the region early in her career and still has many friends there. She shares some of what she’s hearing from people close to the unfolding conflict. At the same time, both hosts reflect on how strange the war feels from afar. Perhaps, they suggest, all of us — hosts and audience alike — are slowly becoming desensitized to events that would have seemed shocking and horrific not that long ago.

The final segment takes an unexpected turn. It starts with Matt throwing Jen a conversational curveball: Hitler. You’ll have to tune in to hear exactly why that came up. But while they’re recording, breaking news emerges from Toronto, and the discussion shifts abruptly. Matt vents some frustration about what he sees as inadequate action to protect the city’s Jewish community, and some of that frustration spills out on air. He also makes, only reluctantly, an observation that he hopes no one in the White House hears, in case they use it against us. Jen laughs. She likes the chaos.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. 

#TheLinePodcast

#CanadianPolitics

#MarkCarney

#CanadaElection

#MiddleEastWar

#ArcticSecurity

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#CanadianConservatives

#Geopolitics

#CurrentAffairs

They begin with the latest United States Trade Priority Report, which singled out controversial Canadian legislation such as Online Streaming Act (Bill C‑11) as a major digital dispute complicating negotiations between Canada and the United States. Gerson asks whether the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated to the point where Canada now feels compelled to defend objectively terrible legislation simply on principle. It certainly seems that way.

This episode is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Government can’t control the global markets, but it can control the efficiency of our own regulatory system. It’s been over 150 days since the Red Tape Review, and Canada’s forest products sector is ready to move from intent to outcomes. We’re advocating for practical fixes — like reducing duplication and improving coordination — so we can get projects built at the speed of business. With greater regulatory efficiency, we can better compete with the Americans and Europeans, grow jobs, bring more of Canada to the world, and secure a stronger Canadian economy.

Let’s get to work. Visit www.fpac.ca to learn more.

From there, the conversation turns to the apparent resurrection of the Online Harms Act, which many observers assumed had died on the order paper. Instead, it may be finding new life following reports that Jesse Van Rootselaar had been flagged by OpenAI as a potential risk before the shooting rampage in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.

Finally, Gerson and Geist discuss Bill C‑4 and the Senate of Canada’s effort to block what critics describe as an outrageous move by the House of Commons of Canada: legislation that would carve out a special exemption allowing political parties to avoid the privacy rules that apply to nearly everyone else. The result is a sharp conversation about digital governance, political incentives, and whether Canada is drifting into a regulatory posture that’s increasingly hard to defend.

For more like this, visit our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. And as always, like and subscribe. 

#AI #TumblerRidge #CUMSA #UMSCA #Trade #Digital #Geist #SocialMedia #governement #Canada #thelinepodcast

Today's episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Engage, the new door-to-door canvassing app from Geppetto Technologies. Engage makes it effortless to go knock doors and connect with your community. With a fragmented media landscape, endless spam phone calls, and social media echo chambers, the best way to reach people is at their doorstep. The Engage app makes it happen. Your canvassers will be ready to go in seconds using Engage's user-friendly interface. We seamlessly connect with your campaign's digital infrastructure to help you collect valuable data. Quickly track support, volunteers, signs and issues to set up a strong get-out-the-vote effort. With upcoming municipal elections in BC and Ontario, there's no better time to get started with Engage. Made in Canada, built and supported by experienced campaigners. Ready for a winning ground game? Visit goknockdoors.ca for your demo. 

They begin with a quick tour of the current geopolitical landscape and what it means for Canada. Much to Jen’s disappointment, it leaves the country in a position where our new prime minister is starting to sound a lot like our old one. Jen generously volunteers to head to Ottawa and fix the Carney government’s communications problems herself. Matt suggests the real issue is that the government communicates well only when it’s confident the public will like what it has to say. The moment it has to juggle competing domestic priorities — as happened recently with the India trip and the new war against Iran — the messaging turns muddled and incoherent. Matt ultimately agrees with Jen: she’d better get to Ottawa and sort it out.

From there, the hosts turn to Pierre Poilievre’s recent trip to Europe. Matt gives the effort some credit, even if it arrives a year or so late in terms of helping the Conservatives form a government. Jen is less charitable. She argues that Poilievre has already burned through several full personality reboots, and worries that each one seems suspiciously calibrated to whatever happens to be trending in right-wing social media echo chambers.

Finally, Matt and Jen have some fun with a column in The Globe and Mail and what they consider a wildly exaggerated response from the ambassador of the United States in Ottawa. The laughs give way to a more serious discussion about information echo chambers, and how ideas that sound outrageous to outsiders can be wildly popular — and profitable — within a loyal online tribe. That dynamic, they conclude, may be great for engagement metrics, but it’s a terrible way to run a civilization.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

#TheLinePodcast, #CanadianPolitics, #MarkCarney, #PierrePoilievre, #CanadaForeignPolicy, #Geopolitics, #CanadaUSRelations, #MediaEchoChambers, #PoliticalAnalysis, #CurrentAffairs

First up is Bill Roggio, editor of The Long War Journal and a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Roggio gives Matt the view from the United States: why Washington chose to strike now, the risks of an early withdrawal, and why he doesn’t see a coherent plan to actually win this war on the ground. In his view, the groundwork for success should have been laid months ago. Roggio makes clear that he wants a better future for the people of Iran, but he’s not convinced the U.S. fully understands what it has stepped into.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. In a volatile world, Canada has to focus on what we can control right here at home. Prime Minister Carney says a country that can’t build itself has few options. The forest products sector provides the literal building blocks for our country — from the lumber and wood products to build new homes and infrastructure; to pulp and paper for household and business use; to the
renewable power we need to support energy security.

We’re already a global trade success story, and we’re ready to do more to build a resilient, self-reliant country.

It’s time to focus on Canada’s domestic strengths. Learn more at www.fpac.ca.

Then Matt turns to Toronto and his old friend Kaveh Shahrooz of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. A member of the Iranian diaspora, Shahrooz has been in close contact with family in Iran as well as with members of the community here in Canada. He describes a moment filled with both optimism and fear. For the first time in nearly 50 years, there is real hope that change may be possible — but he cautions that any transition will likely involve dealing with deeply compromised actors who have done terrible things.

It’s a sobering, dual-perspective conversation about strategy, uncertainty, and what change might actually cost.

As always, like and subscribe, and check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

They then head south, metaphorically, as Jen dissects the State of the Union delivered by Donald Trump. Matt didn’t catch the entire speech but offers a few observations about Trump’s delivery that Jen happily builds on. The conversation widens to include the Democrats, who, in the hosts’ view, seem unusually committed to missing opportunities that are right in front of them.

In the final segment, Matt and Jen turn to new polling that shows something odd unfolding out west. The Liberals are gaining traction in places where they traditionally struggle. Jen thinks she understands why. Even people who would never vote Liberal are quietly telling her they find themselves liking Mark Carney. The episode wraps with a brief discussion of Alberta’s latest provincial budget, which Matt, speaking as an Ontarian, finds contains more than a few familiar elements.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and always remember to like and subscribe.

This episode is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Government can’t control the global markets, but it can control the efficiency of our own regulatory system. It’s been over 150 days since the Red Tape Review, and Canada’s forest products sector is ready to move from intent to outcomes. We’re advocating for practical fixes — like reducing duplication and improving coordination — so we can get projects built at the speed of business. With greater regulatory efficiency, we can better compete with the Americans and Europeans, grow jobs, bring more of Canada to the world, and secure a stronger Canadian economy. Let’s get to work. Visit www.fpac.ca to learn more. 

From there, the hosts pivot south of the border. Donald Trump, following up on similar remarks once made by Barack Obama, is now talking about aliens. The Line, as longtime listeners know, enjoys a good alien discussion. But both hosts wonder whether this sudden extraterrestrial enthusiasm might be serving as a distraction from more terrestrial problems, including renewed attention on the Epstein files, signs of growing anti-Trump organization within the Republican Party, and a significant loss at the Supreme Court of the United States, where a six-to-three majority struck down the president’s tariffs.

Finally, a quick check-in on developments at home. Matt and Jen touch on floor crossing, Jamil Jivani’s trip to Washington, and Matt’s mixed feelings about Canada’s new defence industrial strategy — grateful that it exists, concerned about how it will unfold.

All this and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

Note: The CBC did an article on Hughes' experience with the Russians, referenced in this podcast, here. 300 missions in, this Canadian volunteer says he'll stay in Ukraine until he's asked to leave | CBC Radio

From there, the conversation turns to the recent tragic mass shooting in Canada. Both hosts are troubled by the familiar rush to judgment that follows these events, but also by the reluctance in some quarters to discuss facts that are plainly relevant. They argue that the shooter being trans is as important to understand as if the shooter were an incel, a white supremacist, or inspired by the Islamic State. These are not taboos; they are data points. If the goal is to understand the roots of violent crime, then nothing material to motive or ideology should be off limits.

Finally, Matt and Jen spend a few minutes contemplating the alternate universe in which Calgary is currently hosting the Winter Olympics. They wonder what that might have meant for Alberta’s mood and for Canadian identity more broadly. Unfortunately, both hosts confirm that they are stuck in this timeline with the rest of you. And they aren't happy about it.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

From there, the conversation turns to the 20th anniversary of the election of Stephen Harper. Both Matt and Jen reflect on how early they were in their careers at the time, assuming they’d even started yet. They discuss Harper’s legacy and the conservative movement he shaped, noting that in some ways the party has remained adrift since his departure (though that might be changing a bit). At the same time, they point out that Harper has been sending unusually clear signals, by his own standards, about his views on current political events — including a striking and heartfelt declaration in favour of a strong, united Canada.

Finally, the hosts take a quick look at recent developments in the crypto space. Jen approaches the topic from a political angle, while Matt looks at it through a more sociological lens. Whether it’s Bitcoin, AI tools, or the next new technological obsession, both agree there’s always room for responsible and productive use. The problems start when disaffected people wrap their entire identities around these tools and turn them into substitutes for meaning.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our website at ReadTheLine.ca, and as always like and subscribe.

First, a correction from your host. During the conversation, Matt incorrectly stated at several points that Canada intends to procure 15 new submarines. Admiral Topshee was too kind to interrupt him during the recording, but the correct number is 12. That mistake was entirely Matt’s, and he regrets the error.

With that out of the way, the conversation spans the globe. Admiral Topshee discusses what’s happening in Europe with Russia and Ukraine, and in the Pacific, where growing Chinese power and influence is challenging long-held assumptions about global security. There’s also extensive discussion of the Arctic, why it matters, and what is changing there. Procurement comes up as well — shipyards, new ships for the fleet, and what it will actually cost to deliver on plans that now enjoy broad political support.

They also spend time on what Canada itself needs to sustain a much larger navy and armed forces. Do we have enough bases? Enough reservists? Are people being enrolled into the navy quickly enough? And how, realistically, could Canada expand its forces rapidly in a time of war?

It’s a long, free-ranging conversation about geopolitics, the evolution of warfare, and the future of the Royal Canadian Navy. Check it out today on On The Line. And special thanks to the Royal Canadian Military Institute for hosting this recording of the podcast. For more like this, visit ReadTheLine.ca, and as always, like and subscribe. 

From there, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson start with a sharp and unsparing look at Alberta separatism. Jen is in no mood for half measures, especially when it comes to Premier Danielle Smith’s refusal to firmly commit herself. As she sees it, people who style themselves as free speech warriors don’t get to hide behind mealy-mouthed statements when it actually matters. She also takes direct aim at what she calls the loser energy of the separatist movement itself. Matt agrees, adding that many of the separatists he encounters remind him of the gun-ban obsessives or bike-lane warriors in other parts of the country — people whose entire identities are wrapped up in a single cause, and who spend enormous amounts of time constructing elaborate arguments to justify what is, in reality, an emotional state. Both hosts close the segment by wishing, once again, that Canada had a serious and functional ability to monitor foreign interference, because if this movement grows, they strongly suspect outside actors will be eager to help it along.

Later, the conversation turns to the Conservative Party of Canada, which is gathering in Calgary to review Pierre Poilievre’s leadership. There’s no obvious threat to him, but Matt argues the party has wasted the last nine months pretending the election result was a fluke, largely because that fantasy spared them from having to make difficult decisions. Unfortunately for the Conservatives, the facts haven’t changed. If anything, the hosts note that Mark Carney is settling into the job better than expected. He still makes the occasional rookie mistake, but overall he’s performing competently and growing into the role. That leaves the CPC with a real problem: it now needs a credible plan to defeat a capable Liberal government while also navigating the chaos of a disruptive Trump presidency. 

Finally, the hosts circle back to the China deal they didn’t have time to fully address last week. Matt says he’s listened carefully to both the boosters and the critics, and has come to an inconvenient conclusion: he agrees with all of them. The deal contains real opportunities and real risks, and Canada may not be ready for what comes next. As both hosts note, we are entering a geopolitical era where being wealthy and strategically important can make a country a very attractive target, especially when caught between competing hostile powers. It’s a position many other countries have experienced before. Maybe, they suggest, it’s time Canada started asking the Poles or the Israelis for advice.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

Of course, separation is in the news of late as Alberta's separatists are moving forward with a petition that may pave the way for a provincial referendum. The Americans are also weighing in, insisting that all Albertans are keen to join the U.S. -- a claim that Jack fact checks. 

From there, the hosts turn to Mark Carney’s speech in Davos. Jen argues it was really aimed at a European audience and may have doubled as a victory lap. Matt agrees, but adds that Washington was clearly part of the intended audience as well. Still, both hosts think the most important audience is here at home. Everyone seems to agree that major changes are coming and that major changes are needed. The open question is who is going to start proposing them, especially the ones that will be politically painful.

Finally, Matt and Jen dig into comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting Alberta wants to join the United States. Jen is skeptical. Matt, meanwhile, wonders how nice it would be if Canada had a reliable way of noticing when large amounts of foreign money were flowing into the country to influence domestic politics. It’s a pity, really, that we haven’t already spent years seriously debating foreign interference in Canadian democracy.

In any case, your hosts are happy to be back together. Enjoy all this and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out at ReadTheLine.ca, and as always, like and subscribe.

Last week Powell put out a statement stating flatly that the Trump administration is abusing the courts in order to put pressure on the independence of the fed. 

What does that mean, exactly? Why does it matter? And what are the political and economic implications of the US central bank whose independence is increasingly under pressure?  We get right into it today on On The Line. 

The two Calgarians also lament the city's ongoing water restrictions, and the city's report outlining its failures. 

(Note, no, we at The Line are not taking any cuts for any of the books suggested. We just like books and reading. And if your family is like ours, books are pretty much what you all give to one another anyway.) 

Books mentioned: 

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/dont-trust-fish/9780593616673.html

InvestiGators by John Patrick Green https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/investigators/9781250219954.html

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/impossible-creatures---indigo-exclusive-edition/9781774888957.html

The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-poisoned-king---indigo-exclusive-edition/9781774888964.html

The Secret Of Secrets by Dan Brown https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-secret-of-secrets-a-novel/9780385546898.html

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/wild-dark-shore-reeses-book-club-pick-a-novel/9781250827951.html

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/heated-rivalry-now-streaming-on-crave-and-hbo-max/9781335534637.html

The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-wealthy-barber-2025-indigo-exclusive-the-fully-updated-all-time-canadian-classic/9781068975004.html

What A Ride by Andrew Podnieks https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/what-a-ride-the-thrilling-toronto-blue-jays-of-2025/9781552673973.html

Book Of Lives by Margaret Atwood https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/book-of-lives-a-memoir-of-sorts/9780771096433.html

The Prime Ministers by JRM Stewart https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-prime-ministers-canadas-leaders-and-the-nation-they-shaped/9781998365777.html

They talk about the curious case of B.C. passing laws that then have an effect on laws. Seven years ago, the province implemented DRIPA, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People drafted by the U.N. -- despite concerns that the law would be used to undermine B.C.'s own legislation. The law was essentially null in force, a symbolic gesture, the province's NDP government assured at the time. Until, of course, it wasn't. Oops. 

Lastly, they discuss the future of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who just lost another MP to floor crossing. Will the leader be able to survive if the Liberals chip away at enough of the Conservative caucus to form a majority? And, perhaps more importantly, is Pierre Poilievre a winner?

The survey spans tens of thousands of respondents across dozens of countries, capturing public attitudes on personal safety, geopolitical risk, great-power tensions, cyber threats, and the fragility of the international order. Darrell explains which fears are rising, which regions are most anxious, and why public confidence in institutions continues to erode. He and Matt also discuss where the public is ahead of political leaders, where it may be misinformed, and what this means for democracies trying to navigate an increasingly unstable world.

The conversation turns to why global anxiety is becoming a kind of background condition, what the survey suggests about Canada’s place in the world, and how governments should respond when citizens see danger everywhere but trust almost no one to handle it. They also talk about the challenge Donald Trump poses to Canada — especially because he's asked some fair questions for which we don't have good answers.

Oh, and also — if you enjoy this, you'll enjoy Darrell's new book. Check it out!

New episodes of On The Line drop every Tuesday. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

They agree it’s an accurate  reflection of how the White House sees the world — uncomfortably accurate, in fact. They’ve been flagging many of these issues for months, hoping Canadians and Canadian policymakers would start paying attention. Now the White House has packaged all of it into one tidy, unsettling summary.

Some of what the document lays out is simply true, and Canadian and other allied politicians, especially on the left, have ignored those realities at their peril. Some of it is debatable, or at least worth taking seriously. And some of it is outright nuts, pulled straight from the conspiratorial anxieties of America’s far-right social media ecosystem. But whether reasonable, arguable, or deranged, it is now official White House policy — and the rest of us are going to have to learn to live with it.

From there, the conversation turns to how Canadians are, or aren’t, learning to live with it. There is still very little evidence that anyone here grasps the scale of the threat or the urgency involved. Jen introduces a new theory: Canada as a nation is increasingly resembling the federal New Democrats — and that’s not good news for anyone. She also says that at a moment we desperately need to be pulling together, we're instead getting set to fight another series of sovereignty referendums and a fresh pipeline war. She has concerns, is all. 

Oh, and also. Katy Perry!

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Visit our main site at ReadTheLine.ca.

They do eventually get to the Memorandum of Understanding signed this week between Ottawa and Alberta. Both hosts agree it ended up being a solid week for Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. They also wonder whether it somehow turned into a good week for Steven Guilbeault, who is now out of Carney’s cabinet. Did Guilbeault’s decision to walk away mark the moment more Liberals finally realized the Trudeau era is really, truly over? Matt also notes that Carney can't keep offering everyone carrots; sooner or later, someone is going to need to get the stick. And he names the province he thinks should be made example of ... to encourage the others, of course.

From there, the conversation shifts to Matt’s recent trip to the Halifax International Security Forum. He’s working on a series of columns about it that will begin rolling out soon, but he shares a few early stories — all circling the theme of America having ghosted the world, and how some Americans, bless them, still think this is something they can fix quickly after a midterm or the next election. Matt isn’t convinced. 

He also has a few thoughts about the relative cleanliness of some Canadian cities he has visited lately. Halifax, you’re looking good.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

First up, Jen Gerson joins us from Ottawa, where she’s at the Cardus conference talking about issues of faith and values in Canadian public life. Your hosts get into a long conversation about what “values” actually mean in a Canadian context, how they show up (or don’t) in public policy, and where we might look to find them.

They also talk a bit about fighter jets, but that’s neither here nor there. 

From there, the episode shifts into a deeper discussion about immigration. The Conservatives have rolled out some proposals that both your hosts think are reasonable, but the larger conversation becomes one about national identity. What is Canada’s sales proposition, and what are we asking new Canadians to adopt as part of becoming Canadian? There’s a lot to unpack, including a few shared worries.

Last up, Matt Gurney dives into an interesting — and overdue — development in Canadian health-care. And yes, it ties right back into the values theme, making this a rare three-segment through line.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

The episode opens with a wide-ranging chat with Dan Seljak, who joins Matt to unpack an issue that somehow turned into a strangely complicated political fight in Toronto. The whole thing should have been simple: should the city allow small retail outlets inside residential neighbourhoods? Most of us grew up with corner stores, coffee shops, and little walk-in places woven into the communities around us. But Toronto’s own governance rules have made these kinds of businesses nearly impossible to open, and the city has been steadily losing the ones it still has. What followed was an unexpectedly intense battle to protect those remaining shops and to make space for new ones. Dan talks about how he found himself pulled into the fight, what it revealed about the way cities make decisions, and why something so basic became so hard. He and Matt dig into a bigger question, too: how did urban governance in Canada become so tangled that even the simple things are impossible to achieve? This isn’t a left-right issue — there’s a surprising amount of agreement across political lines — and yet nothing gets done. How did we box ourselves into this, and how do we get out?

You can read more from Dan, and keep up with his work, at Another Glass Box.

After Dan, John Wright joins the show. John is a long-time friend of The Line and has been involved in a campaign to raise public awareness about a once-celebrated Canadian military hero who has almost disappeared from our national memory. He and Matt pick up the thread from last week’s discussion about Remembrance Day on The Line Podcast, exploring why these stories fade and why they matter. John also shares a quick update on his own professional world — and it’s worth sticking around for. For more information about John's new venture, go here. To learn more about the RCAF Foundation, go here.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Jen makes a spirited defence of crossing the floor. Matt agrees, in part, but notes that whatever the theoretical ideal of voting for the candidate over the party might be, the reality is that we’re stuck with the voters we have, and they tend to vote for the party first and the candidate second.

They also discuss, as an interesting counterexample, Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who isn’t having any difficulty criticizing his own party from within it. He’s obviously not thrilled about being dropped from cabinet, but it’s noteworthy how comfortable certain disaffected voices seem to be operating inside both the Conservative and Liberal caucuses. They don’t know if that tells us more about the parties or about the individual MPs involved, but it’s interesting.

Lastly, they turn to November 11th, collective memory, obligation, and the limits of lived experience when it comes to learning from history. It’s a more intimate and reflective discussion than usual, but one they think you’ll enjoy. And they’d love to hear from you in the comments: what was Remembrance Day like in your community this year? Matt was struck by how quiet it felt in Toronto, and he’s hoping that was just because of the very early blast of lousy winter weather that has befallen the Centre of the Universe.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe, and check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.Tthe conversation dives into the numbers—sluggish growth, stalled housing starts, and a province now leading the country in corporate handouts. Spoke explains why Ontario’s policy choices are driving people out of the province, why school boards have drifted toward activism instead of academics, and how competition and parental choice could push the system back toward better outcomes.

The pair close with a look at Ford’s enduring popularity and whether it can last. Is this a call for the premier to course-correct — or the beginning of a broader conservative renewal in Ontario? Tune in for a candid, numbers-driven look at what’s gone wrong, and what might come next. To learn more about Matt's project, go to ProjectOntario.ca. 

New episodes of On The Line drop every Tuesday. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

They start with the Mark Carney government. Matt’s self-imposed six-month grace period for judging the new prime minister has expired, and he’s ready to weigh in: better than Trudeau, but not good enough for the moment. Jen is slightly more patient but, somehow, even sharper in her take — especially when it comes to Carney’s recent apology to Donald Trump, which she finds baffling and unnecessary. And enraging.

This episode is also brought to you by CPA Ontario. There’s a saying: “Keep it simple,” and what’s true for life is true for taxes. And while this week’s historic federal budget introduced some much-needed tax measures to help spur investment and innovation, there is still more work to be done to make Canada’s tax system less complex, and more competitive.  

Just ask a CPA. In a recent survey, 84 per cent of Ontario CPAs said Canada’s tax system is overly complex. They know how complexity drains resources from productive activity, and how high tax rates discourage investment and entrepreneurship, the very things Canada needs. Consider the numbers: real GDP per capita has barely grown in seven years and investment per worker in Canada is less than half that of the U.S.

Complexity has a cost, and Canadians are paying it. Our sponsor, CPA Ontario, the regulator of over 105,000 Chartered Professional Accountants, has released a report putting forward 20 bold, practical recommendations to reform Canada’s tax system, and simplify the Income Tax Act. The 2025 Budget was a step forward — but more reform is needed to grow the economy, create jobs, and raise living standards.

Learn more at cpaontario.ca/taxreform

Then attention turns to the Conservatives, where Pierre Poilievre’s week has gone from bad to worse. Two MPs have walked away, and the question now is whether this is an isolated hiccup or the start of a real leadership problem. Matt and Jen point out that without the wind of inevitable victory at his back, Poilievre will need to rely on charm and political skill — qualities not generally considered his strong suit.

The episode wraps with a wide-ranging discussion on what “woke” and “feminism” actually mean in 2025, and how those words have evolved. Jen is workshopping a new column on the topic, and Matt is clearly looking forward to reading it. 

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

For context, recent cases have seen judges issue lighter sentences, or defence lawyers argue for them, so that a non-citizen resident of Canada wouldn’t face deportation. These decisions have sparked controversy and political backlash. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner has even tabled a private member’s bill that would prevent judges from taking immigration status into account when handing down sentences.

Matt supported the proposal on Twitter; Peter disagreed. After a spirited exchange online, Peter remarked that the issue was better suited to long-form discussion than social media — so Matt invited him on the show. Together they dig into the controversy itself, why Peter believes judicial discretion is essential and already well-established, and also, moral and fair. Matt points out what he thinks are inconsistencies and blind spots in that argument — the kind that can come from being too close to an issue.

But while they disagree on specifics, both men share a broader concern: that public faith in the justice system is eroding, and not without reason. Peter offers some ideas for how the system could regain public trust.

You can learn more about Peter’s work at Sankoff Criminal Law and his educational platform Criminal Defence Essentials, or find him on LinkedIn.

New episodes of On The Line drop every Tuesday. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

After that, they turn to the latest turbulence in U.S.–Canada relations. It’s been another difficult week. Both hosts hope the situation might finally knock some sense into our political leaders — though Matt Gurney warns Jen Gerson that Canadians may be almost immune to having sense knocked into them.

This episode is also brought to you by CPA Ontario. If you’re looking for a good scare this Halloween, you should check out Canada’s economic numbers. Our GPD per capita is down, our business investment is down and so is our labour productivity. But if there is one thing Chartered Professional Accountants understand, it’s numbers.Tax Reform for Growth in Canada, a recent report from our CPA Ontario, puts forward 20 pro-growth recommendations from CPAs and experts on reforming Canada’s tax system to make our economy more competitive.For example? Canada gets 37 per cent of its total government revenue from individual taxes, 13 per cent higher than peer countries on average. Meanwhile, 22 per cent of Canada’s total tax revenue is from consumption taxes like the GST, while other peer countries average 32 per cent. This means that Canada relies too heavily on the types of taxes that hurt economic growth the most. Eighty eight per cent of CPAs believe reforming our tax system is important. With the federal budget just days away, Canada can’t be afraid to take bold action. Visit cpaontario.ca/taxreform to learn more.

Finally, Jen gets everyone caught up on the fallout from Alberta’s recent teachers’ strike and notes that Danielle Smith took an awfully big swing to bring it to an end. We’ll see how that works out for her.

All that and more in this week’s episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out at ReadTheLine.ca.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation’s economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

They speak about Palantir CEO and multi-billionaire Peter Thiel -- an influential figure both in Silicon Valley, and in the Donald Trump administration --  who has recently gone on a tear warning about how anti-AI activists, Greta Thunberg, and anyone who is opposed to him politically, are aligned with the "anti-christ." What is the anti-christ? And are Thiel's warnings Biblically apt? What is going on with the Evangelical movement in America today? We get into all of it today On The Line.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Donald Trump has suspended all trade negotiations with Canada, claiming that ads taken out by Doug Ford’s Ontario government are unfair and dishonest. Matt and Jen don’t really buy that. If Trump wants a deal, he’ll get one — and if he wants to blow one up, he’ll find an excuse. So they don’t take his stated reason particularly seriously. What they do take seriously is Doug Ford’s role in this mess. Matt has some tough words for what he thinks Ford’s motivation really is, while Jen offers a partial defence.

From there, they turn to Mark Carney’s big speech this week. Matt sums it up with both the good news and the bad — though, as he puts it, the really bad news is how much of the good news is actually bad news. You’ll just have to listen to the segment to understand why.

Finally, there’s an update from Alberta. Jen recaps who she thinks came out ahead — and who didn’t — in the teachers’ strike. She also takes note of Alberta’s recent municipal elections, focusing on one particular result that caught her attention. Calgary’s newly elected mayor gives her a theory on how genuinely populist politicians might start finding their way back to normalcy.

All this and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

This episode of the On The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation’s economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

From there, they head to the Middle East. Well, not literally, but you know what we mean. They talk about the limited optimism they feel now that the fighting has largely stopped, the genuine relief at the hostages being home, and why Gaza likely needs to be occupied by a stabilization force for decades. Canada’s influence? Let’s just say it was minimal. Matt even suggests it might have been negative — that we may have actually made things slightly worse. Not a great chapter in our diplomatic history, but probably not one where we could have expected much better. They also wonder if Carney appreciates what will be asked of Canada in exchange for letting our PM be on the stage.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

Then the conversation shifts back to domestic politics — sort of. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is tweeting about Nazis again. It’s not that he’s totally wrong, but his grasp of the history seems to hover at the level of someone who’s skimmed a bit about interwar Europe … or, maybe, he knows exactly what he’s doing and just wants to troll everyone for the donations. That seems to be how politics works these days.

Fun stuff. For more fun stuff, check us out at ReadTheLine.ca. 

This episode of the On The Line is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

They start with an extended discussion guided by new polling data that captures what Canadians are currently worried about. Concerns about Donald Trump and the U.S.-Canada relationship remain, but they’ve faded. Cost of living issues, public safety, crime, and the eternal favourite — healthcare — are back at the top of the agenda. But the polling also shows that Trump has a knack for shooting back to the top of the list whenever he has one of his more remarkable moments talking about Canada.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

From there, Matt and Greg dive into immigration — a topic they deliberately avoided earlier in the show so they could focus on it here. Matt had a hunch, based on what he’s been seeing and hearing out there, and asked Greg to pull some numbers to see if it held up. Stay tuned. You won’t want to miss this one.

A note for our audience: this episode was recorded early because of the Thanksgiving long weekend, so we avoided anything we thought might be vulnerable to breaking news developments. Don't blame us if something wild happens! We did our part to be responsible and not jinx anyone.

This episode ofThe Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mass timber and modular construction can significantly reduce build times, waste, and carbon emissions, while supporting local economies. Expanding building codes, streamlining approvals, and prioritizing domestic wood in federal projects could double demand and foster job creation in rural and northern communities.

Despite trade challenges and market volatility, a partnership between industry and government is vital to stabilize the sector, enhance competitiveness, and deliver innovative, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products for homes across Canada and abroad. With capacity growing across provinces, stable demand and predictable financing are key to unlocking the sector’s potential.

We need to Build Canada Homes with Canadian wood. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

They start with a quick recap of some of the big political stories of the week. Mark Carney’s trip to Washington is at the top of the list — how it went, what it means, and why, even though they don’t have much criticism to offer, both Matt and Jen think time might not be on his side.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

From there, the podcast takes a different turn. In a long and emotional conversation, Matt and Jen talk about the ongoing Alberta teachers’ strike. They start with the logistics — how Jen and her family are coping — but the conversation quickly deepens into why she’s so angry and frustrated with everyone involved. She doesn’t go into detail about her family’s situation for privacy reasons, but what she says will likely resonate with thousands of parents who are just trying to do right by their kids in a system that refuses to make hard decisions because it would be politically incorrect to do so. The result? We are abandoning kids, and wasting their potential, because of adults who don't want to ever admit that they were wrong about anything.

It’s a different kind of segment — we admit it's not our usual content. But we think it’s worth your time. And we suspect a lot of parents out there have been waiting to hear someone finally say it.

Please enjoy, if that's the word, this unusual episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe and all the rest. And just as a programming note, since it's the long weekend, we won't be publishing a dispatch. So we'll talk to you next week. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

This episode of the On The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation’s economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

They discuss the pan-partisan immigration consensus; why the federal Liberal government began to ratchet up immigration numbers; the impact on social services and social cohesion; and what the country needs to be doing to fix what we broke.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

Tony Keller is a long-time Globe columnist whose work can be seen here. He is this year's Max Bell School of Public Policy lecturer, and will be travelling across the country to talk about these issues in coming weeks.

They start in Alberta, where Matt argues that Premier Danielle Smith has set a trap — and he says that with admiration. Jen agrees, but also notes how wearying it is to live in a province where recycling old grievances has become a stand-in for actual governance. Matt points out that many Albertans have long since insisted they need to be more like Quebec … and, well, they’re succeeding. Unfortunately, Alberta is turning into Quebec in all the worst ways.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation’s economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

From there, the conversation shifts east to Toronto Metropolitan University (yes, formerly Ryerson), where there’s some drama in the progressive camp. A group of students is suing the school both for making them look anti-Semitic and for not being progressive enough, despite promising it would be. As you might imagine, Matt and Jen have some fun with that one.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

Last but not least, Matt shares — with absolute delight — another gem of Canadian military procurement excellence. But behind the humour, he offers a more serious warning: Canada is drifting toward a two-tier system of governance, and the irony is that it’s the Liberals who are making that happen.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. For more, check us out at ReadTheLine.ca.

They start with morale inside the force, the kinds of work officers are being asked to do, and the kinds of work no one ever wants to do again. They also talk about ways to prevent people from entering the criminal justice system in the first place.

This episode is brought to you by Universities Canada. Canada’s prosperity is built on people with ideas — researchers, scholars and students and the universities that support them in shaping our future. Budget 2025 is an opportunity to advance that momentum. Global uncertainty and shifting geopolitics have made this vision even more urgent. A vibrant Canadian research ecosystem is essential — one that generates made-in-Canada solutions, retains top talent and preserves our technological independence in critical fields.Federal grants and scholarships must be safeguarded. Because this isn’t just about campuses. It’s about made-in-Canada solutions for our economy, our health care system and our national security. Supporting researchers today secures the talent pipeline and innovation we need for a stronger Canada.Learn more at univcan.ca.

From there, the discussion shifts to eroding public confidence in law and order — a trend that’s driving some Canadians to arm themselves or hire private security firms to patrol wealthy neighbourhoods. Bail reform inevitably comes up, as does sentencing, and the challenge of deterring young offenders from doing the dirty work of organized crime groups that see underage recruits as an asset.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

And, because it’s Matt, the episode wraps with a look at the federal government’s gun confiscation plans. Clayton doesn’t like them any more than Matt does, and he isn’t convinced Ottawa can actually make the program work if it ever goes forward.

New episodes of On The Line drop every Tuesday. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. From cancer treatments and clean water technologies to quantum computing and AI, university research is driving discoveries that change lives. These breakthroughs start in Canadian university labs, but their impact is felt in every community. Universities carry out nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s research and development, generating more than $55 billion in economic impact each year. Every dollar invested returns benefits for Canadians: new treatments, stronger industries, and thriving communities. But research requires sustained federal support. Without it, Canada risks losing talent and ideas abroad. To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.

From there, they turn to Washington. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra made an interesting comment about what the Trump administration’s next pressure point on Canada will be. It’s a predictable one, but it could hurt. Jen also flags a news story out of D.C. that seems to have left even people who usually rush to dismiss Trump-related criticism as alarmism feeling uneasy.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Finally, Matt makes the case for why they may need to accelerate their timelines on the Carney government. He’s driving over political landmines a lot faster than his predecessor did, and that can catch up with a leader in a hurry.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app.

This episode is brought to you by Universities Canada. From cancer treatments and clean water technologies to quantum computing and AI, university research is driving discoveries that change lives. These breakthroughs start in Canadian university labs, but their impact is felt in every community. Universities carry out nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s research and development, generating more than $55 billion in economic impact each year. Every dollar invested returns benefits for Canadians: new treatments, stronger industries, and thriving communities. But research requires sustained federal support. Without it, Canada risks losing talent and ideas abroad. To learn more, visit Univcan.ca. 

Gerson and Ball talk about how the science many of us learned in high school is being reconsidered — from the Big Bang to the origins of life — and how even the most fundamental ideas are far less settled than they once seemed. Along the way, the discussion touches on the mysteries of consciousness, the shifting relationship between science and culture, the role of critics in keeping the field honest, and the challenge of making complicated ideas understandable without losing their meaning.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

It’s an engaging conversation about curiosity, humility, and why the pursuit of knowledge never really ends.

New episodes of On The Line drop every Tuesday. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. Across Canada, university campuses are more than classrooms – they’re community hubs. From gyms and pools, to theatres, health clinics and labs, campus spaces welcome everyone. Whether it’s a hockey tournament, daycare, or a summer camp, investing in campuses means investing in the communities we share. But years of underfunding have left a $17 billion maintenance backlog, with one in three campus infrastructure projects now critical or near-critical. Campus infrastructure is community infrastructure. To keep building communities, the federal government must make campus infrastructure eligible in federal programs. To learn more, visit UnivCan.ca.

They then turn south, where the fallout of the Charlie Kirk assassination lingers. Jen has some tough words for people you’d normally think of as her allies, and Matt lays out the conditions under which he’ll take anyone’s views on these matters seriously. They also touch on the Jimmy Kimmel situation.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Finally, Matt turns the tables and asks Jen about her recent trips to other spiritual realms. If you’ve read her piece on her visit to the Monroe Institute, this segment will make sense — and if you enjoyed that article, you’ll get some extra value from hearing her describe it in her own words.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Universities Canada. Across Canada, university campuses are more than classrooms – they’re community hubs. From gyms and pools, to theatres, health clinics and labs, campus spaces welcome everyone. Whether it’s a hockey tournament, daycare, or a summer camp, investing in campuses means investing in the communities we share. But years of underfunding have left a $17 billion maintenance backlog, with one in three campus infrastructure projects now critical or near-critical. Campus infrastructure is community infrastructure. To keep building communities, the federal government must make campus infrastructure eligible in federal programs. To learn more, visit UnivCan.ca.

After that, Matt is joined by a friend of the show, Jamie Carroll of Carroll & Co. Consulting. You’ll remember him from our anti-panel during the campaign, and this time he sticks around for a longer chat about what’s happening inside Liberal circles. Why is the caucus already grumbling? What’s keeping Mark Carney awake at night? And why does poor Michael Sabia seem to have been left with a to-do list that might as well include stopping a Russian offensive in eastern Europe all by himself?

We’re (mostly) joking about that last part, but it’s fair to say it’s been a strange few weeks, hasn't it?

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. Canada has promised millions of new homes, shorter waits in health care and stronger defence. But promises don’t design and engineer roads, staff clinics or secure networks — people do. That’s why we need a clear, coordinated system to attract and retain the world’s best talent, while creating more opportunities for Canadians. The best and brightest should always see Canadian universities as their first choice. It's time to put talent at the centre of Canada’s priorities. The path forward starts with training people — and Canada’s world-class universities are ready to lead the way.To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.

After that, they turn to issues closer to home. The Carney government has officially launched its Major Projects Office and revealed the first programs slated for elevation. Rob breaks down what’s on the agenda and why, despite the office not explicitly mentioning a pipeline, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has responded positively. Matt, meanwhile, shares the part of the announcement he found oddly amusing — but also despair-inducing — in the way it revealed deeper national challenges. Both men agree that it might be better to just fix the problems with approvals, rather than creating a new, special unit that gives a few chosen projections the efficient treatment, while everything else suffers. Matt quips that this is Canadian health-care-style thinking applied to permit approvals. Should go fine.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Finally, Matt and Rob interview each other about their latest Line columns. Rob walks listeners through his piece on Alberta’s book ban that badly backfired, while Matt explains why he thinks Canadians are rightfully losing faith in their own safety — and why that needs to change if Canada is to avoid sliding down the same dangerous path already visible in the United States.

Cheerful stuff, eh? If you need your mood lifted even further, check us out at ReadTheLine.ca. Like, subscribe, and pray.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Universities Canada. Canada has promised millions of new homes, shorter waits in health care and stronger defence. But promises don’t design and engineer roads, staff clinics or secure networks — people do. That’s why we need a clear, coordinated system to attract and retain the world’s best talent, while creating more opportunities for Canadians. The best and brightest should always see Canadian universities as their first choice. It's time to put talent at the centre of Canada’s priorities. The path forward starts with training people — and Canada’s world-class universities are ready to lead the way.To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.

Then they turn to the Conservatives: Pierre Poilievre’s new self-defence and home defence plan is well timed, especially when contrasted with the Liberals’ clumsy response. But the party is also deliberately testing the waters on temporary foreign workers. Matt and Stephanie dig into how a modern Western conservative party can navigate the line between legitimate criticism of a specific policy and sliding into anti-immigrant hysteria — and why, so far, Canada's Conservatives have mostly avoided that trap.

Finally, a brief check-in on the NDP … which doesn’t take long.

Oh, and a lot of Ghostbusters references that go right over Steph's head. Matt couldn't help himself. They just ... popped in there.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. Canada has promised millions of new homes, shorter waits in health care and stronger defence. But promises don’t design and engineer roads, staff clinics or secure networks — people do. That’s why we need a clear, coordinated system to attract and retain the world’s best talent, while creating more opportunities for Canadians. The best and brightest should always see Canadian universities as their first choice. It's time to put talent at the centre of Canada’s priorities. The path forward starts with training people — and Canada’s world-class universities are ready to lead the way.To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.

Next, the conversation shifts to law and order. A recent quote from a senior police official in the GTA has sparked outrage, and with good reason. While both Matt and Jen can imagine a very narrow context in which the chief’s point might hold, they agree he was mostly wrong — and with a spate of terrible crimes in southern Ontario in recent days, his timing could not have been worse.

PLEASE NOTE: Chief MacSween issued a statement while this episode was being edited. You can read it here: 

https://x.com/chiefmacsween/status/1964047883457421469

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

The hosts next turn to Kevin Roberts, who had been invited to address the Carney cabinet. The man’s deep ties to the far right of U.S. politics make him a lightning rod, and it’s no surprise he was controversial. Still, Matt and Jen argue Canada might have been better off if Carney had actually heard him out.

All that and more on the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out at ReadTheLine.ca.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance. We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca/

The conversation then discusses fascism in the U.S. Matt talks about an essay from a generally reasonable U.S. writer who says the U.S. has crossed the line. Matt isn’t convinced, but neither host loves the trendlne. They suggest a test for the viewers and listeners: write down your own personal “red line.” Send them to us. And we'll review in a year.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Airbnb. Canada needs to take real action on bringing housing costs down — but experts agree that regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb is nothing more than a distraction. This makes sense when you consider two key statistics: Canada needs 5.8 million homes to reach affordability by 2030, and Airbnbs account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s overall housing stock. The closer you look, the clearer it gets that Canada needs bold action that addresses the entire housing market, not just 0.6 per cent of it. Additionally, regulating short-term rentals would limit the productive role that Airbnbs play in helping Canadians get by. Did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes? To learn more about how Airbnb is helping, not hurting, Canada’s economy, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

In the final stretch, Alberta’s battles over book banning take centre stage. Passive-aggressive librarians may have found a way to box in the provincial government.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca.

First up is Christopher Nardi, a parliamentary reporter at the National Post’s Ottawa bureau, and an old friend of Matt’s. They talk about the end of the summer — yes, sadly it’s true — and what we’ve seen so far from the Carney government. Chris offers some hope that there might be more going on than has met the eye, but he’s also a realist about the challenges the new government is going to face. The two also touch on the Conservatives, and why that party is glad to have its leader back in the House, before musing about the future — if any — of the federal NDP. They aren’t writing the New Democrats off entirely, but making it back from here will be a steep climb.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. Canada needs to take real action on bringing housing costs down – but experts agree that regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb is nothing more than a distraction. This makes sense when you consider two key statistics: Canada needs 5.8 million homes to reach affordability by 2030, and Airbnbs account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s overall housing stock. The closer you look, the clearer it gets that Canada needs bold action that addresses the entire housing market, not just 0.6 per cent of it.Additionally, regulating short-term rentals would limit the productive role that Airbnbs play in helping Canadians get by. Did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes? To learn more about how Airbnb is helping, not hurting, Canada’s economy, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

After that, Matt is joined by Ian Runkle, a lawyer with expertise in firearms law and self-defence, and also the voice behind the YouTube channel Runkle of the Bailey. The conversation is all about, as they say, "just the facts." What is the law on self-defense in Canada? What can you do, and what can’t you do? Why did an attempt by the Harper government to make the law better for people defending themselves actually end up making things worse in some ways? And if Ian had the chance, how would he fix it? As it turns out, he and Matt are thinking along very similar lines.

This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Penetanguishene, 1840. More than a decade after relocating from Drummond Island, a group of Métis families signed their names to paper. Their petition was simple: recognize us and our rights. The answer was a policy formally excluding Métis communities from recognition, denying their existence for generations. But the petitions did not stop. From Penetanguishene to Sault Ste. Marie, Fort Frances and north to Moose Factory, Métis in Ontario insisted they are a distinct Indigenous people, with their own history, identity, and rights. That fight has carried forward into self-government agreements with Canada. Today, the Métis Nation of Ontario is a recognized Métis government, with the authority to build its own laws, institutions, and future. What began as a petition nearly two centuries ago lives on in the work of the MNO today, ensuring that Métis rights are recognized for generations to come. To learn more, visit OntarioMetisFacts.com.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

The show opens with breaking news: Canada is dropping many — though not all — of its retaliatory tariffs against the United States. Matt and Jen agree the economic impact is limited, but the political optics could be rough for a prime minister who built a reputation on opposing Washington. This leads naturally into a discussion about when it’s fair to start judging Mark Carney’s performance. Jen presses Matt on what Canadians could reasonably have expected by now; Matt, in turn, asks her how long she’s willing to wait before demanding results.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Next, the hosts turn to a controversial story out of Lindsay, Ontario, where a man has been charged after using a knife against a home invader. With key details still missing, both Matt and Jen caution against rushing to judgment, but they stress that Canadians need stronger protections for people defending themselves. They stop short of calling for U.S.-style “castle laws,” but argue that Canada must do much better in balancing the scales between citizens and criminals. They share a few stories of their own experiences. Very carefully share them.

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. To solve the housing crisis, Canada needs 5.8 million new homes by 2030. And while some think short-term rentals like Airbnb are taking homes away, that's just not the case. Because — according to Statistics Canada — the number of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes amounts to only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock.

How can you solve the problem when you're focused on less than one per cent of the housing market?

To learn more, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Finally, the episode closes with a quick take on Pierre Poilievre’s victory in a new Alberta riding. What does it mean? What doesn’t it mean? And why are so many people working overtime to spin this into a seismic event? Matt and Jen break down the hype and the reality, and they don’t mind pointing out who looks silly in the process.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

We start off with a look at how the Toronto International Film Festival has managed to completely beclown itself in an utterly avoidable controversy over the airing of a film depicting one family's nightmarish experience during the October 7th attacks. TIFF eventually gave way and did the right thing — but only after waiting long enough to damage its own credibility and, tragically, worsen antisemitism. Matt also has some strong words for those who see creeping fascism everywhere except in the surging hate directed at Canadian Jews.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In our second segment, we dig into a report from the U.S. State Department that levels some sharp criticisms at Canada. Jen goes through what's in the report and points out that there are some honest truths Canadians should take seriously — but it’s also amateurish, lacking nuance, and, coming from the Trump administration, not exactly a credible assessment.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

We wrap up on a more philosophical note. As Jen noted in a column published this week, The Line has just hit its fifth anniversary. We talk about how it all started, what our lives and the world looked like back then, what’s changed since, and why The Line now needs to pivot — both to fend off attacks from the right and to begin repairing some of the social damage our politicians caused during COVID, damage they’ve neither apologized for nor made any effort to fix. 

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. To solve the housing crisis, Canada needs 5.8 million new homes by 2030. And while some think short-term rentals like Airbnb are taking homes away, that's just not the case. Because — according to Statistics Canada — the number of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes amounts to only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock. How can you solve the problem when you're focused on less than one per cent of the housing market?To learn more, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

First up, Matt speaks with Denys Prevost, a retired firefighter with nearly 40 years of service in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Denys walks us through what’s been happening in Nova Scotia’s forests, how and why these fires can spread so quickly, and — most importantly — what homeowners and property owners can actually do to protect themselves.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. To solve the housing crisis, Canada needs 5.8 million new homes by 2030. And while some think short-term rentals like Airbnb are taking homes away, that's just not the case. Because  —   according to Statistics Canada  —   the number of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes amounts to only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock. How can you solve the problem when you're focused on less than one per cent of the housing market? To learn more, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Then, Matt connects with Andrew MacDougall, director at Trafalgar Strategy in London and former director of communications to prime minister Stephen Harper. Andrew recently wrote a policy paper for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and a supporting op-ed for The Line, making the case that social media should be something we pay for — because only then can we break the addiction and dismantle the toxic business models propping up these companies. They also get into Andrew’s time in politics, watching social media evolve from a niche comms tool to the entire battlefield.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. Twenty-two years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada made history. In R v. Powley, the existence of a rights-bearing Métis community in Ontario was affirmed. The next year, Ontario signed a harvesting agreement recognizing the Métis. Since then, governments have invested significantly in Métis people in Ontario. For better health care, education and training, jobs, housing, and for programs that protect the environment and keep Métis language, culture, and communities alive. Now, some would take that away. They would erase those hard-won rights, and undo more than twenty years of progress. But the law and history are clear. The Métis aren’t going anywhere. To learn more, visit OntarioMétisFacts.com.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

They start at the federal level, where neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives appear especially motivated to do much of anything. There’s drift, inertia, and a general absence of urgency on all sides. Potter explains why he thought Matt was being too hard on Carney in his latest column, but is now starting to change his mind. They also talk about belated signs of life from the CPC, but only in very tiny little blips. It’s August, yes — but still.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Things aren’t much better in the provinces. The same political stagnation seems to be seeping through every level of government, and Andrew shares a particularly sharp metaphor for how things get — or don’t get — done in this country. The guys also discuss a new Quebec survey that ought to be triggering national alarm bells. It isn’t. Because it’s August. And no one’s paying attention.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. It’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. Some think that short-term rentals such as Airbnbs are the problem. But the total amount of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes accounts for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock. In reality, Airbnbs play a key role in stimulating local economies across Canada, with Airbnb guests generating an estimated $10.8 billion in visitor spending. Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

In the final segment, a shift in tone as Matt and Andrew unpack new data out of the U.S. on how young adults are faring — and the picture isn’t pretty. Rising rates of dysfunction, isolation, and distress suggest something deeper is going wrong. They’re careful not to bash an entire generation (that's Jen's job), but the numbers point to a growing generational divide with serious long-term implications. The solution probably involves all of us putting down our phones. 

But maybe do that after liking and subscribing at ReadTheLine.ca and following us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. It’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. Some think that short-term rentals such as Airbnbs are the problem. But the total amount of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes accounts for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock. In reality, Airbnbs play a key role in stimulating local economies across Canada, with Airbnb guests generating an estimated $10.8 billion in visitor spending. Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Leob is best known for his work arguing for the possibility that many recently discovered interstellar objects, like  Oumuamua may, in fact, be extraterrestrial in origin. Either space trash from a distant civilization or even an intelligent probe. He's back in the news this week with thoughts about a recently discovered object now heading toward our sun known as 3I/ATLAS. 

This episode is also brought to by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Sault Ste. Marie, in 1820. In the early 1800s, on the St. Mary’s River, Métis traders moved fur, fish, and goods through the water highways of the Upper Great Lakes. Before Confederation, there was a country being built with supplies brought one canoe at a time. Today, Métis governments like the Métis Nation of Ontario are building again. Canada is investing billions to strengthen the economy against tariffs. To last, this next economy must include the people who built the first one. The MNO is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to work with Métis governments to improve consultation and partnerships on major projects and expand investments in Métis businesses and communities. The Métis were here at the beginning building this great country. And they’re still here, ready to build again. Learn more at OntarioMétisFacts.com.

Oh, and he has some things to say about academia and the general incuriosity of the scientific establishment.  Discover insights into the scientific community's approach to anomalies, the potential of alien technology, and the importance of maintaining curiosity in the face of skepticism.

And celebrities 

... and aliens.

First, we kick things off with the latest on the trade war front. Friday was the deadline for a deal, and ... there is no deal. Matt shares why his patience with the prime minister is running thin. The conversation somehow takes a hard left into pop culture, touching on Katy Perry and Sidney Sweeney. We don't think we said anything cancelable. Probably.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

From there, to something more serious: Canada has announced it will formally recognize the state of Palestine this September, assuming some pretty challenging conditions are met. Matt is unimpressed by the timing and strategy. Jen is unimpressed with Israel, full stop. They talk about regional peace, policy, and the persistent failure to find a workable path forward in the Middle East, and why Canada is responding the way it has. They do not solve the problem, alas.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

We wrap with a classic Line topic: aliens! Jen previews her upcoming On The Line interview with Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. We also discuss the fast-moving object heading into the inner solar system. It’s almost certainly a rock — but it’s weird enough to warrant attention, so we’re keeping an eye on it.

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. If you’ve been following the pod the last few weeks, you’re familiar by now with the fact that all the Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock – and Canada can’t solve a housing crisis with less than one per cent of a solution.

But did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes?

Learn more about the critical role Airbnb plays in helping Canadians get by at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. Don’t forget to leave a nice review, and as always, like and subscribe.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. If you’ve been following the pod the last few weeks, you’re familiar by now with the fact that all the Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock – and Canada can’t solve a housing crisis with less than one per cent of a solution.But did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes?Learn more about the critical role Airbnb plays in helping Canadians get by at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

First up: veteran pollster and friend of the show John Wright joins Matt to look at how Canadians are feeling three months into Prime Minister Mark Carney’s post-election tenure. What do the numbers say? Why are some Canadians especially grumpy? And why haven’t the Conservatives really found their footing yet? Wright and Gurney also talk about Pierre Poilievre’s absence from the conversation, and why Ontario Premier Doug Ford seems happy to wait it all out — for now.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Penetanguishene in the 1860s. For generations, Métis families fished these waters. Métis grandparents taught grandkids to cast nets. Fathers packed crates bound for the trading post. Mothers salted the morning's catch. And the smell of lake water and woodsmoke became deeply embedded in memories. Every summer, Métis boats carved routes through Georgian Bay with persistence. Their Métis traditions and trade became the commerce that built Canada. Today, while Canadian families head north to the cottage to play, remember those who paddled north to build, and know that Métis communities continue the traditions that built Canada. To learn more, visit OntarioMetisFacts.com.

Then: we’re joined by Rob Shaw, a prolific British Columbia journalist and regular contributor to The Line, for a roundup of the latest from the west coast. The B.C. government has landed in hot water over a decision to deny a dying child access to medicine — and the political backlash has been swift. Meanwhile, even as concerns over public safety remain paramount, Premier David Eby keeps picking fights with Donald Trump. Is this smart politics, or just desperation? Rob breaks it down.

All that and more on On The Line. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

Jen is increasingly worried Alberta is heading toward banana republic territory. There’s a lot of money flowing through the province right now, and much of it is funding fringe causes. One local reporter appears to be the target of amateurish surveillance, likely due to reporting that embarrassed the government. Meanwhile, separatist rhetoric is getting louder — and more detached from reality. Matt chimes in from Toronto (which Albertans love, of course) to note that while he genuinely likes Alberta, it’s still just a pretty normal Canadian province — and Albertans should understand that.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In the second segment, Jen shares a list of reasons she’s unimpressed with the United States and sees no reason to feel bad for American officials complaining about a lack of Canadian tourists. Matt agrees — and says that Ottawa should now be taking border integrity more seriously. His advice: if you’re out fishing, maybe steer clear of U.S. waters. Like, by a lot.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

Finally, a serious warning: one of our loved ones was recently targeted by a scammer. Thankfully, it ended safely and no money was lost — but the experience was chilling. Be on guard, and beware: as AI voice and video tools become more sophisticated, these scams are going to get much harder to spot. We share this story as a public service announcement. Be careful out there.

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. Last week, we talked about how the number of Airbnbs that could be homes accounts for only 0.6 per cent of Canada's housing stock. Everyone knows that you can’t solve a crisis with less than one per cent of a solution. But did you know that Airbnbs actually play a critical role in helping Canadians navigate affordability? Seventy seven per cent of Airbnb hosts say that renting their homes helps them cover the rising cost of living.

Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. Don’t forget to leave a nice review, and as always, like and subscribe.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. It’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. Some think that short-term rentals such as Airbnbs are the problem. But the closer you look, the clearer it gets. Attempts to lower rents by regulating short-term rentals have failed in cities like New York City – which is experiencing record high rents a year after doing so. Canada doesn’t need more regulation; it needs more supply. And Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes account for only 0.6% of Canada’s housing stock. Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

In this wide-ranging conversation Jen Gerson and Forsyth chat about his recommendations for fiction and non-fiction summer reads. 

This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Sault Ste. Marie in the 1850s. The Upper Great Lakes and rivers of northern Ontario are bustling during the summers with the sound of paddles. Sault Ste. Marie, Fort William, Fort Frances. For Métis voyageurs, these were the highways of a growing trade. Summer was for moving canoes packed with salted fish and furs. Stops were made at supply depots run by Métis families. And a thriving economy was built on a network of Métis communities stretching across the Upper Great Lakes westward. These Métis routes became the arteries of Canada’s first economy. This July, while Canadians enjoy their vacations, remember the Métis who spent summers building Canada’s first economy. To learn more, visit OntarioMetisFacts.com

Then they get spicy, talking about deeper trends driving book sales in the culture. Gerson offers a host of opinions on what genres of books are good and bad, as well as whether or not Millennials have a writing voice. Strong arguments are offered on whether adults should be reading childrens' books. 

Forsyth's book recommendations: 

FICTION

SLOW HORSES by Mick Herron

MURDERBOT by Martha Wells 

KATABASIS by R.F. Kuang 

ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune 

SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME by Abby Jimenez 

NON-FICTION

THE CRISIS OF CANADIAN DEMOCRACY, Andrew Coyne 

MORAL AMBITION by Rutger Bregman 

EMPIRE OF AI by Karen Hao 

CHILDREN LIKE US by Brittany Penner 

KING OF KINGS by Scott Anderson

First up, Matt and Jen talk sovereignty — and why every time Canada tries to build domestic industrial capacity (in defence, tech, food, etc.), it seems to end in scandal or failure. Or even just massively inflated costs and huge delays. We say we want domestic capability. So why can’t we build anything without it turning into a boondoggle?

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

After that, we cast our eyes south. In the U.S., The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been cancelled. Jen sees it as a classic case of going broke by going woke. Matt agrees partly — but argues the real story is the end of mass culture. We also discuss this week’s Epstein revelations and why the public response feels eerily familiar to past panics and conspiracies. And they wonder if this might actually crack the MAGA movement. (They have doubts.)

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

And finally, more turmoil at the CBC as anchor Travis Dhanraj announces his resignation — and the corporation refuses to accept it. What’s going on inside Canada’s public broadcaster?

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. Last week, we talked about how the number of Airbnbs that could be homes accounts for only 0.6 per cent of Canada's housing stock. Everyone knows that you can’t solve a crisis with less than one per cent of a solution. But did you know that Airbnbs actually play a critical role in helping Canadians navigate affordability? Seventy seven per cent of Airbnb hosts say that renting their homes helps them cover the rising cost of living.

Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a review.

First up: Mike Moffatt. Mike is one of Canada’s leading housing experts. He’s a professor at Western University’s Ivey Business School, senior director at the Smart Prosperity Institute, and host of the Missing Middle podcast. Matt talks to Mike about the state of Canada’s housing market, why prices are crashing in Toronto and Vancouver, and why that’s both a good and a bad sign. They cover policy, affordability, investor behaviour, and what governments are still getting wrong — and right — about how to fix it.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. Last week, we talked about how the number of Airbnbs that could be homes accounts for only 0.6 per cent of Canada's housing stock. Everyone knows that you can’t solve a crisis with less than one per cent of a solution. But did you know that Airbnbs actually play a critical role in helping Canadians navigate affordability? Seventy seven per cent of Airbnb hosts say that renting their homes helps them cover the rising cost of living.Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Our next guest is Glenn Cowan. Glenn is a venture capitalist, a former special operations officer, and the founder of ONE9 — a firm investing in dual-use technologies that serve both national security and commercial markets. Glenn joins the show to talk about Canada’s defence industrial base, why doing national security innovation in this country is so hard, and what the future of warfare looks like. He shares lessons from his experience in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa — and explains why Canada needs to be far more serious about the technologies and partnerships that will shape the next generation of global conflict.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Moose Factory in the 1860s. The summer sun rises over the still water of Hudson’s Bay. When others might rest for the summer, Métis families pushed hardest. Nets dropped before dawn. Canoes were packed with the morning's catch. Women salted fish on wooden planks, turning the haul into trade goods. From the shores of Hudson’s Bay, salted fish travelled inland to Hudson's Bay Company posts across what is now northern Ontario. Canada’s first great supply chain was stitched together by hard summer work by Métis families across the Upper Great Lakes and Northern Ontario.

As Canadians take time to relax, remember: the Métis helped build this country under the July sun. To learn more, visit OntarioMetisFacts.com.

All that and more on On The Line. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

Next, Matt shares what actually made news in Europe: a bit about Trump, some sad headlines out of Texas, but very little from Canada. The biggest political storyline back home? The NDP is hunting for a new leader, and neither Matt nor Jen can think of anyone likely to win.  

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

To wrap up, Matt offers a few unsentimental takeaways from his European trip. No postcard clichés, just a growing unease: even cities with reputations for being gritty are starting to look better — cleaner, safer, more orderly — than some of Canada’s big cities. Are we losing ground without realizing it? Would Canadians ever accept it even if we were?

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. Everyone agrees that Canada needs to take real action to tackle the housing crisis, but only a few people argue that short-term rentals like Airbnb are part of that solution. Countless experts have argued that short term rental regulation is nothing more than a distraction, with the Harvard Business Review recently saying that “Put simply, restricting Airbnb is not going to be an effective tool for solving the housing-affordability problems.” This makes sense when you consider two key statistics: Canada needs 5.8 million homes to reach affordability by 2030, and Airbnb’s account for only 0.6% of Canada’s overall housing stock. The closer you look the clearer it gets that Canada needs bold action that addresses the entire housing market, not just 0.6% of it. Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Oh. And. This is a bit of an aside. But. We discuss why Elizabeth May should not be given a gun. All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca.

Everyone agrees that Canada needs to take real action to tackle the housing crisis, but only a few people argue that short-term rentals like Airbnb are part of that solution. Countless experts have argued that short term rental regulation is nothing more than a distraction, with the Harvard Business Review recently saying that “Put simply, restricting Airbnb is not going to be an effective tool for solving the housing-affordability problems.” This makes sense when you consider two key statistics: Canada needs 5.8 million homes to reach affordability by 2030, and Airbnb’s account for only 0.6% of Canada’s overall housing stock. The closer you look the clearer it gets that Canada needs bold action that addresses the entire housing market, not just 0.6% of it. Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

In this week's On The Line, Jen Gerson speaks to journalist and author Paul Palango, whose recent book, Anatomy of a Cover Up, lists shocking allegations about the 2020 Nova Scotia massacre. 

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. 

It's Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, 1849. Before court cases and commissions, before Canada was Canada, Métis communities in the Upper Great Lakes wrote petitions. Métis men signed their names beneath a statement to the Crown. They wrote to protect their rights, and their identity. They wrote because they would not be ignored. They were hunters, trappers, fishermen, voyageurs, and War of 1812 veterans. Like their cousins in Red River, who’d petition and resist inthe decades that followed, the Métis in the Upper Great Lakes knew how to use the tools of diplomacy.

To the West, in Batoche, St. Albert, and the Red River, Métis leaders like Louis Riel also wrote to be heard. They too signed their names with pride and called on governments to honour promises. This was how the Métis asserted themselves, again and again, from the Upper Great Lakes to the Rockies.

The Métis built Canada’s first economy, and willand never stop reminding the Crown of its promises.
Learn more at OntarioMétisFacts.com.

During the worst shooting in Canadian history, 22 people were killed in two separate shooting sprees by Gabriel Wortman. Palango has written two books on the subject, and alleges that not only was Wortman likely an informant or agent of the RCMP, but also that the police force acted improperly to prevent crucial details about the shooting from coming to light. 

How do we do that when we can’t talk about the news of the day?

We don’t even try!

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

That’s right. Unlike our usual episodes, which we record as close as possible to release, this one was done early. We used the time to go back to a fan-favourite format: answering your questions. These all came from our paid subscribers at ReadTheLine.ca. As always, the questions were great — well, except for some of the crazy ones, which we're just going to politely ignore. (But seriously?) As always, we couldn’t get to all of them. But we got through a lot. Including, as video viewers will notice, a power outage. Sigh.

But let's stay focused on the questions. We talk about our careers. The future of The Line, and its origin story. The state of Canadian journalism, and what can and can't be done about it. Canadian politics, American politics, geopolitics. We field some questions that are lighthearted. Others that are deeply personal. Some answers are thoughtful. Some are silly. One or two may result in regret.

But overall, it was fun. Thanks for taking part in this. 

Programming note: The Line Podcast and On The Line will be off next week. No episodes on July 1 or July 4. But back after that. And we will be releasing some content at ReadTheLine.ca this week — something new and fun. (Actually fun.) So be sure to subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and never miss an update.

See you soon, though. And take good care.

This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. For generations, Métis communities in Ontario helped build Canada’s first great economy — the fur trade. They farmed, traded, raised families, and fought for their rights.

In 1993, they founded the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) to protect their future. In 2003, the Supreme Court affirmed their rights. In 2023, Canada recognized the MNO as the Métis Government in Ontario. Now, with a newly elected federal government, it’s time to move forward.

The MNO is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to advance the government-to-government relationship; resolve outstanding historic Métis claims; improve access to health care, mental health, and addictions services; and invest in Métis housing, education, and infrastructure. Generations of leadership brought us here. It’s time to get it done. Learn more at OntarioMetisFacts.com.

In the first segment, Matt catches up with his old National Post colleague Tristin Hopper, now the author of Don’t Be Canada: How One Country Did Everything Wrong All At Once. They talk about what prompted the book, the reporting moments that pushed him over the edge, and how quickly the world’s view of Canada has shifted. Some readers saw it as a welcome dose of honesty. Others, as a betrayal. Matt gets it — he's had exactly the same reactions whenever he's noted things like "Maybe we shouldn't have so much trash on the sidewalks." 

In the second segment, Matt speaks with Mitch Case of the Métis Nation of Ontario about Indigenous rights, especially around resource development. What does “consultation and accommodation” actually mean on the ground? Why do Canadians and Americans keep getting it wrong? Mitch also reflects on the differences between how each country understands (or doesn't understand) its own history — and the frustrations that follow for Indigenous peoples.

Full disclosure: The MNO is an advertising partner for The Line, including for this episode. But this segment is not sponsored content — it was produced through The Line's normal editorial processes, and the MNO did not receive (or ever seek) any special treatment or consideration, and exercised no editorial control over the interview or its contents. They really just were the right people to talk to for this segment! 

As always, On The Line drops Tuesday mornings on audio, with video Tuesday evenings on YouTube and our social channels. Like, subscribe, and share — especially across the parking lot.

Thanks for listening. And a programming note: next Tuesday will be Canada Day, a stat holiday, so there will be no episode that week. We'll be back as normal the week after that. Talk to you soon!

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

The hosts also reflect on Justin Trudeau’s deepening irrelevance and how Carney’s basic competence is already reshaping perceptions. Trump left the summit early, and nobody cared. Jen thinks the British still don’t get what’s changed. And Matt raises, almost as an aside, an important question. Where are the Conservatives? Where is Poilievre? Has anyone noticed? Does anyone care?

In the second segment, the tone shifts. Jen and Matt dive into the ongoing full-scale war between Israel and Iran. Matt lays out the strategic and regional context, while Jen reflects on the eerie echoes of 2003 and Iraq — and why that comparison may do more harm than good this time. They check in on their personal Doom Leaderboards, and while neither thinks the Third World War is imminent, Matt raises the chilling possibility that we may be closer to a nuclear weapon being used than at any point since the Cold War.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. Don’t forget to leave a nice review, and as always, like and subscribe. 

This episode is brought to you by the Metis Nation of Ontario. It's the Abitibi River, Northern Ontario, 1854. They called it “the Long Portage.”

From the banks of the Abitibi River, Métis voyageurs hauled heavy freight canoes and Hudson’s Bay Company trade goods across miles of forest and muskeg. Their hard work linked Fort Albany and Moose Factory along the James Bay coast with Lake Timiskaming. And, from there, the entire northwest.

As the HBC moved inland from Moose Factory to open and work at posts to the south and west, the Métis “Factory Boys” and their families cut the trail, built the storehouse, and ran the trade. They were guides, interpreters, diplomats, and entrepreneurs.

And they endured. The Métis remained in northern Ontario and in the story of how this country was built. Because Canada is not Canada without the Métis. Today, Métis rights are a settled fact of law in Ontario.

This Indigenous Peoples Month, visit OntarioMétisFacts.com to learn more.

The conversation opens with a serious look at the growing undercurrent of separatist sentiment inside the United Conservative Party. They unpack the emotional pull of independence, the logistical realities of separation, and why this movement — once fringe — is now creeping toward the mainstream. They also explore the federal government’s role in fuelling some of this rage, and how Alberta’s energy economy keeps acting as both asset and anchor.

And then, the inevitable question that must be asked in any progressive conversation in this province: where the hell is Naheed Nenshi? Jen presses Dave on why the Alberta NDP is missing in action while the UCP is rolling out wildly controversial ideas. The moment is ripe. The opportunity is obvious. And yet... nothing.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it across the parking lot outside the nearest community centre in Calgary. We’ll take it.

And don’t forget: On The Line drops Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. Prefer to watch? Stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

Their conversation follows Prime Minister Mark Carney’s major announcement earlier this week: a historic, immediate increase in Canadian defence spending to hit the NATO target of 2% of GDP. Some of that figure is, yes, a little creative from an accounting perspective. But much of it is real new money — and the scope is massive. 

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. June is Indigenous History Month, a time to reflect on how Canada came to be.

When American forces marched north in the War of 1812, Métis in the Upper Great Lakes stood in defence of the lands and waters they called home. They fought at Fort Mackinac, at Sault Ste. Marie, and at St. Joseph Island alongside the British to protect what would become Canada. The Crown promised land and security in return. But when the war ended, those promises faded. Métis families who left Drummond Island to remain free from American rule reestablished themselves in Penetanguishene and Sault Ste. Marie. The British promised they’d be able to live free and undisturbed — only to have their land sold out from under them in the following decades. Still, they stayed, built homes, raised families, and held onto their rights.

In 2003, the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed what they had always known: that one of the Upper Great Lakes Métis settlements — the Sault Ste. Marie Métis community — holds rights protected under the Constitution.

For over two hundred years, Métis in the Upper Great Lakes have fought for this country, contributed to its economy, and defended their place in it. To learn more, visit OntarioMetisFacts.com.

But this isn’t about expanding capabilities. It’s about finally repairing a military that’s been allowed to decay. The money won't go as far as you might think. 

Matt and Christian unpack the geopolitical pressures driving the decision — and the political complacency that’s defined Canada’s defence posture for nearly 75 years. They talk about the procurement bottlenecks that will make implementation painful, the civil-military dynamics that will determine who’s actually accountable, and whether allies in Washington and Europe will be impressed. And finally, they get into the hard questions: how do you sustain this level of spending when Canada is already running structural deficits and showing little economic growth? And for Carney — is this a bold strategic play, or a long-term political gamble? Will the Canadian public really want to spend the amount of money all of this is going to cost?

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or forward it to your favourite defence procurement officer. They could probably use the morale boost.

And don’t forget: On The Line drops Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. Prefer to watch? Stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

Matt and Jen also reflect on the passing of Marc Garneau — a Canadian hero and, for many, a symbol of what our politics used to feel like. But even that moment of mourning sparked backlash online, with public anger toward the Trudeau era spilling over into places it doesn’t belong. The rage isn’t fading. It’s just finding new targets.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In the second segment, your hosts ask: can only Carney "go to China”? Or rather, can he take on major national challenges — like internal trade barriers, resource development, and a strained relationship with India — precisely because they’re problems the Liberals helped cause? There’s some evidence of a pivot already. And in late-breaking news, Narendra Modi has been invited to the G7. Matt and Jen ask the obvious question: was ending (alleged!) state-sponsored assassinations in Canada a precondition for the invite?

Finally, in Segment 3: the big, beautiful breakup. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are at war. Yes, it’s hilarious. But it’s also dangerous. Their falling out could unleash chaos — not just between their egos, but among their armies of online followers, institutional proxies, and political hangers-on. It’s going to get ugly. And the U.S. might feel the damage for a long time.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you’re enjoying the show, post about it online, tell a friend — or just mutter “only Carney can go to India” under your breath the next time you see a G7 headline. We’ll know what you mean.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the  Métis Nation of Ontario. In Northern Ontario, a Métis harvester checks his snares as his ancestors have done for generations. Meanwhile back in town, Métis leaders gather with government officials. They’ve been doing this for decades. Not because they were asked politely. But because the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2003 that Métis communities in Ontario exist, their Indigenous rights are real, and they must be respected. Métis rights in Ontario are settled in law and governments have a duty to consult them before decisions impacting their way of life are made. Whether it’s a new mine, transmission line, or legislative changes meant to fast-track projects, consultation with Indigenous peoples, including the Métis, cannot be skipped. The Métis helped built this country. They must be included in its growth. 

Visit OntarioMétisFacts.com to learn more.

In the second segment, they talk Royal Tea! Particularly the latest with William and Catherine; Meghan Markle/Sussex's latest projects, and Prince Harry whining on the BBC about his security needs. 

Parliament is back, the procedural stuff is over, and it’s go-time in Ottawa. Matt asks whether Carney is pushing hard enough out of the gate — how fast can this ship really go? Jen offers up a strange and oddly perfect anecdote from her family’s recent experience in Calgary that captures the challenge ahead. Matt warns her it’s 10 million times worse than she thinks. (You won't believe what the issue is. It's bonkers.)

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In the second segment, Matt reports back from the CANSEC defence conference in Ottawa. He’s impressed by the technology on display — drones, sensors, weapon systems — but worried that our political and procurement systems are still operating at a glacial pace. The war in Ukraine has shown how fast warfare is changing. Canada isn’t keeping up. Jen suggests that urgency will arrive as soon as someone’s bombing our cities. Cool.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

In the third and final segment, your Line editors dive into one of those long, winding, philosophy-meets-culture chats that you’ll either love or hate. If you just want the politics, you’re free to bail out now. But if you want some deep thoughts on the rise (and possible fall) of Jordan Peterson, and what it tells us about right-wing celebrity in the algorithm age… well, pour yourself a drink and settle in. It gets deep. In a good way.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it into the algorithm void. Maybe you'll end up being our next leading public intellectual on social media. 

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth. Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t. Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

First up, Matt Gurney speaks with Philippe Lagassé — associate professor at Carleton University and one of Canada’s top experts on the Crown — about the visit by King Charles to Canada. But more than that, they talk about the subtle tension between Ottawa and London. Phil explains how royal visits actually work, why Canada has the right to ask for one, and what happens when the Brits don’t exactly approve. Matt wonders if this is one of those true “Asshole Canada” moments — and Phil says it might be. He also says he'll be adding this visit to his lecture slides.

Next, David Shipley of Beauceron Security joins the show to talk about a recent wave of cyberattacks that took down grocery chains in the U.K. While those attackers seem to be financially motivated criminals, the fragility of food distribution systems is becoming alarmingly clear. David warns that if a hostile actor ever wanted to cripple a food supply, it wouldn’t take much — and based on what he’s seeing, Canada is not remotely ready for that scenario.

Finally, Matt has an extended conversation with Scott Clancy, a retired RCAF major-general, former director of operations at NORAD, and now a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. They walk through the so-called “Golden Dome” — the massive new U.S. missile defence effort. What threats is it actually meant to counter? How does it work? And can Canada seriously partner with the U.S. on this kind of program while Washington is simultaneously taking a more aggressive posture toward us? It’s a tough geopolitical moment, and Scott doesn’t dodge any of it.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or send it to your favourite monarchist or missile silo commander. We’re not picky.

And don’t forget: On The Line drops Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. If you’re more of a watcher than a listener, stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

First up: the new cabinet. There’s a new energy minister visiting Calgary, staffing delays across the board, and yes — god help us — Marco Mendicino is still around. That’s bad news for almost everyone, but possibly justice of a sort for Mendicino himself. They also start to sketch out what could prove to be Carney’s eventual undoing. Along the way, Matt makes a rare — and oddly impassioned — defence of Justin Trudeau: no, he says, Trudeau wasn’t great. But he wasn’t as bad as some Liberals now seem desperate to believe.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In the second segment, your hosts look ahead at the storm clouds gathering. A royal visit. A looming postal strike. And Jen has a message for the posties: doing this twice in one year might come back to bite you. Then Matt walks through Trump’s latest missile defence announcement — yes, the so-called “golden dome” — and raises a pointed question: is Canada about to join a multi-hundred-billion-dollar ballistic missile defence system? If so, is this an elbows-up or elbows-down moment? And more importantly: did anyone ask Mike Myers first?

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth. Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t. Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Finally, Matt and Jen turn to a grim and serious story: the brutal murder of two young Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. They discuss the how it really shouldn’t be this hard to stake out a moral position on this issue, and yet, some people sure did find a way to screw it up. From there, Matt explains how a cascading failure of institutions — police, courts, politics — has created a dangerous void in Canada. And, tragically, the people being failed first and hardest are Canadian Jews.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or yell it at the mail carrier before they go on strike. We’ll take it.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth. Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t. Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

In the second segment, they talk about how Perlich went from a gay southern Alberta farm boy, to almost-Jesuit, to a CBC producer and in-house Vatican analyst. They discuss the secular culture of newsrooms, and why journalists more inclined to view religion as a mental illness can't tear themselves away from the spectacle of a conclave. 

Lastly, they dig into the geopolitical implications of an American pope. Is he a Woke Pope? Or do Vatican politics transcend the earthly realm and the culture wars? 

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or just drop it into the group chat. You know the one.

And don’t forget: new On The Line episodes drop Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. Prefer to watch? Stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

From there, they move on to the first days of Mark Carney’s duly elected government. Matt is... fine. Everything that’s happening is exactly what he expected, and he finds that oddly reassuring. Jen is not fine. Because it’s exactly what Matt expected — and that’s the problem.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In the second segment, a rare note of patriotic pride: Matt and Jen agree that the actual machinery of Canadian democracy — voting, counting, elections — has typically worked very well. But this time around, there were issues. Not dramatic ones, but real ones. And if we want to keep the system trustworthy, we’re going to need to fix them — even if that means triggering a by-election or two just to make sure the count is clean.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Finally, it’s time for a vibe check. The cancel culture era has, by Jen and Matt’s reckoning, died a fast and richly deserved death. But the pendulum is already swinging — hard — and it’s going to crash back into the exact same authoritarian instincts, just with a different aesthetic. So once again, The Line will find itself taking fire from both sides. If you like having a podcast that still tries to make sense of things from somewhere in the sane zone, well ... you’d better like and subscribe. It’s the only way we stay uncancellable.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you’re enjoying the show, post about it, tell a friend, or shout it from whatever ideological trench you currently occupy. We’ll still be here, dodging the incoming.

First up, Ian Lee from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University joins Matt to talk about the so-called “deal” recently announced between the United States and China. Ian isn’t here to defend Donald Trump — and says so clearly — but he also offers a sharp take on how Trump’s erratic approach to trade could still end up a political win for the U.S. That is, of course, if Trump can stay out of his own way. 

If he can? If his plan works? The implications for Canada? Not great. Especially if you're a fan of the auto sector.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.

Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.

Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Later in the show, Jamie Carroll — Liberal member of The Line’s Anti-Panel — returns to talk about the first few weeks of Mark Carney’s term as prime minister. He and Matt unpack how the Liberals are settling into their new minority, what the Conservatives are doing (or not doing), and why the NDP still can’t seem to catch a break — even after all that’s happened.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or just drop it into the group chat. You know the one.

And don’t forget: new On The Line episodes drop Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. Prefer to watch? Stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

They start with Pierre Poilievre’s decision to run in an extremely safe riding and tap Andrew Scheer as the party’s interim House leader. Matt says both choices radiate loser energy. But he also mounts a reluctant defence of the Tories — agreeing, to his dismay, with the Twitter mob: the CPC can run better campaigns, but it can’t beat the bogeyman version of itself that lives rent-free in the heads of many Canadians. He argues that if Poilievre had gone to the Oval Office and done exactly what Mark Carney just did, word for word, the reaction would have been scorched-earth. But when Carney does it, it's praised (and Matt agrees that Carney did well!). Jen pushes back — hard. She says the Conservatives need to stop whining about perception gaps and just fix what they can fix. Fatalism is not a strategy.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In the second segment, they turn to the provinces. Matt delivers an update on Ontario, which is — by his account — a smouldering pile of nonsense. He brings a few choice examples. Then Jen takes a deeper dive into Alberta separatism and what’s fuelling it. They might take a few detours along the way, but you knew that already.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.

Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.

Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Finally, Jen surprises Matt with a gut-check on a theory she’s been turning over — something that crosses the wires between politics and religion. It’s going to make someone mad. But after a pause, Matt decides it’s probably not cancel-worthy. 

Probably.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. 

Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it across a church pew. We won’t judge.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.

Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.

Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Jen asks him outright if Israel can really trust America as its primary and most crucial ally. Moed highlights Israel's unique legal framework that accommodates diverse religious courts, contrasting it with Western perceptions. The discussion shifts to Canada's emergency visa program for Gaza residents, addressing the challenges faced at the Rafa border crossing. Moed also touches on geopolitical tensions affecting Canada's sovereignty and the international community's response. Finally, the conversation explores economic innovation, with Moed sharing insights on Israel's resilience and collaborative spirit in technology and problem-solving.

For more, visit ReadTheLine.ca. 

They start with what surprised them about the results and how the political map has scrambled in unexpected ways. Then, naturally, they pivot to constitutional monarchy. Why? Because it works. And because Matt is now on a mission to figure out how he can see the King when he comes to Ottawa to deliver the Speech from the Throne. He’s serious. He wants in. He'll wave little flags and everything.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

In segment two, Jen is furious about new legislation introduced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to lower the threshold required to trigger a referendum. Jen calls it chickenshit — and dangerous. She argues it opens the door for grifters and bad-faith actors to manipulate the process and vulnerable people. Matt wonders why the Alberta NDP is doing nothing with this gift-wrapped opportunity. And seriously: where is Naheed Nenshi? What, exactly, is he waiting for?

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth. Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t. Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more. 

Finally, your hosts turn to the fate of Pierre Poilievre. With the party licking its wounds, will a leadership fight break out? And if it does, will The Line take sides? No — but we will sell weapons to, and publish op-eds from, all factions. That is our declaration. We're just here for the content. So Conservatives? Fire up those typewriters. 

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it across a pub. That's what we do.

In the first half, they go tactical. Matt and Greg walk through the horse race numbers — who’s up, who’s down, and who pulled off a surprise. The Conservatives outperformed their polling numbers. The left-wing vote largely consolidated around the Liberals. And a few party leaders lost their seats in results that caught even close observers off guard. Greg brings the data. Matt brings the questions. Together they sketch out what actually happened on election night.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.

In the second half, they zoom out to a strategic overview. What does this election really mean? For the NDP, the road ahead is murky: do they rebuild slowly or try to bounce back fast by rolling the dice with an election ASAP? For the Conservatives, it’s an open question whether they’ll work with the Liberal minority — or move straight into siege mode. And for Mark Carney, the real challenge is just beginning. He has a minority government strong enough to last a while, but too fragile to do anything big or bold. Matt and Greg agree: this isn’t the worst-case scenario, but it’s pretty close. Canada remains stuck in political drift — and that drift could last a long time yet.

This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. For generations, Métis communities in Ontario helped build Canada’s first great economy — the fur trade. They farmed, traded, raised families, and fought for their rights. In 1993, they founded the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) to protect their future. In 2003, the Supreme Court affirmed their rights. In 2023, Canada recognized the MNO as the Métis Government in Ontario. Now, with a newly elected federal government, it’s time to move forward. The MNO is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to advance the government-to-government relationship; resolve outstanding historic Métis claims; improve access to health care, mental health, and addictions services; and invest in Métis housing, education, and infrastructure. Generations of leadership brought us here. It’s time to get it done. Learn more at OntarioMetisFacts.com.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or just drop it into the group chat. You know the one.

And don’t forget: new On The Line episodes are normally available Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social media channels. (We are delayed by one day this week due to the election.) If you prefer to watch, stay tuned tonight — and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

Matt kicks things off by previewing his upcoming final column before election day. He spoils it a little, of course. His basic argument? The Liberal pitch to voters rests on one of two assumptions: either Mark Carney is a once-in-a-generation political superweapon, or Justin Trudeau was uniquely, almost historically bad. Matt doesn’t buy the latter. And even if you accept it, he asks, what does it say about a party that enabled Trudeau for so long? The case for Carney, in the end, is also the case against Carney’s party.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.

Then Jen takes the mic to preview her own final column — and she isn’t pulling any punches. She lays into the Conservatives for blowing what could have been an easy win, letting grievances and resentments cloud their judgment. They also debate the state of the polls, where their interpretations diverge, and dig into the deeper generational divides shaping this election. Jen uses some, uh, vivid imagery to make her point. Matt is not impressed.

This episode is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. For the past five years, TikTok has been investing in Canada — hiring hundreds of employees for well-paying jobs in Toronto and Vancouver, and contributing over $1.4 billion in GDP to Canada's economy. However, TikTok has been ordered to shut down its Canadian operations. This will be a chilling precedent for global companies considering investing in Canada and will cost jobs in areas like software development and ad sales, which create opportunities for Canadians to work in global tech. It's in Canada's best interest to find a way forward that keeps local teams in place to support the success of Canadian creators, artists and small businesses on the platform. Whichever party forms government, it will have an opportunity to demonstrate that we're open for business, while addressing security concerns and fostering a thriving tech sector.Facts matter. Shutting down TikTok Canada eliminates jobs and stymies investments in Canada. Let's find a solution for TikTok that makes sense for Canadians.

Finally, your hosts bat cleanup on a few lingering election issues, before zooming out to the broader picture: how American political chaos has warped our own national discourse. But there’s a twist — Jen and Matt consider the possibility that American institutions might actually be starting to reassert themselves. And if so, why Canada’s best protection against the worst of Trump might, weirdly, be Trump himself.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. 

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.

They start with a deep dive into media access and how different parties are managing (or dodging) scrutiny. The Liberals are tightening the screws. The Conservatives are sticking to their message. Everyone’s walking a careful line — and that’s changing the way the campaign feels on the ground.

They also touch on the recent leaders’ debate: what worked, what didn’t, and how each leader showed up. Ling has thoughts on Mark Carney’s strategy, Pierre Poilievre’s performance, and what the entire spectacle tells us about voter sentiment heading into the final stretch. The two also explore Canadian housing policy, debate stage dynamics, and the often awkward role of the Debate Commission in the new media age.

This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's 1833 in Penetanguishene, five years since the Métis were forced to relocate from their home on Drummond Island. Métis families had petitioned for a church. They wanted ceremony and community. With their own hands, they raised St. Ann’s — a cedar log church where baptisms, marriages, and kinship ties would bind the Métis community across the generations. But they had no priest. So, they began to write letter after letter, advocating for the Métis community. Eventually, a priest arrived, beginning to formally record long-existing relationships within the Métis community, and generations of Métis families’ stories to come. Two hundred years later, St. Ann’s Church is now built of stone, but the Métis community in Penetanguishene will never forget its humble origins, which rallied their community in the wake of their 1828 relocation.

Historic Métis communities in Ontario are real. They are resilient. And they played an important part in building Canada. Learn more at OntarioMetisFacts.com.

Later in the episode, Jen is joined by Mike Colledge from Ipsos for the weekly update on the issues that are motivating the electorate as we head into the home stretch of this election. Mike looks into Ipsos's archive of data and gives Jen (and the listeners) a read on what the numbers are showing — and why tone, not just policy, might decide this election.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or just drop it into the group chat. You know the one.

And don’t forget: On The Line drops Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and social media. If you’re more of a watcher than a listener, keep an eye out tonight — and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.