Secure Line

Jessica Davis, Stephanie Carvin, Leah West (A CASIS podcast)
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Canada's intelligence landscape is as unique as the country itself. In an evolving global threat environment, fostering informed discussions on intelligence has become increasingly vital to the national security discourse. Secure Line Podcast is designed to influence and inform the national dialogue on security and intelligence in Canada, and internationally. Secure Line is brought to you by the Canadian Association for Security & Intelligence Studies (CASIS).

  1. Nardi on Natsec

    15 HR AGO

    Nardi on Natsec

    In this episode of Secure Line, Steph, Leah, and Jess are joined by Chris Nardi, parliamentary reporter at the National Post, to unpack what it’s like to cover Canada’s national security world from the press gallery. Nardi explains how his beat grew “organically” through major transparency moments like the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC)and the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference (PIFI), plus national security trials. The conversation focuses on why Canadians’ interest in national security has increased—especially around questions of who the government watches, how, and why—and why journalists end up acting as translators in a space where direct public communication is limited. Nardi describes the challenge of explaining technical issues like lawful access to readers who haven’t been given the “basics,” critiques the frequent reliance on secrecy language like the “mosaic effect,” and argues agencies could share far more about intent and effects (even if they can’t reveal methods) to build public understanding and trust. They compare POEC and PIFI as rare moments that “cracked open the oyster” of Canadian national security, while noting frustrations when commissions operate like courtrooms and stonewall basic process questions. Nardi highlights standout inquiry moments, reflects on his reporting into dysfunction at Global Affairs and CSIS (including morale and leadership trust issues), and flags what he’s watching next: renewed debate on lawful access reform and the long-awaited National Security Strategy. The episode closes with advice for student journalists: pick up the phone, build sources, triangulate government claims with outside experts, and read deeply—because in national security, the homework is often the story.

    47 min
  2. Grievance-Fuelled Violence and School Shootings: Understanding Tumbler Ridge with Emily Corner

    21 FEB

    Grievance-Fuelled Violence and School Shootings: Understanding Tumbler Ridge with Emily Corner

    Synopsis: In this episode of Secure Line, Steph and Jess unpack one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history and ask a difficult but essential question: can understanding the perpetrator help prevent future violence? To help make sense of the attack in Tumbler Ridge, the hosts are joined by Dr. Emily Corner, Associate Professor at Australian National University and one of the world’s leading experts on lone-actor terrorism and grievance-fuelled violence. Drawing on years of research across terrorism, mass shootings, and fixated individuals, Dr. Corner explains why rigid labels—such as “terrorism” or “school shooting”— can hinder analysis and understanding. The conversation explores what grievance-fuelled violence actually is, how it overlaps with (and differs from) terrorism, and why personal grievances, instability, and perceived injustice so often sit at the core of acts of mass violence. The episode also tackles emerging concepts like nihilistic violent extremism, the growing involvement of minors, the limits of ideology-based explanations, and why mental health is an important, but never causal, part of the story. Grounded in evidence and focused on prevention, this episode offers essential context for understanding contemporary mass violence in Canada and beyond.

    43 min
  3. Organized Crime as a Tool of State Power

    18 FEB

    Organized Crime as a Tool of State Power

    In Season 3, Episode 2 of Secure Line, Steph Carvin sits down with Jess Davis for a deep dive into Jess’s new book chapter, “State Secrets: Hiring Criminals for State-Sponsored Activities,” published in Killing in the Name of the State: State-Sponsored Assassinations in International Politics (Lynne Rienner). The episode unpacks a disturbing but increasingly visible trend: states using organized crime networks as proxies for covert action—from targeted assassinations and transnational repression to foreign interference and sabotage. Jess explains why these partnerships are attractive to states (plausible deniability, operational access, and reduced diplomatic risk) and why criminals take the deal (money, safe haven, market protection, coercion, and impunity). Steph and Jess also wrestle with what’s genuinely “new” versus what’s simply evolving—especially the role of encrypted apps, social media recruitment, cryptocurrency payments, and the growing use of youth in low-level state-linked disruption. Along the way, they nerd out on the conceptual questions—proxy vs. surrogate, principal–agent problems, and why this phenomenon is hard to measure—before bringing it back to policy: the crime–intelligence nexus doesn’t fit neatly into Canada’s institutional divide between CSIS and the RCMP, creating real enforcement and intelligence gaps just as state–crime convergence becomes more central to modern security threats.

    30 min
  4. We Need to Talk about Davos

    11 FEB

    We Need to Talk about Davos

    Season 3 kicks off with a hard look at the world as it is—not as we wish it were. In this episode of Secure Line, Steph Carvin, Leah West, and Jess Davis unpack Mark Carney’s much-discussed speech at the World Economic Forum, and what it reveals about the collapse of the liberal international order, Canada’s shrinking room to maneuver, and the uncomfortable reality of great-power competition. The conversation moves from trade and geopolitics to international law, sanctions, and the fracturing of the global financial system. The hosts debate whether multilateralism still works, whether international law is becoming more contractual and fragmented, and how the erosion of U.S. leadership is accelerating alternative financial systems that blunt sanctions and empower actors like Russia, China, and Iran. Looking ahead, the episode surveys what 2026 may bring: the prospects (or lack thereof) for major Canadian legislation on lawful access, cybersecurity, and financial crime; looming trade negotiations; the future of NATO in an era of U.S. unpredictability; and why cuts to Canada’s diplomatic capacity may undermine the very strategy Carney is calling for. Sobering, candid, and sharply analytical, this episode sets the tone for a season grappling with insecurity, fragmentation, and the limits of state power in a rapidly changing world.

    36 min
  5. The Festivus Episode

    18/12/2025

    The Festivus Episode

    Steph, Leah, and Jess kick off Secure Line’s first-ever video “Festivus” episode with a holiday tradition: the airing of the grievances. After a quick tribute to producer Lena (the only person exempt from criticism), the trio runs through what’s been frustrating them most about Canada’s national security landscape—and what they think needs to change. Leah opens with a perennial—and increasingly urgent—complaint: Canada still doesn’t have a national security strategy, and the absence of a clear “North Star” is starting to miss the moment with Canadians and allies alike. Jess follows with a hard look at the state of terrorism research: weak definitional consensus, inconsistent measurement, and a field that sometimes struggles to generate actionable insight—especially as governments broaden terrorism definitions in ways that blur already-messy lines. From there, the conversation turns to threat assessments and the purpose (and practical impact) of ITAC, including its evolving mandate, its communication style, and whether “permanently medium” threat levels are actually useful for Canadians. Steph’s grievances hit institutional accountability: national security being framed too narrowly through defense, the government’s stalled reform agenda, ongoing RCMP reform debates, and pointed criticism of the Public Safety portfolio—particularly at a time when Canada’s reliance on the U.S. is becoming less predictable across the full spectrum of national security issues. The crew then shifts to a rare moment of self-critique: Jess rethinks crypto as not just “agnostic,” but increasingly inseparable from illicit finance architecture; Leah reassesses whether Canada can afford to keep avoiding a foreign intelligence capability; and the group reflects on how deep U.S. institutional deterioration is becoming under Trump 2.0—and what that means for trust, intelligence, and long-term cooperation. Finally, the mood turns lighter as they share wins from the year—big professional milestones, personal achievements (including Leah’s Ironman Worlds in Kona), and the podcast itself—before looking ahead to 2026: major legislation files to watch, reform questions still unresolved, and what they’re tracking as Canada tries to navigate a rapidly shifting security environment.

    1h 6m
  6. “The Problem of America”: The Economist’s Shashank Joshi on Global Security in 2025

    16/12/2025

    “The Problem of America”: The Economist’s Shashank Joshi on Global Security in 2025

    Secure Line closes out 2025 by taking stock of a year defined by geopolitical whiplash: grinding wars in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine; rising tension in the Indo-Pacific; instability across Africa’s “coup belt”; and a U.S. foreign policy that’s reshaping alliances as much as it’s responding to threats. With a newly released U.S. National Security Strategy pointing toward a more transactional, hemisphere-first approach—and allies scrambling to adapt—Steph, Leah, and Jess ask what this all means for 2026. To unpack the year, the hosts are joined by Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist and former RUSI senior research fellow. Joshi reflects on what he heard during a recent trip to Canada, arguing that Canada may be in the most exposed position of America’s allies—highly dependent, economically vulnerable, and increasingly alarmed. From there, the conversation ranges widely: Europe’s growing distrust of Washington, the strategic logic behind a revived Monroe Doctrine, Canada’s dilemma over diversifying defence procurement (including the F-35 vs. Gripen debate), the lessons—and limits—of learning from Ukraine’s drone war, and the mounting risks of Russian “active measures” across Europe. Joshi closes with the key watch-items for the year ahead: how (and on what terms) Ukraine’s war may culminate, the risk of U.S. escalation in Venezuela, and whether Indo-Pacific flashpoints continue to sharpen as China’s military timeline and regional reactions accelerate. The episode ends with a teaser for the team’s upcoming Festivus special—an airing of national security grievances before the holiday break.

    48 min
  7. From Promises to Procurement: Can Canada Actually Spend $81.8 Billion?

    27/11/2025

    From Promises to Procurement: Can Canada Actually Spend $81.8 Billion?

    In this episode of Secure Line, Leah West and Stephanie Carvin break down the most consequential defence budget Canada has seen in generations—joined by special guest Philippe Lagassé, Chair in International Affairs at NPSIA and author of Debating Canadian Defence. With Jess Davis away this week, Leah and Stephanie dive into the headline-grabbing $81.8 billion defence package unveiled in Budget 2025: what it means, why it matters, and where the uncertainties lie. Phil helps unpack the sheer scale of the investment, the federal government’s unusual “money first, details later” strategy, and the emerging battle lines between political direction, military preference, and industrial ambition. Together they explore the shifting terrain of defence procurement—from submarines to sovereign cloud—and the political risks of moving this much money, this fast, through a bureaucracy conditioned to avoid risk. They also tackle the deeper tension running beneath the budget: whether Canada continues to rely primarily on the United States or finally builds real sovereign capability. Smart, candid, and often pointed, this conversation offers essential context for anyone trying to understand the future of Canada’s defence posture and the political, bureaucratic, and strategic fights that will shape it.

    36 min
  8. Line Items & Limelights: The Budget’s Eurovision Bet and NatSec Status Quo

    12/11/2025

    Line Items & Limelights: The Budget’s Eurovision Bet and NatSec Status Quo

    From balance sheets to ballads, the 2025 budget doubles down on soft power and spectacle, but keeps Canada’s national security stuck in the same old song. In this episode of Secure Line, hosts Stephanie Carvin and Jessica Davis dive into the 2025 Canadian federal budget — a self-proclaimed “transformative” plan that, on closer inspection, mostly reinforces the national security status quo. From record defense spending to long-delayed reform, Steph and Jess unpack what the budget really means for Canada’s intelligence, enforcement, and foreign policy landscape. They debate whether the long-promised National Security Strategy will finally materialize and take a close look at the newly resurrected Canadian Financial Crimes Agency — a long-talked-about but still-undefined enforcement body meant to fix Canada’s chronic money-laundering and financial crime failures. The hosts also explore what cuts to Global Affairs Canada and the Privy Council Office mean for diplomacy, development, and intelligence coordination, and they catch a surprising “Easter egg” about foreign bank investment reviews that could reshape national security screening in the financial sector. Between witty asides about “making it rain” for the Canadian Armed Forces and an unexpected detour into Eurovision diplomacy, the episode captures the blend of sharp analysis and humour that Secure Line is known for.

    34 min
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About

Canada's intelligence landscape is as unique as the country itself. In an evolving global threat environment, fostering informed discussions on intelligence has become increasingly vital to the national security discourse. Secure Line Podcast is designed to influence and inform the national dialogue on security and intelligence in Canada, and internationally. Secure Line is brought to you by the Canadian Association for Security & Intelligence Studies (CASIS).

Information

  • Creator
    Jessica Davis, Stephanie Carvin, Leah West (A CASIS podcast)
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jessica Davis, Stephanie Carvin, Leah West (A CASIS podcast)
  • Show Website
    Secure Line

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