The Line – Details, episodes & analysis

In the latest, Labour-Day-weekend edition of The Line Podcast, recorded late on August 29th, 2024, Jen Gerson visibly wilts before Matt Gurney's eyes as the summer-time cold she's battling decisively wins that battle. But before Jen collapses, they start with a quick political round-up from the provinces: chaos in B.C., shock among Ford critics in Ontario, and a controversial announcement in Alberta that Jen agrees may be bad, but not for the reasons people are saying. 

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, your Line editors talk about the summer — not like what they did during the summer, but how they felt the political vibe is as the summer (alas) draws to its conclusion. They both agree that the federal Liberals more or less did what they needed to do. They survived! But they glance at the latest polls and conclude that we're likely right back where we left off at the end of June, with the Liberals once again facing down reports of internal discontent and mutinous feelings while the CPC maintains a lead in the 15-20 per cent range. 

They end with something of a pop quiz from Matt to Jen, and she was really delighted to be hit with a surprise question as her immune system collapsed in real time. But they both shared their best guesses on what Justin Trudeau's "Hail Mary" play will be in what time he has left. Matt suggests we're already starting to see it, in fact.

All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/

NOTE FROM THE LINE: With the long weekend upon us, The Line is returning to a normal publication schedule as of Tuesday (assuming Jen isn't in a coma). There will be no written dispatch this weekend, but we'll get one out early next week. And then back to the grind. We hope our readers, listeners and viewers had an amazing summer, and thank them, as always, for their support.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded a day earlier than normal on August 22nd, 2024, after Jen Gerson offers up some shockingly TMI stuff, your hosts start by noting, with amusement, that Jagmeet Singh, leader of the federal NDP, tried once again to tweet about how mad he was at Justin Trudeau and got zapped by Twitter's crowd-sourced fact-checking service. The Twitter hivemind, in its wisdom, noted that as Trudeau's confidence-and-supply agreement partner, Singh could hold Trudeau to account basically whenever he wanted. How strange that Singh seems to keep forgetting that. Nothing lasts long on Twitter, Matt Gurney notes. But it was glorious.

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.

After that, your Line editors move on to another big chat involving federal politics this week. Charles Adler, long-time broadcaster, has been appointed to the Senate. After Gurney makes a personal disclosure, Gerson takes the lead on a discussion about accountability, bias and the currying of favour, and why all members of the press wince a little bit when one of them makes the jump to political life. She also establishes what Gurney has dubbed the Gerson Scale for political ickiness.

From there, they move onto the rail lockout (for the record, this was recorded before the federal government announced that it would use its powers to end the disruption; as we prep this podcast for publication on Friday, it's not yet clear if the trains will actually start running -- everything is moving fast on this one, folks, so bear with us). They don't talk about the disruption itself so much as how vulnerable (or not?) our supply chains are, and how strange it is to live in a time where the average Canadian has to spend so much time thinking about supply chains! It didn't used to be this way.

They end with what Gurney dubs a "vibe check." Ontario premier Doug Ford has taken a step that will close down a series of controversial safe injection sites in Toronto, and Gurney believes that this speaks to a bigger, broader cultural shift that's underway. That big ole pendulum is just swinging hard back to the right, ain't it?

All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at ReadTheLine.ca.

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on June 14, 2024, Matt Gurney finds Jen Gerson at an Alternate Location, having abandoned Calgary due to the lack of water. Just kidding! Sort of. Jen is at a family event in B.C., and it looks like a beautiful place and a fun time is being had by all, but be aware! The internet connection was a problem for Jen, so this episode will have some issues, to put it mildly. Don't worry. We made the most of it with our typical Line aplomb and sense of humour. Thanks for your patience.

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.

The main topic for today? Traitors in the House of Commons! Or not! While Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre both continue to say as little as possible, Green Party leader Elizabeth May and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh have read the full report, and they've reached exactly opposite conclusions. So that's not great.

Your Line editors also talk about a hilarious photo of Mark Carney, a man who would probably not pose with a Budweiser if he wasn't planning on running for high office. Jen offers a variety of salient points of analysis on matters of Canadian politics and policy. Matt talks about beer and his theory about hockey jerseys. Don't worry, it makes sense.

And finally: Matt mostly keeps his powder dry here because of an upcoming column he's working on, but he does note that the bizarre signs of panic among Liberals continue to accumulate, and he wonders if the theme that connects all these stories is that we might, in fact, be headed toward an earlier election than we are expecting. 

So great. That's something to look forward to.

All that, and more, on the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and find out more about us at our website, ReadTheLine.ca.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on June 7, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson find themselves in an Edmonton Airbnb they are about to be kicked out of, still basking in the warm glow of a successful Edmonton The Line Ahead panel discussion, but also grappling with very alarming news out of Ottawa. One of the committees the government tasked with investigating the threat of foreign interference in Canada has come back with an alarming report, warning of apparent traitors within Parliament. The names are inevitably going to leak, but in the meantime, both the Liberals and Conservatives, no doubt fearful of finding out that members of their own parties are implicated, have been slow to react. That isn't going to work. Canada is capable of defending itself — hell, we are willing to defend ourselves — or we aren't. And right now, we aren't confident that we'll pick the good option.

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.

Meanwhile, before they leave Edmonton, both Line editors exalt in the joy of being in a city with a functional municipal water system. Jen's hometown, alas, can claim no such luck. They talk about that, and also note that they've both been warning about exactly this issue — crumbling municipal infrastructure reducing our overall quality of life — for weeks. And Calgary kindly stepped up to the plate to volunteer itself as the on-the-nose example.

They end with a quick discussion of interest rates — the Bank of Canada cut rates this week, which offers some relief for Canadians, but your editors suspect it's too little, too late for there to be much political benefit for the government. People are just too annoyed already. And a bunch of them have already renewed their mortgages at the higher rates.

All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and find out more about us at our website, ReadTheLine.ca.

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 31, 2024, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson go out of their way to really broaden their appeal, make as many friends as possible, and generally just avoid all the really icky, controversial things that are going to result in their comment section being a dumpster fire.

Well, okay, maybe that's what they should have done. 

But we can redeem ourselves! Join us in Edmonton next week! Enjoy our wit and personal presence! Enjoy our panel of brilliant people! Enjoy food and drinks! That's coming up in just a few days! Grab your tickets now.

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.

G&G start off the podcast with Matt noting three weird incidents from senior Liberals — including the most senior Liberal — over the last week. One of them is a serious issue, and they spend some time talking about both the political and policy ramifications of that. The other two are just bizarre and, frankly, hilarious. So enjoy that, but then pause the podcast and have a little cry, because these are the people running the country for at least the next 18 months.

The two then, with great reluctance, dare discuss U.S. politics. Donald Trump, former president of the United States and the de facto GOP nominee for the coming election, has been convicted by a jury of New Yorkers on 34 felony counts. Your hosts talk about the trial, a bit, but more about the state of America, and also whether or not Jen should take off her shirt, and then, eventually, they agree that they'd have killed Baby Hitler.

It was one of our more free-ranging segments, let's say.

And then: a group of independent Canadian media outlets and journalists released a joint statement this week, decrying the government's subsidies for media. The Line, and The Line's editors, did not sign it, even though they broadly agree with it. They talk about their reasons.

All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and find out more about us at our website, ReadTheLine.ca.

Hello, people of The Line. We recorded early again this week, as Jen is taking another trip — what a jetsetter! — so forgive us if anything wild happens between the recording date (May 23rd) and the publication date, the 24th.

We're only two weeks away from our event in Edmonton and tickets are starting to move fast as we get close. There are still some left, though, so we hope you can join Jen, Matt and their kick-ass panel for a chat on Canadian fiscal resiliency in a challenging time for the world. We've got food, we've got drinks, we've got G&G, and we've got a few tickets left, so join us if you can. Info at this link.

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.

In this episode, Matt and Jen start by debating the future of Justin Trudeau. The rumours have been chaotic over the last week, cutting both ways, and your Line editors throw up their hands and admit they have no idea if he'll stay or go, but they do have a pretty good idea what it might take to get him to leave. They also discuss Mark Carney as the next possible Liberal leader. Good luck with that idea, LPC friends.

From there, Matt yells a lot about how there is no rules-based international order, and suggests it would be a really good idea for us to stop acting like there was one. It's great to aspire to one. Who doesn't? But let's not confuse our aspirations with our actual reality. The actual reality is the important part.

Finally, they talk a little bit about Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland's weird swipe at Pierre Poilievre in the House this week, for which she did apologize. Matt notes that it was a weird move for Freeland, and a risky one, but has a possible explanation. It fits in with the week's broader theme. Jen starts to warm to it as the podcast goes on.

All that, and more, in the latest The Line Podcast. Please like and subscribe, share widely, and find out more about us at our website, ReadTheLine.ca.
 

Hello, Line viewers and listeners! Have we told you about our Edmonton event! It's coming up. Come party with us in Alberta's capital, listen to our fun chat with great guests, join us for food and drinks. Find all the info here!

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 10, 2024, the Line editors start with some goings-on in the GTA, after aspiring CPC candidate (and former National Post columnist) Sabrina Maddeaux this week announced that she was suspending her effort to win the nomination in a 905 riding because of what she alleges was inappropriate interference in the campaign by party officials. Jen is skeptical, and explains why, but Matt notes that whatever the merits (or lack thereof) in Sabrina's claims, this is the second CPC would-be nominee in that part of the GTA to suspend their campaign, with the first being friend of The Line Kaveh Shahrooz. Both have had critical words for the party on the way out. Maybe it's just rookie candidates being shocked by how political politics is, but there might be something here that the party should be looking at.

From there, your editors stay on politics, and talk about the recent furor over the Conservatives saying that they'd be open to using the notwithstanding clause to keep dangerous criminals behind bars. This is generally fine with both Matt and Jen, who also note that the Liberal attempts to immediately spin this into a threat to gay rights and abortion aren't the brilliant idea they think it is. "The only way to protect gay marriage is to let repeat violent offenders out on bail" is a slogan the PMO might want to run by a few more focus groups, is all they're saying. G&G also note that the Liberals are smashing the "POILIEVRE WILL BAN ABORTION" panic button awfully early, and wonder if this is the last thing the Liberals will try before Trudeau decides to talk a walk in the snow (or sand, or whatever).

They touch on the encampment that remains in Toronto and that didn't last long in Calgary, and also note the passing of Rex Murphy, a former colleague of both from their National Post days. They also talk about Rex's days as a broadcaster at the CBC before he was a columnist at the Globe and the Post, and muse about what will be left of the industry once Matt and Jen eventually reach the end of their lives. Journalism has already changed so much. What's next?

Very uplifting stuff, we promise.

As always, like and subscribe. Become a paid subscriber to The Line at ReadtheLine.ca. And join us in Edmonton, if you can!

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 3, 2024, Matt Gurney tells Jen Gerson about his visit to the encampment that has sprung up at the University of Toronto. He spends some time describing the scene, but then also goes into detail about what he saw there that he does find disturbing. The two also talk about their past experience covering other encampments, and Matt makes his recommendation: unless U of T wants a real mess on its hands, it is well advised to disperse this encampment before it becomes physically or psychologically entrenched.

Your Line editors then move on to discuss the completely eye-rolling theatrics that have been coming out of Ottawa this week. Frankly, we think they’re all pretty wacko, at this point. They do talk about some of the interesting things that have happened in Ottawa, including some depressing poll numbers for the prime minister and an interesting op-ed by the opposition leader, but fundamentally, it’s clear to your Line editors that Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre really need a vacation. Far from each other. And their phones. Also, is it just us, or is the level of anger and polarization in our society having this specific consequence: political silly season seems to be coming earlier and lasting longer. Great. Just another year and a half of this to go.

The Line editors then discuss frustrating comments made by Bill Blair, minister of national defence, about Canada‘s “magical” commitment to NATO. Well, gee, that’s not the best possible language, is it? (But, as Matt notes, if we take Blair literally, it actually does explain a lot.) The two editors also acknowledge that the Foreign Interference report was released while they were recording, but you’ll have to wait until the written dispatch to really find out their views on that.

And, of course, they want you to join them at their upcoming event in Edmonton. They’ve been telling you about that for a couple of weeks now. They sold out the house in Calgary, and they’re trusting Edmonton not to let that other Albertan city outdo them.  Find out more here, and they hope to see you in Edmonton in just over a month.

And, of course, as always, like and subscribe. 

For more: ReadtheLine.ca. 

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 26, 2024, your intrepid Line editors start by announcing their upcoming event in Edmonton. The official announcement went out on Thursday, but in case you missed it, we hope you can join us in Edmonton for conversation about future-proofing Canada. Jen and Matt will both be there in Alberta’s capital, along with our great panel of experts. June 6th, friends. Mark your calendars. We hope to see you there.

The duo then talk about Pierre Poilievre’s unfortunate visit this week to a protest in an encampment in Atlantic Canada, populated as it was by fans of some of the weirder elements of Canada’s far-right. They kick around the possible motivations that may have explained the visit, including the one they find most likely, but also some alternative ones. They also discuss how the Liberals are having a hard time staying on message, and instead of continuing to talk about their budget, seem more inclined to chase every shiny object Poilievre tosses into their path. Could that just perhaps be deliberate on the part of the Conservative leader?

They also talk about Alex Jones, so, gosh, the comments on this one will be weirder than normal.

Also up for discussion today: what the convoy and the current Gaza protests have in common, and how they differ. They chat about the CBC, and some of the odd going-ons there. Matt reads from the CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices, and wonders if the CBC execs have forgotten one key passage in particular. Jen gives an update from Alberta, where things remain weird. Matt reminds her that Albertans actually aren’t that conservative. They just have cowboy hats.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. For more, check out our website at ReadtheLine.ca. 

Please note: In a statement to Postmedia’s Brian Lilley made after this podcast was recorded, and which was shared with The Line, the CBC said: “While we can confirm Travis is still the host of Canada Tonight, respectfully, we don’t share details regarding host assignments or their schedules.”