The Line

Today on On The Line , Matt Gurney is joined by Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, for an extended, wide-ranging conversation recorded in the library of the Royal Canadian Military Institute in downtown Toronto. The discussion ranges across geopolitics, the state of the world, the state of Canada’s navy, what’s going right for the fleet, and what still needs to impro...

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast , recorded on January 30, 2026, one of your hosts starts with a literal public safety announcement. Line editor Gurney was the victim of attempted identity theft this week (like he doesn't have enough going on) and some Line readers may have received bizarre messages claiming to be from me. They weren't! He promises!  From there, Matt Gurney and...

In this week's On The Line , host Jen Gerson sits down with Greg Jack, Senior Vice President of Ipsos Public Affairs. The firm has just put out an in depth survey of separatist sentiment in both Alberta and Quebec. In keeping with previous surveys, about 30 per cent of Albertans said they would vote to leave Canada, but is that sentiment as strong as it first appears? Jack's team did som...

In today’s episode of The Line Podcast , recorded on January 23rd, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson are finally reunited after a long absence. Matt briefly explains where he’s been ( you can see his full statement here ) and thanks The Line ’s audience for their patience and support before the conversation turns to the biggest stories of the week. As Jen notes, it’s a perfect moment for Matt to be...

Today on On The Line , host Jen Gerson sits down with economics professor and  founding Director of McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy Chris Ragan. They talk about a story that has been absolutely buried under an avalanche of news -- the threatened indictment of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome (Jay) Powell. Last week Powell put out a statement stating flatly that the Tr...

Canada agrees to cut its tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products and Ontario premier  Doug Ford is positively pissed. In this week's episode of The Line Podcast, host Jen Gerson sits down with The Line Alberta's Rob Breakenridge at the Saskatchewan Crops Forum. This is a live taping of the podcast that took place, and what a topical moment as...

Today on On The Line , host Jen Gerson speaks with Heather Exner-Pirot, the Director of Energy and National Resources and Environment at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute. Exner-Pirot does her damndest to check some of Gerson's rampant New Year's depression as they discuss the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. It may be bad news for the Venezuelans -- every hour seems...

In this episode of The Line Podcast , hosts Jen Gerson and Andrew Potter discuss trade, immigration, and the attempts to "Globalize the Intifada." Firstly, on the trade file, US trade rep Jamieson Greer has issued a list of grievances. The Americans are villainously committed to giving Canadians more options for eggs, chicken, and dairy. StatsCan shows a dramatic drop in immigration as t...

Today on On The Line , host Jen Gerson talks to Brandon Forsyth, long time book buyer at Indigo. They chat about the hottest books heading into the Christmas season which, if you're anything like us, you are absolutely not yet prepared for. He's a list of kids' books, fiction, and non-fiction for the readers in your life.  (Note, no, we at The Line are not taking any cuts for any of...

In Today's The Line Podcast, recorded Dec. 12, 2025, host Jen Gerson is joined by special guest Andrew Potter to discuss this country's culture of complacency. We were once a nation that put its engineering achievements -- such as the Syncrude oil sands on a stamp. Now, the very idea that we should strive to be a culture that builds things, grows, and prospers has been sublimated by a cu...

In this episode of On The Line , host Matt Gurney is joined by Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Global Public Affairs. Darrell and Matt have both just returned from the Halifax International Security Forum, where Darrell presented a major new global survey to policymakers, military leaders, and security experts from around the world. Matt and Darrell walk through the findings and what they reveal abo...

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on December 5th, 2025, hosts Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson open with the newly released U.S. foreign policy document, and they’re not exactly thrilled.  They agree it’s an accurate  reflection of how the White House sees the world — uncomfortably accurate, in fact. They’ve been flagging many of these issues for months, hoping Canadians and Canadian...

Today On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with Toronto writer Phoebe Maltz Bovy, who has recently completed her book The Last Straight Woman. They dig into "the Discourse," the absolute state of heterosexuality in a post MeToo, post online dating app era. Sexual harassment, cosplay oppression, age gaps in relationships, marriage, the romanticization of the single mother, and why it&ap...

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast , recorded on November 28th, 2025, your hosts start with the biggest story of the week before veering off into a surprisingly long but very entertaining tangent about seafood and the possible unsustainability of our entire civilization. Trust us, it’s a good one. They do eventually get to the Memorandum of Understanding signed this week between Ottawa and...

In this week's On The Line, host Jen Gerson speaks with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who was in Ottawa this week to give the inaugural Ian Shugart lecture, held by Christian think tank Cardus. Gerson grills Douthat on an infamous column he wrote earlier this year arguing Canada should join Empire America. They go on to discuss the religious and political landscape in the U.S., and w...

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on November 21st, 2025, both of your hosts are on the road, and both of them bring stories and observations from where they’re visiting. This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern c...

In the latest episode of On The Line , Matt Gurney welcomes two very different guests for two very different conversations — and both of them are well worth your time. This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-bas...

In this episode of The Line Podcast , recorded one day early on November 13th, 2025 — and yes, your hosts are aware they’re tempting the wrath of the news gods every time they do that  — Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson dive into the story that continues to reverberate this week: what happens when MPs decide to leave their party?  This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Fu...

This week on On The Line , Jen Gerson sits down with entrepreneur and policy advocate Matt Spoke to talk about Project Ontario — a new movement of small-c conservatives who say Doug Ford’s government has lost its way. Spoke argues that after more than seven years in power, Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives are governing like Liberals: spending more than ever, doling out billions in corporate sub...

In this episode of The Line Podcast , recorded on November 7, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson react to a remarkably busy week in Canadian politics. This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-based methods like mas...

In this episode of On The Line , host Matt Gurney sits down with Peter Sankoff, a Alberta-based criminal defence lawyer and law professor, to talk about one of the country’s more heated current debates: should non-citizens receive legal leniency in criminal cases to avoid disrupting their immigration status? This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s ho...

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast , recorded on October 31, 2025 — spooky! — your hosts take on the big political issues in Canada today, including, God help us, the prospect of a federal election. They don’t think it’s likely, but they do think it’s possible.  This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solu...

In this episode of On The Line, host Jen Gerson is joined by Andre Gagne, a theology professor at Concordia University, and author of American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times.  This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion a...

In this episode of The Line Podcast , recorded on October 24, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson can’t help but respond to the breaking news of the day. God help us all. This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canada’s housing crisis demands bold, scalable solutions. Build Canada Homes is an opportunity to leverage Canadian wood in modern construction. Wood-bas...

In this episode of On The Line, Jen Gerson speaks to Vivian Bercovici, former Canadian ambassador to Israel, appointed by Stephen Harper. They talk about the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas -- and how long it will last; the role Donald Trump played in bringing it about. And, for a Canadian audience, the role Prime Minister Mark Carney did not play, though he showed up for the photo op...