The Line

In the latest episode of The Line Mega Productivity Podcast, recorded on September 18th, 2026, prospective associate EU members Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson begin with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to the continent. The reception was remarkably warm, as Canada and Europe explore a much closer strategic relationship. 
This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.
The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.
A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.
Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.
Your hosts discuss the trip, the PMO’s continuing inability to develop a workable communications strategy and the credibility problems that creates. But the most fascinating part may be the American reaction. Donald Trump has now threatened retaliation over Canada’s growing ties with Europe. Matt and Jen wonder: is Washington finally beginning to realize just how badly it may have miscalculated?
This episode is also brought to you by Cardus. For years, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of the most famous atheists in the world. Then she converted to Christianity. Now she argues that faith is the key to renewing Western civilization. Hear her make the case live in Calgary, October 8th, at the 2026 Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by the think tank Cardus. Get your tickets at Cardus.ca/ayaan. 
Next, they turn to the Canada Investment Summit hosted by the prime minister in Toronto. There’s a lot to like about the ambition behind it, your hosts agree — but Canada now has to actually deliver the projects it is promising. And then there’s Stephen Harper. The former Conservative prime minister closed the summit by praising the initiative and arguing that Canada must reduce its reliance on the United States. Jen connects Harper’s remarks to a point Matt made in his column this week and goes considerably further: did Harper just politely drive a stake through the heart of Pierre Poilievre’s political career? Jen thinks so, and says so on the record: it’s over, Tories. Poilievre is never going to win. Move on.
Finally, Matt provides a quick update on some increasingly serious warnings from Canada’s European allies about the possibility of Russian attacks against NATO territory. Jen then brings things home with a major update from Alberta, now just one month away from its October 19 referendum.
This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We’ve been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we’re focusing on the “made-in-Canada” part.
Federal and provincial governments have made strong investments in the biomanufacturing sector, but Canada’s drug development ecosystem has contracted over time, and there is not yet enough domestic demand to fully utilize many of these advanced biomanufacturing facilities. This becomes a sovereignty problem. If our biomanufacturing facilities can’t remain in operation, we lose the ability to develop and manufacture homegrown therapies. We wait for therapies developed in other countries to make their way here –– with no control over when that might happen. BioCanRx requires the research projects it funds to work with Canadian facilities whenever possible, which has helped build and sustain networks across Canada –– but there is still a lot of untapped potential.
How can we make sure our infrastructure isn’t sitting idle? More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.
All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe!
#TheLinePodcast #MarkCarney #PierrePoilievre #StephenHarper #CanadianPolitics #CanadaUSRelations #Europe #Russia #AlbertaPolitics #CurrentAffairs

In this episode of On The Line, host Matt Gurney is joined by Kent Fellows, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, for a conversation about game theory, the trade war, and the challenge of getting Canada’s economy moving again. Plus, a very special guest with a special announcement. See more on that below.
This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we're focusing on the "made-in-Canada" part.Federal and provincial governments have made strong investments in the biomanufacturing sector, but Canada's drug development ecosystem has contracted over time, and there is not yet enough domestic demand to fully utilize many of these advanced biomanufacturing facilities. This becomes a sovereignty problem. If our biomanufacturing facilities can’t remain in operation, we lose the ability to develop and manufacture homegrown therapies. We wait for therapies developed in other countries to make their way here –– with no control over when that might happen. BioCanRx requires the research projects it funds to work with Canadian facilities whenever possible, which has helped build and sustain networks across Canada –– but there is still a lot of untapped potential. How can we make sure our infrastructure isn’t sitting idle? More on that next week. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

First, the trade war. Prof. Fellows recently wrote for The Line about what game theory can tell us about the ongoing trade war, and he and Matt dig into the incentives shaping the decisions being made on both sides of the border. The Americans may be behaving rationally if their objective is to maximize their leverage in the short term. But there are costs to that strategy, particularly as other countries begin making long-term decisions based on the assumption that the United States is no longer a reliable economic partner.
This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.
For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.
We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.
Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.
Matt and Kent also discuss the upcoming International Investment Summit in Toronto. It’s a good idea: Canada badly needs more investment, greater productivity and stronger economic growth. But attracting investors to a summit is one thing. Convincing them that Canada can actually overcome the regulatory, political and structural obstacles that have discouraged investment in the first place is another.
This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.
A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada. Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.
Then, a special announcement: The Line is growing.
Alan Findlay has joined The Line as a reporter and as the first recipient of our Build Canada Fellowship. Over the next year, Alan will be doing fact-based, straight-up investigative reporting into the policy obstacles that are hobbling Canadian productivity and economic growth — digging into what isn’t working, why it isn’t working, and what could be done differently.
And he’s hitting the ground running. Alan will be at the prime minister’s investment summit in Toronto this week, reporting on what the government is proposing, what investors are saying, and whether Canada is actually prepared to make the changes required to become a more competitive place to invest, build and grow.
The Line is excited to have him aboard — and we’re looking forward to showing you what he finds. You can read more about the fellowship here. 
Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the team. And as always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca.
#OnTheLine #CanadaPolitics #TradeWar #CanadaUS #GameTheory #KentFellows #CanadianEconomy #Productivity #Investment #BuildCanada #AlanFindlay #MattGurney

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on September 11th, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson begin by marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They reflect on how profoundly America changed after that morning, how the world changed with it, and how the media environment has transformed in the quarter-century since. They also consider how an attack on that scale would be covered today. Their conclusion? Worse. Much worse.
This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada. A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada. Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Next, your hosts turn to drones. Canada is partnering with Ukraine as warfare rapidly evolves, and Matt explains why the deal makes a great deal of sense for both countries. Ukraine has extraordinary real-world expertise in drone warfare, while Canada urgently needs to build up its own capabilities. But buying and building drones is the easy part. What exactly is Canada going to do with them? Where will they be stored? How quickly could they be deployed? And under what circumstances might Canada actually use them in, ahem, contingencies? The technology is moving quickly. Canadian defence policy will have to keep up.
This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.
Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.
Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.
Finally, Matt and Jen wrap up with a grab bag of looming problems. The Canada–U.S. trade war has become strangely lower-energy on the American side, and they discuss some of the reasons Washington may be increasingly hobbled in pursuing it. Then there's time for a quick tour through the AI apocalypse and the latest on Alberta's referendum.
This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. We’ve been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we’re focusing on the “made-in-Canada” part. Since 2015 BioCanRx has supported the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, in building a truly Canadian pipeline so Canadian patients don’t have to wait for cancer therapies developed elsewhere to reach a clinical trial here.
In the first iteration, genetic engineering happened in labs in Vancouver, a lab in Ottawa created a viral delivery system, and a facility in Victoria modified each patient’s immune cells. The resulting therapy was shipped to a research-intensive hospital where the patient received it. More than 100 patients in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario received treatment. Now the network is growing: new biomanufacturing facilities are preparing to produce cells in Calgary and Ottawa, and new clinical trial sites are being onboarded in other provinces. CLIC technology is being used in three active Canadian clinical trials, with more on the way.
So when it comes to producing made-in-Canada cancer immunotherapies, Canada isn’t starting from scratch. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us share these stories. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.
All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe.

#TheLinePodcast #September11 #CanadaUSRelations #CanadianPolitics #Ukraine #DroneWarfare #CanadianForces #TradeWar #ArtificialIntelligence #AlbertaPolitics

In this episode of On The Line, Jen Gerson speaks with Ronnen Harary, co-founder of Spin Master, the Canadian company behind some of the world’s most successful toys and entertainment franchises, including PAW Patrol.
This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we're focusing on the "made-in-Canada" part. Since 2015 BioCanRx has supported the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, in building a truly Canadian pipeline so Canadian patients don't have to wait for cancer therapies developed elsewhere to reach a clinical trial here. In the first iteration, genetic engineering happened in labs in Vancouver, a lab in Ottawa created a viral delivery system, and a facility in Victoria modified each patient's immune cells. The resulting therapy was shipped to a research-intensive hospital where the patient received it. More than 100 patients in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario received treatment. Now the network is growing: new biomanufacturing facilities are preparing to produce cells in Calgary and Ottawa, and new clinical trial sites are being onboarded in other provinces. CLIC technology is being used in three active Canadian clinical trials, with more on the way. So when it comes to producing made-in-Canada cancer immunotherapies, Canada isn't starting from scratch. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us share these stories. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Harary takes Jen through the early days of Spin Master and the risks that he and his partners were willing to take while they were still young enough — and perhaps naive enough — to take them. They discuss why your twenties can be an unusually valuable time to take big swings, what entrepreneurs can learn from failure, and why intuition and an understanding of history can matter when trying to distinguish a durable trend from the latest industry bubble.
The conversation then widens to Canada’s entrepreneurial culture. Harary argues that Canada has enormous creative talent but needs to become more comfortable with ambition, risk and the possibility of failure. He and Jen discuss the difference between building and servicing, the importance of protecting time for deep creative work, and why a successful innovation economy needs diversity not simply of backgrounds, but of ideas, experiences and ways of thinking.
This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.
For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.
We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.
Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.
Finally, they look at what Canada could do differently. Harary offers ideas for encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, attracting and developing talent, and creating a culture in which more Canadians are willing to build companies capable of competing globally.
It’s a conversation about toys and business, but also about ambition, creativity, risk and what Canada needs to do if it wants to produce more globally successful companies.
This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada. A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada. Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

As always visit our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and don't forget to like and subscribe!
#OnTheLine #RonnenHarary #SpinMaster #PAWPatrol #Entrepreneurship #CanadianBusiness #Innovation #Canada #Startups #BusinessAdvice #JenGerson

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, Jen Gerson speaks with Bloomberg senior White House correspondent Josh Wingrove about the collapse of the Canada–U.S. trade deal, the politics behind it, and why Canadians and Americans increasingly seem to be talking past each other.
This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.

The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.

A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.

Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.

Jen and Josh unpack the breakdown of the latest negotiations, including the competing Canadian and American accounts of what happened and the domestic political pressures shaping both governments. They discuss what Washington actually wants from Canada, how the dispute looks from inside the United States, and what Canadians may be misunderstanding about the political forces driving American policy.
This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage. Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how. Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.

They then widen the lens to the broader state of U.S. politics: Donald Trump’s hold over the Republican Party, the strength of America’s democratic guardrails, the coming midterms, and where the country may be heading politically. Finally, they consider what all of this means for Canada—and for a bilateral relationship that Canadians can no longer take for granted.
This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. Over the summer we partnered with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September, we want to better understand the “made-in-Canada” part. Many drugs discovered in Canada leave to be developed and commercialized in the United States –– with the benefits accruing there. Completely made-in-Canada immunotherapies are rare because Canada doesn’t have a major domestic pharma company to support the development costs or regulatory requirements. BioCanRx is one of the rare not-for-profits with the capacity and expertise to help move Canadian-discovered and manufactured immunotherapies towards the market, both through translational research funding and regulatory support. Promising examples include several therapies now in clinical trials through the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, which are fully designed and manufactured in Canada to target certain blood cancers and, more recently, solid tumours. More on those next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe!
#TheLinePodcast #CanadaUSRelations #TradeWar #DonaldTrump #MarkCarney #CanadianPolitics #USPolitics #JoshWingrove #USMidterms #CurrentAffairs