The Line Podcast

In this week's episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 19, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson open with Canadian federal politics. Mark Carney is clearly cleaning house. We talk about why Chrystia Freeland may actually be entering her best years as a political force, share a laugh about our backstory with Canada’s new ambassador to the UN, and ask whether Carney will use by-elections or the Senate to get his people in.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. Across Canada, university campuses are more than classrooms – they’re community hubs. From gyms and pools, to theatres, health clinics and labs, campus spaces welcome everyone. Whether it’s a hockey tournament, daycare, or a summer camp, investing in campuses means investing in the communities we share. But years of underfunding have left a $17 billion maintenance backlog, with one in three campus infrastructure projects now critical or near-critical. Campus infrastructure is community infrastructure. To keep building communities, the federal government must make campus infrastructure eligible in federal programs. To learn more, visit UnivCan.ca.

They then turn south, where the fallout of the Charlie Kirk assassination lingers. Jen has some tough words for people you’d normally think of as her allies, and Matt lays out the conditions under which he’ll take anyone’s views on these matters seriously. They also touch on the Jimmy Kimmel situation.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada 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.

Finally, Matt turns the tables and asks Jen about her recent trips to other spiritual realms. If you’ve read her piece on her visit to the Monroe Institute, this segment will make sense — and if you enjoyed that article, you’ll get some extra value from hearing her describe it in her own words.

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

YouTube:

Video goes live in 30 minutes!

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 other podcast series, On the Line, which releases new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where Matt Gurney speaks with P.J. Fournier of 338Canada.com and 338Canada.ca about the latest polls, and Jamie Carroll of Carroll & Co. Consulting, who comes on to Liberalsplain of the latest news.

Thanks for all your support. We’ll 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. Please note: a donation is not a subscription, and will not grant access to paywalled content. It’s just a way of thanking us for what we do. If you’re looking to subscribe and get full access, it’s that other blue button!

The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter. Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

This week on On the Line, Matt is joined by two familiar voices. First up, P.J. Fournier from 338Canada.com and 338Canada.ca drops in with a quick update. He’s been tracking the polls as Parliament gets back to work, and his verdict is that not much has shifted since the election. Still, he lays out the opportunities and headaches facing Mark Carney and the Liberals, Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives, and what's left of the NDP as it tries to figure out what exactly it wants to be ... and what leader will help get them there.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Universities Canada. Across Canada, university campuses are more than classrooms – they’re community hubs. From gyms and pools, to theatres, health clinics and labs, campus spaces welcome everyone. Whether it’s a hockey tournament, daycare, or a summer camp, investing in campuses means investing in the communities we share. But years of underfunding have left a $17 billion maintenance backlog, with one in three campus infrastructure projects now critical or near-critical. Campus infrastructure is community infrastructure. To keep building communities, the federal government must make campus infrastructure eligible in federal programs. To learn more, visit UnivCan.ca.

After that, Matt is joined by a friend of the show, Jamie Carroll of Carroll & Co. Consulting. You’ll remember him from our anti-panel during the campaign, and this time he sticks around for a longer chat about what’s happening inside Liberal circles. Why is the caucus already grumbling? What’s keeping Mark Carney awake at night? And why does poor Michael Sabia seem to have been left with a to-do list that might as well include stopping a Russian offensive in eastern Europe all by himself?

We’re (mostly) joking about that last part, but it’s fair to say it’s been a strange few weeks, hasn't it?

This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

YouTube:

Video goes live in 30 minutes, at 7:00 Eastern and 5:00 Mountain.

Spotify:

Apple:

And plenty more options here.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and don’t miss us next week. We’ll be back with more On The Line.

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. Please note: a donation is not a subscription, and will not grant access to paywalled content. It’s just a way of thanking us for what we do. If you’re looking to subscribe and get full access, it’s that other blue button!

The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter. Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 12th, 2025, Rob Breakenridge joins Matt from Calgary, filling in for Jen Gerson, who is on assignment out of town. The two men acknowledge — but deliberately steer away from — the emerging details of the rapidly unfolding Charlie Kirk assassination investigation. Instead, they focus on the bigger picture: the mood, the vibes, and why so many people on both sides of the border seem to be bracing for some kind of civil conflict against a vaguely defined “them.” Neither is certain how Canada, or the United States, can pull back from this trajectory. Or if people really even want to.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. Canada has promised millions of new homes, shorter waits in health care and stronger defence. But promises don’t design and engineer roads, staff clinics or secure networks — people do. That’s why we need a clear, coordinated system to attract and retain the world’s best talent, while creating more opportunities for Canadians. The best and brightest should always see Canadian universities as their first choice. It's time to put talent at the centre of Canada’s priorities. The path forward starts with training people — and Canada’s world-class universities are ready to lead the way.To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.

After that, they turn to issues closer to home. The Carney government has officially launched its Major Projects Office and revealed the first programs slated for elevation. Rob breaks down what’s on the agenda and why, despite the office not explicitly mentioning a pipeline, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has responded positively. Matt, meanwhile, shares the part of the announcement he found oddly amusing — but also despair-inducing — in the way it revealed deeper national challenges. Both men agree that it might be better to just fix the problems with approvals, rather than creating a new, special unit that gives a few chosen projections the efficient treatment, while everything else suffers. Matt quips that this is Canadian health-care-style thinking applied to permit approvals. Should go fine.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada 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.

Finally, Matt and Rob interview each other about their latest Line columns. Rob walks listeners through his piece on Alberta’s book ban that badly backfired, while Matt explains why he thinks Canadians are rightfully losing faith in their own safety — and why that needs to change if Canada is to avoid sliding down the same dangerous path already visible in the United States.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

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 other podcast series, On the Line, which releases new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where Matt Gurney interviews the Globe and Mail’s Stephanie Levitz about the latest in Ottawa.

Thanks for all your support. We’ll 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. Please note: a donation is not a subscription, and will not grant access to paywalled content. It’s just a way of thanking us for what we do. If you’re looking to subscribe and get full access, it’s that other blue button!

The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter. Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this week’s episode of On The Line, Matt Gurney is joined by Stephanie Levitz from Ottawa. Steph is a senior reporter in the Globe and Mail's Ottawa bureau. They break down the wave of Liberal announcements last week — and why the government will struggle mightily to turn promises into reality.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Universities Canada. Canada has promised millions of new homes, shorter waits in health care and stronger defence. But promises don’t design and engineer roads, staff clinics or secure networks — people do. That’s why we need a clear, coordinated system to attract and retain the world’s best talent, while creating more opportunities for Canadians. The best and brightest should always see Canadian universities as their first choice. It's time to put talent at the centre of Canada’s priorities. The path forward starts with training people — and Canada’s world-class universities are ready to lead the way.To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.

Then they turn to the Conservatives: Pierre Poilievre’s new self-defence and home defence plan is well timed, especially when contrasted with the Liberals’ clumsy response. But the party is also deliberately testing the waters on temporary foreign workers. Matt and Stephanie dig into how a modern Western conservative party can navigate the line between legitimate criticism of a specific policy and sliding into anti-immigrant hysteria — and why, so far, Canada's Conservatives have mostly avoided that trap.

Finally, a brief check-in on the NDP … which doesn’t take long.

Oh, and a lot of Ghostbusters references that go right over Steph's head. Matt couldn't help himself. They just ... popped in there.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

YouTube:

Video goes live in 30 minutes, at 7:00 Eastern and 5:00 Mountain.

Spotify:

Apple:

And plenty more options here.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and don’t miss us next week. We’ll be back with more On The Line.

A brief programming note: It’s been six months since we launched our On The Line podcast. It has been a huge success, and we wanted to thank our audience here for helping make that so. While the podcast was just getting off the ground, we made a point of promoting it twice every Tuesday — we had a post announcing the audio release in the morning, and a second post in the evening, when the video went live. Now that the podcast has its feet under it, we’ll be consolidating On The Line’s releases into a single evening post — like this one. The audio will still release in the mornings, so follow us on your favourite podcasting app, but the main post will now be Tuesday evenings. Tuesday mornings will be again devoted to the publication of written articles.

So, for audio or for print, do what we always ask you to do — like and subscribe!

(We’ll stop with this note in a few weeks. But in the meantime, help us out! Share our stuff!)

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. Please note: a donation is not a subscription, and will not grant access to paywalled content. It’s just a way of thanking us for what we do. If you’re looking to subscribe and get full access, it’s that other blue button!

The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter. Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 5, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson talk about the sudden flurry of announcements from Prime Minister Mark Carney. Matt wonders if any of these promises will actually lead to results, while Jen says her 100-day countdown for Carney begins now. Matt also points out an amusing way the current PM reminds him of his predecessor.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. Canada has promised millions of new homes, shorter waits in health care and stronger defence. But promises don’t design and engineer roads, staff clinics or secure networks — people do. That’s why we need a clear, coordinated system to attract and retain the world’s best talent, while creating more opportunities for Canadians. The best and brightest should always see Canadian universities as their first choice. It's time to put talent at the centre of Canada’s priorities. The path forward starts with training people — and Canada’s world-class universities are ready to lead the way.To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.

Next, the conversation shifts to law and order. A recent quote from a senior police official in the GTA has sparked outrage, and with good reason. While both Matt and Jen can imagine a very narrow context in which the chief’s point might hold, they agree he was mostly wrong — and with a spate of terrible crimes in southern Ontario in recent days, his timing could not have been worse.

PLEASE NOTE: Chief MacSween issued a statement while this episode was being edited. You can read it here.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada 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.

The hosts next turn to Kevin Roberts, who had been invited to address the Carney cabinet. The man’s deep ties to the far right of U.S. politics make him a lightning rod, and it’s no surprise he was controversial. Still, Matt and Jen argue Canada might have been better off if Carney had actually heard him out.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

YouTube:

Video goes live at 5:30 pm Eastern, 3:30 pm Mountain.

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 other podcast series, On the Line, which releases new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where Jen Gerson is joined by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk for a wide-ranging conversation about Alberta politics, national unity, and his latest political campaign.

Thanks for all your support. We’ll 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. Please note: a donation is not a subscription, and will not grant access to paywalled content. It’s just a way of thanking us for what we do. If you’re looking to subscribe and get full access, it’s that other blue button!

The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter. Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this week’s episode of On The Line, Jen Gerson is joined by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk for a wide-ranging conversation about Alberta politics, national unity, and his latest political campaign.

Lukaszuk is now spearheading Forever Canadian — Keep Alberta in Canada, a petition designed to get ahead of Alberta separatists by putting the issue on the table before they can. He explains why he believes forcing the question early is the best way to blunt momentum for separation and why he’s confident Albertans will choose to stay in Confederation when given the chance.

The discussion also turns to his years in government, the lessons he took from his time as deputy premier, and the challenges of working inside the always-turbulent world of Alberta politics. Lukaszuk doesn’t shy away from reflecting on his sometimes combative relationship with Premier Danielle Smith, offering candid assessments of her leadership style and the choices she’s making as Alberta’s political climate grows more polarized.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

YouTube:

Video goes live in 30 minutes, at 6:30 Eastern and 4:30 Mountain.

(Note for video viewers: Lucaszuk’s video feed dropped out near the end of the chat, so our apologies for that technical glitch. Jen’s video is fine and audio is fine for both throughout.)

Spotify:

Apple:

And plenty more options here.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and don’t miss us next week. We’ll be back with more On The Line.

A brief programming note: It’s been six months since we launched our On The Line podcast. It has been a huge success, and we wanted to thank our audience here for helping make that so. While the podcast was just getting off the ground, we made a point of promoting it twice every Tuesday — we had a post announcing the audio release in the morning, and a second post in the evening, when the video went live. Now that the podcast has its feet under it, we’ll be consolidating On The Line’s releases into a single evening post — like this one. The audio will still release in the mornings, so follow us on your favourite podcasting app, but the main post will now be Tuesday evenings. Tuesday mornings will be again devoted to the publication of written articles.

So, for audio or for print, do what we always ask you to do — like and subscribe!

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. Please note: a donation is not a subscription, and will not grant access to paywalled content. It’s just a way of thanking us for what we do. If you’re looking to subscribe and get full access, it’s that other blue button!

The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter. Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 29th, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson talk about the sad end of summer — and shamelessly try to squeeze some clicks out of recent celebrity news.

They start off with the return of politics. Carney is striking the right tone, with a new major projects office and a European trip under his belt, but whether the country actually gets its act together is still an open question. Jen explains why she always hated Trudeau’s “business case” comments, while Matt points out that any national leader who leans too hard on that phrase risks being asked what the business case for the whole country is. And guess what? That's what's happening!

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada 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.

The conversation then turns to the specter of authoritarianism — or even fascism — in the United States. Matt talks about an essay from a generally reasonable U.S. writer who now asserts the U.S. has tipped past the point of no return. Matt isn’t fully convinced, but both your hosts agree there are some really unpleasant signals that America is heading down a path to the bad place. They know full well that many here won't agree, so they suggest a test for the viewers and listeners: write down your own personal “red line.” When would you decide things have gone too far, that this isn’t the America you knew? Send your notes to us with the subject line "My Red Line" and we’ll look back at them in a year.

This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Airbnb. Canada needs to take real action on bringing housing costs down — but experts agree that regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb is nothing more than a distraction. This makes sense when you consider two key statistics: Canada needs 5.8 million homes to reach affordability by 2030, and Airbnbs account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s overall housing stock. The closer you look, the clearer it gets that Canada needs bold action that addresses the entire housing market, not just 0.6 per cent of it. Additionally, regulating short-term rentals would limit the productive role that Airbnbs play in helping Canadians get by. Did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes? To learn more about how Airbnb is helping, not hurting, Canada’s economy, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

In the final stretch, Alberta’s battles over book banning take centre stage. Passive-aggressive librarians may have found a way to box in the provincial government. Jen cheers them on, while Matt closes by posing a pretty existential question — one that gets a surprising answer from Jen.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

YouTube:

Video goes live at 7:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Mountain.

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 other podcast series, On the Line, which releases new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where Matt Gurney spoke with Christopher Nardi from the National Post’s parliamentary bureau about what’s coming up this fall, and also, Ian Runkle, lawyer and YouTuber, on self-defence in Canada.

Thanks for all your support. We’ll 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. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter.Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

This week on On The Line, Matt Gurney is joined by two guests for two very different conversations.

First up is Christopher Nardi, a parliamentary reporter at the National Post’s Ottawa bureau, and an old friend of Matt’s. They talk about the end of the summer — yes, sadly it’s true — and what we’ve seen so far from the Carney government. Chris offers some hope that there might be more going on than has met the eye, but he’s also a realist about the challenges the new government is going to face. The two also touch on the Conservatives, and why that party is glad to have its leader back in the House, before musing about the future — if any — of the federal NDP. They aren’t writing the New Democrats off entirely, but making it back from here will be a steep climb.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. Canada needs to take real action on bringing housing costs down — but experts agree that regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb is nothing more than a distraction. This makes sense when you consider two key statistics: Canada needs 5.8 million homes to reach affordability by 2030, and Airbnbs account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s overall housing stock. The closer you look, the clearer it gets that Canada needs bold action that addresses the entire housing market, not just 0.6 per cent of it.Additionally, regulating short-term rentals would limit the productive role that Airbnbs play in helping Canadians get by. Did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes? To learn more about how Airbnb is helping, not hurting, Canada’s economy, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

After that, Matt is joined by Ian Runkle, a lawyer with expertise in firearms law and self-defence, and also the voice behind the YouTube channel Runkle of the Bailey. The conversation is all about, as they say, "just the facts." What is the law on self-defense in Canada? What can you do, and what can’t you do? Why did an attempt by the Harper government to make the law better for people defending themselves actually end up making things worse in some ways? And if Ian had the chance, how would he fix it? As it turns out, he and Matt are thinking along very similar lines.

This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Penetanguishene, 1840. More than a decade after relocating from Drummond Island, a group of Métis families signed their names to paper. Their petition was simple: recognize us and our rights. The answer was a policy formally excluding Métis communities from recognition, denying their existence for generations. But the petitions did not stop. From Penetanguishene to Sault Ste. Marie, Fort Frances and north to Moose Factory, Métis in Ontario insisted they are a distinct Indigenous people, with their own history, identity, and rights. That fight has carried forward into self-government agreements with Canada. Today, the Métis Nation of Ontario is a recognized Métis government, with the authority to build its own laws, institutions, and future. What began as a petition nearly two centuries ago lives on in the work of the MNO today, ensuring that Métis rights are recognized for generations to come. To learn more, visit OntarioMetisFacts.com.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

Spotify:

Apple:

And plenty more options here.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and don’t miss us next week. We’ll be back with more On The Line.

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. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter. Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

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In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Aug. 22, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson have lots to talk about. And carefully avoid confessing to any crimes.

The show opens with breaking news: Canada is dropping many — though not all — of its retaliatory tariffs against the United States. Matt and Jen agree the economic impact is limited, but the political optics could be rough for a prime minister who built a reputation on opposing Washington. This leads naturally into a discussion about when it’s fair to start judging Mark Carney’s performance. Jen presses Matt on what Canadians could reasonably have expected by now; Matt, in turn, asks her how long she’s willing to wait before demanding results.

This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.

We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada 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.

Next, the hosts turn to a controversial story out of Lindsay, Ontario, where a man has been charged after using a knife against a home invader. With key details still missing, both Matt and Jen caution against rushing to judgment, but they stress that Canadians need stronger protections for people defending themselves. They stop short of calling for U.S.-style “castle laws,” but argue that Canada must do much better in balancing the scales between citizens and criminals. They share a few stories of their own experiences. Very carefully share them.

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. To solve the housing crisis, Canada needs 5.8 million new homes by 2030. And while some think short-term rentals like Airbnb are taking homes away, that's just not the case. Because — according to Statistics Canada — the number of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes amounts to only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock.

How can you solve the problem when you're focused on less than one per cent of the housing market?

To learn more, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Finally, the episode closes with a quick take on Pierre Poilievre’s victory in a new Alberta riding. What does it mean? What doesn’t it mean? And why are so many people working overtime to spin this into a seismic event? Matt and Jen break down the hype and the reality, and they don’t mind pointing out who looks silly in the process.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

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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 other podcast series, On the Line, which releases new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where Jen Gerson interviewed Karen Valis, writer and artificial intelligence expert, on the evolving role of AI engineers, the limitations and capabilities of AI, and the ethical considerations surrounding its use.

Thanks for all your support. We’ll 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. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter.Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

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In this episode of On The Line, Jen Gerson speaks with Karin Valis, a Berlin-based machine learning engineer and writer behind Mercurial Minutes. Together, they explore the complex and sometimes unsettling ways artificial intelligence intersects with human cognition, creativity, and mental health.

This episode of On the Line is brought to you by Airbnb. As we’ve discussed many times before, it’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. Some think that one way we can solve it is by regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb. But the closer you look, the clearer it gets: that’s simply not the case. According to Statistics Canada, the number of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes amounts to only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock. Something that has been clear for a long time is that tackling affordability will require big and bold action that addresses all of the housing market, not just 0.6 per cent of it. To learn more, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

They talk about how the role of AI engineers is shifting and what that means for the future. They get into the way we lean on machines to do our thinking for us — and what that does to our own brains. There’s a lively back-and-forth about whether AI companionship helps or hurts us, and what happens when we start to depend on it too much. Karin also explains how these systems reflect our own behaviour back at us, often in surprising ways, and why the ethical questions are only getting harder.

This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, 1993. A father and son — Steve and Roddy Powley — went hunting moose without a tag. What followed was more than a trial. For a decade, their entire community stood accused — told they didn’t exist, told they had no rights. In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled otherwise. In R. v. Powley, Métis rights were fully recognized in law — rights rooted in history, culture, and community in Ontario.

Today, on those same lands where Métis once farmed river lots and were pushed aside, a new chapter has begun. The old Central United Church has been reclaimed as the Powley Institute — a Métis-led centre for education, culture, and truth. Here, the stories once silenced will be told and the lessons of Powley will endure: justice follows when you stand firm in the truth of your history. To learn more, visit OntarioMetisFacts.com.

Of particular interest to many, we suspect, you’ll also hear a thoughtful take on where AI is headed — not as something alien or futuristic, but as a mirror of ourselves, raising tough questions about how we adapt to the tools we’ve built. And also on the ethical issues that will inevitably arise — and it is inevitable — when AI and increasingly life-like robots are combined.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

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And plenty more options here.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and don’t miss us next week. We’ll be back with more On The Line.

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. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter.Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: [email protected].

Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe