The Line Podcast

This podcast went in an unexpected direction. And that’s before we get to talking about the Traveling Wilburys. Amid all the stories of the week, including us not even knowing if we’re not CRTC regulated or what, Jen and Matt get into what a “conservative” even means in Canada circa 2023. We didn’t plan on that. It just kind of happened. So we ran with it for a while. A long while. We hope you enj...

Howdy, friends. There wasn’t a huge single story in the news this week, so we threw a couple headlines back and forth and sank our teeth into them. The PSAC strike, and when you’ll notice it. Why Trudeau has no friends on that one. Another media company bites the dust, and why Jen is unimpressed with some of our self-styled defenders. Trudeau’s NATO comments, subsidies for VW, and, to the governme...

We hope everyone had a great long weekend. We’re back to the grind here, and we start by covering the PM’s chief of staff’s return visit to testify before Parliament. We also talk a bit about her last visit to such a committee, and why it’s useful to actually recall the circumstances of the PMO’s handling of Jonathan Vance’s sexual misconduct when assessing their handling of Chinese electoral inte...

Getting this out early so that we can all enjoy the long weekend. A correction from Jen, and then, lots on the latest example of how Canada totally isn’t broken. Some local Toronto absurdities, and then Canada’s too-perfect astronaut has Jen asked for uglier men. Have a wonderful long weekend, everyone. Stay safe. We’ll get our written dispatch out shortly, and then we’re off until Tuesday. The Li...

Miss us? We’re back after a week off. And what a week! Tons of stuff happening in the news, and we “speed date” our way through as many topics as possible: the Trump indictment, a terrible event in Nashville, more wild news in Alberta, a weirdly meh budget, and lots and lots on Dong vs. Global News. Thanks for listening, and though a week off was fun, we confess — it’s good to be back. The Line  i...

No time for preamble! Must publish podcast before breaking news makes it obsolete again! C-18! China! Transparency! David Johnston! Why Matt thinks Canada has no immune system! HURRY UP! LISTEN TO IT! And also rush to subscribe today so we can make money! The Line  is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by su...

It’s always a Friday. We try to cover the latest on the China story, and keep getting overtaken by events. Jen also spontaneously develops a new theory about Boomers. *rubs temples* We can’t think of a specific pitch for new subscribers today. Too much happening. We’re fried. Just, you know, like, click the button and send us money. Please? The Line  is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent comm...

Lots happening in the news this week, but most of it is the same story. We get you caught up on the latest. We admit to being baffled by whatever it is the CBC is doing here. You’re not helping yourselves, guys. Also: the axe falls at Global, and that always hurts to see. Speaking of the need for sustainable media … at the rate things going, it’s going to be down to Matt and Jen and like four othe...

Hello from the hockey rink, where Line editor Gurney just basically lives now. (At least it has a bar.) We recorded this earlier on Friday, before Global News made all our Fridays interesting. Hmmm. Interesting. Hey, remember when Gurney said this, like 48 hours ago? Anyway, we’ll get into this in the written dispatch, expected to be out Saturday. For now, enjoy the podcast, and if you want to hel...

Whoo boy. Sorry this is late, guys. We recorded this on Friday and Gurney planned to put it together and publish it at once. Then things went bonkers in his hometown and he got sucked into a news vortex. This was recorded before the John Tory affair was reported, so it doesn’t touch on it at all — and that’s just as well, probably. So instead, the health-care deal, more balloons get popped, the CP...

Lots going on this week. Updates from Ottawa, including the long-coming Liberal retreat on guns that we told you was gonna happen. Also some new, eye-popping numbers from Abacus, and updates on the media front, too. All recorded in Matt’s brief breaks from hockey dad duty! If you enjoy our musings, or even just remember what it costs to put your kid into hockey, please help us keep the lights on b...

Hey folks, hope you had a great week. Some media chat in this episode, and also a big update from Jen on the latest kerfuffle in her province. Also, an update and a grim musing from Matt, who keeps seeing awful things while minding his own business on the TTC. If you enjoy our musings, grim or otherwise, please help us keep the lights on by subscribing to The Line today. The Line  is Canada’s last...

We are our usual cheerful selves in this episode, which includes an unexpected shoutout to Max Miller, a terrific historian and chef who has found fame on YouTube. So that was a curveball. Otherwise, the usual: lots on the feds, lots of Ontario and Alberta, and a sad update on the state of Canadian media. Alas, nothing new on that front. Assuming we haven’t totally bummed you out, subscribe today!...

Hey folks, a shorter episode than normal today — we covered all the big stuff on Monday, so here we are just reacting to what cropped up over the week. Enjoy! If you did enjoy this, subscribe, and we’ll do more! Promise? Threat? Who knows?! The Line  is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Foll...

We’re back, starting 2023 with a ba … well, okay, not a bang, but more than a whimper. That’s something, we guess? Jordan Peterson, guns, Alberta, Ontario, and why the Liberals may be creating problems for themselves. If you enjoyed this, subscribe, and we’ll do more! (We’ll probably do more anyway, but if you subscribe, our children won’t starve.) The Line  is Canada’s last, best hope for irrever...

This is it! We’re done! The Nice List series has only one more to come. The Naughty List is all prepped and ready to go. We’re taking the rest of the year off! Wheeee! Well, barring any big news developments, that is. We’re still journalists. But if all goes well, you won’t hear from us again until 2023. Before we go: from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We had a fantastic year and we think w...

Are you tired of gun talk? We are too. So we give you an update on the latest (there’s some interesting stuff, we swear) and then we move on. Also on our radar: MAID and a smart delay there. Then we get into whether Canada is broken, and how it’s broken. Plus: Musk is breaking Twitter. And his own rules. We hope you enjoy this. We’ll do one more before the holidays and then we’re on break, so enjo...

Well, the good news is, we got most of the technical stuff about the gun debacle out of the way last week. This week, we focus on the politics. Spoiler: it’s not going well for the Liberals. You know what else isn’t going well for them? The dental-care rollout. Gee, who could have seen that coming. Deliverology, right? Also: very serious allegations against a reasonably prominent Canadian columnis...

Last week’s episode was our longest and most serious thus far. This week? Kind of the opposite. We do have a serious conversation about C-21, the latest gun control bill, and why it might have been one too many trips to the gun well for Trudeau. We also chat some fascinating but bleak numbers on the state of Canadian media, why antisemites keep hanging out with Donald Tru — no, no, wait. The feder...

Oh boy. This one is long. But it’s important. The Line decided early that it would closely watch the Public Order Emergency Commission in Ottawa, but it would steadfastly refuse to draw any conclusions until it was over. It’s over. The testimony is complete. Justice Paul Rouleau is off to write his report. And now The Line has to begin its work, too, and that includes a long and careful look at ou...

Gurney and Gerson chat about the latest from POEC, Twitter meltdowns, and why Trudeau maybe didn't flub a gotcha question on genocide. Please note: Gurney's laptop broke and Gerson is half out-of-it on cold medication, so the audio quality could be better. Also, expect the written dispatch to come Sunday. Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe

Ontario becomes the main story. Why Ford likely starts with the lead, and will then likely screw it up. Don’t put big red panic buttons into rooms if you don’t want kids to push them (true story). POEC, the NWC, why Jen was mad at Freeland, and another damned listicle where no one looked at the methodology. Thank you for listening. We are having a lot of fun with these. Also, we’re nice people, so...

Jen Gerson makes her triumphant return to the experimental podcast. She and Matt Gurney talk POEC, whether Canadian minds are capable of changing, Danielle Smith taking on the WEF, Doug Ford runs for the hills again, and the left attacks the independence of the central bank. Thank you for listening. We are having a lot of fun with these. Also, we’re nice people, so why not reward us with a small a...

Matt Gurney is joined by Andrew Potter, former editor-in-chief of the Ottawa Citizen , who steps in to cover for Jen Gerson, who’s on the road this week doing research for her book. In this episode: Lots and lots on the convoy, how Ottawa is extremely poorly run, the problems at the top of the RCMP, APEC and pepper on the plate, Ukraine, and lots more. Thank you for listening. We are having a lot...

Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson in the continuing (not really) experimental Line podcast. In this episode: Danielle Smith experiences reality again, and gets a bit wobbly. The Emergencies Act commission gets underway in Ottawa, and let’s stay tuned for that. Could get interesting! And Elon Musk picks a fight with Ukraine that he might come to regret. Thank you for listening. We are having a lot of fun...