Episodes
-
Hello, viewers and listeners of The Line Podcast. Your hosts cover a ton of issues this week, including one that leaves Jen in literal tears of outrage and indignation. Or something like that.
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.
The first topic is the latest, humiliating phase of Justin Trudeau's slow decline. He's announcing temporary tax breaks and handing out rebate cheques in a desperate attempt to shore up his fading political fortunes. It's terrible policy, as even some normally Liberal-friendly people will acknowledge, but it's also just so patently desperate and craven that we doubt it'll even be good politics. Recall what we said directly to our Liberal friends in recent episodes of the podcast: this doesn't get better. It only gets worse and more painful and more humiliating. A PM who came into power as a leading figure of the triumphant global progressive movement is now reduced to Doug-Ford-esque impersonations of a daytime game show host. And worse is always possible.
Up next, your hosts tackle two other major federal stories. A new big poll from a reliable company is out, and shows no evidence of any "Trump Bump" for the Liberals. Which we've been trying to tell y'all would be the case. Also: we share our shock and horror at an absolutely appalling nickname we heard for the latest man to tumble out of Trudeau's cabinet, and also opine on how the PMO's handling of this political fiasco is cause for alarm. If they can barely figure out how to handle a pretty bog-standard political scandal, are we confident that they can handle what's happening to our world? Friends, we are not confident. Not confident at all.
Last up, Matt explains why he has left the comforting confines of the Centre of the Universe to visit one of his other favourite Canadian cities. He's in Halifax, for the Halifax International Security Forum, an annual gathering of allied military leaders and other defence and geopolitical experts. (And he thanks the organizers for inviting him back once more.) It's a great place for Matt to be as he and Jen discuss how Canada is responding thus far to Trump's win, specifically, why they have a bad feeling that Mélanie Joly doesn't realize she's be punted down to the kiddie table. They also chat about the ICC issuing arrest warrants for senior officials. They aren't that confident in Canada's response on that score, either.
Sigh.
Like and subscribe! Tell all your friends! And check out the rest of our work at https://www.readtheline.ca/ -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Nov. 15, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson take in a week that was incredibly busy, but also felt shockingly quiet. Maybe it's because we're all still deafened by all the news from last week?
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.
First up: a quick review of what U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has already announced in terms of key staffing positions in his cabinet and White House political team. Some of them are very good, even if they might pose particular problems for Canada. Others are just bonkers. Jen remembers enough of Trump 1 to suggest that the bonkers is the point. Feature, not bug.
Matt takes over then and offers Jen a theory. He has been reading up about why certain large U.S. cities moved sharply toward the GOP this cycle, and agrees with an American columnist who suggested it was a rejection from the actual policy failures of progressive municipal leaders in the U.S., who are too captured by the appeal of what they're trying to do in theory to ever admit that it's failing in practice. Matt warns that that is likely to play out in Canada, and they then chat about how, across a number of fronts, Canada works in theory. But not in practice. And if we're going to survive Trump 2, we want to survive in practice. Not just in theory.
Next: two grim stories out of the GTA this week remind us anew of why our Jewish friends and family are so stressed out these days. It's not encouraging, folks. The trendlines are bad. Then Jen wraps it all up by proposing a radical suggestion: don't ruin Remembrance Day by trying to make it into something it's not. Just let it be what it is.
Dangerous thinking, eh?
All that, and more, the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like, subscribe, share, leave a glowing review, and as always, check us out at our main website, ReadTheLine.ca. -
Episodes manquant?
-
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Nov. 8, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson provided viewers and listeners with the scintillating experience of a sustained bout of silence, because they have no idea what to say.
Like, they also talk and stuff, but, like, wow. 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.
First up: a chat about the vibe. The feels. What they are thinking and feeling since the decisive electoral victory of Donald Trump over Kamala Harris this week. They take a look at the latest available numbers, and note the broader societal and political trends that they speak to. They discuss Trump's failures as a human being, and why the Democrats still somehow managed to convince 75 million people that they were fine, or even virtues. They talk about history, and how it feels when one age transforms into another.
It's all very uplifting.
Next: they zoom in on Canada, and speculate about what's next for us. Trump won't have Canada at the top of his shit list, but we might not be all that far from the top, given how Justin Trudeau and his government have made many public comments about Trump that we suspect the president-elect remembers. We talk about how Canada actually (and sincerely!) excelled at adapting itself to a global order that is now dead, and how we should have begun hedging our bets years ago. But we didn't, so now we need to adjust right now, all at once. And we aren't sure the Trudeau government will survive the G-forces such a sudden pivot is going to create.
Last up, and still on the topic of a changing world, your hosts note with alarm and sadness the pogrom in Amsterdam this week. And they add it to the list of things that Canadian officials ought to be worried about, but don't seem to be.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe! Tell all your friends! And check out the rest of our work at https://www.readtheline.ca/ -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded during the week of Oct. 28, 2024, Matt Gurney finds a way to make a podcast without Jen Gerson. And, it turns out, it involves bringing in Jen Gerson.
Okay, okay, let us explain: this episode of the podcast is different than normal since Jen is in Israel. So for the first segment, she joins Matt from her hotel room in Jerusalem for a talk about what she has seen overseas (and she has seen more than planned!) and also, how it's left her feeling. Feeling about the conflict itself, of course, but also feeling about humanity.
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.
Matt still had a whole podcast to fill, though, so after his chat with Jen, he got by with a little help from his friends. First up was David Shipley, an old friend and colleague of Matt's who is a former reporter, former soldier and, today, a cybersecurity expert at Beauceron Security, where he is co-founder and CEO. David recently saw a story in the CBC that made his blood run hot — the Canada Revenue Agency has timidly and belatedly acknowledged a major error, and the official reaction was ... nothing? No one cared. David wants us to get mad. Matt thinks he's right.
Next, Matt is joined by two friends, who happen to be seasoned political operatives. He has been wanting to get someone to answer — on the record! — a question about what it feels like to lose a campaign. What it feels like when a war room knows it's all going wrong. When the bad news keeps coming. When a winnable campaign starts to slip through your grasp. He has had a hard time finding people who wanted to talk about that — because, honestly, it's asking them to relive something that was upsetting and maybe even traumatic.
But he finally found his people! Mitch Heimpel is a regular contributor to The Line, and a consultant today, but spent years inside the Conservative Party of Canada as a staffer and war-room guy. He's with public-affairs firm Enterprise Canada. Erin Morrison has been a political communicator and strategist in two legislatures and at the House of Commons for over a decade, working for multiple NDP leaders. She’s been the director of communications and campaign deputy director on campaigns across Canada and federally. She’s the founder of Morrison Comms Inc.
It's an unusual episode of The Line Podcast, but we think a pretty good one, and we hope you enjoy it. God willing, Jen will be back to Calgary safe and sound by next week, and we'll get back to our normal episodes, but we hope this one tides you over. Like and subscribe! Tell all your friends! And check out the rest of our work at ReadtheLine.ca. -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 24, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
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.
The big story this week was the caucus coup/mutiny/insurrection/kerfuffle that ... wasn't. After weeks of speculation, the restless Liberals didn't even take their best shot. They basically wimped out and the PM thanked them for their donation. Sorry, we meant for their comments. We don't rule out there being another flare up later, especially if the polls remain so bleak, But if nothing else, the PM has a bit more breathing room than before. Matt told Jen that he thinks the lame munitineers have basically handed Pierre Poilievre the next election. And they probably, on some level, know that.
Also this week: a long talk about what the LPC used to change the channel from their internal problems. They've announced a big cut to immigration targets, and have come as close as they ever do to admitting they screwed up. But they're taking responsibility in such a grudging and timid way that it's reminding Matt of another election he can remember. It didn't go well for the incumbents. Jen also underlines, correctly, that the damage is done. The cut announced this week will feel big for the Liberals. But it won't be nearly big enough to actually begin to address the problems we now have. Those are baked in for years to come.
They end by chatting about two provincial elections that took place in recent days. In B.C., who knows? In New Brunswick, at least, we have a clear result!
All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/ -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 18, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
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 Ottawa, well, gosh. That was a lot. Matt and Jen discuss, at length, what came out of the foreign interference inquiry this week. That includes everything Matt covered in his column, but also some of what he did not cover in the column, because there was just no way that any one article could even scratch the surface on that shitshow. They also chat about the serious allegations Canada has made against India, and why they find them plausible ... and why they wish the Conservatives and some of the right-leaning members of the media would stop treating this as a ploy by Justin Trudeau. It isn't. Stop saying it is. They also chat about the continuing signs of the Liberal party coming unglued, and politely request that the Liberals either toss Trudeau or stop talking about it, because we're getting bored.
Also: Jen checks out an Associated Press report on MAID, and is concerned. Matt is less concerned, but admits he's the weirdo. They also talk about how Canada had a pretty good thing going with immigration for a while, but ... we broke it. And that's lousy.
They end with two small notes: Jen with a shoutout to a viewer who asked a good question, and Matt offers a brief reflection on working with journalist Robert Fulford, who passed away this week. Our condolences to his family.
All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out athttps://www.readtheline.ca/
-
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 11, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
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 https://www.unsmoke.ca/
On the federal front this week: your hosts start by talking about two big stories that speak to the overall state of things. First, the latest from the Foreign Interference inquiry reminds Matt of what he concluded after reading the Johnston Report: that the government's only remaining defence on foreign interference is that they are too incompetent to be corrupt, malicious or traitorous. They also talk about a new article in the Toronto Star that left them both trying to figure out if the Liberals are delusional, or if they've simply given up.
In other federal news, your hosts also chat about three stories this week — a Liberal MP blowing up a committee meeting with profanity, some unusually blunt comments by the foreign affairs minister, and the Conservatives grilling a CTV exec on Parliament's time — and conclude that the longer this goes on, the worse this is going to end up looking for everyone. This government is done, guys. All that's going to happen from here on out is further humiliation and self-abasement.
To wrap up, Jen asks Matt whether or not being crazy is increasingly a political advantage. And to his horror, he could not confidently answer "No." So that's not great.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out today (and subscribe!) at ReadtheLine.ca.
Programming note: there will be no written dispatch this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 4, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
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.
On the federal front this week: things remain dysfunctional and it’s hard to imagine this lasting for much longer. But it probably will. For our sins. The rumours about the Liberals proroguing are getting louder. The Bloc seems ready to side with the Tories to bring the government down (and combined, they just might be able to do it, if the broke NDP abstains). The Liberals found themselves on the right side of an issue this week, and good for them. But Matt still thinks they are starting to give up. Jen explains why she is mad at the Tories this week. And it’s a big mad.
In other federal news, the Liberals have a plan to save the CBC. Or maybe a plan to have a plan. Both your hosts call bullshit on that. It’s way, way too late and this government is way, way too tapped out to take on a file that complex. But they’ll do it to help fend off Conservative attacks whenever the next election lands. It won’t work. But they’ll try.
After that, your hosts do a vibe check and conclude that that swinging culture pendulum is gonna keep right on swinging for the next decade or so. Oh, also. Jen has some advice for Danielle Smith on the matter of the United States Air Force turning all the frogs gay or controlling our minds (or both).
Sigh.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 26, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
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.
On the federal front this week: shit gets crazy, and, strangely, shit also gets discussed in Parliament. So that's great. The Liberals survived the confidence vote, and the Conservatives are preparing the next. The Bloc lays out their terms, and they're ... a lot. The NDP seems content to keep the Liberals in power, but they're going to need to work on their cover story. And in the background, we have Tory MPs cracking juvenile gay jokes, the PM losing it in the House, the health minister clutching his pearls so tightly they turned into diamonds, and lots, lots more.
God. So, so much more.
The other big story this week: CTV News and the Tories have been trading broadsides after someone(s) at CTV manipulated a Poilievre quote in a misleading way. This is, to state the obvious, bad. But the CPC, of course, has escalated, because of course they did. That's what they do. That's what all the parties do. We keep telling you this, and we keep meaning it: every incentive for all the parties will lead to ever-further escalation and enshittification of everything because, in the short term, it works. It always works. And we all pay the price.
Important note: because this was recorded early on Thursday, we did not yet know — it had not yet happened! — that CTV News was going to release a statement on Thursday accepting responsibility and noting, vaguely, that the two employees responsible were no longer with CTV News. We think our thoughts hold up, but we wanted to flag that for you, for the sake of accuracy and transparency.
After that, they chat about Trudeau going on The Late Show, and firearms. Don't worry, it makes sense.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 20, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
(Except for the date, the above was copy and pasted directly from last week's episode summary. It still applies. Let's see how many weeks we can get away with that.)
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 https://www.unsmoke.ca/
On the federal front this week: a confidence vote looms, and Justin Trudeau will likely survive, but he may one day come to wish he hadn't. Jagmeet Singh seems to want to pick fights — literally — with people. The Bloc is ruthlessly and pragmatically preparing to suck every dime they can out of Canada, and who can blame them? Liberals need to remember how to stage a coup. And the Tories are just gonna keep doing what they're doing. Your hosts agree that this all might go poof quickly, but Matt lays out a theory that explains that this could, in fact, last for a year. Or longer.
So that'll be lots of fun.
After that, they chat about the Canadian economy — the good, the bad and the ugly. Jen basically converts to communism without realizing it about halfway through the segment. Next, they talk "Operation Grim Beeper," and Matt explains a happy scenario about how a tactic like that could be used on us. And last but not least, they catch you up on the latest skirmish inside the Canadian media. So far, everyone is mostly behaving like an adult? How rare.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/ -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 13, 2024 — Friday the 13th, spooky! — your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
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.
Like, where should they start? Singh finishing the job Trudeau started and putting a stake through the heart of the carbon tax (at least, as we know it)? Should they talk about Mark Carney and his new job? Should Matt read Jen a hilarious quote where a Liberal MP, probably without realizing it, actually made an extremely frank and fair comment about the party's electoral chances and why they're in trouble? Should Matt urge the Liberals to try and salvage their dignity and their souls, if not their government?
Well! Good news! They talk about all those things!
And more! Jen read a book review and found a surprisingly juicy bit of gossip — or at least hints of one. Jen also saw that the Conservatives are planning their own version of online harms legislation, and she has a hunch they might stick the landing. And Matt closes the podcast by noting, that with their government in absolute disarray and only months left on the clock, the Liberals have chosen this moment — right now! — to start a conversation about reforming the CBC.
Sure, guys, that's a great idea, and you totally have the political bandwidth, intellectual capital, time, and a stable enough parliament to pull it off. 10/10 thinking, guys, excellent idea, and it's gonna go great for you.
Sigh.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/ -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 6, 2024, your hosts lament that the first week back to the grind was, in fact, extremely grindy. Lots of breaking news on the federal political front, both with CASA collapsing and the PMO losing a major figure. They try and assess what the hell is going to happen next. And they have no easy answers.
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.
Next, your hosts talk about a bombshell report from the U.S., which alleges — with an awful lot of supporting evidence, we note — that a series of right-wing media personalities were being funded by Russia, to advance Russian state aims. Yuor Line hosts are extremely unsurprised by this, and expect we will see this ripple north into Canada (it has already, in some ways). Matt has words of warning for anyone thinking this is entirely a right-wing problem, though. It isn't. And we're just starting to really dare take a hard look at it.
They wrap up with a chat about why Canada can't get things done, and why Twitter now thinks Matt is an alcoholic. Fun stuff.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/ -
In the latest, Labour-Day-weekend edition of The Line Podcast, recorded late on August 29th, 2024, Jen Gerson visibly wilts before Matt Gurney's eyes as the summer-time cold she's battling decisively wins that battle. But before Jen collapses, they start with a quick political round-up from the provinces: chaos in B.C., shock among Ford critics in Ontario, and a controversial announcement in Alberta that Jen agrees may be bad, but not for the reasons people are saying.
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, your Line editors talk about the summer — not like what they did during the summer, but how they felt the political vibe is as the summer (alas) draws to its conclusion. They both agree that the federal Liberals more or less did what they needed to do. They survived! But they glance at the latest polls and conclude that we're likely right back where we left off at the end of June, with the Liberals once again facing down reports of internal discontent and mutinous feelings while the CPC maintains a lead in the 15-20 per cent range.
They end with something of a pop quiz from Matt to Jen, and she was really delighted to be hit with a surprise question as her immune system collapsed in real time. But they both shared their best guesses on what Justin Trudeau's "Hail Mary" play will be in what time he has left. Matt suggests we're already starting to see it, in fact.
All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/
NOTE FROM THE LINE: With the long weekend upon us, The Line is returning to a normal publication schedule as of Tuesday (assuming Jen isn't in a coma). There will be no written dispatch this weekend, but we'll get one out early next week. And then back to the grind. We hope our readers, listeners and viewers had an amazing summer, and thank them, as always, for their support.
-
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded a day earlier than normal on August 22nd, 2024, after Jen Gerson offers up some shockingly TMI stuff, your hosts start by noting, with amusement, that Jagmeet Singh, leader of the federal NDP, tried once again to tweet about how mad he was at Justin Trudeau and got zapped by Twitter's crowd-sourced fact-checking service. The Twitter hivemind, in its wisdom, noted that as Trudeau's confidence-and-supply agreement partner, Singh could hold Trudeau to account basically whenever he wanted. How strange that Singh seems to keep forgetting that. Nothing lasts long on Twitter, Matt Gurney notes. But it was glorious.
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.
After that, your Line editors move on to another big chat involving federal politics this week. Charles Adler, long-time broadcaster, has been appointed to the Senate. After Gurney makes a personal disclosure, Gerson takes the lead on a discussion about accountability, bias and the currying of favour, and why all members of the press wince a little bit when one of them makes the jump to political life. She also establishes what Gurney has dubbed the Gerson Scale for political ickiness.
From there, they move onto the rail lockout (for the record, this was recorded before the federal government announced that it would use its powers to end the disruption; as we prep this podcast for publication on Friday, it's not yet clear if the trains will actually start running -- everything is moving fast on this one, folks, so bear with us). They don't talk about the disruption itself so much as how vulnerable (or not?) our supply chains are, and how strange it is to live in a time where the average Canadian has to spend so much time thinking about supply chains! It didn't used to be this way.
They end with what Gurney dubs a "vibe check." Ontario premier Doug Ford has taken a step that will close down a series of controversial safe injection sites in Toronto, and Gurney believes that this speaks to a bigger, broader cultural shift that's underway. That big ole pendulum is just swinging hard back to the right, ain't it?
All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at ReadTheLine.ca. -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 16th, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson bring the heat. Actually, Matt's just melting visibly onscreen without air conditioning. (He explains, don't worry. At least his microphone is fixed?)
More seriously, your hosts talk about two damning stories out there right now on the immigration front. The first is the latest on the arrest of two apparent/alleged/etc ISIS terrorists who were planning an attack (police claim) on Toronto. This is a bit awkward since both men were fairly recent arrivals to Canada, and obtained Canadian citizenship after one of the men (allegedly!) took part in a brutal ISIS execution video in 2015. Oops. Also, the UN is slamming Canada's temporary foreign workers laws as being akin to modern day slavery. And honestly, The Line thinks that's pretty fair, when you consider the rules.
Then, Jen goes off on "Raygun," the Australian breakdancer. Like, she really goes off on her. It was ... surprising. So enjoy that, we guess.
Finally: a couple of media stories. Your Line editors note, with regret, the closing of CHML 900, a news-talk radio station in Hamilton, Ontario, that had been operating for 97 years but can no longer survive in the modern media environment. Your hosts explain why. Matt then tells Jen about the brave editorialist who apparently took on Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and won, according to Twitter. Matt checked out the editorial, thinking he was going to read a smackdown of the CPC boss ... and came away less than impressed. He explains why.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.
Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and visit our website at ReadTheLine.ca. -
Hello, fans of The Line, and welcome to the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 9th, 2024, in which your hosts are totally not struggling to find things to talk about during the doldrums of political silly season.
They start by chatting about U.S. politics. A new wave of polls has shown that the Biden-Harris switcheroo has ... worked. It hasn't doomed Donald Trump, but it has put Kamala Harris and her new running mate in a position where they can absolutely win this. The race is competitive again, a toss up. Jen explains why she thinks Trump might still have the inside track. Matt taps sports psychology to suggest why he's not so sure. Jen also gets deeply existential on why she thinks progressive parties are struggling across the West.
Next, they talk about a story that had a certain segment of the Canadian commentariat fired up this week: CPC bots! Neither of your hosts would be shocked if the Conservatives, or any political party, was using bots-for-hire to amplify their strategic communications. But both of them also suggest some caution here. We should all be skeptical of what we see on social media, even if — maybe especially if — it's something we really want to believe.
From there, they chat about the riots in Britain, and Matt tells Jen that he noticed something coming out of that coverage that Canadians should be paying attention to, because even as the Brits are burning their own towns down, they're still better at a pretty important thing than Canada.
And finally, Matt makes a bold proposal that he hopes all Canadians can unite behind, because it will radically improve our quality of life and, frankly, change human civilization as we know it — for the better. And Jen instantly rejects that proposal. Listeners and viewers — have your say.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.
Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and visit our website at ReadTheLine.ca. -
Important correction: During this episode, Line editor Gurney utterly brain cramped and repeatedly referred to Jeff Simpson when he meant Lawrence Martin. No excuses. Just a mortifying flub. Mea culpa.
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on August 2, 2024, your hosts Jen Gerson and Matt Gurney discuss Jen's column this week, but they also discuss the broader problem with Canadian governance these days: disasters aren't to be learned from, they're to be blamed on someone or something else. There are undoubtedly things we should learn from the recent devastation of Jasper. We should learn them before something terrible happens to Banff, just to cite one example. But will we? Of course not. The fire in Jasper, like everything else, is just an opportunity for us all to convince ourselves that we're perfect and the other bastards are to blame again.
They also discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, and wonder if something even more awful will have happened by the time anyone actually ends up listening to it. They also make a heartfelt appeal to Canadians, in response to the latest wave of awful antisemitism: maybe don't firebomb and deface Jewish sites? Like, you know, just ... don't? It's not helping! Just a thought!
They wrap up with a chat about the latest media news. Matt is less than impressed with a column he read recently, though he thinks we should put it into a museum as a perfect example of how selfish, petty and petulant many Canadians remain. We are, he says, a very spoiled and childish country. They also talk about a new report on the first year for the Canadian media since the Online News Act passed. It hasn't gone great!
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.
Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and visit our website at ReadTheLine.ca. -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on July 19, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson try and wrap up their thoughts on Quite The Week! in U.S. politics. Your Line editors are not Americans, and generally leave American political analysis to those who actually live in that country. But we can't avoid the events in the U.S. They're too big and too important. So, as a compromise, they tried to mostly stay on the topic of what Quite The Week! in the U.S. will mean for us. They also talk about Biden, his options, and why there is literally no position The Line can take on Trump that will please everyone. It's just too hot a topic.
They then move on, back to the relative safety of Canadian politics, and note that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a move to (politically!) kneecap Mark Carney. They think that's shrewd, but they also think that that confirms what they've suspected: Trudeau won't go unless he's forced out. Also: best wishes to Seamus O'Regan.
To wrap up: a cyber catastrophe and the warning we won't heed, Toronto floods and we won't learn from that either, and Matt has to remind Albertans that he loves them (because he's about to say something that will piss them off). But, for her part, Jen agrees.
All that, and more, in this episode of The Line Podcast.
Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and visit our website at ReadTheLine.ca. -
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on July 12, 2024, Jen Gerson and Matt Gurney discuss the likely fate of Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance. For those who remember what happened to her predecessor, Bill Morneau, a certain news story in the Globethis week — wherein sources close to the PMO said they're getting fed up with Freeland's terrible communication skills — suggests that bad things are headed the deputy PM's way. Your hosts talk it out — if she does lose her gig at Finance, does she go entirely out of cabinet? Take a different portfolio? Does she quit? Is this deliberate leaking to spook her into quitting, or a genuine leak from chatty insiders? Also, as Gurney notes, if the PMO is mad at her for being a bad communicator, they should blame themselves. She's always been a bad communicator. If they're just noticing that now, that's their fault.
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 also talk about this week's NATO summit. Gurney recaps his column, published in The Line on Friday, and they also chat about what Trudeau has gotten right on defence. He has gotten things right! But he's also demanding full credit for a promise that, to be blunt, simply isn't very credible, and he's also taking swipes at NATO's two-per-cent target itself. Which is weird .... since he committed his government to it! No one is asking Justin Trudeau to do anything that Justin Trudeau hasn't pledged to do, and Justin Trudeau is apparently unhappy about that. That's something we should reflect on. That's something the PM should reflect on.
They wrap up the episode by talking about some of the stories that crossed their desk this week. Shocking revelations about the personal life of Canadian literacy icon Alice Munro are forcing a necessary reevaluation of her legacy. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre received a less-than-friendly reception when he spoke at a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations; your hosts get into that a bit as well. And lastly, the political fate of Joe Biden might already be sealed, and there isn't much that the Democrats can do about it ... probably.
Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and visit our website at ReadTheLine.ca. -
Hello, The Line Podcast listeners/viewers. We hope you had a great Canada Day weekend and that this podcast, recorded on July 5th, 2024, will help you start this weekend off 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.
Your hosts, including one in a fancy new (and almost finished!) summer-time studio, start by talking about the coup-that-wasn't. Last week, in our last episode before the break, we told you about the rumours and speculation about the future of Liberal leader (and prime minister) Justin Trudeau. Well, a week has passed, and the coup (if that's what it was) hasn't come to anything. Never say never — there will be other byelections and Lord knows what other political curveballs might be tossed the PM's way. But having survived this, and with not much time left to even install another Liberal leader even if the party wanted to, The Line suspects that, for better or worse, PMJT will lead his party into the next election.
(But we also talk about a few scenarios where he won't! Just to cover the bases/our butts.)
We also cover off a few quick bases. Canada has named a new top soldier, Lt. Gen. Jennie Carignan, who will be promoted to full general and become the first woman to hold the job in just under two weeks. We wish her every success in the role, and offer our thanks to the outgoing Gen. Wayne Eyre as he begins his retirement. We also note that the LCBO is on strike in Ontario, and Matt has some tips on where you can still find something to slack your thirst, if you're so motivated. Jen comments on how drinking is better in Alberta ... including now, yay!, potable water in Calgary, where the situation is improving on the water front. But they mostly talk about the Stampede: why it's awesome, why bigger cities can't pull something like that off, and why the PM cancelled his annual visit this time.
Finally, Matt talks about the reaction to his last column. It was ... revealing.
Take care, and as always, like, subscribe, share, and visit our website at ReadTheLine.ca. Stay hydrated, Calgary, and stay buzzed, Ontarians!
- Montre plus
