The Line Podcast

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on February 7, 2025, your hosts take in the sight of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warning Canadians that he thinks Donald Trump is serious about annexing us ... but only doing it behind closed doors to a private business audience. And they just have to laugh. Or cry. Or both.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.Seriously. Does that sound like the sort of thing that maybe should be getting a bigger audience? Or has the Canadian compulsion toward managing communications so thoroughly eaten our brains that even a matter of national survival is now to be considered just a problem to be comms'd away? Your hosts also talk about Mark Carney, how our leaders are reacting (or not!) to the threat we face, and then Matt issues a challenge to any/all Canadian premiers willing to take up the task. He has a proposal for you all. And he's calling it the Ice Bucket Challenge for National Survival. Yes, it's come down to this.This episode has also been brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Forestry supports 200,000 Canadians in hundreds of communities, generating $87 billion in annual revenues and $37 billion in exports — including $29 billion to the United States. It's also key to addressing some of our biggest challenges. We need an action plan for our forest sector and its employees, one that will help build the homes we need with Canadian wood, reduce the risk of wildfires and create more family-supporting jobs right here at home. To learn more about what forestry can do for Canada, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.After that, your hosts spend some time on the shifting polling numbers, and why they aren't surprised ... and why the Conservatives also aren't worried, and shouldn't be, yet. They wrap up with an update from their respective provinces.Things could honestly be going better.YouTube: Spotify:Apple:And plenty more options here.Please sign up at those options not just for this episode, or future episodes of The Line Podcast, but so that you can also receive our new podcast series, On the Line, which will release new episodes every Tuesday morning. It’s gonna take us a while to master the algorithms, which only expect us to release content in the evenings. It would be hugely helpful for us every Tuesday morning if you would make a point of opening up the podcast in your app of choice and enjoying it. After a few weeks of this, our future computer overlords should get the point.In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode. It was a great way to start. Thanks for all your support. Talk to you soon. The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Thanks for checking out our first regular episode of On The Line, The Line's latest podcast offering. Each week, On The Line will bring you an extended conversation with Matt Gurney or Jen Gerson and a guest — or guests! — that can speak with authority on whatever is in the news.And this week, well. Like, look around. OMG. Do you have any idea how many times we had to redo our plans for this one? The week's episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Motion Picture Association of Canada. For decades, Ottawa controlled what is “Canadian” and what isn’t when it comes to series and movies available to Canadians. The rules are out of date and costing Canadians opportunities. It’s time for Ottawa to focus on helping Canadian film and TV workers, and encourage efforts to showcase Canada. To learn more visit mpa-canada.org.All kidding aside, and we suspect our viewers and listeners will understand, we had to change our plans like nine times before recording this, trying to keep up with developments. But we stuck the landing! More or less? Unless something else happens overnight? Our first guest is Stephen Gordon, a professor of economics at Laval University. He joins this week's host Matt Gurney to talk about what Trump's tariff war would mean for Canada. How it would hurt. How Canada would adapt. How you can adapt. And also what would happen if this goes ahead and escalates. It's not great news. But it might not be as bad as you fear.For clarity: when we recorded this, the tariffs were still happening, but we knew there was a chance they’d be lifted. There was a lot going on! We treated it as something that would happen, but Stephen also told us why even the U.S. would be keen to avoid them …This week's episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. The Métis in what is now Ontario were not just traders or voyageurs — they were strategists and warriors ready to defend their lands and water from invaders. Their contributions in the War of 1812 shaped the borders of a future Canada. To learn more, go to OntarioMetisFacts.com.Our next guest is P.J. Fournier, creator of 338Canada. (Check out his main page at 338Canada.com, and also his newsletter at 338Canada.ca.) P.J. gives us an update on federal polling, and addresses why some of it seems so wonky. He also gives us an update on two provinces — Ontario already has an election underway, and next door in Quebec, an unpopular premier is no doubt watching to see if his pal Doug pays a price for calling an early vote ...As always, like and subscribe. And we'll see you next week for the next installment of On The Line.On The Line will be distributed through the same channels as The Line Podcast, which will continue to release episodes on Friday. To never miss an episode of either of our offerings, you should obviously sign up here at ReadtheLine.ca, but you can also follow us at the more most popular podcast viewing/listening destinations.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:And plenty more options here.Thanks for being part of the journey that has made it possible for The Line to begin expanding our content offerings. We hope you enjoy this episode, and don’t miss us next week. We’ll be back with more On The Line. Hopefully producing that episode will involve less, you know, news. The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Jan. 31, 2025, we've gotta be honest. Your Line editors could be doing a bit better. Jen had dental surgery. Matt has norovirus and potentially a concussion. But they showed up and did the thing anyway. We love you all that much.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 off with the Foreign Interference report, which didn't tell us a ton that we didn't already know. We know a lot of people thought it was going to be the end of Pierre Poilievre. This would appear not to be the case. Jen walks us through the findings and why she is totally underwhelmed by the recommendations. We don't think a lot of it will surprise you.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. TikTok Canada has a team of hundreds of local employees supporting the success of Canadian creators, businesses and advertisers. The federal government, however, has ordered TikTok to shut down its Canadian offices. Shutting down TikTok Canada doesn't make Canadians safer — but it does eliminate jobs and investments in this country. Learn more here.They also talk about the latest developments in the Liberal leadership race, including yet more disavowals of plans and proposals that would have been Liberal party orthodoxy all of three months ago. Matt says the party is reeling under the weight of its own refusal to do unpleasant things when they were still just unpleasant, and instead they waited to do them when they'd be catastrophic. Good work. And they end with the latest from Washington, as Trump gets set, maybe, hit us with tariffs. It's a busy day, guys. What can we say?All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. As always, like, subscribe. And send Matt some soup. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Jan. 24, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson make some utterly bonkers proposals. And they want you to make some, too. 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.Your hosts get you started by talking about the latest developments in the ongoing Liberal leadership race. They make some observations and get you all caught up on the latest from Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland, but what they really ask for, and they're asking you, too, are suggestions on radical things Canada can do to become ruthless scary. Literally. How can Canada fight? How can we make Donald Trump think twice? How can we make China and Russia decide we aren't worth the hassle of messing with? This would require some pretty radical changes, but if our politicians mean it when they keep saying that all options are on the table, well, great. Let's put some absolutely psychotic stuff on the table and dare the world to respond."Canada's back" needs to stop being a promise and a quip, an applause line for preening Canadian officials basking in the warm glow of cozy international summits. "Canada's back" needs to become a threat. We've got some ideas. What do you have?This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. TikTok Canada has a team of hundreds of local employees supporting the success of Canadian creators, businesses and advertisers. The federal government, however, has ordered TikTok to shut down its Canadian offices. Shutting down TikTok Canada doesn't make Canadians safer — but it does eliminate jobs and investments in this country. Learn more here.They wrap up by getting everyone caught up on what the premiers are up to. Some of it is good. We just aren't sure a lot of it is deliberate.Anyway. Make Canada Scary Again.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Jan. 17, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson try and remember all the things that happened this week. Because it was a busy one!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.First, your hosts spend some time discussing the (at last) official start of Mark Carney's political career. They talk about the choice to launch on Jon Stewart's American late-night show, and it was indeed quite the choice. They talk about polls which show a slight tightening of what had seemed an imminent Conservative landslide, but they aren't sold on it yet (though the Liberals will bounce a bit, we suspect, especially as the leadership race gets attention). They talk about Carney's resume, and Pierre Poilievre's, and why they aren't as mismatched as some want you to believe. And Matt notes that he hasn't seen progressive voters as excited about a replacement candidate since ... the summer. With Kamala Harris. Remember how that turned out?This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. TikTok Canada has a team of hundreds of local employees supporting the success of Canadian creators, businesses and advertisers. The federal government, however, has ordered TikTok to shut down its Canadian offices. Shutting down TikTok Canada doesn't make Canadians safer — but it does eliminate jobs and investments in this country. Learn more at here. Jen and Matt then gab about why they think it would be good for national unity if "Team Canada" didn't seem to always mean "Alberta sacrifices." Seriously. Can someone let us know when anyone is proposing an export ban on Ontario auto parts or B.C. lumber or Atlantic fish? STOP IT. YOU ARE RUINING THE COUNTRY.Last but not least, they offer their final thoughts on the Biden years and the imminent re-inauguration of Donald Trump. We're sure it's gonna go great!Sigh.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Jan. 10, 2025, your hosts take in the week that was. Justin Trudeau's semi-resignation five days ago has been all that anyone has wanted to talk about this week. So we do that, and also wonder what it tells us about the modern Liberal party that they allowed this to drag on as long as they did.Nothing good!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 also chat a bit about the Liberal leadership race. Things were moving fast as your hosts gabbed so they were careful not to weigh in too deeply lest news developments outpace them. But Matt has some thoughts about Christy Clark, former premier of some province he forgets, and Jen has some thoughts on Chrystia Freeland. Don't, Liberals. Just don't.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. TikTok Canada has a team of hundreds of local employees supporting the success of Canadian creators, businesses and advertisers. The federal government, however, has ordered TikTok to shut down its Canadian offices. Shutting down TikTok Canada doesn't make Canadians safer — but it does eliminate jobs and investments in this country. Learn more here.After that, they talked about the latest ruminations from Donald Trump, and what it means for Canadian identity. It got dark. Matt thought Jen should go have a cheese stick to perk up her mood a bit. Snacks always help.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded very early on Dec. 30, 2024, your hosts make the best of a weird situation. Here's the thing: we are both going on holiday now. Matt is leaving the country. Jen is going down her hobbyist rabbit holes. But we wanted to get you guys an episode. How do we do that when we won't be able to respond to breaking news events?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. Normally we record our episodes as close as possible to the time of publication. This week, we didn't bother. We took this opportunity to respond to your questions. Specifically, the questions from our paid-up subscribers, which they left right here at ReadtheLine.ca. The questions were fantastic and we couldn't get to all of them. But we got to as many as we could. We talk politics! We talk culture! We even answer a few questions about ourselves.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. TikTok Canada has a team of hundreds of local employees supporting the success of Canadian creators, businesses and advertisers. The federal government, however, has ordered TikTok to shut down its Canadian offices. Shutting down TikTok Canada doesn't make Canadians safer — but it does eliminate jobs and investments in this country. Click here to learn more.We had a lot of questions about what Pierre Poilievre will be like as PM. A lot of questions about just how low the Liberals can go. And a few questions about just our personal hobbies and interests. Including one Matt knew would make Jen mad.But overall, it was tons of fun. We'll figure out a way to answer the rest of your questions at a later time. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon! And! Happy New Year! All the best for 2025. Here’s hoping we get a lot more alien content, or at least some spy balloons. Those were great. The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Dec. 27, 2024, your hosts snack on stocking candy and give listeners a quick update on all that's been happening this week. And a bunch of stuff has been happening!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 main topic is the fact that Justin Trudeau has seemingly succeeded, at least temporarily, in escaping his critics within his own party. He survived Freeland Week. He made it to the holidays. But ... why? What is he hanging on for? What purpose is served by dragging this out another day, week or month? Matt says the entire Liberal party reminds him right now of one of those terrible tragedies when someone is hanging onto a bouncy castle or balloon that has become unmoored. The smart thing to do is to let go right away, fall a little bit and maybe bust a leg. If you hang on a few extra seconds, you get too high and probably end up dead. The PM and his caucus have already hung on too long. But they can always fall further! They also chat about how the Conservatives are trying to use some procedural stuff to force an election as soon as possible. It might not work. But the pressure on the PM keeps ratcheting up.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by the Digital Media Association. Costs are going up everywhere, and now streaming could cost you more. Why? Because the federal government has decided to tax your streaming services. This new tax could make life even more unaffordable. To learn more, visit Scrapthestreamingtax.ca.Next up: the latest out of the U.S., where president-elect Donald Trump is only 24 days from taking office. He's talking about buying Greenland and taking control of the Panama Canal again. Matt has another proposal, and he's semi-serious: the moon! Go colonize the moon! That can be his Louisiana Purchase! The first extra-planetary president! Your hosts also talk about the best way of handling Trump's pressure on Canada. Jen has absolutely zero patience for the people who are only now realizing that maybe Canadian sovereignty was worth investing in and defending all along.A special note: our next podcast is going to be recorded a few days early so that we can both take a vacation. It won't be possible to stay current with the news. So we're going to have some fun with it. Paid subscribers only, a special reward just for you: leave us questions in the comments below this episode, and Jen and Matt are going to answer them in the next episode. This is a perk only for our paid subscribers; questions on other platforms will be ignored with extreme prejudice. Your questions can be for both hosts, or either. They can be serious or fun. We’ll record early next week before we take a sustained break for a few days and then we’ll be publish the next episode as usual next Friday, as our first show in 2025.So now, more than ever, like and subscribe (so you can comment). Happy New Year, and thanks for a great year here at The Line.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

A note from The Line: We are going to attempt to begin our vacation now. Our plan for the next two weeks is to run our holiday “gratitude” series of articles, where The Line and friends of The Line share some things they’re happy about as one year ends and another begins. It’s a nice little palate cleanser as one year enters another. We will release episodes of The Line Podcast on the usual schedule. But we won’t be dispatching … unless something big happens in the news. And that doesn’t seem that farfetched, eh? In any case, we want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, and happy holidays, for those who prefer to keep it generic. Thanks for another great year here at The Line.In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Dec. 20, 2024, your hosts are honestly just embarrassed. This is embarrassing. It's unhealthy and it's getting kind of scary.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.First up, of course, is their best guess at the latest in Ottawa. The PM is hanging on. Jen thinks he'll never leave. Matt isn't so sure. They talk about the cabinet and how pathetic a spectacle it is to see grown men like Rob Oliphant, Matt's MP, so overtly begging to be picked for cabinet ... and then failing. They talk speculation and buzz. They talk cabinet picks. They talk leadership drama. And they talk just how cringe it is to see adults acting this way. They also talk about how Justin Trudeau and his enablers did this to themselves. They have no one else to blame, but the country is going to pay the price for their hubris. It's bad.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by the Digital Media Association. Costs are going up everywhere, and now streaming could cost you more. Why? Because the federal government has decided to tax your streaming services. This new tax could make life even more unaffordable. To learn more, visit Scrapthestreamingtax.ca.Next they talk some of the other big problems this country has that no one is paying attention to, because our entire government is focused on devouring itself alive. They talk more horrifying anti-Semitic violence in Toronto. They talk Trump's trolling of Canada. They talk about the collapse in Canadian national pride. These are all important issues. No one is paying attention to them, though, because, like, Trudeau, in or out, right? God help us.Finally, a quick update on plans for the holidays, and our thanks to all the people who make this possible.YouTube:(The YouTube version of this episode has been delayed by a technical issue, and not on our end. We’re working on it. In the meantime, please find our main YouTube page here and subscribe to it so that you’ll get the episode as soon as it’s live, which we believe will be later tonight. We will put out a separate post with the video once it’s live.)Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Dec. 13, 2024, Jen Gerson comes crashing back down to reality. Last week, she was feeling better about everything. She thought Trudeau was figuring it out. She thought the premiers were going to play their parts. She thought Team Canada would rally to take on Donald Trump.She doesn't think that anymore. Matt Gurney is glad to have her back.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.There's a lot else to discuss. They deal with breaking stories not once but twice during this episode. The federal government has ordered the post office back to work. They chat about that briefly. Jen's Christmas cards are saved, to Matt's enormous relief. They also react to a new poll showing that Canadians are feeling pretty down on their country. They also chat a lot about how different premiers are responding to Donald Trump's tariff threats. Doug Ford and Danielle Smith take some criticism. Scott Moe gets some praise. Francois Legault gets laughed at, but also gets some praise.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by the Digital Media Association. Costs are going up everywhere, and now streaming could cost you more. Why? Because the federal government has decided to tax your streaming services.This new tax could make life even more unaffordable. To learn more, visit ScrapTheStreamingTax.ca.Also on the agenda today: is Trump going full manifest destiny on us, or is he just trolling Trudeau? Or both? How is Trudeau handling it? What do we make of rumours coming out of Ottawa about Chrystia Freeland being on the way out and Rachel Notley on the way in?And, also, while we're on the topic: don't shoot CEOs. Just don't.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like, subscribe, share, leave glowing reviews and come back often. Tell all your friends! If you think they can handle it.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded a day early — and when has that ever backfired on us?! — on Dec. 5, 2024, your hosts start with a talk about what happened after we did the last episode. Justin Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with president-elect Donald Trump. Jen feels better. Matt doesn't. They discuss.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.Matt also hits Jen with a surprise "vibe" question. He told her before they clicked record that he was going to ask her about federal politics. He didn't tell her what he was going to ask, so you'll get to hear her reaction to the question as she hears it. We won't tell you what she says, but we'll tell you the question: Is Pierre Poilievre high in the polls because Canadians are sick of the Liberals, or is he actually ... popular? At least among some Canadians? (Enough Canadians, apparently.) You'll have to tune in to see how Jen answers. But Matt agrees with her.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by the Digital Media Association. Costs are going up everywhere, and now streaming could cost you more. Why? Because the federal government has decided to tax your streaming services.This new tax could make life even more unaffordable. To learn more, visit ScrapTheStreamingTax.ca.From there, your hosts move onto some more examples of the Canada-is-not-good-at-governmenting file. Both your hosts bring an example. And then they pivot to a theory Matt has, which he hangs off the non-response to the latest Liberal gun-control announcement: no one cares what this government says or does anymore. No one bothers listening. Everyone is already planning for the next government and going through the motions with this one. The Liberals have been tuned out. They're a dead government walking, and everyone knows it.Except, maybe, the Liberals themselves.Lots of fun!YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on November 29, 2024, BEFORE JUSTIN TRUDEAU WENT TO MAR-A-LAGO!!!, your co-hosts look hard and deep into the Canadian news and just ... sigh. They sigh. They also giggle a bit, but it was bad giggling. You know?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 first topic, as you'd imagine, was the announcement by president-elect Donald Trump that he would be targeting Canada, Mexico and China with a 25-per-cent tariff upon taking office. Like, immediately upon taking office. The hosts don't actually spend a lot of time talking about that. They spend more time talking about how Canadian officials are responding to the announcement. And they aren't encouraged. To give you all a bit of a heads-up on where the conversation goes, Matt asks listeners and viewers to imagine a gigantic snake devouring a penguin. Guess what? We're the penguin. Matt and Jen also mock each other's provinces.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by the Digital Media Association. Costs are going up everywhere, and now streaming could cost you more. Why? Because the federal government has decided to tax your streaming services.This new tax could make life even more unaffordable. To learn more, visit ScrapTheStreamingTax.ca.They also talk about Matt's recent trip to Halifax, for the Halifax International Security Forum. When we recorded our last podcast, Matt had arrived in Halifax, but he hadn't yet attended the event. Having returned, he has lots of interesting things to share. But also a bit of bad news: Mélanie Joly, our top diplomat, became talk-of-the-event for a bad reason after being gutted like a fish on stage by a man who ... wanted a specific answer to a specific question. She isn't cut out for the world we're in now. But she is, sadly, also pretty emblematic of the Trudeau style of governance.Which leads us to our third topic: we send a message right to the federal Liberals. For the love of God, you gormless weasels. You dessicated husks of once-humans who now roam the halls of Parliament like spirits, passing through solid objects and rattling your chains as you hand out rebate cash like zombie game show hosts. You need to stop doing this. This country is adrift. We are rudderless at the very top. You are hurting us. You are hurting the country. If that isn't enough to get you to just end this charade, why isn't the fact that you're humiliating yourselves enough? What's wrong with you?And finally, they wrap up with a quick chat about their weeks. Highs and lows, folks.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Hello, viewers and listeners of The Line Podcast. Your hosts cover a ton of issues this week, including one that leaves Jen in literal tears of outrage and indignation. Or something like 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.The first topic is the latest, humiliating phase of Justin Trudeau's slow decline. He's announcing temporary tax breaks and handing out rebate cheques in a desperate attempt to shore up his fading political fortunes. It's terrible policy, as even some normally Liberal-friendly people will acknowledge, but it's also just so patently desperate and craven that we doubt it'll even be good politics. Recall what we said directly to our Liberal friends in recent episodes of the podcast: this doesn't get better. It only gets worse and more painful and more humiliating. A PM who came into power as a leading figure of the triumphant global progressive movement is now reduced to Doug-Ford-esque impersonations of a daytime game show host. And worse is always possible.Up next, your hosts tackle two other major federal stories. A new big poll from a reliable company is out, and shows no evidence of any "Trump Bump" for the Liberals. Which we've been trying to tell y'all would be the case. Also: we share our shock and horror at an absolutely appalling nickname we heard for the latest man to tumble out of Trudeau's cabinet, and also opine on how the PMO's handling of this political fiasco is cause for alarm. If they can barely figure out how to handle a pretty bog-standard political scandal, are we confident that they can handle what's happening to our world? Friends, we are not confident. Not confident at all.Last up, Matt explains why he has left the comforting confines of the Centre of the Universe to visit one of his other favourite Canadian cities. He's in Halifax, for the Halifax International Security Forum, an annual gathering of allied military leaders and other defence and geopolitical experts. (And he thanks the organizers for inviting him back once more.) It's a great place for Matt to be as he and Jen discuss how Canada is responding thus far to Trump's win, specifically, why they have a bad feeling that Mélanie Joly doesn't realize she's be punted down to the kiddie table. They also chat about the ICC issuing arrest warrants for senior officials. They aren't that confident in Canada's response on that score, either.Sigh.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Nov. 15, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson take in a week that was incredibly busy, but also felt shockingly quiet. Maybe it's because we're all still deafened by all the news from last week?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.First up: a quick review of what U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has already announced in terms of key staffing positions in his cabinet and White House political team. Some of them are very good, even if they might pose particular problems for Canada. Others are just bonkers. Jen remembers enough of Trump 1 to suggest that the bonkers is the point. Feature, not bug.Matt takes over then and offers Jen a theory. He has been reading up about why certain large U.S. cities moved sharply toward the GOP this cycle, and agrees with an American columnist who suggested it was a rejection from the actual policy failures of progressive municipal leaders in the U.S., who are too captured by the appeal of what they're trying to do in theory to ever admit that it's failing in practice. Matt warns that that is likely to play out in Canada, and they then chat about how, across a number of fronts, Canada works in theory. But not in practice. And if we're going to survive Trump 2, we want to survive in practice. Not just in theory.Next: two grim stories out of the GTA this week remind us anew of why our Jewish friends and family are so stressed out these days. It's not encouraging, folks. The trendlines are bad. Then Jen wraps it all up by proposing a radical suggestion: don't ruin Remembrance Day by trying to make it into something it's not. Just let it be what it is.Dangerous thinking, eh?YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Nov. 8, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson provided viewers and listeners with the scintillating experience of a sustained bout of silence, because they have no idea what to say.Like, they also talk and stuff, but, like, wow. Right?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.First up: a chat about the vibe. The feels. What they are thinking and feeling since the decisive electoral victory of Donald Trump over Kamala Harris this week. They take a look at the latest available numbers, and note the broader societal and political trends that they speak to. They discuss Trump's failures as a human being, and why the Democrats still somehow managed to convince 75 million people that they were fine, or even virtues. They talk about history, and how it feels when one age transforms into another.It's all very uplifting.Next: they zoom in on Canada, and speculate about what's next for us. Trump won't have Canada at the top of his shit list, but we might not be all that far from the top, given how Justin Trudeau and his government have made many public comments about Trump that we suspect the president-elect remembers. We talk about how Canada actually (and sincerely!) excelled at adapting itself to a global order that is now dead, and how we should have begun hedging our bets years ago. But we didn't, so now we need to adjust right now, all at once. And we aren't sure the Trudeau government will survive the G-forces such a sudden pivot is going to create.Last up, and still on the topic of a changing world, your hosts note with alarm and sadness the pogrom in Amsterdam this week. And they add it to the list of things that Canadian officials ought to be worried about, but don't seem to be.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded during the week of Oct. 28, 2024, Matt Gurney finds a way to make a podcast without Jen Gerson. And, it turns out, it involves bringing in Jen Gerson.Okay, okay, let us explain: this episode of the podcast is different than normal since Jen is in Israel. So for the first segment, she joins Matt from her hotel room in Jerusalem for a talk about what she has seen overseas (and she has seen more than planned!) and also, how it's left her feeling. Feeling about the conflict itself, of course, but also feeling about humanity. 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.Matt still had a whole podcast to fill, though, so after his chat with Jen, he got by with a little help from his friends. First up was David Shipley, an old friend and colleague of Matt's who is a former reporter, former soldier and, today, a cybersecurity expert at Beauceron Security, where he is co-founder and CEO. David recently saw a story in the CBC that made his blood run hot — the Canada Revenue Agency has timidly and belatedly acknowledged a major error, and the official reaction was ... nothing? No one cared. David wants us to get mad. Matt thinks he's right.Next, Matt is joined by two friends, who happen to be seasoned political operatives. He has been wanting to get someone to answer — on the record! — a question about what it feels like to lose a campaign. What it feels like when a war room knows it's all going wrong. When the bad news keeps coming. When a winnable campaign starts to slip through your grasp. He has had a hard time finding people who wanted to talk about that — because, honestly, it's asking them to relive something that was upsetting and maybe even traumatic.But he finally found his people! Mitch Heimpel is a regular contributor to The Line, and a consultant today, but spent years inside the Conservative Party of Canada as a staffer and war-room guy. He's with public-affairs firm Enterprise Canada. Erin Morrison has been a political communicator and strategist in two legislatures and at the House of Commons for over a decade, working for multiple NDP leaders. She’s been the director of communications and campaign deputy director on campaigns across Canada and federally. She’s the founder of Morrison Comms Inc.It's an unusual episode of The Line Podcast, but we think a pretty good one, and we hope you enjoy it. God willing, Jen will be back to Calgary safe and sound by next week, and we'll get back to our normal episodes, but we hope this one tides you over. Like and subscribe! Tell all your friends! YouTube:(A note to YouTube viewers: forgive Matt's frequent wardrobe changes — all of these segments were recorded on different days, as the schedules of the various participants allowed.)Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 24, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.(This is now the seventh episode in a row where we've used that intro. It still applies. Let's see how many weeks we can get away with 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.The big story this week was the caucus coup/mutiny/insurrection/kerfuffle that ... wasn't. After weeks of speculation, the restless Liberals didn't even take their best shot. They basically wimped out and the PM thanked them for their donation. Sorry, we meant for their comments. We don't rule out there being another flare up later, especially if the polls remain so bleak, But if nothing else, the PM has a bit more breathing room than before. Matt told Jen that he thinks the lame mutineers have basically handed Pierre Poilievre the next election. And they probably, on some level, know that.Also this week: a long talk about what the LPC used to change the channel from their internal problems. They've announced a big cut to immigration targets, and have come as close as they ever do to admitting they screwed up. But they're taking responsibility in such a grudging and timid way that it's reminding Matt of another election he can remember. It didn't go well for the incumbents. Jen also underlines, correctly, that the damage is done. The cut announced this week will feel big for the Liberals. But it won't be nearly big enough to actually begin to address the problems we now have. Those are baked in for years to come.They end by chatting about two provincial elections that took place in recent days. In B.C., who knows? In New Brunswick, at least, we have a clear result!All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 18, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.(This is now the sixth episode in a row where we've used that intro. It still applies. Let's see how many weeks we can get away with 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 Ottawa, well, gosh. That was a lot. Matt and Jen discuss, at length, what came out of the foreign interference inquiry this week. That includes everything Matt covered in his column, but also some of what he did not cover in the column, because there was just no way that any one article could even scratch the surface on that shitshow. They also chat about the serious allegations Canada has made against India, and why they find them plausible ... and why they wish the Conservatives and some of the right-leaning members of the media would stop treating this as a ploy by Justin Trudeau. It isn't. Stop saying it is. They also chat about the continuing signs of the Liberal party coming unglued, and politely request that the Liberals either toss Trudeau or stop talking about it, because we're getting bored.Also: Jen checks out an Associated Press report on MAID, and is concerned. Matt is less concerned, but admits he's the weirdo. They also talk about how Canada had a pretty good thing going with immigration for a while, but ... we broke it. And that's lousy. They end with two small notes: Jen with a shoutout to a viewer who asked a good question, and Matt offers a brief reflection on working with journalist Robert Fulford, who passed away this week. Our condolences to his family. All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Programming Note: There will be no written dispatch this weekend, as we will be travelling for family events for the holiday. To all of our readers, happy Thanksgiving!In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 11, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.(This is now the fifth episode in a row where we've used that intro. It still applies. Let's see how many weeks we can get away with 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.On the federal front this week: your hosts start by talking about two big stories that speak to the overall state of things. First, the latest from the Foreign Interference inquiry reminds Matt of what he concluded after reading the Johnston Report: that the government's only remaining defence on foreign interference is that they are too incompetent to be corrupt, malicious or traitorous. They also talk about a new article in the Toronto Star that left them both trying to figure out if the Liberals are delusional, or if they've simply given up.In other federal news, your hosts also chat about three stories this week — a Liberal MP blowing up a committee meeting with profanity, some unusually blunt comments by the foreign affairs minister, and the Conservatives grilling a CTV exec on Parliament's time — and conclude that the longer this goes on, the worse this is going to end up looking for everyone. This government is done, guys. All that's going to happen from here on out is further humiliation and self-abasement.To wrap up, Jen asks Matt whether or not being crazy is increasingly a political advantage. And to his horror, he could not confidently answer "No." So that's not great.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Programming note, for everyone who missed it above, and that’s definitely some of you: there will be no written dispatch this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 4, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard. (This is now the fourth episode in a row where we've used that intro. It still applies. Let's see how many weeks we can get away with 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.On the federal front this week: things remain dysfunctional and it’s hard to imagine this lasting for much longer. But it probably will. For our sins. The rumours about the Liberals proroguing are getting louder. The Bloc seems ready to side with the Tories to bring the government down (and combined, they just might be able to do it, if the broke NDP abstains). The Liberals found themselves on the right side of an issue this week, and good for them. But Matt still thinks they are starting to give up. Jen explains why she is mad at the Tories this week. And it’s a big mad.In other federal news, the Liberals have a plan to save the CBC. Or maybe a plan to have a plan. Both your hosts call bullshit on that. It’s way, way too late and this government is way, way too tapped out to take on a file that complex. But they’ll do it to help fend off Conservative attacks whenever the next election lands. It won’t work. But they’ll try. After that, your hosts do a vibe check and conclude that that swinging culture pendulum is gonna keep right on swinging for the next decade or so. Oh, also. Jen has some advice for Danielle Smith on the matter of the United States Air Force turning all the frogs gay or controlling our minds (or both).Sigh.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 26, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard. (This is now the third episode in a row where we've used that intro. It still applies. Let's see how many weeks we can get away with 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.On the federal front this week: shit gets crazy, and, strangely, shit also gets discussed in Parliament. So that's great. The Liberals survived the confidence vote, and the Conservatives are preparing the next. The Bloc lays out their terms, and they're ... a lot. The NDP seems content to keep the Liberals in power, but they're going to need to work on their cover story. And in the background, we have Tory MPs cracking juvenile gay jokes, the PM losing it in the House, the health minister clutching his pearls so tightly they turned into diamonds, and lots, lots more.God. So, so much more.The other big story this week: CTV News and the Tories have been trading broadsides after someone(s) at CTV manipulated a Poilievre quote in a misleading way. This is, to state the obvious, bad. But the CPC, of course, has escalated, because of course they did. That's what they do. That's what all the parties do. We keep telling you this, and we keep meaning it: every incentive for all the parties will lead to ever-further escalation and enshittification of everything because, in the short term, it works. It always works. And we all pay the price.Important note: because this was recorded early on Thursday (Matt is travelling this weekend, which blew up our usual Friday recording time), we did not yet know — it had not yet happened! — that CTV News was going to release a statement Thursday evening accepting responsibility and noting, vaguely, that the two employees responsible were no longer with CTV News. We think our thoughts hold up, but we wanted to flag that for you, for the sake of accuracy and transparency.After that, they chat about Trudeau going on The Late Show, and firearms. Don't worry, it makes sense.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 20, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard. (Except for the date, the above was copy and pasted directly from last week's episode summary. It still applies. Let's see how many weeks we can get away with 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.On the federal front this week: a confidence vote looms, and Justin Trudeau will likely survive, but he may one day come to wish he hadn't. Jagmeet Singh seems to want to pick fights — literally — with people. The Bloc is ruthlessly and pragmatically preparing to suck every dime they can out of Canada, and who can blame them? Liberals need to remember how to stage a coup. And the Tories are just gonna keep doing what they're doing. Your hosts agree that this all might go poof quickly, but Matt lays out a theory that explains that this could, in fact, last for a year. Or longer.So that'll be lots of fun. After that, they chat about the Canadian economy — the good, the bad and the ugly. Jen basically converts to communism without realizing it about halfway through the segment. Next, they talk "Operation Grim Beeper," and Matt explains a happy scenario about how a tactic like that could be used on us. And last but not least, they catch you up on the latest skirmish inside the Canadian media. So far, everyone is mostly behaving like an adult? How rare.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 13, 2024 — Friday the 13th, spooky! — your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.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.Like, where should they start? Singh finishing the job Trudeau started and putting a stake through the heart of the carbon tax (at least, as we know it)? Should they talk about Mark Carney and his new job? Should Matt read Jen a hilarious quote where a Liberal MP, probably without realizing it, actually made an extremely frank and fair comment about the party's electoral chances and why they're in trouble? Should Matt urge the Liberals to try and salvage their dignity and their souls, if not their government?Well! Good news! They talk about all those things!And more! Jen read a book review and found a surprisingly juicy bit of gossip — or at least hints of one. Jen also saw that the Conservatives are planning their own version of online harms legislation, and she has a hunch they might stick the landing. And Matt closes the podcast by noting, that with their government in absolute disarray and only months left on the clock, the Liberals have chosen this moment — right now! — to start a conversation about reforming the CBC.Sure, guys, that's a great idea, and you totally have the political bandwidth, intellectual capital, time, and a stable enough parliament to pull it off. 10/10 thinking, guys, excellent plan, and it's gonna go great for you. Sigh.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 6, 2024, your hosts lament that the first week back to the grind was, in fact, extremely grindy. Lots of breaking news on the federal political front, both with CASA collapsing and the PMO losing a major figure. They try and assess what the hell is going to happen next. And they have no easy answers.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, your hosts talk about a bombshell report from the U.S., which alleges — with an awful lot of supporting evidence, we note — that a series of right-wing media personalities were being funded by Russia, to advance Russian state aims. Yuor Line hosts are extremely unsurprised by this, and expect we will see this ripple north into Canada (it has already, in some ways). Matt has words of warning for anyone thinking this is entirely a right-wing problem, though. It isn't. And we're just starting to really dare take a hard look at it.They wrap up with a chat about why Canada can't get things done, and why Twitter now thinks Matt is an alcoholic. Fun stuff.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.Note: The transcription is borked again. Not sure what the issue is, but it’s not on our end. Check out the YouTube page for the transcript. Sorry!YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest, Labour-Day-weekend edition of The Line Podcast, recorded late on August 29th, 2024, Jen Gerson visibly wilts before Matt Gurney's eyes as the summer-time cold she's battling decisively wins that battle. But before Jen collapses, they start with a quick political round-up from the provinces: chaos in B.C., shock among Ford critics in Ontario, and a controversial announcement in Alberta that Jen agrees may be bad, but not for the reasons people are saying. 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, your Line editors talk about the summer — not like what they did during the summer, but how they felt the political vibe is as the summer (alas) draws to its conclusion. They both agree that the federal Liberals more or less did what they needed to do. They survived! But they glance at the latest polls and conclude that we're likely right back where we left off at the end of June, with the Liberals once again facing down reports of internal discontent and mutinous feelings while the CPC maintains a lead in the 15-20 per cent range. They end with something of a pop quiz from Matt to Jen, and she was really delighted to be hit with a surprise question as her immune system collapsed in real time. But they both shared their best guesses on what Justin Trudeau's "Hail Mary" play will be in what time he has left. Matt suggests we're already starting to see it, in fact.All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. NOTE FROM THE LINE: With the long weekend upon us, The Line is returning to a normal publication schedule as of Tuesday (assuming Jen isn't in a coma). There will be no written dispatch this weekend, but we'll get one out early next week. And then back to the grind. We hope our readers, listeners and viewers had an amazing summer, and thank them, as always, for their support.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded a day earlier than normal on August 22nd, 2024, after Jen Gerson offers up some shockingly TMI stuff, your hosts start by noting, with amusement, that Jagmeet Singh, leader of the federal NDP, tried once again to tweet about how mad he was at Justin Trudeau and got zapped by Twitter's crowd-sourced fact-checking service. The Twitter hivemind, in its wisdom, noted that as Trudeau's confidence-and-supply agreement partner, Singh could hold Trudeau to account basically whenever he wanted. How strange that Singh seems to keep forgetting that. Nothing lasts long on Twitter, Matt Gurney notes. But it was glorious.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, your Line editors move on to another big chat involving federal politics this week. Charles Adler, long-time broadcaster, has been appointed to the Senate. After Gurney makes a personal disclosure, Gerson takes the lead on a discussion about accountability, bias and the currying of favour, and why all members of the press wince a little bit when one of them makes the jump to political life. She also lays out what Gurney has dubbed the Gerson Scale for political ickiness. From there, they move onto the rail lockout (for the record, this was recorded before the federal government announced that it would use its powers to end the disruption; as we prep this podcast for publication on Friday, it's not yet clear if the trains will actually start running — everything is moving fast on this one, folks, so bear with us). They don't talk about the disruption itself so much as how vulnerable (or not?) our supply chains are, and how strange it is to live in a time where the average Canadian has to spend so much time thinking about supply chains! It didn't used to be this way.They end with what Gurney dubs a "vibe check." Ontario premier Doug Ford has taken a step that will close down a series of controversial safe injection sites in Toronto, and Gurney believes that this speaks to a bigger, broader cultural shift that's underway. That big ole pendulum is just swinging hard back to the right, ain't it?All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. TECHNICAL NOTE: Substack normally generates a transcript of the podcast, but that functionality seems to be borked today. We’ve tried several times with no success. For any of our listeners who rely on the transcript, for this week, we would steer you to the YouTube version, below, which also has auto-generated captions. We apologize for any inconvenience. Beyond our control!YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 16th, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson bring the heat. Actually, Matt's just melting visibly onscreen without air conditioning. (He explains, don't worry. At least his microphone is fixed?) More seriously, your hosts talk about two damning stories out there right now on the immigration front. The first is the latest on the arrest of two apparent/alleged/etc ISIS terrorists who were planning an attack (police claim) on Toronto. This is a bit awkward since both men were fairly recent arrivals to Canada, and obtained Canadian citizenship after one of the men (allegedly!) took part in a brutal ISIS execution video in 2015. Oops. Also, the UN is slamming Canada's temporary foreign workers laws as being akin to modern day slavery. And honestly, The Line thinks that's pretty fair, when you consider the rules.Then, Jen goes off on "Raygun," the Australian breakdancer. Like, she really goes off on her. It was ... surprising. So enjoy that, we guess.Finally: a couple of media stories. Your Line editors note, with regret, the closing of CHML 900, a news-talk radio station in Hamilton, Ontario, that had been operating for 97 years but can no longer survive in the modern media environment. Your hosts explain why. Matt then tells Jen about the brave editorialist who apparently took on Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and won, according to Twitter. Matt checked out the editorial, thinking he was going to read a smackdown of the CPC boss ... and came away less than impressed. He explains why.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Hello, fans of The Line, and welcome to the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 9th, 2024, in which your hosts are totally not struggling to find things to talk about during the doldrums of political silly season.They start by chatting about U.S. politics. A new wave of polls has shown that the Biden-Harris switcheroo has ... worked. It hasn't doomed Donald Trump, but it has put Kamala Harris and her new running mate in a position where they can absolutely win this. The race is competitive again, a toss up. Jen explains why she thinks Trump might still have the inside track. Matt taps sports psychology to suggest why he's not so sure. Jen also gets deeply existential on why she thinks progressive parties are struggling across the West.Next, they talk about a story that had a certain segment of the Canadian commentariat fired up this week: CPC bots! Neither of your hosts would be shocked if the Conservatives, or any political party, was using bots-for-hire to amplify their strategic communications. But both of them also suggest some caution here. We should all be skeptical of what we see on social media, even if — maybe especially if — it's something we really want to believe. From there, they chat about the riots in Britain, and Matt tells Jen that he noticed something coming out of that coverage that Canadians should be paying attention to, because even as the Brits are burning their own towns down, they're still better at a pretty important thing than Canada.And finally, Matt makes a bold proposal that he hopes all Canadians can unite behind, because it will radically improve our quality of life and, frankly, change human civilization as we know it — for the better. And Jen instantly rejects that proposal. Listeners and viewers — have your say.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. PS: Matt’s mic was acting up for the first few minutes. It’s a bit crackly. Don’t worry, we fixed it after the first segment.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Important correction: During this episode, Line editor Gurney utterly brain cramped and repeatedly referred to Jeff Simpson when he meant Lawrence Martin. No excuses. Just a mortifying flub. Mea culpa.In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 2, 2024, your hosts Jen Gerson and Matt Gurney discuss Jen's column this week, but they also discuss the broader problem with Canadian governance these days: disasters aren't to be learned from, they're to be blamed on someone or something else. There are undoubtedly things we should learn from the recent devastation of Jasper. We should learn them before something terrible happens to Banff, just to cite one example. But will we? Of course not. The fire in Jasper, like everything else, is just an opportunity for us all to convince ourselves that we're perfect and the other bastards are to blame again.They also discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, and wonder if something even more awful will have happened by the time anyone actually ends up listening to it. They also make a heartfelt appeal to Canadians, in response to the latest wave of awful antisemitism: maybe don't firebomb and deface Jewish sites? Like, you know, just ... don't? It's not helping! Just a thought!They wrap up with a chat about the latest media news. Matt is less than impressed with a column he read recently, though he thinks we should put it into a museum as a perfect example of how selfish, petty and petulant many Canadians remain. We are, he says, a very spoiled and childish country. They also talk about a new report on the first year for the Canadian media since the Online News Act passed. It hasn't gone great!All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on July 19, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson try and wrap up their thoughts on Quite The Week! in U.S. politics. Your Line editors are not Americans, and generally leave American political analysis to those who actually live in that country. But we can't avoid the events in the U.S. They're too big and too important. So, as a compromise, they tried to mostly stay on the topic of what Quite The Week! in the U.S. will mean for us. They also talk about Biden, his options, and why there is literally no position The Line can take on Trump that will please everyone. It's just too hot a topic.They then move on, back to the relative safety of Canadian politics, and note that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a move to (politically!) kneecap Mark Carney. They think that's shrewd, but they also think that that confirms what they've suspected: Trudeau won't go unless he's forced out. Also: best wishes to Seamus O'Regan. To wrap up: a cyber catastrophe and the warning we won't heed, Toronto floods and we won't learn from that either, and Matt has to remind Albertans that he loves them (because he's about to say something that will piss them off). But, for her part, Jen agrees.All that, and more, in this episode of The Line Podcast.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on July 12, 2024, Jen Gerson and Matt Gurney discuss the likely fate of Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance. For those who remember what happened to her predecessor, Bill Morneau, a certain news story in the Globe this week — wherein sources close to the PMO said they're getting fed up with Freeland's terrible communication skills — suggests that bad things are headed the deputy PM's way. Your hosts talk it out — if she does lose her gig at Finance, does she go entirely out of cabinet? Take a different portfolio? Does she quit? Is this deliberate leaking to spook her into quitting, or a genuine leak from chatty insiders? Also, as Gurney notes, if the PMO is mad at her for being a bad communicator, they should blame themselves. She's always been a bad communicator. If they're just noticing that now, that's their fault. 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 also talk about this week's NATO summit. Gurney recaps his column, published in The Line on Friday, and they also chat about what Trudeau has gotten right on defence. He has gotten things right! But he's also demanding full credit for a promise that, to be blunt, simply isn't very credible, and he's also taking swipes at NATO's two-per-cent target itself. Which is weird .... since he committed his government to it! No one is asking Justin Trudeau to do anything that Justin Trudeau hasn't pledged to do, and Justin Trudeau is apparently unhappy about that. That's something we should reflect on. That's something the PM should reflect on. They wrap up the episode by talking about some of the other stories that crossed their desk this week. Shocking revelations about the personal life of Canadian literacy icon Alice Munro are forcing a necessary reevaluation of her legacy. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre received a less-than-friendly reception when he spoke at a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations; your hosts get into that a bit as well. And lastly, the political fate of Joe Biden might already be sealed, and there isn't much that the Democrats can do about it ... probably. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Hello, The Line Podcast listeners/viewers. We hope you had a great Canada Day weekend and that this podcast, recorded on July 5th, 2024, will help you start this weekend off right.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.Your hosts, including one in a fancy new (and almost finished!) summer-time studio, start by talking about the coup-that-wasn't. Last week, in our last episode before the break, we told you about the rumours and speculation about the future of Liberal leader (and prime minister) Justin Trudeau. Well, a week has passed, and the coup (if that's what it was) hasn't come to anything. Never say never — there will be other byelections and Lord knows what other political curveballs might be tossed the PM's way. But having survived this, and with not much time left to even install another Liberal leader even if the party wanted to, The Line suspects that, for better or worse, PMJT will lead his party into the next election.(But we also talk about a few scenarios where he won't! Just to cover the bases/our butts.)We also cover off a few quick bases. Canada has named a new top soldier, Lt. Gen. Jennie Carignan, who will be promoted to full general and become the first woman to hold the job in just under two weeks. We wish her every success in the role, and offer our thanks to the outgoing Gen. Wayne Eyre as he begins his retirement. We also note that the LCBO is on strike in Ontario, and Matt has some tips on where you can still find something to slack your thirst, if you're so motivated. Jen comments on how drinking is better in Alberta ... including now, yay!, potable water in Calgary, where the situation is improving on the water front. But they mostly talk about the Stampede: why it's awesome, why bigger cities can't pull something like that off, and why the PM cancelled his annual visit this time.Finally, Matt talks about the reaction to his last column. It was ... revealing.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson thank the listeners, viewers and sponsors for the new equipment that they're using, which will hopefully punch this podcast up to ever-greater heights. (Once they figure out how to use it!) They also talk about the byelection in St. Paul's. Jen doesn't think the Liberals have enough time to replace Justin Trudeau. Matt says he should feel honour-bound to remain and absorb a defeat, leaving the Liberals better off to fight the next election. They both enjoyed a news report from Justin Ling in the Toronto Star. Note to federal cabinet ministers: don't have sensitive conversations in public places, because a reporter might literally be sitting next to you listening to 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.caThey also discuss what they call "cabinet ministers behaving badly." Chrystia Freeland had some weird comments about the byelection, or more specifically the electorate, and Harjit Sajjan is in hot water again. And this time, accusing critics of racism ain't gonna cut it. (It stopped cutting it a while ago, come to think of it.)They also briefly discuss Matt's latest column, which went live on Friday. Check it out!YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.As a programming note: no written dispatch this weekend, but columns to come next week. Happy Canada Day, everyone! Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and all that fun stuff. Talk to you soon!The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on June 21st, 2024, Matt is delighted to see Jen back at home in Calgary, where she is bathed in glorious bandwidth, if not in actual running water. Jen gives us a quick update on the water situation there, including some positive signs of a fast resolution, but then your hosts launch into a chat about the end of the spring sitting of the House of Commons. Thank God. They were just embarrassing themselves and needed to get home. Matt also gets Jen caught up on the latest from the federal front, that she may have missed during her two weeks on holiday, including some polling, the latest on foreign interference (including some good news, of a kind, for Han Dong), and also the upcoming byelection. Given that Matt doesn't see any actual good-news scenario for the Liberals in St. Paul's, he wonders if he has been wrong — could this be Justin Trudeau's last summer as prime minister?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 two then move on to chat about some federal updates that aren't specifically pegged to silly season and horserace polls. Jen talks about Bill C-59, with which she is unimpressed, noting this as a recent example of something your editors have observed before — this government is bad at governmenting. Matt then takes over to chat a bit about defence spending, and notes that Treasury Board president Anita Anand has correctly identified a problem Canada has. But her solution is very, very wrong. And it's more governmenting problems, as it turns out.Next: an update from Alberta, an update from Ontario, a promise about more B.C. coverage being on the way, and, then, a long chat about man's self-destructive nature and the grieving process of an entire society facing the death of its hopes and dreams. Which is weird, because that last bit is nominally about a possible liquor-store strike in Ontario. Things went a bit off the range on that one.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks again for listening/watching. Like and subscribe, and have a fantastic weekend. Talk to you soon.The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on June 14, 2024, Matt Gurney finds Jen Gerson at an Alternate Location, having abandoned Calgary due to the lack of water. Just kidding! Sort of. Jen is at a family event in B.C., and it looks like a beautiful place and a fun time is being had by all, but be aware! The internet connection was a problem for Jen, so this episode will have some issues, to put it mildly. Don't worry. We made the most of it with our typical Line aplomb and sense of humour. Thanks for your patience.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 main topic for today? Traitors in the House of Commons! Or not! While Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre both continue to say as little as possible, Green Party leader Elizabeth May and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh have read the full report, and they've reached exactly opposite conclusions. So that's not great.Your Line editors also talk about a hilarious photo of Mark Carney, a man who would probably not pose with a Budweiser if he wasn't planning on running for high office. Jen offers a variety of salient points of analysis on matters of Canadian politics and policy. Matt talks about beer and his theory about hockey jerseys. Don't worry, it makes sense. Also, Mark Carney, if you see this, we want to make a totally sincere offer: Matt is appalled you were drinking bud and wants to put together a little care package of some decent Toronto craft brews for you. And finally: Matt mostly keeps his powder dry here because of an upcoming column he's working on, but he does note that the bizarre signs of panic among Liberals continue to accumulate, and he wonders if the theme that connects all these stories is that we might, in fact, be headed toward an earlier election than we are expecting. So great. That's something to look forward to. Right?All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and tell all your friends.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks again for listening/watching. Like and subscribe, and have a fantastic weekend. Talk to you soon.The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on June 7, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson find themselves in an Edmonton Airbnb they are about to be kicked out of, still basking in the warm glow of a successful Edmonton The Line Ahead panel discussion, but also grappling with very alarming news out of Ottawa. One of the committees the government tasked with investigating the threat of foreign interference in Canada has come back with an alarming report, warning of apparent traitors within Parliament. The names are inevitably going to leak, but in the meantime, both the Liberals and Conservatives, no doubt fearful of finding out that members of their own parties are implicated, have been slow to react. That isn't going to work. Canada is capable of defending itself — hell, we are willing to defend ourselves — or we aren't. And right now, we aren't confident that we'll pick the good option.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.Meanwhile, before they leave Edmonton, both Line editors exalt in the joy of being in a city with a functional municipal water system. Jen's hometown, alas, can claim no such luck. They talk about that, and also note that they've both been warning about exactly this issue — crumbling municipal infrastructure reducing our overall quality of life — for weeks. And Calgary kindly stepped up to the plate to volunteer itself as the on-the-nose example.They end with a quick discussion of interest rates — the Bank of Canada cut rates this week, which offers some relief for Canadians, but your editors suspect it's too little, too late for there to be much political benefit for the government. People are just too annoyed already. And a bunch of them have already renewed their mortgages at the higher rates.All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and tell all your friends.YouTube:Spotify:Apple: If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks again for listening/watching. Like and subscribe, and have a fantastic weekend. Talk to you soon.The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 31, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson go out of their way to really broaden their appeal, make as many friends as possible, and generally just avoid all the really icky, controversial things that are going to result in their comment section being a dumpster fire.Well, okay, maybe that's what they should have done. But we can redeem ourselves! Join us in Edmonton next week! Enjoy our wit and personal presence! Enjoy our panel of brilliant people! Enjoy food and drinks! That's coming up in just a few days! Grab your tickets now. 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. G&G start off the podcast with Matt noting three weird incidents from senior Liberals — including the most senior Liberal — over the last week. One of them is a serious issue, and they spend some time talking about both the political and policy ramifications of that. The other two are just bizarre and, frankly, hilarious. So enjoy that, but then pause the podcast and have a little cry, because these are the people running the country for at least the next 18 months.The two then, with great reluctance, dare discuss U.S. politics. Donald Trump, former president of the United States and the de facto GOP nominee for the coming election, has been convicted by a jury of New Yorkers on 34 felony counts. Your hosts talk about the trial, a bit, but more about the state of America, and also whether or not Jen should take off her shirt, and then, eventually, they agree that they'd have killed Baby Hitler.It was one of our more free-ranging segments, let's say.And then: a group of independent Canadian media outlets and journalists released a joint statement this week, decrying the government's subsidies for media. The Line, and The Line's editors, did not sign it, even though they broadly agree with it. They talk about their reasons.All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks again for listening/watching. Like and subscribe, and have a fantastic weekend. Talk to you soon.The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Hello, people of The Line. We recorded early again this week, as Jen is taking another trip — what a jetsetter! — so forgive us if anything wild happens between the recording date (May 23rd) and the publication date, the 24th. Speaking of dates! We're only two weeks away from our event in Edmonton and tickets are starting to move fast as we get close. There are still some left, though, so we hope you can join Jen, Matt and their kick-ass panel for a chat on Canadian fiscal resiliency in a challenging time for the world. We've got food, we've got drinks, we've got G&G, and we've got a few tickets left, so join us if you can. Info at the link below.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 this episode, Matt and Jen start by debating the future of Justin Trudeau. The rumours have been chaotic over the last week, cutting both ways, and your Line editors throw up their hands and admit they have no idea if he'll stay or go, but they do have a pretty good idea what it might take to get him to leave. They also discuss Mark Carney as the next possible Liberal leader. Good luck with that idea, LPC friends.From there, Matt yells a lot about how there is no rules-based international order, and suggests it would be a really good idea for us to stop acting like there was one. It's great to aspire to one. Who doesn't? But let's not confuse our aspirations with our actual reality. The actual reality is the important part.Finally, they talk a little bit about Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland's weird swipe at Pierre Poilievre in the House this week, for which she did apologize. Matt notes that it was a weird move for Freeland, and a risky one, but has a possible explanation. It fits in with the week's broader theme. Jen starts to warm to it as the podcast goes on.All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and find out more about us at our website, ReadTheLine.ca.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks again for listening/watching. Like and subscribe, and have a fantastic weekend. Talk to you soon.The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Hello, people of The Line! And a very happy long weekend to you all! Hail Queen Victoria!A few quick notes and then we'll get right into the latest episode of The Line Podcast. We are not publishing a written dispatch this weekend; as you'll see right at the start of the podcast, Jen is travelling. And Matt needs a few days off! So this podcast is gonna have to tide all you fantastic people over until next week. Second, we hope you'll join us in Edmonton next month! Tickets are starting to move faster so if you want to join us in Edmonton on June 6, where you'll get to hang out with Matt, Jen and their great panel, plus have some food and drinks, don't wait. Buy now!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.As for the podcast itself, Matt leads off with why he's worried that Canadian accountants have actually found a way to document Canadian decline in their actuarial tables. It's basic hierarchy of needs stuff, and we are obviously failing to do very basic government things, even while promising to do ever more complicated stuff. From there, Jen pivots to the end of the Phoenix payroll system, and suggests that it fits right in with what Matt was suggesting moments before. She also talks about the plan to establish a panel to review the future of the CBC. The panel sounds like exactly what you'd expect from a panel to review the future of the CBC. And the two editors end by discussing a very upsetting incident in Atlantic Canada where a student was assaulted at school in an apparent antisemitic incident. Police are investigating and The Line is waiting to hear the official finding, but many of our Jewish friends were very upset by this. And we don't blame them a bit.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks again for listening/watching. Like and subscribe, and have a fantastic long weekend. Talk to you soon.The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 10, 2024, the Line editors start with some goings-on in the GTA, after aspiring CPC candidate (and former National Post columnist) Sabrina Maddeaux this week announced that she was suspending her effort to win the nomination in a 905 riding because of what she alleges was inappropriate interference in the campaign by party officials. Jen is skeptical, and explains why, but Matt notes that whatever the merits (or lack thereof) in Sabrina's claims, this is the second CPC would-be nominee in that part of the GTA to suspend their campaign, with the first being friend of The Line Kaveh Shahrooz. Both have had critical words for the party on the way out. Maybe it's just rookie candidates being shocked by how political politics is, but there might be something here that the party should be looking at. From there, your editors stay on politics, and talk about the recent furor over the Conservatives saying that they'd be open to using the notwithstanding clause to keep dangerous criminals behind bars. This is generally fine with both Matt and Jen, who also note that the Liberal attempts to immediately spin this into a threat to gay rights and abortion aren't the brilliant idea they think it is. "The only way to protect gay marriage is to let repeat violent offenders out on bail" is a slogan the PMO might want to run by a few more focus groups, is all they're saying. G&G also note that the Liberals are smashing the "POILIEVRE WILL BAN ABORTION" panic button awfully early, and wonder if this is the last thing the Liberals will try before Trudeau decides to talk a walk in the snow (or sand, or whatever). They touch on the encampment that remains in Toronto and that didn't last long in Calgary, and also note the passing of Rex Murphy, a former colleague of both from their National Post days. They also talk about Rex's days as a broadcaster at the CBC before he was a columnist at the Globe and the Post, and muse about what will be left of the industry once Matt and Jen eventually reach the end of their lives. Journalism has already changed so much. What's next?Very uplifting stuff, we promise.Oh, and hey! You know what will lift your spirits? Hanging out with The Line and friends in Edmonton! Find out more by clicking the image below, and we hope to see you in Alberta’s capital in just under a month.For those who can only experience us vicariously, though, to never miss an episode of The Line Podcast or On The Line, our interview podcast, follow us on the major streaming platforms.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Talk to you soon. And, uh, go Oilers, we guess? The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 3, 2024, Matt Gurney tells Jen Gerson about his visit to the encampment that has sprung up at the University of Toronto. He spends some time describing the scene, but then also goes into detail about what he saw there that he does find disturbing. The two also talk about their past experience covering other encampments, and Matt makes his recommendation: unless U of T wants a real mess on its hands, it is well advised to disperse this encampment before it becomes physically or psychologically entrenched.Your Line editors then move on to discuss the completely eye-rolling theatrics that have been coming out of Ottawa this week. Frankly, we think they’re all pretty wacko, at this point. They do talk about some of the interesting things that have happened in Ottawa, including some depressing poll numbers for the prime minister and an interesting op-ed by the opposition leader, but fundamentally, it’s clear to your Line editors that Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre really need a vacation. Far from each other. And their phones. Also, is it just us, or is the level of anger and polarization in our society having this specific consequence: political silly season seems to be coming earlier and lasting longer. Great. Just another year and a half of this to go.The Line editors then discuss frustrating comments made by Bill Blair, minister of national defence, about Canada‘s “magical” commitment to NATO. Well, gee, that’s not the best possible language, is it? (But, as Matt notes, if we take Blair literally, it actually does explain a lot.) The two editors also acknowledge that the Foreign Interference report was released while they were recording, but you’ll have to wait until the written dispatch to really find out their views on that. And, of course, they want you to join them at their upcoming event in Edmonton. They’ve been telling you about that for a couple of weeks now. They sold out the house in Calgary, and they’re trusting Edmonton not to let that other Albertan city outdo them. Find out more here, and we hope to see you in Edmonton in just over a month.And, of course, as always, like and subscribe.To never miss an episode of The Line Podcast or On The Line, our interview podcast, follow us on the major streaming platforms.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Talk to you soon. Go Leafs go!The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 26, 2024, your intrepid Line editors start by announcing their upcoming event in Edmonton. The official announcement went out on Thursday, but in case you missed it, we hope you can join us in Edmonton for conversation about future-proofing Canada. Jen and Matt will both be there in Alberta’s capital, along with our great panel of experts. June 6th, friends. Mark your calendars. We hope to see you there.The duo then talk about Pierre Poilievre’s unfortunate visit this week to a protest in encampment in Atlantic Canada, populated as it was by fans of some of the weirder elements of Canada’s far-right. They kick around the possible motivations that may have explained the visit, including the one they find most likely, but also some alternative ones. They also discuss how the Liberals are having a hard time staying on message, and instead of continuing to talk about their budget, seem more inclined to chase every shiny object Poilievre tosses into their path. Could that just perhaps be deliberate on the part of the Conservative leader? They also talk about Alex Jones, so, gosh, the comments on this one will be weirder than normal. Also up for discussion today: what the convoy and the current Gaza protests have in common, and how they differ. They chat about the CBC, and some of the odd going-one there. Matt reads from the CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices, and wonders if the CBC execs have forgotten one key passage in particular. Jen gives an update from Alberta, where things remain weird. Matt reminds her that Albertans actually aren’t that conservative. They just have cowboy hats. Please note: In a statement to Postmedia’s Brian Lilley made after this podcast was recorded, and which was shared with The Line, the CBC said: “While we can confirm Travis is still the host of Canada Tonight, respectfully, we don’t share details regarding host assignments or their schedules.”All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.To never miss an episode of The Line Podcast or On The Line, our interview podcast, follow us on the major streaming platforms.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks for listening to us! We hope you enjoyed our first-ever live recorded The Line Podcast. The event was a total success, so we’re going to keep doing them. Don’t be surprised to see us soon in a city near you!The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this first-ever live recording of The Line Podcast, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson took over Calgary’s The Plaza Theatre on April 19, 2024 to talk about the Liberals' penultimate budget, a document filled with class angst, intergenerational resentment, and bad ideas for pension plans. Then they talk about when a doctor's note is not adequate to prevent a public shaming for allegedly scoring $20 million in government money as the ArriveCan discoveries drag on. They add a brief note on why it's not appropriate for the governor-general to host a tea party on online harms, and lastly, end with everyone’s favourite topic: an update on Israel and, now, Iran. To never miss an episode of The Line Podcast or On The Line, our interview podcast, follow us on the major streaming platforms.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks for listening to us! We hope you enjoyed our first-ever live recorded The Line Podcast. The event was a total success, so we’re going to keep doing them. Don’t be surprised to see us soon in a city near you!The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

The Line has often spoken of the deteriorating global security situation, and what Canada must do to prepare. Much of our focus has been on defence and economics. But what about humanitarian projects? What is happening to the world's aid organizations, and the hundreds of millions of desperate people that rely on them, as conflicts rage and crises deepen across the globe?Line editor Matt Gurney has interviewed Jason Nickerson, the humanitarian representative to Canada from Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF) many times across the years. Jason recently returned from a trip abroad to a sprawling refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to a million Rohingya refugees, and told Matt directly that the situation overseas was getting worse, and that not enough was being done to meet the rapidly growing demand for even basic medical care and food deliveries, and not just at that one camp. In the Middle East, Africa, Asia and now even in Europe, the demand for urgent humanitarian relief is rising fast. In the latest episode of On The Line, Jason joined Matt for an extended conversation about the work MSF does, how it does that work even in incredibly challenging situations, and also where and why those situations are getting worse. They also had a talk specifically about Canada's foreign policy and foreign aid priorities. There are crises, including the Rohingya, where Canada has played a leading role that we may be backing away from, leaving vulnerable people even more desperate.To learn more about MSF and support their work, please visit their website.On The Line is The Line’s newest podcast, featuring longer interviews by either Jen or Matt with someone who is currently in the news or able to speak to something topical (or, sometimes, simply fun and interesting). To never miss an episode of On The Line and The Line Podcast, follow us on the major streaming platforms.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks for listening to us! We hope you enjoy the latest episode of On The Line. Stay tuned early next week for the next episode of The Line Podcast, which is being recorded live in Calgary tonight.The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

General Wayne Eyre served for decades in the Canadian Army, including as its commander, before being promoted to Chief of the Defence Staff in 2021. During his time as Canada's top soldier, he has overseen not only a series of challenges inside the Canadian military, but also a rapid deterioration in the geopolitical environment. The world is a more dangerous place, and Gen. Eyre has been unusually outspoken in noting that Canada needs to do more to be ready for what's coming.In this conversation with The Line's Matt Gurney, the general provides his take on the state of the world today, shares his thoughts on the recently announced Defence Policy Update, and talks about why he is encouraged by some of what he is already seeing change with Canada's military readiness. On The Line is The Line’s newest podcast, featuring longer interviews by either Jen or Matt with someone who is currently in the news or able to speak to something topical (or, sometimes, simply fun and interesting). We are still getting it up to speed, but Line listeners and viewers can expect an episode weekly by next month, at the latest.To never miss an episode of On The Line, follow us on the major streaming platforms.YouTube:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks for listening to us! We hope you enjoy the latest episode of On The Line. Stay tuned for more!Please note: This episode was recorded before the Iranian attack on Israel. The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work and worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected]. Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

How are Canada's conservatives feeling right now? Pretty good, it turns out. In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 12, 2024, Matt Gurney finds Jen Gerson in Ottawa, in the media room at the Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference. (And be warned, listeners and viewers, because Jen is in the field, there's some background noise in this episode, especially when some people protesting Israel's military campaign in Gaza show up.)On the agenda for this episode: the conference itself, of course. Jen provides her sense on how the mood is among Canada's broader conservative movement. It turns out that they have also read the polls lately, and are feeling pretty good about themselves. Jen talks a little bit about her own panel on the future of media regulation, and why she was a little worried about some of what she saw in the crowd. The two editors then talk a bit about why conservatives should enjoy this conference, and maybe the next one, if there's still time before the next election. Win or lose, it'll get harder for the conservatives (and Conservatives) from here. They'll soon have all the responsibility and power. And that's where the heartbreak begins. Jen also discusses her raging hangover. Conferences, folks. They'll getcha if you're not careful. They then pivot to the ongoing Foreign Interference Commission, and Matt notes that while the Johnston report is mostly aging badly, one thing remains very true from it. Then as now, it's still very possible that the Liberals are telling the truth when they say they didn't know what China was up to. But at a certain point, that stops becoming a defence and starts becoming a confession. Matt also talks about how this government at times seems bizarrely convinced that it is some kind of a bystander, helpless to fix things that are broken. That's kind of its job!They end on discussing Matt's column this week, wherein he laments that there are women and now children, victims of (alleged!) sexual attacks, who will not ever know justice because the federal government couldn't get its butt in gear and appoint enough judges to oversee the trials. Cheerful stuff. Matt gets pretty angry.All that, and more, in this episode of The Line Podcast.Reminder: we are launching a new podcast as we speak, and hope to have episodes of On The Line being released weekly by next month, at the latest. Indeed, the next On The Line has already been recorded. Look for it early next week. Here is where to sign up so you never miss an episode:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here.Written dispatch to follow in a few days, friends. Enjoy the weekend! The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work and worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected]. Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on First Contact Day (April 5), 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson discuss Matt's column on former CPC leader Erin O'Toole's testimony before the Foreign Interference Commission, and a pretty nasty and revealing swipe that the PM made against O'Toole afterward. They also get into a much broader discussion about China's deep reach into many elements of Canadian society, much of which is fully legal and unremarkable ... except for how it might give many powerful people an incentive to look the other way when certain awkward questions arise. Including perhaps many people around the prime minister.The intrepid Line-editing duo then talk about Matt's observation last week that he felt like the Liberals were starting to find their fight again. Jen has come to agree with that, but they also talk for some length about jurisdiction. A lot of what the PM is proposing isn't really in federal jurisdiction, which is easily dismissed by some ... but not by those who have any experience seeing what happens when multiple orders of Canadian government try to work together even on things that they actually happen to agree on. Jurisdiction is one of those pesky details of Canadian public policy. You know, the place where you'll find the devil!They get caught up a bit on the state of the fighting in the Middle East, and Jen briefs Matt on why she is nervously researching red cows and Biblical prophecy.... just listen to the podcast, okay? Reminder: we are launching a new podcast as we speak, and hope to have episodes of On The Line being released weekly by next month, at the latest. Other ways to follow along with both of our podcasts:Spotify:Apple:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here.Written dispatch to follow in a few days, friends. Enjoy the weekend! The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work and worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected]. Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on March 29, 2024 — and happy Easter, everyone! — the dynamic Line editing duo first start by indulging Matt in some pure speculation. He has a hunch that after months of getting their butts kicked, the Liberals, specifically Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, might be starting to find their fight again. It's too soon to say for sure, but they'll be watching to see if the Liberals even have enough energy left to make a contest of it.Jen takes over then, and the two talk at length about the carbon tax, and a letter signed by many leading Canadian economists this week that lauds carbon pricing. The two don't disagree on the economics, but they do suspect that some of our leading economic thinkers may not have thought through the political ramifications of this. Does anyone think that Pierre Poilievre is worried that academic elites want the carbon tax to stay? Read the room, guys. Look around at the state of things. Are they trying to get him elected?Matt then notes a damned interesting speech by the Bank of Canada's senior deputy governor. In it, Carolyn Rogers warned a Halifax audience that Canada's economy is now in a state of "emergency." It's an interesting speech on its own merits, but what really caught Matt's attention was the simple fact that central bankers don't talk about emergencies even during literal emergencies, like plagues and wars. How freaked out must they be to talk this bluntly in prepared remarks?Jen then provides a quick update on the Nenshi campaign for Alberta NDP leader. It's starting to look like he's going to run away with it. She explains why.Also! The Line is now launching a new podcast — On The Line. It's still in a soft launch phase as the team here gets a few bugs worked out and details sorted, but however you want to receive it — on YouTube, on your preferred podcast app or at ReadTheLine.ca — please sign up today, like, subscribe, and all the rest. Never miss an episode of either of The Line's podcasts!Here is the audio of our recent On The Line, and the YouTube video is below. Other ways to follow along with both of our podcasts:Spotify:Apple:Google:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here.Written dispatch to follow in a few days, friends. Enjoy the long weekend! The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work and worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected]. Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel on the Liberal bench. Last week's NDP motion — roundly supported by his Liberal peers — has Housefather engaging in some serious soul searching about his future with the party. Will he cross the floor? Is he representative of a deeper political realignment? Why does he think the motion was "anti-Isreal"? Housefather speaks about all of this, and more, with The Line's Jen Gerson. On The Line is The Line’s newest podcast, featuring longer interviews by either Jen or Matt with someone who is currently in the news or able to speak to something topical (or, sometimes, simply fun and interesting). We’e soft-launching it now — well, to the extent anything we’re saying in this literal sentence can be considered a soft launch — and it’ll be a regular weekly feature here, starting in the coming weeks. The Line Podcast will continue to land in your inboxes every Friday, have no fear. Never miss an episode of either On The Line or The Line Podcast by signing up for a free (or paid! paid is good!) account here. If you would rather follow us on one of the major streaming platforms, see below for some options.Spotify:Apple:Google:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks for listening to us! And we hope you enjoyed the first official episode of On The Line. Stay tuned for more!The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work and worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected]. Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Well, hello there, fans of The Line Podcast. Matt and Jen had almost too much to talk about this week, especially because breaking (and sad) news from Kensington Palace landed as they were recording. They'll get into that nearer the end, but they start with a discussion about Matt's column this week, in which he explains why he was wrong about Pierre Poilievre's electoral chances. The conversation covers not only what Matt said in his column, but also some of what he couldn't fit in. Is Poilievre lucky, or a genius? Even senior Tories can't agree. Plus, what did months of interest rate hikes do to the millions of Canadian voters who were heavily indebted? It all combines to produce what your hosts agree is an angry, alienated Canadian population. One ready for a big change.Speaking of angry and alienated, Jen goes on to describe her fury at Calgary's latest blast of snow. True, genuine fury. She was not ready for another blizzard this week. But that conversation actually gets serious. Living with Canada's awful weather has always sucked, Matt notes, but the country has gotten so much else right that it was worth the hassle. For millions of Canadians who can't afford a house or find a family doctor, though, Canada's typical advantages are out of reach, and they're just left with the slush and the snow. How long until they start just packing up and leaving? Plus: your last chance to score a ticket to next month's live-taping of a pod episode in Calgary! Don't miss out! We're down to our last handful of tickets. Link below All that, and more, in this episode of The Line Podcast.Other ways to listen:Spotify:Apple:Google:If none of these options appeal, there are many others that you can find here, and we are sure there will be one that suits your fancy.Thanks for listening to us!Last chance! Next month, we’re recording one of these episodes live in Calgary. We are down to our last few tickets! Click the image below to get yours!Subscribe if you can, leave us a great review if you’re willing, and share with all your friends if you’re able. Talk soon!The Line is entirely reader funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work and worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Fight with us on Facebook. Pitch us something: [email protected].. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe