The Decibel

A growing number of Canadians are struggling with fertility, and the business helping people make babies is booming. The global fertility services market was valued at over $21-billion in 2021 and is projected to more than quadruple by 2031. As more hopeful parents turn toward services like in-vitro fertilization – or IVF – and surrogacy to conceive, Globe investigative journalist Kathryn Blaze Baum worries they may not know exactly what they’re signing up for.

Today, Blaze Baum shares her first-hand story and reporting into the fertility industry in her new book, In Fertility: The Story of a Miracle and the Big Business Behind It. Kathryn will explain what it’s like to navigate assisted reproductive technology, its high costs financially and emotionally, and what she thinks needs to change about how Canada handles fertility.

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April 1 marked the start of a new regime to regulate health care in B.C. – the first overhaul of the system in 30 years. The Globe’s health reporter and columnist André Picard describes it as the biggest change in the regulation of health professionals the country has ever seen.

Today, André explains the changes now implemented – including amalgamation, disciplinary changes and punishment for misinformation – why the B.C. government says they’re necessary, and why some of them have caused controversy.

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April 1st marks the earliest possible date that lunar mission Artemis II could lift off. Decades have passed since humans last visited the moon. After launch, four astronauts – including Canadian Jeremy Hansen – will travel all the way around the celestial body. If all goes according to plan, he’ll become the first Canadian – and non-American – to go to the moon.

Decibel producer Madeleine White takes us on a journey along with The Globe’s science reporter, Ivan Semeniuk, They explore how Jeremy Hansen got a seat on this coveted mission, explain why it’s so hard to return to the moon, what the mission entails, and how Canada fits into it all.

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On Sunday, the New Democratic Party elected Avi Lewis as its new leader. He takes the reins of a political party still reeling from losses in last year’s federal election, which cost them official party status and left them with only seven seats. Another blow came earlier this month, when Nunavut MP Lori Idlout defected to the Liberals. Without a seat in Parliament and overseeing a party with minimal resources, how Lewis will rebuild the party and what it will look like remain big questions.

So today, we’re convening a panel with Campbell Clark, The Globe’s chief political writer, and Robyn Urback, a current affairs columnist for The Globe. They join the show to talk about where Lewis might steer the NDP and what it all means for the party’s future.

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Prediction trading is exploding in popularity, with the industry set to rake in about US$2 billion in revenue this year alone. Companies like Kalshi and Polymarket have popularized the practice, which lets you bet on nearly anything – from Taylor Swift’s marriage status to election outcomes. This past week, Canadian company Wealthsimple cleared hurdles to offer Canadians something similar, but the rules will be different here and a fragmented system makes regulation tricky.

The Globe’s retirement and financial planning reporter Meera Raman broke the Wealthsimple news. She joins us to explain what the market may look like in Canada and the challenges regulators face in protecting investors.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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This week, decisions in two landmark trials in the U.S. found social media companies responsible for harms to youth on their platforms. They follow years of growing concern about the dangers that social media poses to young people. Now those concerns are starting to show up in policy decisions. Back in December, Australia banned those under 16 years old from creating accounts on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Other countries are considering similar legislation – including Canada. But what do teenagers themselves think of these potential social media bans?

Samantha Edwards is The Globe’s online culture reporter. She assembled a group of Canadian teenagers to talk about how they actually use social media, what adults get wrong, and what they think about losing access to the platforms they use to talk to their friends.

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Since the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran almost a month ago, the ripple effects of the war have been felt globally. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has affected oil prices worldwide, but energy shocks are especially felt across the rest of Asia, which is heavily dependent on energy from the Gulf states. The 35 million migrant workers living in the Gulf – the bulk of whom come from South and Southeast Asia – are in a particularly precarious position. And China, a strategic partner of Iran, has found itself on the sidelines of this war.

The Globe’s Asia correspondent James Griffiths explains the geopolitics at play and how the war is impacting the day-to-day lives of people across the continent.

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The federal government is hoping to make room for the new spending outlined in last year’s budget by making cuts across the public sector. The goal is to save $60 billion over the next 5 years. Departments like Library and Archives Canada and the Correctional Service of Canada are reducing their workforces, while some programs, like one for public transit, are seeing funding cuts.

The Globe’s deputy Ottawa bureau chief, Bill Curry, explains what we know so far about the cuts and the potential impacts on the services provided to Canadians.

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Amid threats of annexation and U.S.-imposed tariffs, Canadians are using their dollars to purchase Canadian goods. However, consumer complaints about products mislabelled as Canadian have spiked since the Buy Canadian movement began. Some in the food and beverage industry say cracking down too hard on mistaken labelling could backfire, dissuading retailers from promoting Canadian foods.

Susan Krashinsky Robertson and Kate Helmore, both journalists for The Globe’s Report on Business, join The Decibel to discuss Canadian food labelling, the benefits of the Buy Canadian movement for farmers and producers, and how retailers can leverage patriotic shoppers to rebuild trust with them.

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Today, a case involving Quebec’s use of the notwithstanding clause is going before the Supreme Court of Canada. In the last decade, many provinces have used the clause to override federal powers to pass controversial laws. While cases involving the notwithstanding clause have been taken to the Supreme Court before, none have had the magnitude of being precedent-setting that could have major implications for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The hearing will be one of the longest at the country’s highest court in a decade.

The Globe’s justice reporter, David Ebner, explains how the clause came to be, why provinces have used it, and whether the case will change the power balance between provincial and federal governments in Canada’s charter.

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