The Line

• It's ABC time — Always. Be. Campaigning.

  In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 2, 2025, Matt and Jen debrief the end of a long, weird federal election — and everything it upended.They start with what surprised them about the results and how the political map has scrambled in unexpected ways. Then, naturally, they pivot to constitutional monarchy. Why? Because it works. And because Matt is now on a mission to figure out how he can see the King when he comes to Ottawa to deliver the Speech from the Throne. He’s serious. He wants in. He'll wave little flags and everything.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.In segment two, Jen is furious about new legislation introduced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to lower the threshold required to trigger a referendum. Jen calls it chickenshit — and dangerous. She argues it opens the door for grifters and bad-faith actors to manipulate the process and vulnerable people. Matt wonders why the Alberta NDP is doing nothing with this gift-wrapped opportunity. And seriously: where is Naheed Nenshi? What, exactly, is he waiting for?This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Innovative Medicines Canada. With a new government in place, one thing remains clear: Canada must continue to prioritize patients and healthcare innovation. Innovative Medicines Canada is focused on collaborating with all levels of government to improve access to life-saving medicines and develop a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ignites innovation, and drives economic growth. Canada’s innovative medicines sector plays a critical role—not just in health outcomes, but in keeping us competitive on the global stage. That’s why, even during a moment of political change, Innovative Medicines Canada is staying focused on the issues that matter most to Canadians. And as Canada moves forward with national pharmacare, Innovative Medicines Canada believes it’s possible to expand access without limiting choice—by strengthening what works and fixing what doesn’t. Visit innovativemedicines.ca to learn more. Finally, your hosts turn to the fate of Pierre Poilievre. With the party licking its wounds, will a leadership fight break out? And if it does, will The Line take sides? No — but we will sell weapons to, and publish op-eds from, all factions. That is our declaration. We're just here for the content. So Conservatives? Fire up those typewriters. 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, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout it across a pub. That's what we do.

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• So, that election. What just happened? What happens now?

  In the latest episode of On The Line, Matt Gurney is joined by Gregory Jack, senior-vice president of public affairs at Ipsos Canada, as they do their best to unpack what the hell just happened on Monday night. And what might happen next.In the first half, they go tactical. Matt and Greg walk through the horse race numbers — who’s up, who’s down, and who pulled off a surprise. The Conservatives outperformed their polling numbers. The left-wing vote largely consolidated around the Liberals. And a few party leaders lost their seats in results that caught even close observers off guard. Greg brings the data. Matt brings the questions. Together they sketch out what actually happened on election night.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.In the second half, they zoom out to a strategic overview. What does this election really mean? For the NDP, the road ahead is murky: do they rebuild slowly or try to bounce back fast by rolling the dice with an election ASAP? For the Conservatives, it’s an open question whether they’ll work with the Liberal minority — or move straight into siege mode. And for Mark Carney, the real challenge is just beginning. He has a minority government strong enough to last a while, but too fragile to do anything big or bold. Matt and Greg agree: this isn’t the worst-case scenario, but it’s pretty close. Canada remains stuck in political drift — and that drift could last a long time yet.This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. For generations, Métis communities in Ontario helped build Canada’s first great economy — the fur trade. They farmed, traded, raised families, and fought for their rights. In 1993, they founded the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) to protect their future. In 2003, the Supreme Court affirmed their rights. In 2023, Canada recognized the MNO as the Métis Government in Ontario. Now, with a newly elected federal government, it’s time to move forward. The MNO is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to advance the government-to-government relationship; resolve outstanding historic Métis claims; improve access to health care, mental health, and addictions services; and invest in Métis housing, education, and infrastructure. Generations of leadership brought us here. It’s time to get it done. Learn more at OntarioMetisFacts.com.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 normally available Tuesday mornings on audio, with the video version rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and across our social media channels. (We are delayed by one day this week due to the election.) If you prefer to watch, stay tuned tonight — and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.

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  1:02:03
• This election, we get what we deserve

  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.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.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.This episode is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. For the past five years, TikTok has been investing in Canada — hiring hundreds of employees for well-paying jobs in Toronto and Vancouver, and contributing over $1.4 billion in GDP to Canada's economy. However, TikTok has been ordered to shut down its Canadian operations. This will be a chilling precedent for global companies considering investing in Canada and will cost jobs in areas like software development and ad sales, which create opportunities for Canadians to work in global tech. It's in Canada's best interest to find a way forward that keeps local teams in place to support the success of Canadian creators, artists and small businesses on the platform. Whichever party forms government, it will have an opportunity to demonstrate that we're open for business, while addressing security concerns and fostering a thriving tech sector.Facts matter. Shutting down TikTok Canada eliminates jobs and stymies investments in Canada. Let's find a solution for TikTok that makes sense for Canadians.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.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.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. 

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  1:36:56
• Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail with Justin Ling

  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.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.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.This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's 1833 in Penetanguishene, five years since the Métis were forced to relocate from their home on Drummond Island. Métis families had petitioned for a church. They wanted ceremony and community. With their own hands, they raised St. Ann’s — a cedar log church where baptisms, marriages, and kinship ties would bind the Métis community across the generations. But they had no priest. So, they began to write letter after letter, advocating for the Métis community. Eventually, a priest arrived, beginning to formally record long-existing relationships within the Métis community, and generations of Métis families’ stories to come. Two hundred years later, St. Ann’s Church is now built of stone, but the Métis community in Penetanguishene will never forget its humble origins, which rallied their community in the wake of their 1828 relocation.Historic Métis communities in Ontario are real. They are resilient. And they played an important part in building Canada. Learn more at OntarioMetisFacts.com.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.

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  1:12:00
• Poilievre wins dumb debate on points

  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 ... 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.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.This episode is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. For the past five years, TikTok has been investing in Canada — hiring hundreds of employees for well-paying jobs in Toronto and Vancouver, and contributing over $1.4 billion in GDP to Canada's economy. However, TikTok has been ordered to shut down its Canadian operations. This will be a chilling precedent for global companies considering investing in Canada and will cost jobs in areas like software development and ad sales, which create opportunities for Canadians to work in global tech. It's in Canada's best interest to find a way forward that keeps local teams in place to support the success of Canadian creators, artists and small businesses on the platform. Whichever party forms government, it will have an opportunity to demonstrate that we're open for business, while addressing security concerns and fostering a thriving tech sector.Facts matter. Shutting down TikTok Canada eliminates jobs and stymies investments in Canada. Let's find a solution for TikTok that makes sense for Canadians.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.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.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.

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