In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on January 30, 2026, one of your hosts starts with a literal public safety announcement. Line editor Gurney was the victim of attempted identity theft this week (like he doesn't have enough going on) and some Line readers may have received bizarre messages claiming to be from me. They weren't! He promises!

From there, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson start with a sharp and unsparing look at Alberta separatism. Jen is in no mood for half measures, especially when it comes to Premier Danielle Smith’s refusal to firmly commit herself. As she sees it, people who style themselves as free speech warriors don’t get to hide behind mealy-mouthed statements when it actually matters. She also takes direct aim at what she calls the loser energy of the separatist movement itself. Matt agrees, adding that many of the separatists he encounters remind him of the gun-ban obsessives or bike-lane warriors in other parts of the country — people whose entire identities are wrapped up in a single cause, and who spend enormous amounts of time constructing elaborate arguments to justify what is, in reality, an emotional state. Both hosts close the segment by wishing, once again, that Canada had a serious and functional ability to monitor foreign interference, because if this movement grows, they strongly suspect outside actors will be eager to help it along.

Later, the conversation turns to the Conservative Party of Canada, which is gathering in Calgary to review Pierre Poilievre’s leadership. There’s no obvious threat to him, but Matt argues the party has wasted the last nine months pretending the election result was a fluke, largely because that fantasy spared them from having to make difficult decisions. Unfortunately for the Conservatives, the facts haven’t changed. If anything, the hosts note that Mark Carney is settling into the job better than expected. He still makes the occasional rookie mistake, but overall he’s performing competently and growing into the role. That leaves the CPC with a real problem: it now needs a credible plan to defeat a capable Liberal government while also navigating the chaos of a disruptive Trump presidency.

Finally, the hosts circle back to the China deal they didn’t have time to fully address last week. Matt says he’s listened carefully to both the boosters and the critics, and has come to an inconvenient conclusion: he agrees with all of them. The deal contains real opportunities and real risks, and Canada may not be ready for what comes next. As both hosts note, we are entering a geopolitical era where being wealthy and strategically important can make a country a very attractive target, especially when caught between competing hostile powers. It’s a position many other countries have experienced before. Maybe, they suggest, it’s time Canada started asking the Poles or the Israelis for advice.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.

In this week's On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with Greg Jack, Senior Vice President of Ipsos Public Affairs. The firm has just put out an in depth survey of separatist sentiment in both Alberta and Quebec. In keeping with previous surveys, about 30 per cent of Albertans said they would vote to leave Canada, but is that sentiment as strong as it first appears? Jack's team did something that pervious pollsters have yet to do -- he stress tested those results, asking people how committed they would be to separation if there were conditions attached, such as the loss of the Canadian passport. When forced to consider these downsides, support for separation fell to about half -- suggesting that a significant proportion of separatists are simply frustrated with Ottawa, but not firmly attached to the idea of an independent state.

Of course, separation is in the news of late as Alberta's separatists are moving forward with a petition that may pave the way for a provincial referendum. The Americans are also weighing in, insisting that all Albertans are keen to join the U.S. -- a claim that Jack fact checks.

In today’s episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on January 23rd, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson are finally reunited after a long absence. Matt briefly explains where he’s been (you can see his full statement here) and thanks The Line’s audience for their patience and support before the conversation turns to the biggest stories of the week. As Jen notes, it’s a perfect moment for Matt to be back. With sudden, serious talk about insurgency, warfare, geopolitical conflict, guns, emergency preparedness, and civil defence, all the subjects Matt has been nerding out about for decades have abruptly become relevant. She jokes that it would have been a shame for him to miss this moment, especially as the Canadian military has quietly been gaming out insurgency and resistance scenarios in the unlikely but no-longer-unthinkable event of a U.S. invasion. Matt, unsurprisingly, has a few thoughts.

From there, the hosts turn to Mark Carney’s speech in Davos. Jen argues it was really aimed at a European audience and may have doubled as a victory lap. Matt agrees, but adds that Washington was clearly part of the intended audience as well. Still, both hosts think the most important audience is here at home. Everyone seems to agree that major changes are coming and that major changes are needed. The open question is who is going to start proposing them, especially the ones that will be politically painful.

Finally, Matt and Jen dig into comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting Alberta wants to join the United States. Jen is skeptical. Matt, meanwhile, wonders how nice it would be if Canada had a reliable way of noticing when large amounts of foreign money were flowing into the country to influence domestic politics. It’s a pity, really, that we haven’t already spent years seriously debating foreign interference in Canadian democracy.

In any case, your hosts are happy to be back together. Enjoy all this and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out at ReadTheLine.ca, and as always, like and subscribe.

Today on On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with economics professor and founding Director of McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy Chris Ragan. They talk about a story that has been absolutely buried under an avalanche of news -- the threatened indictment of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome (Jay) Powell.

Last week Powell put out a statement stating flatly that the Trump administration is abusing the courts in order to put pressure on the independence of the fed.

What does that mean, exactly? Why does it matter? And what are the political and economic implications of the US central bank whose independence is increasingly under pressure? We get right into it today on On The Line.

Canada agrees to cut its tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products and Ontario premier Doug Ford is positively pissed. In this week's episode of The Line Podcast, host Jen Gerson sits down with The Line Alberta's Rob Breakenridge at the Saskatchewan Crops Forum. This is a live taping of the podcast that took place, and what a topical moment as they were there to discuss China, tarifs, and agriculture just as Prime Minister Mark Carney conducted his delegation to China to ease tense trade relations between the two countries as the friendship between Canada and America continues to fray.

The two Calgarians also lament the city's ongoing water restrictions, and the city's report outlining its failures.

Today on On The Line, host Jen Gerson speaks with Heather Exner-Pirot, the Director of Energy and National Resources and Environment at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute. Exner-Pirot does her damndest to check some of Gerson's rampant New Year's depression as they discuss the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. It may be bad news for the Venezuelans -- every hour seems to provide greater evidence for America's own greedy intentions and poorly thought out after-plan. However, she's not worried about what this will mean for Canada's own industry. In some ways, she's outright optimistic that the Americans will come around from their current trajectory. Gerson is not so convinced. You decide.

In this episode of The Line Podcast, hosts Jen Gerson and Andrew Potter discuss trade, immigration, and the attempts to "Globalize the Intifada." Firstly, on the trade file, US trade rep Jamieson Greer has issued a list of grievances. The Americans are villainously committed to giving Canadians more options for eggs, chicken, and dairy. StatsCan shows a dramatic drop in immigration as the LIberals reign in a system gone pear shaped. And lastly, what do the young think "Globalize the Intifada" really means?

Today on On The Line, host Jen Gerson talks to Brandon Forsyth, long time book buyer at Indigo. They chat about the hottest books heading into the Christmas season which, if you're anything like us, you are absolutely not yet prepared for. He's a list of kids' books, fiction, and non-fiction for the readers in your life.

(Note, no, we at The Line are not taking any cuts for any of the books suggested. We just like books and reading. And if your family is like ours, books are pretty much what you all give to one another anyway.)

Books mentioned:

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/dont-trust-fish/9780593616673.html

InvestiGators by John Patrick Green https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/investigators/9781250219954.html

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/impossible-creatures---indigo-exclusive-edition/9781774888957.html

The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-poisoned-king---indigo-exclusive-edition/9781774888964.html

The Secret Of Secrets by Dan Brown https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-secret-of-secrets-a-novel/9780385546898.html

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/wild-dark-shore-reeses-book-club-pick-a-novel/9781250827951.html

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/heated-rivalry-now-streaming-on-crave-and-hbo-max/9781335534637.html

The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-wealthy-barber-2025-indigo-exclusive-the-fully-updated-all-time-canadian-classic/9781068975004.html

What A Ride by Andrew Podnieks https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/what-a-ride-the-thrilling-toronto-blue-jays-of-2025/9781552673973.html

Book Of Lives by Margaret Atwood https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/book-of-lives-a-memoir-of-sorts/9780771096433.html

The Prime Ministers by JRM Stewart https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-prime-ministers-canadas-leaders-and-the-nation-they-shaped/9781998365777.html