The Line

Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson
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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.

  1. 10 HRS AGO

    In stunning move, police will enforce the law

    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on March 13th, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson begin with federal politics. Mark Carney appears to be on track to secure a majority government, and your hosts wonder whether he truly deserves it. Has the country actually improved much over the last year, or have the Conservatives simply squandered their opportunity not only to win, but even to hold him to a minority? They also discuss the government’s latest Arctic announcement, which Matt notes isn’t especially new. He’s frustrated that a leader recycling old announcements may still lock up the majority that will allow him to govern largely as he wishes for the next three years. The conversation then turns to the war in the Middle East. Jen brings some personal perspective to the discussion — many listeners may not realize that she lived in the region early in her career and still has many friends there. She shares some of what she’s hearing from people close to the unfolding conflict. At the same time, both hosts reflect on how strange the war feels from afar. Perhaps, they suggest, all of us — hosts and audience alike — are slowly becoming desensitized to events that would have seemed shocking and horrific not that long ago. The final segment takes an unexpected turn. It starts with Matt throwing Jen a conversational curveball: Hitler. You’ll have to tune in to hear exactly why that came up. But while they’re recording, breaking news emerges from Toronto, and the discussion shifts abruptly. Matt vents some frustration about what he sees as inadequate action to protect the city’s Jewish community, and some of that frustration spills out on air. He also makes, only reluctantly, an observation that he hopes no one in the White House hears, in case they use it against us. Jen laughs. She likes the chaos. All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.  #TheLinePodcast #CanadianPolitics #MarkCarney #CanadaElection #MiddleEastWar #ArcticSecurity #TorontoNews #CanadianConservatives #Geopolitics #CurrentAffairs

    1h 15m

  2. 3D AGO

    Are we the digital baddies?

    In this episode of On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with Michael Geist, a professor at the University of Ottawa and one of the country’s leading voices on digital policy. They begin with the latest United States Trade Priority Report, which singled out controversial Canadian legislation such as Online Streaming Act (Bill C‑11) as a major digital dispute complicating negotiations between Canada and the United States. Gerson asks whether the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated to the point where Canada now feels compelled to defend objectively terrible legislation simply on principle. It certainly seems that way. This episode is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Government can’t control the global markets, but it can control the efficiency of our own regulatory system. It’s been over 150 days since the Red Tape Review, and Canada’s forest products sector is ready to move from intent to outcomes. We’re advocating for practical fixes — like reducing duplication and improving coordination — so we can get projects built at the speed of business. With greater regulatory efficiency, we can better compete with the Americans and Europeans, grow jobs, bring more of Canada to the world, and secure a stronger Canadian economy. Let’s get to work. Visit www.fpac.ca to learn more. From there, the conversation turns to the apparent resurrection of the Online Harms Act, which many observers assumed had died on the order paper. Instead, it may be finding new life following reports that Jesse Van Rootselaar had been flagged by OpenAI as a potential risk before the shooting rampage in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Finally, Gerson and Geist discuss Bill C‑4 and the Senate of Canada’s effort to block what critics describe as an outrageous move by the House of Commons of Canada: legislation that would carve out a special exemption allowing political parties to avoid the privacy rules that apply to nearly everyone else. The result is a sharp conversation about digital governance, political incentives, and whether Canada is drifting into a regulatory posture that’s increasingly hard to defend. For more like this, visit our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. And as always, like and subscribe.  #AI #TumblerRidge #CUMSA #UMSCA #Trade #Digital #Geist #SocialMedia #governement #Canada #thelinepodcast

    46 min

  3. MAR 6

    We hate it when Carney sounds like Trudeau

    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on March 6th, 2026, your hosts agree at the outset to avoid talking about Alberta for once, because Jen really needs a break. Fortunately, there was plenty else happening this week. Today's episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Engage, the new door-to-door canvassing app from Geppetto Technologies. Engage makes it effortless to go knock doors and connect with your community. With a fragmented media landscape, endless spam phone calls, and social media echo chambers, the best way to reach people is at their doorstep. The Engage app makes it happen. Your canvassers will be ready to go in seconds using Engage's user-friendly interface. We seamlessly connect with your campaign's digital infrastructure to help you collect valuable data. Quickly track support, volunteers, signs and issues to set up a strong get-out-the-vote effort. With upcoming municipal elections in BC and Ontario, there's no better time to get started with Engage. Made in Canada, built and supported by experienced campaigners. Ready for a winning ground game? Visit goknockdoors.ca for your demo.  They begin with a quick tour of the current geopolitical landscape and what it means for Canada. Much to Jen’s disappointment, it leaves the country in a position where our new prime minister is starting to sound a lot like our old one. Jen generously volunteers to head to Ottawa and fix the Carney government’s communications problems herself. Matt suggests the real issue is that the government communicates well only when it’s confident the public will like what it has to say. The moment it has to juggle competing domestic priorities — as happened recently with the India trip and the new war against Iran — the messaging turns muddled and incoherent. Matt ultimately agrees with Jen: she’d better get to Ottawa and sort it out. From there, the hosts turn to Pierre Poilievre’s recent trip to Europe. Matt gives the effort some credit, even if it arrives a year or so late in terms of helping the Conservatives form a government. Jen is less charitable. She argues that Poilievre has already burned through several full personality reboots, and worries that each one seems suspiciously calibrated to whatever happens to be trending in right-wing social media echo chambers. Finally, Matt and Jen have some fun with a column in The Globe and Mail and what they consider a wildly exaggerated response from the ambassador of the United States in Ottawa. The laughs give way to a more serious discussion about information echo chambers, and how ideas that sound outrageous to outsiders can be wildly popular — and profitable — within a loyal online tribe. That dynamic, they conclude, may be great for engagement metrics, but it’s a terrible way to run a civilization. All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. #TheLinePodcast, #CanadianPolitics, #MarkCarney, #PierrePoilievre, #CanadaForeignPolicy, #Geopolitics, #CanadaUSRelations, #MediaEchoChambers, #PoliticalAnalysis, #CurrentAffairs

    1h 16m

  4. MAR 3

    Does the U.S. have a plan for Iran?

    In today’s episode of On The Line, host Matt Gurney is joined by two guests to discuss the new war unfolding in the Middle East. First up is Bill Roggio, editor of The Long War Journal and a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Roggio gives Matt the view from the United States: why Washington chose to strike now, the risks of an early withdrawal, and why he doesn’t see a coherent plan to actually win this war on the ground. In his view, the groundwork for success should have been laid months ago. Roggio makes clear that he wants a better future for the people of Iran, but he’s not convinced the U.S. fully understands what it has stepped into. This episode of On The Line is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. In a volatile world, Canada has to focus on what we can control right here at home. Prime Minister Carney says a country that can’t build itself has few options. The forest products sector provides the literal building blocks for our country — from the lumber and wood products to build new homes and infrastructure; to pulp and paper for household and business use; to the renewable power we need to support energy security. We’re already a global trade success story, and we’re ready to do more to build a resilient, self-reliant country. It’s time to focus on Canada’s domestic strengths. Learn more at www.fpac.ca. Then Matt turns to Toronto and his old friend Kaveh Shahrooz of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. A member of the Iranian diaspora, Shahrooz has been in close contact with family in Iran as well as with members of the community here in Canada. He describes a moment filled with both optimism and fear. For the first time in nearly 50 years, there is real hope that change may be possible — but he cautions that any transition will likely involve dealing with deeply compromised actors who have done terrible things. It’s a sobering, dual-perspective conversation about strategy, uncertainty, and what change might actually cost. As always, like and subscribe, and check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

    1h 2m

  5. FEB 27

    Is it too late for a Poilievre anti-Trump pivot?

    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on February 27th, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson begin with a close look at what Pierre Poilievre had to say at the Economic Club in downtown Toronto this week. Matt liked much of the speech, aside from one section he considers pure fantasyland. Jen is far less impressed overall. Both hosts agree the message might have landed better a year ago, and both detect lingering signs of denial when it comes to how Conservatives are interpreting what’s actually happening in Washington. They then head south, metaphorically, as Jen dissects the State of the Union delivered by Donald Trump. Matt didn’t catch the entire speech but offers a few observations about Trump’s delivery that Jen happily builds on. The conversation widens to include the Democrats, who, in the hosts’ view, seem unusually committed to missing opportunities that are right in front of them. In the final segment, Matt and Jen turn to new polling that shows something odd unfolding out west. The Liberals are gaining traction in places where they traditionally struggle. Jen thinks she understands why. Even people who would never vote Liberal are quietly telling her they find themselves liking Mark Carney. The episode wraps with a brief discussion of Alberta’s latest provincial budget, which Matt, speaking as an Ontarian, finds contains more than a few familiar elements. All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and always remember to like and subscribe.

    1h 3m

  6. FEB 24

    What is going on here? Anti-Semitism in Canada

    In this episode of On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with Canadaland founder Jesse Brown to talk about his latest hit series, What's Going On Here. Brown's show delves into the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada in the wake of the war in Gaza; what constitutes normal protest, and what crosses the line into anti-Semitic harassment of Jews in Canada. Plus, Gerson asks -- Is Jesse just crazy?  This episode is brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Government can’t control the global markets, but it can control the efficiency of our own regulatory system. It’s been over 150 days since the Red Tape Review, and Canada’s forest products sector is ready to move from intent to outcomes. We’re advocating for practical fixes — like reducing duplication and improving coordination — so we can get projects built at the speed of business. With greater regulatory efficiency, we can better compete with the Americans and Europeans, grow jobs, bring more of Canada to the world, and secure a stronger Canadian economy. Let’s get to work. Visit www.fpac.ca to learn more.

    1h 26m

  7. FEB 20

    Trump's aliens are watching Alberta burn

    In today’s episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on February 20th, 2026, Jen Gerson regretfully informs Matt Gurney that the province of Alberta is, politically speaking, on fire. (Matt thinks she meant politically speaking.) Matt is suitably alarmed. Jen walks him through her concerns in detail, reading direct quotes from recent statements that do little to reassure either of them. Matt responds with what he considers sage advice from the deepest, darkest corner of Laurentian Canada — fully aware of how warmly that kind of guidance is usually received in Alberta. From there, the hosts pivot south of the border. Donald Trump, following up on similar remarks once made by Barack Obama, is now talking about aliens. The Line, as longtime listeners know, enjoys a good alien discussion. But both hosts wonder whether this sudden extraterrestrial enthusiasm might be serving as a distraction from more terrestrial problems, including renewed attention on the Epstein files, signs of growing anti-Trump organization within the Republican Party, and a significant loss at the Supreme Court of the United States, where a six-to-three majority struck down the president’s tariffs. Finally, a quick check-in on developments at home. Matt and Jen touch on floor crossing, Jamil Jivani’s trip to Washington, and Matt’s mixed feelings about Canada’s new defence industrial strategy — grateful that it exists, concerned about how it will unfold. All this and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

    59 min

  8. FEB 17

    Dispatch from Ukraine: Calgary's Paul Hughes in Kharkiv

    In today's On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with longtime friend and Calgarian Paul Hughes, who left his comfortable home in Alberta to help in Ukraine at the outbreak of war four years ago. Hughes, who was joined by his son, Mac, has now been a witness to the extraordinary heartbreak and courage of the Ukrainian people. His son was seriously injured; Hughes has been kidnapped by Russians; and he's even now regularly bombarded by sirens and bomb threats. He speaks to Gerson from a darkened apartment in Kharkiv, where the latest assault has left him without electricity or heat. They also talk about what his experience has taught him about the separatist threat brewing back home.  Note: The CBC did an article on Hughes' experience with the Russians, referenced in this podcast, here. 300 missions in, this Canadian volunteer says he'll stay in Ukraine until he's asked to leave | CBC Radio

    1h 2m
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    180
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Line
  • Show Website
    The Line

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