The Current
CBC
Three stories to expand your worldview, delivered daily. Matt Galloway cuts through a sea of choice to bring you stories that transcend the news cycle. Conversations with big thinkers, household names, and people living the news. An antidote to algorithms that cater to what you already know — and a meeting place for diverse perspectives. In its 20 years, the Current has become a go-to place for stories that shape and entertain us. Released daily, Monday to Friday.The Current is produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada — and has recently recorded live shows about the Canadian election in Surrey and Burnaby BC. And shows to come in Oshawa and the 905, Red Deer, Alberta, Quebec City and Halifax.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 24, 2025 • 19min
Alberta opts for a public-private health-care system
Carrie Tate, an investigative reporter for The Globe and Mail, discusses Alberta's controversial shift to a public-private healthcare system. Dr. Braden Manns, a kidney physician and health economics professor, shares insights on the risks of creating a two-tier system and the potential for worsened care. Economist Rosalie Wanch highlights the equity concerns of private billing and warns that the actual impacts may take time to unfold. Together, they explore the implications of these changes on wait times, access, and the future of healthcare in Alberta.
Nov 24, 2025 • 23min
"Lentil King" wants Canadian businesses to think bigger
Murad al-Katib, known as the 'Lentil King,' is the CEO of AGT Foods, which transformed from a basement startup to a $3B global pulse enterprise. He discusses the disruption of trade by tariffs and the urgency for Canadian businesses to diversify their markets beyond the U.S. Murad emphasizes the need for value-added agriculture and shares insights on investing in gateways to access emerging markets. He also reflects on the moral complexities of trading with non-democracies and advocates for infrastructure improvements to support Canadian agriculture.
Nov 22, 2025 • 34min
How did Louise Penny predict the future in her new book?
Louise Penny’s new novel explores a sinister plot to make Canada the 51st state, but she’s keen to point out that she wrote it before Donald Trump was re-elected as U.S. president. She spoke with Matt Galloway live on stage at the Haskell Free Library — right on the U.S.-Canada border — about life imitating art, and why she cancelled her U.S. book tour. They're joined on stage by Montreal singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, to discuss the intersection of art and politics.This special bonus podcast episode was recorded with a live audience at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a unique venue straddling the border between Quebec and Vermont.
Nov 21, 2025 • 1h 15min
Live at the Haskell Free Library, right on the U.S. border
Join bestselling author Louise Penny as she reflects on her new novel and the significance of the Haskell Free Library. Polaris Prize-winner Patrick Watson shares insights into his album Uh-Oh and the emotional power of his performances. Vermont's Secretary of Agriculture, Anson Tevitz, discusses the challenges faced by migrant farmworkers and the importance of cross-border relationships. Sarah Webster provides a glimpse into daily life in the border community, revealing how local residents navigate their unique reality amid fluctuating tensions.
Nov 20, 2025 • 17min
How does remote-controlled brain surgery work?
A surgical team at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto has started doing brain angiograms using a remote-controlled robot. We speak with Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira, the neurosurgeon who has performed 10 of the procedures, and Nicole Cancelliere, a robotic medical radiation technologist at Unity Health Hospitals, about the potential of the technology, and how it can save lives and save the health system money by offering access to neurosurgical care to people living in remote communities.
Nov 20, 2025 • 27min
How these dogs saved their humans' lives
In her new book How My Dog Saved My Life, former CBC producer Cate Cochran tells 30 Canadian stories of dogs who have changed everything for their humans, saving their lives literally and figuratively. We'll meet some of these remarkable canines, including a black lab and golden retriever mix named Foreman who's trained to provide medical assistance for his owner, Sinead Zalitach. Sinead was born with an extremely rare congenital condition called Parkes Weber syndrome and Foreman is so attuned to her that he knows she's in trouble before she does.
Nov 20, 2025 • 19min
What’s the impact of US tariffs on New Brunswick?
New Brunswick is one of the provinces most vulnerable to US tariffs. And they’re hitting wood product makers and soft-wood harvesters the hardest. We'll hear from James McKenna, who owns a kitchen cabinet business, about how he's trying to keep his company afloat in the face of 50 per cent tariffs coming in January. Then Premier Susan Holt will tell us what the province is doing to help and what kind of support she's expecting from the federal government.
Nov 19, 2025 • 19min
Epstein's accusers may finally win their transparency fight
The women who survived sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein have been demanding accountability. Now Congress is acting, voting to release the government's files on the powerful and connected sex offender. Anti-trafficking advocate Lauren Hersh says that's in part thanks to the women's bravery.
Nov 19, 2025 • 9min
Stretching vs. Mobility: What your body really needs
To stretch or not to stretch and does it even matter. The debate over the importance of stretching is age old - now it seems like everyone is talking about mobility. What's the difference and is one better than the other? David Behm, professor at Memorial University, specializing in human kinetics and sport science breaks it down.
Nov 19, 2025 • 15min
What to know about Ukraine’s corruption scandal
Two weeks ago, anti-corruption investigators in Ukraine revealed allegations that men close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received $100 million US in kickbacks through a state energy company. The list includes a friend from Zelenskyy's comedian days, who co-owned his production studio. Tim Mak, editor of The Counteroffensive, notes that people are outraged in the country because corruption is the animating force in Ukrainian politics. Simon Shuster, a Zelenskyy biographer, says the president has a history of giving people second chances, but in the middle of a scandal like this, that might come back to bite him.
