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.