On The Line with a Canadian aid worker in an increasingly dangerous and desperate world

The Line has often spoken of the deteriorating global security situation, and what Canada must do to prepare. Much of our focus has been on defence and economics. But what about humanitarian projects? What is happening to the world's aid organizations, and the hundreds of millions of desperate people that rely on them, as conflicts rage and crises deepen across the globe?

Line editor Matt Gurney has interviewed Jason Nickerson, the humanitarian representative to Canada from Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF) many times across the years. Jason recently returned from a trip abroad to a sprawling refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to a million Rohingya refugees, and told Matt directly that the situation overseas was getting worse, and that not enough was being done to meet the rapidly growing demand for even basic medical care and food deliveries, and not just at that one camp. In the Middle East, Africa, Asia and now even in Europe, the demand for urgent humanitarian relief is rising fast. In the latest episode of On The Line, Jason joined Matt for an extended conversation about the work MSF does, how it does that work even in incredibly challenging situations, and also where and why those situations are getting worse. They also had a talk specifically about Canada's foreign policy and foreign aid priorities. There are crises, including the Rohingya, where Canada has played a leading role that we may be backing away from, leaving vulnerable people even more desperate.

To learn more about MSF and support their work, please visit their website.

On The Line is The Line’s newest podcast, featuring longer interviews by either Jen or Matt with someone who is currently in the news or able to speak to something topical (or, sometimes, simply fun and interesting). To never miss an episode of On The Line and The Line Podcast, follow us on the major streaming platforms. And sign up to The Line itself, of course, at ReadtheLine.ca.