The Current

We push ourselves to optimize our careers, our health and our relationships. But we can't all be the best. So why do we struggle to accept that we're ordinary? The New Yorker staff writer Joshua Rothman and author and broadcaster Amil Niazi have each wrestled with that question. Their advice? Accepting mediocrity might be the best choice you ever make.

Six months ago, Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out a new and pragmatic path for middle powers in the face of an increasingly hostile U.S. and a rising China. In a new season of his podcast "Gloves Off" journalist Stephen Marche considers the opportunities for Canada given the new geopolitical reality.

A team of Canadian high school students took the top prize in an international culinary competition in France. We speak with cooking champions, Matea Thiessen-Unger and Avery Van Solkema about their journey from an after-school cooking program in Winnipeg to the Tablée des Chefs' Kitchen Brigades International Final in Paris, and Canadian celebrity chef Ricardo Larrivée about learning cooking skil...

Andrew Tate built an empire based on the idea of female subjugation and hyper masculinity. His message to men, particularly young men, is that they are victims of a feminized society.  Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania in 2022, along with his brother Tristan, for human trafficking. He's also accused of sexual assaulting multiple women — and is facing investigations in Romania, the United Ki...

We have a tradition at The Current of helping you build your summer reading list. Our panel of book experts is here to help. Penny Warris owns Analog Books with her husband Scott in Lethbridge, Alberta. And Josh Cockerill is a Manager at Type Books in Toronto. They talk through their picks for best beach reads, hidden gems, non-fiction, kids books, and more. 

In June of 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. We speak with two brothers, Ian and Nigel Baxter, who held opposing views on Brexit about what leaving the EU has meant for their businesses and the British economy.

It's that time of the year when graduates across the country are being celebrated by their families and communities.  Vaishnavi Verma is from Surrey, British Columbia. She is graduating from the International Baccalaureate program at Johnston Heights Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia. And she has a full scholarship to the University of British Columbia this fall.  We speak wit...

Monday's shooting in Montreal has focused attention on the incel — or involuntary celibate — movement, after it was revealed that the suspect in the shooting apparently distributed a 104-page manifesto full of hateful commentary about women, but also criticisms of capitalism and calls for violent revolution. We talk to Esli Chan, a PhD candidate and researcher at McGill, about how that manifesto e...

As Quebec marks the Fete Nationale, we look at the new and very online generation of Quebecois independence activists. We speak to a 25-year-old Alex Valiquette about the explosion of pro-independence music and memes — and how the movement is reaching out to allophones and newcomers. Then, poll analyst Philippe Fournier gives a reality check about movement's strength among young people and the Que...

Portugal fans in Toronto's little Portugal nieghbourhood were celebrating the team's 5-0 win against Uzbekistan. It comes after Portugal received heavy criticism for a draw against Democratic Republic of the Congo last week. The win also makes veteran leader Cristiano Ronaldo the first player to score at 6 World Cup Tournaments.

Flags in Montreal are now flying at half mast, in honour of police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane. The 34 year old was killed after a suspect started shooting in the neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges. A civilian, Michel Mizrahi, was also killed in the shooting. The suspect is also dead. A second police officer was also shot but is in stable condition. We speak with CBC's Gloria Henriquez i...

In their FIFA World Cup debut, Cape Verde tied 0-0 against Spain, favourites to win. Against Uruguay, they pulled off another 2-2 draw. The third-smallest nation by population to qualify for the beautiful game's largest stage is off to a magical start. We speak with Amelia Goncalves, owner of Luanda Restaurant and Event Space, about Cape Verde watch parties, her team's first ever World Cup goal, a...

The first uterine transposition, a minimally invasive surgery that temporarily relocates your uterus into your upper abdomen, was performed in Canada on a young woman in Montreal earlier this year. The surgery was designed to help young women battling specific types of cancer around the pelvic area preserve their fertility, which is typically lost during radiation therapy. We speak with Dr. Reitan...

Keir Starmer has announced his resignation, and the UK will get its seventh PM in seven years. Today also marks a decade since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. We speak with Patrick Baker, host of Politico's Westminster Insider podcast.

While we tend to associate seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, with cold weather and long nights, it is not confined to the winter. Summer SAD is very much a thing. We look at the symptoms, why this happens to certain people and some of the things that can help.

Following the critically acclaimed series Hunting Warhead, Season 2: Hunting the Suicide Salesman follows host Daemon Fairless as he takes us inside another dark corner of the internet: the online world helping people take their own lives. When people around the world started killing themselves with an obscure substance a few years ago, police were unaware that something – someone – was tying many...

Matt Galloway speaks to investigative journalist Daemon Fairless about his new CBC podcast, "Hunting the Suicide Salesman" which looks at the case of Kenneth Law. Last month, Law pleaded guilty to counselling or aiding suicide, in connection with fourteen deaths in Ontario. Law is also allegedly connected to at least 147 deaths globally. Daemon Fairless talks about who Kenneth Law is and what we k...

Graduates across the country are being celebrated by their friends, family and communities. Here at The Current we are doing the same, speaking with inspirational graduates.

The condo boom in Toronto and Vancouver has gone bust and thousands are sitting on the market -- in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. So what can be done?  We hear from Michael Fedychshyn of Building Ontario Fund about its deal to bulk buy thousands of units in the Greater Toronto Area, Condo developer Pouyan Safapour, about how to stop the boom and bust cycle and build units peopl...

Lyse Doucet, Canadian journalist and the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, takes us inside the Intercontinental Hotel in her new book: The Finest Hotel in Kabul, A People's History of Afghanistan. The hotel is an Afghan landmark that has seen every chapter in the country's history, and so has its staff. She explains why their stories matter, what they teach us about the country — and how sh...

Meet the boomerang kid: a young adult who's moved out for school or work, only to later move back in with mom and dad. It's becoming more common than ever - but it can sometimes come at the expense of mom and dad's wallet. We hear from a mom and a young adult about how they've adjusted to living with their kids or parents again. Then, we speak with financial planner Shannon Lee Simmons about the b...

Ottawa passed a bill making it tougher for some to get bail. Municipal leaders like Ottawa's Tim Tierney and Winnipeg's Scott Gillingham say it will keep violent repeat offenders off the street. But Queen's University criminologist Nicole Myers says the changes won't bring down crime and might just make things worse.

A special parliamentary committee is recommending that the federal government "indefinitely exclude" people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness from applying for medical assistance in dying (MAID). Recent polling from Angus Reid found the country is divided when it comes to expanding MAID, while some legal experts say it is a violation of people’s constitutional rights.

During this World Cup, fans are coming together in unexpected encounters. We hear from Boston — where the Tartan Army has invaded from Scotland, allowing Boston locals to make a bunch of new Scottish friends. From Lawrence, Kansas, where locals like artist Stan Herd have wrapped their arms around the Algerian team that's training there. And from Guadalajara, Mexico, where filmmaker Emanuel Hahn te...

When it comes to provincial politics these days, pipelines and separatist movements are making a lot of headlines. But for many Canadians things like healthcare and housing are still the most important. In Nova Scotia, that's certainly the case, with ongoing emergency room closures, big changes to primary care access, and one of the lowest housing vacancy rates in the country.. We talk to Premier...