

The Line
Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson
The Line is a Canadian magazine dedicated to covering local, national and international politics, news, current events and occasionally some obscure stories. Hosted by Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 11, 2025 • 1h 52min
Carney's China Problem, Jen's society problem
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 11, 2025, things get unexpectedly emotional right out of the gate. Jen opens with a raw reflection on the state of public discourse in Canada — how partisanship is melting brains, how the media is under attack, and how political parties have become so addicted to campaigning that they’ve forgotten how to govern. Jen reminds Matt that he lives in a society, not alone on an island. He says he gets that, but he'd like to build a fortress on that island. He agrees with where Jen thinks things are going. He's just stopped feeling bad about it and has moved on to the doing-things-about-it stage.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.From there, they turn to the federal election campaign. The CPC campaign has problems. The LPC has different problems. They dig into the signs that the Liberal party is simply not taking concerns about Chinese influence in its GTA operations seriously — Carney may be a new leader, but they're certainly reading from the Trudeau playbook, probably because these guys stopped being able to tell the difference between a danger alarm and a "Fuck Trudeau" flag years ago. Matt also thinks the party leaders are just tired. They need a proper meal and a good night's rest.This episode is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. For the past five years, TikTok has been investing in Canada — hiring hundreds of employees for well-paying jobs in Toronto and Vancouver, and contributing over $1.4 billion in GDP to Canada's economy. However, TikTok has been ordered to shut down its Canadian operations. This will be a chilling precedent for global companies considering investing in Canada and will cost jobs in areas like software development and ad sales, which create opportunities for Canadians to work in global tech. It's in Canada's best interest to find a way forward that keeps local teams in place to support the success of Canadian creators, artists and small businesses on the platform. Whichever party forms government, it will have an opportunity to demonstrate that we're open for business, while addressing security concerns and fostering a thriving tech sector. Facts matter. Shutting down TikTok Canada eliminates jobs and stymies investments in Canada. Let's find a solution for TikTok that makes sense for Canadians. In the final segment, Matt recaps a speech he attended this week from the president and CEO of TransCanada Energy. The message? Canadians should aspire to be actual leaders in the field of energy exports, particularly to Asia, and what that would require in terms of building infrastructure ... and political will. It’s a theme Matt picked up in his column this week. It shouldn't feel so revolutionary to hear a CEO say it, but ...This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode.

Apr 8, 2025 • 53min
The Big "Oops." Is This The Next Great Depression?
In the latest episode of On The Line, we take a look (through our fingers, which are covering our eyes) at what's happening with the markets, and whole economies, around the world. Guess we'll be delaying retirement a few extra years, eh? This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.To unpack all that is happening, Jen Gerson speaks with Professor Barry Eichengreen. The professor is an American economist and economic historian who is the George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. And he is worried that this is the big one, an economic crisis to rival the Great Depression. He highlights the volatility in the markets, the weakening of the U.S. dollar, and the potential for long-term damage to international economic relations. The discussion also touches on the role of cryptocurrencies and the challenges faced by Canada in navigating these turbulent economic waters.This episode is also brought to by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Sault Ste. Marie, 2025. In a quiet room filled with maps, parish records, and the voices of history, a story long denied is finally told. For too long, Métis communities in Ontario had been questioned, overlooked, and denied. But after reviewing more than 50,000 pages of evidence, visiting the seven historic Métis communities in Ontario, and hearing from 160 Métis Nation elders, youth, scholars, and leaders — the truth is clear. The Métis National Council’s Expert Panel report is the most comprehensive, transparent, and objective study ever conducted on Métis Nation communities in Ontario. The report rejected politically motivated misinformation. And it confirmed that the seven historic Métis communities in northern Ontario are — and have always been — part of the larger Métis Nation and meet the National Definition of Métis. For the Métis Nation of Ontario and their citizens, this report was a vindication. For more, go to OntarioMetisFacts.com.After that, Jen is joined by Mike Colledge from Ipsos, to provide an update on what issues are driving the electorate. Mike looks inside Ipsos's vast stores of data and shares with Jen what one of the next major issues in Canada could be: social cohesion.As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Share it far and wide. Spread the word of The Line.

Apr 4, 2025 • 1h 36min
Your clock's ticking, too, Poilievre
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 4, 2025, Jen spends a lot more time talking about her internal anatomy than Matt had expected. But he more or less kept his game face on.He thinks.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.They first talk about the campaign, of course. The latest and greatest there. It's been a quiet campaign. There were some candidate flameouts, which they discuss. Poilievre had some comments about female breeding windows, and they chat about that, too. They also talk about the unavoidable reaction by Canadian politicians to what's coming out of the U.S., even if it's not quite as bad as feared. This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. TikTok is focused on securing its platform during the federal election, and a key part of this effort is TikTok Canada's local employees — who understand our culture, languages, and political system. Having these local employees here is clearly in Canada's interest, however, TikTok Canada has been ordered to shut down its local operations and to lay off these employees. This just doesn't make sense. The next government has an opportunity to find a solution in Canada that protects well-paying jobs and billions in economic investment — while addressing security concerns and fostering a thriving tech and creative sector. Let's find a solution for TikTok that makes sense for Canadians. After that, your hosts move on to a comment by Mark Carney that caught Matt's attention this week. Matt doesn't disagree with the comment, per se. He certainly agrees with the idea behind it — in a changing world, Canada has to step up and do more. He's just not sure Carney realized what country he was talking about when he said what Canada is ready to actually do. We are deterred by sticks of foreign butter! Come on.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.To wrap up, Jen talks about her recent column on Alberta separatism, why she still has doubts, and Matt helpfully weighs in from Toronto to explain WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALBERTANS. Because he knows how much they love it when he does that. He just wants to remind them that they are still his second favourite province. And that ain't bad.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you're enjoying The Line Podcast, share it with a friend, post about it online, or just yell at someone on the bus. We won’t judge.

Apr 1, 2025 • 1h 2min
What the CPC got wrong, and right, so far
In the latest episode of On The Line, the key issue is why the Conservative campaign is already being rocked by internal fighting — is the campaign going that badly? Our first guest tackles that issue — Stephanie Levitz joins the show from the Globe and Mail, where she is a reporter covering the campaign. Despite all the doom and gloom, the Conservatives are actually having a decent campaign — their polls have softened a bit, but they're still very competitive. What's behind the angry leaks?This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready.Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.Steph and Matt talk about the CPC campaign to date, and in a lot of ways, it's a great campaign. They also talk about the campaign the CPC planned to have, and why it might be hard for Pierre Poilievre in particular to make a pivot to something closer to what the voters he needs want to hear. They also chat about the recent flood of angry complaints from inside the CPC house, and especially the very public spat between the federal Conservatives and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives — a long-simmering fight that has now spilled out into the open. And for all of that, Matt makes a small confession to Steph: he's starting to get the feeling that the CPC is maybe, just maybe, going to be able to pull off a win after all. He explains why.This episode is also brought to you by the Mêtis Nation of Ontario. It's Moose Factory, 1890. For generations, the Métis had been the backbone of the Hudson’s Bay Company, working as trappers, traders, voyageurs, and labourers. But in Moose Factory, they did something even greater — they helped build Canada’s original economic engine — the fur trade. In the blacksmith shop, William Moore’s hammer rings as he and other Métis shipwrights form ships, sleds, and canoes to carry goods and furs across vast distances. For decades, the Hudson’s Bay Company relied on the Métis’ ingenuity, hard work, craftsmanship, and knowledge of the land. It was their work that ensured the success of the fur trade, and their skills that kept Canada’s supply lines moving. From shipbuilding to blacksmithing, the Métis of Moose Factory helped build Canada. To learn more, go to OntarioMétisFacts.com.After Matt wraps up with Steph, Gregory Jack, senior vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, joins Matt for a quick update on the latest numbers. Most interesting is signs of a growing divide in Canada. It's not just along partisan lines, or even regional ones. It's generational — people over 55 and under 40 are living in almost totally different Canadas. And if the young people show up and vote — always a big if, but if — it could be a very surprising election day.As always, like and subscribe at our main page, ReadTheLine.ca. You can also follow us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you're enjoying On The Line, share it with a friend, post about it online, or just yell at someone on the bus. We won’t judge.Thanks for listening — and we’ll see you next week for the next installment of On The Line.

Mar 28, 2025 • 1h 41min
Carney dumps Trump, Conservatives ponder mutiny
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on March 28, 2025, your hosts get dark. And deep. And psychological. And have a few inappropriate giggles. Matt almost gets himself cancelled and The Line shut down by quoting a bad lyric ... but stops himself just in time. Been that kind of a week, right?This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.They start by talking about how foreign policy continues to drive the campaign. More tariffs. A threat to the auto-sector. A phone call, at last, between Mark Carney and Donald Trump — and apparently a very civil one. This is a rare campaign — one that is truly being driven by events beyond our borders. And thus far, it's all unfolding to Mark Carney's advantage.This episode has also been brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Forestry supports 200,000 Canadians in hundreds of communities, generating $87 billion in annual revenues and $37 billion in exports — including $29 billion to the United States. It's also key to addressing some of our biggest challenges. We need an action plan for our forest sector and its employees, one that will help build the homes we need with Canadian wood, reduce the risk of wildfires and create more family-supporting jobs right here at home. To learn more about what forestry can do for Canada, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.After that, your hosts talk about the campaign itself. What's working well for the major parties — and both of them do have some things going for them. What's the danger they face, especially the Conservatives, who seem to be struggling to adapt to a campaign that doesn't look anything like the campaign they were expecting. And also, and they don't say this to be mean, but seriously ... where is Jagmeet Singh? Seriously. Has anyone heard from him? Is he okay? They talk at some length about why the "oppo" attacks against Carney aren't landing, and why Jen is starting to think that Poilievre's path to moral righteousness might mean ... giving up.Oh, and Matt talks about his recurring anxiety dream ... but! It's totally relevant to the election. We swear.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Environmental 360 Solutions. Ontario's recycling system is failing local businesses and benefiting large American recyclers. Over $10 million a year is being collected from Ontario consumers in mandatory fees for tire and battery recycling but much of the work is being outsourced to American recyclers. This is starving local Ontario companies of opportunities to do that work and keep good jobs in the province. Worse, enough mandatory fees have been collected from consumers to recycle 100% of the materials, but only a fraction of this work is actually being done. Ontario’s recycling regulator is finally taking action, issuing penalties to the companies collecting the recycling fees, but in turn these companies are using these mandatory fees, paid by Ontarians to fund recycling programs, to cover the fines. The result? Ontario consumers are enriching unscrupulous industry participants and American recyclers, undermining recycling, job creation, and investment in Ontario. It’s time for real accountability in the recycling industry. To learn more, visit e360s.ca/fairrecycling.Last but not least, your hosts talk about the intra-Canadian conservative civil war that is increasingly spilling out into the open. Like, gosh. Did you see what happened in Ontario this week?Also! Our Bullshit Bulletin is back, and the Anti-Panel launches Saturday. Check out those and all our other election coverage out at ReadTheLine.ca.

Mar 25, 2025 • 43min
Let Them Fight!
As Canada prepares to go to the polls, we are proud to introduce its Anti-Panel — a politics panel, but fun. Each week, we’ll publish a new Anti-Panel in written form, but we’re kicking things off with something a little different: getting the whole gang On The Line. Get it? They're on the line. Literally.This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the United States threaten jobs and investment, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are blocking critical projects that increase our self reliance. The Canadian government has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.We’ve gathered three partisan veterans to discuss the coming federal election — and the state of Canadian politics. Amanda Galbraith (Conservative), Kim Wright (NDP), and Jamie Carroll (“Liberal hack”) bring insight and opinions from across the spectrum.This isn’t your standard panel: they must either compliment each other’s campaigns or offer “helpful feedback” to their own.This episode is also brought to you by the Mêtis Nation of Ontario. It's the Upper Great Lakes, early 1800s. In a crowded trading post, Madeline Laframboise inspects a bundle of pelts, her keen eyes assessing their worth. Indigenous and European traders know she sets fair prices and drives a hard bargain.One of the few women to run her own trading empire, Madeline’s influence stretches across the Upper Great Lakes of what would become Ontario and northern Michigan. Madeline builds a powerful Métis network through trade, linking Métis families, voyageurs, and traders from Mackinac to Red River. As the years pass, young Métis women seek Madeline’s guidance, learning from a woman who defied expectations. Generations later, her legacy lives on in the Métis businesswomen who have become leaders, mentors, and matriarchs today. To learn more, go to OntarioMétisFacts.com.We talk Liberal brand problems, Conservative vote efficiency, and NDP challenges under Jagmeet Singh. We unpack Mark Carney’s rise and Trump’s shadow over Canadian politics.This episode of On The Line is also brought to you by Environmental 360 Solutions. Ontario's recycling system is failing local businesses and benefiting large American recyclers. Over $10 million a year is being collected from Ontario consumers in mandatory fees for tire and battery recycling but much of the work is being outsourced to American recyclers. This is starving local Ontario companies of opportunities to do that work and keep good jobs in the province. Worse, enough mandatory fees have been collected from consumers to recycle 100% of the materials, but only a fraction of this work is actually being done. Ontario’s recycling regulator is finally taking action, issuing penalties to the companies collecting the recycling fees, but in turn these companies are using these mandatory fees, paid by Ontarians to fund recycling programs, to cover the fines.The result? Ontario consumers are enriching unscrupulous industry participants and American recyclers, undermining recycling, job creation, and investment in Ontario. It’s time for real accountability in the recycling industry. Click here to learn more.As always, like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca.

Mar 21, 2025 • 1h 30min
Rookie Carney pulverizing Poilievre
Recorded in the last-pre-election days on March 21, 2025, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson look around and realize that this is as calm as their lives are going to be for about a month. And that's just sad.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.Your hosts start the podcast this week by talking about Mark Carney. They review his first few days in office, and find some good and some bad. They see some signs that he could mature as a politician. They also see some evidence that he needs that maturing to happen. Could Carney win? Absolutely. Could he lose? Also absolutely. We definitely see and even admire the Liberal battle plan, but it's risky.This episode has also been brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Forestry supports 200,000 Canadians in hundreds of communities, generating $87 billion in annual revenues and $37 billion in exports — including $29 billion to the United States. It's also key to addressing some of our biggest challenges. We need an action plan for our forest sector and its employees, one that will help build the homes we need with Canadian wood, reduce the risk of wildfires and create more family-supporting jobs right here at home. To learn more about what forestry can do for Canada, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.Then onto the Conservatives. There are definitely some signs that the Conservatives are, finally and belatedly, beginning their pivot away from the kind of campaign they wanted to run toward the kind of campaign they need to run. The Line is starting to see the outlines of a new CPC campaign take shape. One that can win. But they're also still seeing signs of internal divisions and a degree of leadership paralysis. Much like with Carney, they conclude that Poilievre can win, or lose.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Environmental 360 Solutions. Ontario's recycling system is failing local businesses and benefiting large American recyclers. Over $10 million a year is being collected from Ontario consumers in mandatory fees for tire and battery recycling but much of the work is being outsourced to American recyclers. This is starving local Ontario companies of opportunities to do that work and keep good jobs in the province. Worse, enough mandatory fees have been collected from consumers to recycle 100% of the materials, but only a fraction of this work is actually being done. Ontario’s recycling regulator is finally taking action, issuing penalties to the companies collecting the recycling fees, but in turn these companies are using these mandatory fees, paid by Ontarians to fund recycling programs, to cover the fines. The result? Ontario consumers are enriching unscrupulous industry participants and American recyclers, undermining recycling, job creation, and investment in Ontario. It’s time for real accountability in the recycling industry. Click here to learn more.Last but not least, Jen gives Matt an update from Alberta, where she is looking for any signs of a truly building secessionist movement ... and not finding one. She lays out how that could change, and how it could change fast. Matt wraps up with a quick word on some developments in the other provinces. Lots going on.Like we said, folks, our Aprils are ruined. Because all of the stuff, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out at ReadTheLine.ca, and share our pain.

Mar 18, 2025 • 1h 1min
As Trudeau leaves, Poilievre's numbers tank
Happy Tuesday. It's time for another episode of On The Line. And this is another two-guest episode, too. There's that much to talk about!Our first guest, making a return appearance on On The Line, is P.J. Fournier, creator of 338Canada.com and 338Canada.ca. (The man has so much to offer he needs two websites!) Since we last spoke in February, Canada's federal polling environment has radically changed. He walks us through the numbers, and what this means for the Conservatives, the Liberals and the NDP. With an election call expected imminently, we wanted to put down a marker. Let's see what happens next.This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the United States threaten jobs and investment, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are blocking critical projects that increase our self reliance. The Canadian government has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.Up next, long-time journalist and author Stephen Maher joins us. Stephen wrote the book — literally — on Justin Trudeau, and joins Matt to talk about the Trudeau legacy. The world went weird on Trudeau's watch, and Canada ... didn't respond? Why not? What were the problems inside that government? Was it organizational? Personal? Political? How did the man who swept into office in 2015 as a leading example of global progressivism leave as a deeply unpopular, polarizing figure that even his own party seemed happy to see the back of?This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. For centuries, as winter faded, Métis families would move through the sugar bush, tapping towering maples. They'd collect the sap and boil it into syrup, trading it at British and French trading posts, where sugar was as prized as pelts. The syrup sweetened tea in Montréal, flavoured bread in York, and fuelled voyageurs paddling west to the prairies. Through resilience and skill, the Métis built an entire industry that sustained the fur trade, connected communities, and created a legacy that endures to this day. To learn more, go to OntarioMetisFacts.com.A lot of what Maher has to say about Trudeau to Matt is critical, but the two men also try and sketch out what they think a best-case scenario for Trudeau's legacy might look like. All politicians get more popular as time goes on and anger and memories fade. In 50 years, when some university professor sits down to write a book about long-ago prime minister Justin Trudeau, what will the first chapter be?As always, like and subscribe. And we'll see you next week for the next installment of On The Line.On The Line will be distributed through the same channels as The Line Podcast, which will continue to release episodes on Friday. To never miss an episode of either of our offerings, you should obviously sign up here at ReadtheLine.ca, but you can also follow us at the most popular podcast viewing/listening destinations.

Mar 14, 2025 • 1h 30min
Farewell, Carbon Tax Trudeau. Our SEO will miss you.
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Carney Era Day 0, or March 14, 2025 on the old calendar, your hosts offer sincere welcome and best wishes to the new prime minister, and we're counting on all of you to not ruin this moment for us.Really. We can be nice sometimes.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.We have a purely housekeeping announcement to make first. The Line is changing how we release our podcasts. This shouldn't make a difference to audio listeners, but video viewers will notice alerts that we're going live when the episodes are about to be released. Please make sure you have our notifications turned on! Also, we are launching a revamped social media strategy. We have a bunch of new accounts set up, and you can find a list (with links) below. If you use these platforms, please give us a follow! Many of these platforms only become useful once we clear 50 or 100 followers, so we're counting on you all to put us over the top.Phew! Okay! Sorry. Anyway. Carney's in. We wish him well. We comment on his cabinet. Some surprises there. Also some signs that the PM plans on taking his party to the right, or at least back into the centre. Speaking of the right, we have some pretty tough talk for the CPC. You're losing this, guys. It's slipping away from you. This episode has also been brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Forestry supports 200,000 Canadians in hundreds of communities, generating $87 billion in annual revenues and $37 billion in exports — including $29 billion to the United States. It's also key to addressing some of our biggest challenges. We need an action plan for our forest sector and its employees, one that will help build the homes we need with Canadian wood, reduce the risk of wildfires and create more family-supporting jobs right here at home. To learn more about what forestry can do for Canada, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.We also spend some time on Justin Trudeau's legacy. The heavy lifting on that is going to be done by historians, but Matt goes full Munich Conference and demands to know why Trudeau didn't build more Hurricanes and Spitfires. They talk about how what Trudeau will be best remembered for looks pretty weird today, in an era of global upheaval. They also talk about some of the buzz around his scandals. We expect that won't go away for a while.They end up by recapping a bit of the Trump madness down south. Doug Ford tried to get tough. It didn't stick. Portugal makes an interesting decision. And we keep seeing some interesting signs of worry about Trump even from people quite close to the president. Matt proposes a strategy for fighting back, and Jen gives it an, ahem, unfortunate name. You'll have to listen. If we put it into the text box here, it would get flagged.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. As always, like, subscribe and check us out at ReadTheLine.ca.New social accounts!FB: On The Line Podcast FB: The Line Podcast InstagramTikTokTwitterBlueSkyLinkedIn

Mar 11, 2025 • 1h 3min
Canadian refugee policy in the Trump era.
In this week's episode of On The Line, Jen Gerson speaks with Adam Sadinsky, a refugee lawyer and member of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers about the Safe Third Country Agreement — and why lawyers like him think it needs to be radically altered in the Donald Trump era. This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the United States threaten jobs and investment, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are blocking critical projects that increase our self reliance. The Canadian government has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit https://www.forestryforthefuture.ca/They discuss how the agreement was established, its impact on refugee claims, and the differences in how Canada and the U.S. handle asylum seekers. The conversation also touches on recent changes in U.S. immigration policy under the Trump administration and how these changes affect Canada's responsibilities towards refugees. This episode is also brought to you by the Métis Nation of Ontario. In 1967, government officials ordered a Métis village on Agawa Bay to move to clear room a provincial park. For generations, Métis families had lived along the shores of Lake Superior. Suddenly, they were forced to pack their belongings, and then, the government officials burned their homes. These Métis families, already pushed off their River Lots in Sault Ste. Marie generations earlier, had no choice but to leave. But they did not disappear. The Métis of Agawa Bay lost their homes, but never their identity. For more, go to https://www.ontariometisfacts.com/, and check out the brand-new song here https://youtu.be/uhsILAMMi2U?si=jicYoUpoH7LHbZ8F about this story by Métis singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume “One of These Days.” Adam Sadinsky recaps the complexities of the Safe Third Country Agreement and its implications for asylum seekers in Canada. He highlights the challenges faced by refugees, the capacity limits of the Canadian refugee system, and the political dynamics surrounding immigration policy. The discussion also touches on legal challenges to the agreement and the need for reforms to better accommodate those seeking refuge in Canada.As always, like and subscribe. And we'll see you next week for the next installment of On The Line.