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The Line

Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson
The Line
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  • Carney's China Problem, Jen's society problem
    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 11, 2025, things get unexpectedly emotional right out of the gate. Jen opens with a raw reflection on the state of public discourse in Canada — how partisanship is melting brains, how the media is under attack, and how political parties have become so addicted to campaigning that they’ve forgotten how to govern. Jen reminds Matt that he lives in a society, not alone on an island. He says he gets that, but he'd like to build a fortress on that island. He agrees with where Jen thinks things are going. He's just stopped feeling bad about it and has moved on to the doing-things-about-it stage.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.From there, they turn to the federal election campaign. The CPC campaign has problems. The LPC has different problems. They dig into the signs that the Liberal party is simply not taking concerns about Chinese influence in its GTA operations seriously — Carney may be a new leader, but they're certainly reading from the Trudeau playbook, probably because these guys stopped being able to tell the difference between a danger alarm and a "Fuck Trudeau" flag years ago. Matt also thinks the party leaders are just tired. They need a proper meal and a good night's rest.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, Matt recaps a speech he attended this week from the president and CEO of TransCanada Energy. The message? Canadians should aspire to be actual leaders in the field of energy exports, particularly to Asia, and what that would require in terms of building infrastructure ... and political will. It’s a theme Matt picked up in his column this week. It shouldn't feel so revolutionary to hear a CEO say it, but ...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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  • The Big "Oops." Is This The Next Great Depression?
    In the latest episode of On The Line, we take a look (through our fingers, which are covering our eyes) at what's happening with the markets, and whole economies, around the world. Guess we'll be delaying retirement a few extra years, eh? This episode of On The Line 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.To unpack all that is happening, Jen Gerson speaks with Professor Barry Eichengreen. The professor is an American economist and economic historian who is the George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. And he is worried that this is the big one, an economic crisis to rival the Great Depression. He highlights the volatility in the markets, the weakening of the U.S. dollar, and the potential for long-term damage to international economic relations. The discussion also touches on the role of cryptocurrencies and the challenges faced by Canada in navigating these turbulent economic waters.This episode is also brought to by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Sault Ste. Marie, 2025. In a quiet room filled with maps, parish records, and the voices of history, a story long denied is finally told. For too long, Métis communities in Ontario had been questioned, overlooked, and denied. But after reviewing more than 50,000 pages of evidence, visiting the seven historic Métis communities in Ontario, and hearing from 160 Métis Nation elders, youth, scholars, and leaders — the truth is clear. The Métis National Council’s Expert Panel report is the most comprehensive, transparent, and objective study ever conducted on Métis Nation communities in Ontario. The report rejected politically motivated misinformation. And it confirmed that the seven historic Métis communities in northern Ontario are — and have always been — part of the larger Métis Nation and meet the National Definition of Métis. For the Métis Nation of Ontario and their citizens, this report was a vindication. For more, go to OntarioMetisFacts.com.After that, Jen is joined by Mike Colledge from Ipsos, to provide an update on what issues are driving the electorate. Mike looks inside Ipsos's vast stores of data and shares with Jen what one of the next major issues in Canada could be: social cohesion.As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it far and wide. Spread the word of The Line.
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  • Your clock's ticking, too, Poilievre
    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 4, 2025, Jen spends a lot more time talking about her internal anatomy than Matt had expected. But he more or less kept his game face on.He thinks.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.They first talk about the campaign, of course. The latest and greatest there. It's been a quiet campaign. There were some candidate flameouts, which they discuss. Poilievre had some comments about female breeding windows, and they chat about that, too. They also talk about the unavoidable reaction by Canadian politicians to what's coming out of the U.S., even if it's not quite as bad as feared. This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. TikTok is focused on securing its platform during the federal election, and a key part of this effort is TikTok Canada's local employees — who understand our culture, languages, and political system. Having these local employees here is clearly in Canada's interest, however, TikTok Canada has been ordered to shut down its local operations and to lay off these employees. This just doesn't make sense. The next government has an opportunity to find a solution in Canada that protects well-paying jobs and billions in economic investment — while addressing security concerns and fostering a thriving tech and creative sector. Let's find a solution for TikTok that makes sense for Canadians. After that, your hosts move on to a comment by Mark Carney that caught Matt's attention this week. Matt doesn't disagree with the comment, per se. He certainly agrees with the idea behind it — in a changing world, Canada has to step up and do more. He's just not sure Carney realized what country he was talking about when he said what Canada is ready to actually do. We are deterred by sticks of foreign butter! Come on.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.To wrap up, Jen talks about her recent column on Alberta separatism, why she still has doubts, and Matt helpfully weighs in from Toronto to explain WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALBERTANS. Because he knows how much they love it when he does that. He just wants to remind them that they are still his second favourite province. And that ain't bad.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you're enjoying The Line Podcast, share it with a friend, post about it online, or just yell at someone on the bus. We won’t judge.
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  • What the CPC got wrong, and right, so far
    In the latest episode of On The Line, the key issue is why the Conservative campaign is already being rocked by internal fighting — is the campaign going that badly? Our first guest tackles that issue — Stephanie Levitz joins the show from the Globe and Mail, where she is a reporter covering the campaign. Despite all the doom and gloom, the Conservatives are actually having a decent campaign — their polls have softened a bit, but they're still very competitive. What's behind the angry leaks?This episode of On The Line 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.Steph and Matt talk about the CPC campaign to date, and in a lot of ways, it's a great campaign. They also talk about the campaign the CPC planned to have, and why it might be hard for Pierre Poilievre in particular to make a pivot to something closer to what the voters he needs want to hear. They also chat about the recent flood of angry complaints from inside the CPC house, and especially the very public spat between the federal Conservatives and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives — a long-simmering fight that has now spilled out into the open. And for all of that, Matt makes a small confession to Steph: he's starting to get the feeling that the CPC is maybe, just maybe, going to be able to pull off a win after all. He explains why.This episode is also brought to you by the Mêtis Nation of Ontario. It's Moose Factory, 1890. For generations, the Métis had been the backbone of the Hudson’s Bay Company, working as trappers, traders, voyageurs, and labourers. But in Moose Factory, they did something even greater — they helped build Canada’s original economic engine — the fur trade.   In the blacksmith shop, William Moore’s hammer rings as he and other Métis shipwrights form ships, sleds, and canoes to carry goods and furs across vast distances. For decades, the Hudson’s Bay Company relied on the Métis’ ingenuity, hard work, craftsmanship, and knowledge of the land. It was their work that ensured the success of the fur trade, and their skills that kept Canada’s supply lines moving. From shipbuilding to blacksmithing, the Métis of Moose Factory helped build Canada. To learn more, go to OntarioMétisFacts.com.After Matt wraps up with Steph, Gregory Jack, senior vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, joins Matt for a quick update on the latest numbers. Most interesting is signs of a growing divide in Canada. It's not just along partisan lines, or even regional ones. It's generational — people over 55 and under 40 are living in almost totally different Canadas. And if the young people show up and vote — always a big if, but if — it could be a very surprising election day.As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you're enjoying On The Line, share it with a friend, post about it online, or just yell at someone on the bus. We won’t judge.Thanks for listening — and we’ll see you next week for the next installment of On The Line.
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  • Carney dumps Trump, Conservatives ponder mutiny
    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on March 28, 2025, your hosts get dark. And deep. And psychological. And have a few inappropriate giggles. Matt almost gets himself cancelled and The Line shut down by quoting a bad lyric ... but stops himself just in time. Been that kind of a week, right?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.They start by talking about how foreign policy continues to drive the campaign. More tariffs. A threat to the auto-sector. A phone call, at last, between Mark Carney and Donald Trump — and apparently a very civil one. This is a rare campaign — one that is truly being driven by events beyond our borders. And thus far, it's all unfolding to Mark Carney's advantage.This episode has also been brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Forestry supports 200,000 Canadians in hundreds of communities, generating $87 billion in annual revenues and $37 billion in exports — including $29 billion to the United States. It's also key to addressing some of our biggest challenges. We need an action plan for our forest sector and its employees, one that will help build the homes we need with Canadian wood, reduce the risk of wildfires and create more family-supporting jobs right here at home. To learn more about what forestry can do for Canada, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.After that, your hosts talk about the campaign itself. What's working well for the major parties — and both of them do have some things going for them. What's the danger they face, especially the Conservatives, who seem to be struggling to adapt to a campaign that doesn't look anything like the campaign they were expecting. And also, and they don't say this to be mean, but seriously ... where is Jagmeet Singh? Seriously. Has anyone heard from him? Is he okay? They talk at some length about why the "oppo" attacks against Carney aren't landing, and why Jen is starting to think that Poilievre's path to moral righteousness might mean ... giving up.Oh, and Matt talks about his recurring anxiety dream ... but! It's totally relevant to the election. We swear.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Environmental 360 Solutions. Ontario's recycling system is failing local businesses and benefiting large American recyclers. Over $10 million a year is being collected from Ontario consumers in mandatory fees for tire and battery recycling but much of the work is being outsourced to American recyclers. This is starving local Ontario companies of opportunities to do that work and keep good jobs in the province. Worse, enough mandatory fees have been collected from consumers to recycle 100% of the materials, but only a fraction of this work is actually being done. Ontario’s recycling regulator is finally taking action, issuing penalties to the companies collecting the recycling fees, but in turn these companies are using these mandatory fees, paid by Ontarians to fund recycling programs, to cover the fines. The result? Ontario consumers are enriching unscrupulous industry participants and American recyclers, undermining recycling, job creation, and investment in Ontario. It’s time for real accountability in the recycling industry. To learn more, visit e360s.ca/fairrecycling.Last but not least, your hosts talk about the intra-Canadian conservative civil war that is increasingly spilling out into the open. Like, gosh. Did you see what happened in Ontario this week?Also! Our Bullshit Bulletin is back, and the Anti-Panel launches Saturday. Check out those and all our other election coverage out at ReadTheLine.ca.
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About The Line

The Line is a Canadian magazine dedicated to covering local, national and international politics, news, current events and occasionally some obscure stories.  Hosted by Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson.
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