Hello, people of The Line. We recorded early again this week, as Jen is taking another trip — what a jetsetter! — so forgive us if anything wild happens between the recording date (May 23rd) and the publication date, the 24th.

We're only two weeks away from our event in Edmonton and tickets are starting to move fast as we get close. There are still some left, though, so we hope you can join Jen, Matt and their kick-ass panel for a chat on Canadian fiscal resiliency in a challenging time for the world. We've got food, we've got drinks, we've got G&G, and we've got a few tickets left, so join us if you can. Info at this link.

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In this episode, Matt and Jen start by debating the future of Justin Trudeau. The rumours have been chaotic over the last week, cutting both ways, and your Line editors throw up their hands and admit they have no idea if he'll stay or go, but they do have a pretty good idea what it might take to get him to leave. They also discuss Mark Carney as the next possible Liberal leader. Good luck with that idea, LPC friends.

From there, Matt yells a lot about how there is no rules-based international order, and suggests it would be a really good idea for us to stop acting like there was one. It's great to aspire to one. Who doesn't? But let's not confuse our aspirations with our actual reality. The actual reality is the important part.

Finally, they talk a little bit about Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland's weird swipe at Pierre Poilievre in the House this week, for which she did apologize. Matt notes that it was a weird move for Freeland, and a risky one, but has a possible explanation. It fits in with the week's broader theme. Jen starts to warm to it as the podcast goes on.

All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and find out more about us at our website, ReadTheLine.ca.