The Line

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 30, 2025, Matt and Jen assess the early days of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government — and wonder if things are moving fast enough.

Parliament is back, the procedural stuff is over, and it’s go-time in Ottawa. Matt asks whether Carney is pushing hard enough out of the gate — how fast can this ship really go? Jen offers up a strange and oddly perfect anecdote from her family’s recent experience in Calgary that captures the challenge ahead. Matt warns her it’s 10 million times worse than she thinks. (You won't believe what the issue is. It's bonkers.)

In the second segment, Matt reports back from the CANSEC defence conference in Ottawa. He’s impressed by the technology on display — drones, sensors, weapon systems — but worried that our political and procurement systems are still operating at a glacial pace. The war in Ukraine has shown how fast warfare is changing. Canada isn’t keeping up. Jen suggests that urgency will arrive as soon as someone’s bombing our cities. Cool.

In the third and final segment, your Line editors dive into one of those long, winding, philosophy-meets-culture chats that you’ll either love or hate. If you just want the politics, you’re free to bail out now. But if you want some deep thoughts on the rise (and possible fall) of Jordan Peterson, and what it tells us about right-wing celebrity in the algorithm age… well, pour yourself a drink and settle in. It gets deep. In a good way.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it into the algorithm void. Maybe you'll end up being our next leading public intellectual on social media. 

This week on On The Line, we’ve got a packed episode with three sharp conversations on three very different fronts — monarchy, cybersecurity, and continental defence.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth. Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t. Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

First up, Matt Gurney speaks with Philippe Lagassé — associate professor at Carleton University and one of Canada’s top experts on the Crown — about the visit by King Charles to Canada. But more than that, they talk about the subtle tension between Ottawa and London. Phil explains how royal visits actually work, why Canada has the right to ask for one, and what happens when the Brits don’t exactly approve. Matt wonders if this is one of those true “Asshole Canada” moments — and Phil says it might be. He also says he'll be adding this visit to his lecture slides.

Next, David Shipley of Beauceron Security joins the show to talk about a recent wave of cyberattacks that took down grocery chains in the U.K. While those attackers seem to be financially motivated criminals, the fragility of food distribution systems is becoming alarmingly clear. David warns that if a hostile actor ever wanted to cripple a food supply, it wouldn’t take much — and based on what he’s seeing, Canada is not remotely ready for that scenario.

Finally, Matt has an extended conversation with Scott Clancy, a retired RCAF major-general, former director of operations at NORAD, and now a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. They walk through the so-called “Golden Dome” — the massive new U.S. missile defence effort. What threats is it actually meant to counter? How does it work? And can Canada seriously partner with the U.S. on this kind of program while Washington is simultaneously taking a more aggressive posture toward us? It’s a tough geopolitical moment, and Scott doesn’t dodge any of it.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or send it to your favourite monarchist or missile silo commander. We’re not picky.

And don’t forget: On The Line drops Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. If you’re more of a watcher than a listener, stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 23, 2025, Matt and Jen check in on the early turbulence of the Carney era.

First up: the new cabinet. There’s a new energy minister visiting Calgary, staffing delays across the board, and yes — god help us — Marco Mendicino is still around. That’s bad news for almost everyone, but possibly justice of a sort for Mendicino himself. They also start to sketch out what could prove to be Carney’s eventual undoing. Along the way, Matt makes a rare — and oddly impassioned — defence of Justin Trudeau: no, he says, Trudeau wasn’t great. But he wasn’t as bad as some Liberals now seem desperate to believe.

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

In the second segment, your hosts look ahead at the storm clouds gathering. A royal visit. A looming postal strike. And Jen has a message for the posties: doing this twice in one year might come back to bite you. Then Matt walks through Trump’s latest missile defence announcement — yes, the so-called “golden dome” — and raises a pointed question: is Canada about to join a multi-hundred-billion-dollar ballistic missile defence system? If so, is this an elbows-up or elbows-down moment? And more importantly: did anyone ask Mike Myers first?

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth. Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t. Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Finally, Matt and Jen turn to a grim and serious story: the brutal murder of two young Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. They discuss the how it really shouldn’t be this hard to stake out a moral position on this issue, and yet, some people sure did find a way to screw it up. From there, Matt explains how a cascading failure of institutions — police, courts, politics — has created a dangerous void in Canada. And, tragically, the people being failed first and hardest are Canadian Jews.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or yell it at the mail carrier before they go on strike. We’ll take it.

In this episode of On The Line, The Line's Jen Gerson interviews David Perlich, a CBC producer and Vatican analyst, about his experiences covering papal conclaves. They discuss the intricacies of the conclave process, the role of Cardinals, and the dynamics of voting for a new pope. Perlich shares insights from his time in Rome, the historical significance of the events, and the unique pressures faced by cardinals during the election. The conversation also touches on the cultural implications of having an American pope and the broader context of religion and politics.

In the second segment, they talk about how Perlich went from a gay southern Alberta farm boy, to almost-Jesuit, to a CBC producer and in-house Vatican analyst. They discuss the secular culture of newsrooms, and why journalists more inclined to view religion as a mental illness can't tear themselves away from the spectacle of a conclave. 

Lastly, they dig into the geopolitical implications of an American pope. Is he a Woke Pope? Or do Vatican politics transcend the earthly realm and the culture wars? 

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or just drop it into the group chat. You know the one.

And don’t forget: new On The Line episodes drop Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. Prefer to watch? Stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 16, 2025, Matt opens with what he claims is a harmless anthropological observation about Alberta. Jen hadn’t noticed it before — but to her surprise, she agrees. And no, it shouldn’t piss anyone off. (Probably.)

From there, they move on to the first days of Mark Carney’s duly elected government. Matt is... fine. Everything that’s happening is exactly what he expected, and he finds that oddly reassuring. Jen is not fine. Because it’s exactly what Matt expected — and that’s the problem.

In the second segment, a rare note of patriotic pride: Matt and Jen agree that the actual machinery of Canadian democracy — voting, counting, elections — has typically worked very well. But this time around, there were issues. Not dramatic ones, but real ones. And if we want to keep the system trustworthy, we’re going to need to fix them — even if that means triggering a by-election or two just to make sure the count is clean.

Finally, it’s time for a vibe check. The cancel culture era has, by Jen and Matt’s reckoning, died a fast and richly deserved death. But the pendulum is already swinging — hard — and it’s going to crash back into the exact same authoritarian instincts, just with a different aesthetic. So once again, The Line will find itself taking fire from both sides. If you like having a podcast that still tries to make sense of things from somewhere in the sane zone, well ... you’d better like and subscribe. It’s the only way we stay uncancellable.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you’re enjoying the show, post about it, tell a friend, or shout it from whatever ideological trench you currently occupy. We’ll still be here, dodging the incoming.

In the latest episode of On The Line, Matt Gurney dives into the geopolitics of trade and the early days of a new Canadian government.

First up, Ian Lee from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University joins Matt to talk about the so-called “deal” recently announced between the United States and China. Ian isn’t here to defend Donald Trump — and says so clearly — but he also offers a sharp take on how Trump’s erratic approach to trade could still end up a political win for the U.S. That is, of course, if Trump can stay out of his own way. 

If he can? If his plan works? The implications for Canada? Not great. Especially if you're a fan of the auto sector.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.

Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.

Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Later in the show, Jamie Carroll — Liberal member of The Line’s Anti-Panel — returns to talk about the first few weeks of Mark Carney’s term as prime minister. He and Matt unpack how the Liberals are settling into their new minority, what the Conservatives are doing (or not doing), and why the NDP still can’t seem to catch a break — even after all that’s happened.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or just drop it into the group chat. You know the one.

And don’t forget: new On The Line episodes drop Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social channels. Prefer to watch? Stay tuned tonight — and follow us to catch the drop.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 9, 2025, Matt and Jen round up the week in Canadian politics — and things are getting weird again.

They start with Pierre Poilievre’s decision to run in an extremely safe riding and tap Andrew Scheer as the party’s interim House leader. Matt says both choices radiate loser energy. But he also mounts a reluctant defence of the Tories — agreeing, to his dismay, with the Twitter mob: the CPC can run better campaigns, but it can’t beat the bogeyman version of itself that lives rent-free in the heads of many Canadians. He argues that if Poilievre had gone to the Oval Office and done exactly what Mark Carney just did, word for word, the reaction would have been scorched-earth. But when Carney does it, it's praised (and Matt agrees that Carney did well!). Jen pushes back — hard. She says the Conservatives need to stop whining about perception gaps and just fix what they can fix. Fatalism is not a strategy.

In the second segment, they turn to the provinces. Matt delivers an update on Ontario, which is — by his account — a smouldering pile of nonsense. He brings a few choice examples. Then Jen takes a deeper dive into Alberta separatism and what’s fuelling it. They might take a few detours along the way, but you knew that already.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.

Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.

Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Finally, Jen surprises Matt with a gut-check on a theory she’s been turning over — something that crosses the wires between politics and religion. It’s going to make someone mad. But after a pause, Matt decides it’s probably not cancel-worthy. 

Probably.

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

Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it across a church pew. We won’t judge.

In this episode of On The Line, Israeli ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed sits with Jen Gerson to discuss the evolving situation in Gaza, the ongoing hostage crisis, and Israel's strategic objectives in the region. 

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth.

Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t.

Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more.

Jen asks him outright if Israel can really trust America as its primary and most crucial ally. Moed highlights Israel's unique legal framework that accommodates diverse religious courts, contrasting it with Western perceptions. The discussion shifts to Canada's emergency visa program for Gaza residents, addressing the challenges faced at the Rafa border crossing. Moed also touches on geopolitical tensions affecting Canada's sovereignty and the international community's response. Finally, the conversation explores economic innovation, with Moed sharing insights on Israel's resilience and collaborative spirit in technology and problem-solving.

For more, visit ReadTheLine.ca. 

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 2, 2025, Matt and Jen debrief the end of a long, weird federal election — and everything it upended.

They start with what surprised them about the results and how the political map has scrambled in unexpected ways. Then, naturally, they pivot to constitutional monarchy. Why? Because it works. And because Matt is now on a mission to figure out how he can see the King when he comes to Ottawa to deliver the Speech from the Throne. He’s serious. He wants in. He'll wave little flags and everything.

In segment two, Jen is furious about new legislation introduced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to lower the threshold required to trigger a referendum. Jen calls it chickenshit — and dangerous. She argues it opens the door for grifters and bad-faith actors to manipulate the process and vulnerable people. Matt wonders why the Alberta NDP is doing nothing with this gift-wrapped opportunity. And seriously: where is Naheed Nenshi? What, exactly, is he waiting for?

Finally, your hosts turn to the fate of Pierre Poilievre. With the party licking its wounds, will a leadership fight break out? And if it does, will The Line take sides? No — but we will sell weapons to, and publish op-eds from, all factions. That is our declaration. We're just here for the content. So Conservatives? Fire up those typewriters. 

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it across a pub. That's what we do.

In the latest episode of On The Line, Matt Gurney is joined by Gregory Jack, senior-vice president of public affairs at Ipsos Canada, as they do their best to unpack what the hell just happened on Monday night. And what might happen next.

In the first half, they go tactical. Matt and Greg walk through the horse race numbers — who’s up, who’s down, and who pulled off a surprise. The Conservatives outperformed their polling numbers. The left-wing vote largely consolidated around the Liberals. And a few party leaders lost their seats in results that caught even close observers off guard. Greg brings the data. Matt brings the questions. Together they sketch out what actually happened on election night.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.

In the second half, they zoom out to a strategic overview. What does this election really mean? For the NDP, the road ahead is murky: do they rebuild slowly or try to bounce back fast by rolling the dice with an election ASAP? For the Conservatives, it’s an open question whether they’ll work with the Liberal minority — or move straight into siege mode. And for Mark Carney, the real challenge is just beginning. He has a minority government strong enough to last a while, but too fragile to do anything big or bold. Matt and Greg agree: this isn’t the worst-case scenario, but it’s pretty close. Canada remains stuck in political drift — and that drift could last a long time yet.

This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. For generations, Métis communities in Ontario helped build Canada’s first great economy — the fur trade. They farmed, traded, raised families, and fought for their rights. In 1993, they founded the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) to protect their future. In 2003, the Supreme Court affirmed their rights. In 2023, Canada recognized the MNO as the Métis Government in Ontario. Now, with a newly elected federal government, it’s time to move forward. The MNO is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to advance the government-to-government relationship; resolve outstanding historic Métis claims; improve access to health care, mental health, and addictions services; and invest in Métis housing, education, and infrastructure. Generations of leadership brought us here. It’s time to get it done. Learn more at OntarioMetisFacts.com.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it with a friend, post about it online, or just drop it into the group chat. You know the one.

And don’t forget: new On The Line episodes are normally available Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social media channels. (We are delayed by one day this week due to the election.) If you prefer to watch, stay tuned tonight — and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.

Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.