The Decibel

A conversation between two acclaimed Canadian authors – Margaret Atwood and Michael Crummey on ‘The Art of the Story’. A live discussion about writing, reading, what makes Canadian authors unique and the publishing landscape. Atwood is one of Canada’s most celebrated writers, recently published Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. Crummey is the author of numerous short stories, poetry and novels, his most recent work being The Adversary.

This recording was from a live event at The Globe and Mail headquarters in Toronto on Dec.1, 2025, as part of celebrations for The Globe 100, an annual list of the most notable reads.

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This week, Minister for Canada-U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc, led a trade delegation to Mexico. He was joined by government and industry officials, as well as leaders of around 250 Canadian businesses. It’s the largest Canadian trade delegation to Mexico in recent memory, and it’s set against the backdrop of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s goal of diversifying Canadian trading partners.

Mark Rendell, the Globe’s economics reporter, joins the show to talk about the opportunities for growth in Mexico, and how the two countries are preparing for discussions around the renegotiation of USMCA later this year.

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As part of its plan to remake the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal government earmarked $6.6-billion over five years in the fall budget for its Defence Industrial Strategy. The document was finally released this week, and it details the blueprint for bolstering Canada’s defence industry.
Pippa Norman is The Globe’s innovation reporter, and she covers the business side of defence. She’ll explain why this document is important, the key takeaways, and what the plan means for broader conversations about protecting Canada’s sovereignty.
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Much has been made about a new social media platform called Moltbook, where AI agents are posting and appear to be interacting with each other. Some see their posts – especially those about humans – as worrisome. Others are wondering if this is evidence that we’re inching closer to a world where an artificial intelligence system attains consciousness.
Dr. Karina Vold is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto. She studies the philosophy of cognitive science, and also researches technology, AI and ethics. She discusses the problems with anthropomorphizing AI and the difference between sentience and consciousness.
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The Globe exclusively reported that Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford discussed the possibility of a snap federal election this spring. The next federal election is scheduled for no later than 2029, though historically, minority governments usually last around two years. But just how realistic is this speculation of another election?
Laura Stone, who broke the story, and Shannon Proudfoot, a feature writer and columnist based in Ottawa, join host Sherrill Sutherland for a political roundtable about whether Canadians will head to the polls this spring.
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