The Line

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?

All that, and more, the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like, subscribe, share, leave a glowing review, and as always, check us out at our main website, ReadTheLine.ca.

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. Like and subscribe! Tell all your friends! And check out the rest of our work at https://www.readtheline.ca/

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! And check out the rest of our work at ReadtheLine.ca. 

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 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 munitineers 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. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/

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 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. To subscribe and read more, check us out at

 https://www.readtheline.ca/

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 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 https://www.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. Check us out today (and subscribe!) at ReadtheLine.ca.

Programming note: there will be no written dispatch this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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 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.

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 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, we did not yet know — it had not yet happened! —  that CTV News was going to release a statement on Thursday 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.

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 https://www.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. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/

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 idea, and it's gonna go great for you. 

Sigh.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/