

The Sunday Magazine
CBC
CBC Radio’s The Sunday Magazine is a lively, wide-ranging mix of topical long-form conversations, engaging ideas and more. Each week, host Piya Chattopadhyay takes time for deep exploration, but also makes space for surprise, delight and fun.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 4, 2025 • 26min
That's Puzzling! for June 2025
In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this month are Brent Bambury, host of CBC Radio's Day Six, and Truro, N.S. listener Katherine Reed.

Jun 1, 2025 • 1h 35min
Wildfire season, River rights, TRC's calls to action, That's Puzzling!, 2SLGBTQ+ slang
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with University of British Columbia professor Lori Daniels about what Canada's early fire activity signals about the wildfire season ahead, nature writer Robert Macfarlane reflects on the push for rivers to be designated as living entities, former National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation director Ry Moran looks at progress made 10 years after the TRC's calls to action, we play an all-new round of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, and poet and lecturer Lee Campbell explains how the underground queer slang Polari went mainstream.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

May 28, 2025 • 25min
Five years after Floyd murder, racial justice faces rollbacks
This past Sunday marked five years since George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer. His death sparked global outrage and propelled a movement for racial justice. But the anniversary arrives against a backdrop of stalled police reform, and polling that shows the number of Americans who believe an emphasis on racial injustice leads to progress has declined. Selwyn Jones, Floyd's uncle, and Robert Samuels, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, join Piya Chattopadhyay to reflect on Floyd's legacy, and what a path forward looks like for racial equality.

May 25, 2025 • 1h 39min
Sunday Politics Panel, Rape kit history, George Floyd's legacy, Niigaan Sinclair on Winnipeg
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The Economist's Rob Russo and The Toronto Star's Susan Delacourt about the key issues facing MPs as they return to the House of Commons, author and columnist Pagan Kennedy explores the history and bigger meaning of the rape kit, we take stock of the gains and setbacks for racial justice since George Floyd's murder with his uncle, Selwyn Jones, and journalist Robert Samuels, and columnist Niigaan Sinclair reflects on how Winnipeg helps tell the story of Canada.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

May 21, 2025 • 28min
Uncovering the stories that paved the Trans-Canada Highway
For many Canadians, the May long weekend means the official kick-off of the summer travel season. And if you're out on a road trip, there's a good chance you may end up sailing down the Trans-Canada Highway. Mark Richardson wants us all to know the often overlooked stories that paved this roughly seven-and-a-half thousand kilometre road system. The automotive journalist speaks with Piya Chattopadhyay about the history, people and politics that shaped "Canada's Main Street", as he explores in his book The Drive Across Canada.

May 18, 2025 • 1h 35min
Trump's Middle East tour, Translation tech, Russia-Ukraine talks, Trans-Canada Highway history
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The New York Times' Luke Broadwater and The Economist's Gregg Carlstrom about the impact of Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East, WIRED's Louise Mataskis and University of British Columbia's Muhammad Abdul-Mageed look at how AI translation tools may affect language learning, the Atlantic Council's Michael Bociurkiw helps make sense of the latest talks between Russia and Ukraine, automotive journalist Mark Richardson shares a history of the Trans-Canada Highway, and linguist Sali Tagliamonte surveys the factors that have shaped the language we use to describe summertime escapes.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

May 14, 2025 • 26min
How China made Apple, and Apple made China
If you've ever owned an iPhone, iPad or Mac, you may have noticed these words printed on the back: "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." But there’s a bigger story behind that simple tagline. Financial Times journalist Patrick McGee tells Piya Chattopadhyay that few understand just how key China and Apple have been to each other's rise. His new book Apple in China explores a relationship that's central to the world as we know it, one which is facing new challenges from tariffs to tensions with Taiwan.

May 11, 2025 • 1h 37min
Pope Leo XIV, Apple and China, Sunday Politics Panel, Digital parenting
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Vatican journalist Charles Collins about the path ahead for Pope Leo XIV, Financial Times journalist Patrick McGee gets to the core of Apple and China's symbiotic relationship, journalists Shannon Proudfoot, Rob Benzie and Jason Markusoff explore how Prime Minister Mark Carney might approach competing provincial priorities, and New York Times culture critic Amanda Hess delves into how tech culture is shaping modern parenting.Find more at at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

May 7, 2025 • 26min
That’s Puzzling! For May 2025
In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this month are CBC News reporter and videojournalist Brett Ruskin in Halifax, and Dundas, Ont. listener Brenda Bjarnason.

May 4, 2025 • 1h 37min
Canadian Election Panel, Ancient language, Andrew Coyne, That's Puzzling!
In this engaging discussion, political commentator Andrew Coyne addresses the 'crisis' in Canadian democracy while experts Sean Speer, Emilie Nicolas, and Rob Russo unpack the implications of the recent federal election results. Science journalist Laura Spinney unveils the fascinating legacy of Proto-Indo-European, revealing how an ancient dialect shaped modern languages. The lighthearted segment featuring word puzzles adds a touch of fun, showcasing the importance of language and communication in both history and contemporary politics.


