The Line

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 25, 2025, Matt and Jen take stock of the final days of the election campaign — and of Canada’s increasingly bizarre political mood.

Matt kicks things off by previewing his upcoming final column before election day. He spoils it a little, of course. His basic argument? The Liberal pitch to voters rests on one of two assumptions: either Mark Carney is a once-in-a-generation political superweapon, or Justin Trudeau was uniquely, almost historically bad. Matt doesn’t buy the latter. And even if you accept it, he asks, what does it say about a party that enabled Trudeau for so long? The case for Carney, in the end, is also the case against Carney’s party.

Then Jen takes the mic to preview her own final column — and she isn’t pulling any punches. She lays into the Conservatives for blowing what could have been an easy win, letting grievances and resentments cloud their judgment. They also debate the state of the polls, where their interpretations diverge, and dig into the deeper generational divides shaping this election. Jen uses some, uh, vivid imagery to make her point. Matt is not impressed.

Finally, your hosts bat cleanup on a few lingering election issues, before zooming out to the broader picture: how American political chaos has warped our own national discourse. But there’s a twist — Jen and Matt consider the possibility that American institutions might actually be starting to reassert themselves. And if so, why Canada’s best protection against the worst of Trump might, weirdly, be Trump himself.

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. 

In the latest episode of On The Line, Jen Gerson reunites with journalist Justin Ling for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of the federal campaign — and the increasingly surreal experience of covering it.

They start with a deep dive into media access and how different parties are managing (or dodging) scrutiny. The Liberals are tightening the screws. The Conservatives are sticking to their message. Everyone’s walking a careful line — and that’s changing the way the campaign feels on the ground.

They also touch on the recent leaders’ debate: what worked, what didn’t, and how each leader showed up. Ling has thoughts on Mark Carney’s strategy, Pierre Poilievre’s performance, and what the entire spectacle tells us about voter sentiment heading into the final stretch. The two also explore Canadian housing policy, debate stage dynamics, and the often awkward role of the Debate Commission in the new media age.

Later in the episode, Jen is joined by Mike Colledge from Ipsos for the weekly update on the issues that are motivating the electorate as we head into the home stretch of this election. Mike looks into Ipsos's archive of data and gives Jen (and the listeners) a read on what the numbers are showing — and why tone, not just policy, might decide this election.

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

And don’t forget: On The Line drops Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and social media. If you’re more of a watcher than a listener, keep an eye out tonight — and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.

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

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 18, 2025, Matt and Jen unpack the weirdest Canadian federal election in recent memory. The race feels like it’s tightening, there are reports of massive early turnout in the advance polls, and nobody knows what it means — which, as Matt points out, usually means something is breaking, but no one can say for sure what or in whose favour. Carney remains the presumed frontrunner, despite the fact that no one is particularly blown away by him. But given that the alternatives haven't really landed a punch ... 

Then it’s debate time. The format was bad — truly bad — but the moderators did their best with it. That didn’t stop social media from swallowing the whole thing in real-time hot takes and reaction clips. Blanchet probably shouldn’t have been there. Carney did fine. Singh was present, but seemed to waste his ammo on Poilievre. Speaking of the CPC leader, he won on points. But the bigger question is whether any of it moved a single vote.

In the final segment, your hosts reflect on the tension just off the debate stage — including a shouting match between various factions of the media that were present. The debate commission clearly wasn't ready for something that was honestly quite foreseeable. The legacy media is still clinging to its traditional role even as that role keeps shrinking. Jen and Matt consider whether the old guard is ready to share the stage with the new independents, even (or especially) badly behaved ones. Spoiler: probably not.

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, send it to a friend, post about it online, or shout it across a parking lot. We’ll take any help.

In the latest episode of On The Line, Matt Gurney sits down for an unusually personal — and sometimes raw — conversation with Marcus Kolga: human rights activist, anti-corruption crusader, and a man who’s been sanctioned by both Russia and China. That wasn’t a figure of speech. He’s literally sanctioned by both regimes.

They talk about what it’s like to become a target of foreign interference — how it happens, what it feels like, who’s behind it, and what they do. It’s not just smear campaigns and trolling. There are reputational hits, financial costs, and personal tolls. Kolga explains how the interference machine works and shares some rare good news: he’s finally getting some institutional support, and that isn't something everyone targeted can count on. But there’s a reason foreign interference rarely dominates the political conversation — both major parties would rather not talk about it. As Matt and Marcus discuss, it’s bad for the business of politics — except, of course, when you can blame the other team for doing it. Sigh.

Later in the episode, Gregory Jack, senior vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, returns to the show with the latest polling and political insights. He and Matt talk about the (maybe?) narrowing race, the rising public demand for infrastructure development, and why it’s still so hard to get shovels in Canadian ground. Even with support, small but vocal opposition groups continue to slow things down. Greg also notes a darker turn in the campaign’s tone — as things tighten, the political attacks are getting nastier.

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 available Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video release rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social media channels. If you 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 April 11, 2025, things get unexpectedly emotional right out of the gate. Jen opens with a raw reflection on the state of public discourse in Canada — how partisanship is melting brains, how the media is under attack, and how political parties have become so addicted to campaigning that they’ve forgotten how to govern. Jen reminds Matt that he lives in a society, not alone on an island. He says he gets that, but he'd like to build a fortress on that island. He agrees with where Jen thinks things are going. He's just stopped feeling bad about it and has moved on to the doing-things-about-it stage.

From there, they turn to the federal election campaign. The CPC campaign has problems. The LPC has different problems. They dig into the signs that the Liberal party is simply not taking concerns about Chinese influence in its GTA operations seriously — Carney may be a new leader, but they're certainly reading from the Trudeau playbook, probably because these guys stopped being able to tell the difference between a danger alarm and a "Fuck Trudeau" flag years ago. Matt also thinks the party leaders are just tired. They need a proper meal and a good night's rest.

In the final segment, Matt recaps a speech he attended this week from the president and CEO of TransCanada Energy. The message? Canadians should aspire to be actual leaders in the field of energy exports, particularly to Asia, and what that would require in terms of building infrastructure ... and political will. It’s a theme Matt picked up in his column this week. It shouldn't feel so revolutionary to hear a CEO say it, but ...

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. 

In the latest episode of On The Line, we take a look (through our fingers, which are covering our eyes) at what's happening with the markets, and whole economies, around the world. 

Guess we'll be delaying retirement a few extra years, eh? 

To unpack all that is happening, Jen Gerson speaks with Professor Barry Eichengreen. The professor is an American economist and economic historian who is the George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. And he is worried that this is the big one, an economic crisis to rival the Great Depression. He highlights the volatility in the markets, the weakening of the U.S. dollar, and the potential for long-term damage to international economic relations. The discussion also touches on the role of cryptocurrencies and the challenges faced by Canada in navigating these turbulent economic waters.

After that, Jen is joined by Mike Colledge from Ipsos, to provide an update on what issues are driving the electorate. Mike looks inside Ipsos's vast stores of data and shares with Jen what one of the next major issues in Canada could be: social cohesion.

As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it far and wide. Spread the word of The Line.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 4, 2025, Jen spends a lot more time talking about her internal anatomy than Matt had expected. But he more or less kept his game face on.

He thinks.

They first talk about the campaign, of course. The latest and greatest there. It's been a quiet campaign. There were some candidate flameouts, which they discuss. Poilievre had some comments about female breeding windows, and they chat about that, too. They also talk about the unavoidable reaction by Canadian politicians to what's coming out of the U.S., even if it's not quite as bad as feared. 

After that, your hosts move on to a comment by Mark Carney that caught Matt's attention this week. Matt doesn't disagree with the comment, per se. He certainly agrees with the idea behind it — in a changing world, Canada has to step up and do more. He's just not sure Carney realized what country he was talking about when he said what Canada is ready to actually do. We are deterred by sticks of foreign butter! Come on.

To wrap up, Jen talks about her recent column on Alberta separatism, why she still has doubts, and Matt helpfully weighs in from Toronto to explain WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALBERTANS. Because he knows how much they love it when he does that. He just wants to remind them that they are still his second favourite province. And that ain't bad.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you're enjoying The Line Podcast, share it with a friend, post about it online, or just yell at someone on the bus. We won’t judge.

In the latest episode of On The Line, the key issue is why the Conservative campaign is already being rocked by internal fighting — is the campaign going that badly? Our first guest tackles that issue — Stephanie Levitz joins the show from the Globe and Mail, where she is a reporter covering the campaign. Despite all the doom and gloom, the Conservatives are actually having a decent campaign — their polls have softened a bit, but they're still very competitive. What's behind the angry leaks?

Steph and Matt talk about the CPC campaign to date, and in a lot of ways, it's a great campaign. They also talk about the campaign the CPC planned to have, and why it might be hard for Pierre Poilievre in particular to make a pivot to something closer to what the voters he needs want to hear. They also chat about the recent flood of angry complaints from inside the CPC house, and especially the very public spat between the federal Conservatives and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives — a long-simmering fight that has now spilled out into the open. And for all of that, Matt makes a small confession to Steph: he's starting to get the feeling that the CPC is maybe, just maybe, going to be able to pull off a win after all. He explains why.

After Matt wraps up with Steph, Gregory Jack, senior vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, joins Matt for a quick update on the latest numbers. Most interesting is signs of a growing divide in Canada. It's not just along partisan lines, or even regional ones. It's generational — people over 55 and under 40 are living in almost totally different Canadas. And if the young people show up and vote — always a big if, but if — it could be a very surprising election day.

As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you're enjoying On The Line, share it with a friend, post about it online, or just yell at someone on the bus. We won’t judge.

Thanks for listening — and we’ll see you next week for the next installment of On The Line.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on March 28, 2025, your hosts get dark. And deep. And psychological. And have a few inappropriate giggles. Matt almost gets himself cancelled and The Line shut down by quoting a bad lyric ... but stops himself just in time. Been that kind of a week, 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.

They start by talking about how foreign policy continues to drive the campaign. More tariffs. A threat to the auto-sector. A phone call, at last, between Mark Carney and Donald Trump — and apparently a very civil one. This is a rare campaign — one that is truly being driven by events beyond our borders. And thus far, it's all unfolding to Mark Carney's advantage.

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 talk about the campaign itself. What's working well for the major parties — and both of them do have some things going for them. What's the danger they face, especially the Conservatives, who seem to be struggling to adapt to a campaign that doesn't look anything like the campaign they were expecting. And also, and they don't say this to be mean, but seriously ... where is Jagmeet Singh? Seriously. Has anyone heard from him? Is he okay? They talk at some length about why the "oppo" attacks against Carney aren't landing, and why Jen is starting to think that Poilievre's path to moral righteousness might mean ... giving up.

Oh, and Matt talks about his recurring anxiety dream ... but! It's totally relevant to the election. We swear.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Environmental 360 Solutions. Ontario's recycling system is failing local businesses and benefiting large American recyclers. Over $10 million a year is being collected from Ontario consumers in mandatory fees for tire and battery recycling but much of the work is being outsourced to American recyclers. This is starving local Ontario companies of opportunities to do that work and keep good jobs in the province. Worse, enough mandatory fees have been collected from consumers to recycle 100% of the materials, but only a fraction of this work is actually being done. Ontario’s recycling regulator is finally taking action, issuing penalties to the companies collecting the recycling fees, but in turn these companies are using these mandatory fees, paid by Ontarians to fund recycling programs, to cover the fines. The result? Ontario consumers are enriching unscrupulous industry participants and American recyclers, undermining recycling, job creation, and investment in Ontario. It’s time for real accountability in the recycling industry. To learn more, visit e360s.ca/fairrecycling.

Last but not least, your hosts talk about the intra-Canadian conservative civil war that is increasingly spilling out into the open. Like, gosh. Did you see what happened in Ontario this week?

Also! Our Bullshit Bulletin is back, and the Anti-Panel launches Saturday. Check out those and all our other election coverage out at ReadTheLine.ca.

As Canada prepares to go to the polls, we are proud to introduce its Anti-Panel — a politics panel, but fun. Each week, we’ll publish a new Anti-Panel in written form, but we’re kicking things off with something a little different: getting the whole gang On The Line. Get it? They're on the line. Literally.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the United States threaten jobs and investment, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are blocking critical projects that increase our self reliance. The Canadian government has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.

We’ve gathered three partisan veterans to discuss the coming federal election — and the state of Canadian politics. Amanda Galbraith (Conservative), Kim Wright (NDP), and Jamie Carroll (“Liberal hack”) bring insight and opinions from across the spectrum.

This isn’t your standard panel: they must either compliment each other’s campaigns or offer “helpful feedback” to their own.

This episode is also brought to you by the Mêtis Nation of Ontario. It's the Upper Great Lakes, early 1800s. In a crowded trading post, Madeline Laframboise inspects a bundle of pelts, her keen eyes assessing their worth. Indigenous and European traders know she sets fair prices and drives a hard bargain.

One of the few women to run her own trading empire, Madeline’s influence stretches across the Upper Great Lakes of what would become Ontario and northern Michigan. Madeline builds a powerful Métis network through trade, linking Métis families, voyageurs, and traders from Mackinac to Red River. As the years pass, young Métis women seek Madeline’s guidance, learning from a woman who defied expectations. Generations later, her legacy lives on in the Métis businesswomen who have become leaders, mentors, and matriarchs today. To learn more, go to OntarioMétisFacts.com.

We talk Liberal brand problems, Conservative vote efficiency, and NDP challenges under Jagmeet Singh. We unpack Mark Carney’s rise and Trump’s shadow over Canadian politics.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by Environmental 360 Solutions. Ontario's recycling system is failing local businesses and benefiting large American recyclers. Over $10 million a year is being collected from Ontario consumers in mandatory fees for tire and battery recycling but much of the work is being outsourced to American recyclers. This is starving local Ontario companies of opportunities to do that work and keep good jobs in the province. Worse, enough mandatory fees have been collected from consumers to recycle 100% of the materials, but only a fraction of this work is actually being done. Ontario’s recycling regulator is finally taking action, issuing penalties to the companies collecting the recycling fees, but in turn these companies are using these mandatory fees, paid by Ontarians to fund recycling programs, to cover the fines.The result? Ontario consumers are enriching unscrupulous industry participants and American recyclers, undermining recycling, job creation, and investment in Ontario. It’s time for real accountability in the recycling industry. Click here to learn more.

As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca.