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The Line

The Line

Auteur(s): 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.

© 2026 The Line Politique
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  • How to fix the West's ammunition shortage

    How to fix the West's ammunition shortage
    Aug 4 2026
    In this episode of On The Line, host Matt Gurney is joined by two guests for conversations about two of the West's most pressing security challenges: military readiness and cyber defence.This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a Canadian not-for-profit working to help Canadian researchers and companies develop new drugs, especially immunotherapies for cancer.A key challenge for Canada will be familiar to anyone trying to grow a business here: we have some of the brightest people in the world, we just can’t keep enough of them. Canada is home to researchers making breakthrough discoveries every day. But bringing a new therapy from the lab to patients takes more than great science. It also requires specialists who know how to manufacture complex products, navigate regulatory approval, and help new treatments be integrated into the health-care system. Too often, that expertise leaves Canada before the work is done.BioCanRx has supported hands-on training for more than 900 trainees over the past decade, but without a strong domestic industry, retention becomes a challenge. So how do we keep these highly-skilled people? Next time we’ll talk about how changing what we incentivize can maximize the impact of research money Canada already spends to sustain more drug development here in Canada. For now, go to BioCanRx.com to learn more.First up is Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and one of the authors of a new report examining the alarming state of Western ammunition stockpiles. Drawing on the lessons of the wars in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf, Cancian explains how the United States and its allies are consuming critical munitions far faster than they can replace them. The West still possesses enormous military strength, but rebuilding industrial capacity has become an urgent strategic priority. Matt and Mark discuss what's driving the shortages, what governments are finally getting right, and why there are at least a few encouraging signs that production is beginning to catch up.This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s resilience will not be built through diversified trade and good intentions alone. It will be built with strong domestic supply chains, reliable Canadian materials, and industries that invest in workers and communities here at home. Two months ago, the federal government acknowledged the Forest Sector Transformation Task Force Report and the practical path it set out. Now the focus must be action. Canada’s forest products sector can help deliver the homes, infrastructure, and economic potential the country needs. But that requires predictable access to manage our forests, transportation systems that work, and a regulatory environment that rewards investment rather than delays it. The direction is clear. Now Ottawa needs to turn recognition into results. Learn more at FPAC.ca.Then Matt is joined by David Shipley of Beauceron Security to discuss a coordinated cyberattack that recently struck a series of public utilities across the United States, causing real disruption to critical infrastructure. They examine who may have been behind the attacks, why utilities remain such attractive targets, and what governments and operators can do to improve their defences. The conversation also turns to whether growing political dysfunction in Washington is making it harder for the United States—and by extension its allies—to respond effectively to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.It's a pair of conversations about resilience, preparedness, and the growing realization that winning future conflicts will depend as much on industrial capacity and digital security as on military hardware alone.This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers. To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.As always, check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and don't forget to like and subscribe.#OnTheLine #MarkCancian #DavidShipley #CyberSecurity #NationalSecurity #Defense #Military #CSIS #CriticalInfrastructure #MattGurney
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    1 h et 7 min
  • Have Carney and the rest given up on Canada already?

    Have Carney and the rest given up on Canada already?
    Jul 31 2026

    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on July 31st, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson begin by asking whether Canada's governments are actually prepared to make the sacrifices required to defend the country's interests. Both come away disappointed. Matt points to the federal government's decision to block the expansion of an airport in the Toronto area because it was locally controversial and could complicate an upcoming Liberal byelection. If a government isn't willing to risk losing even a single seat to get important things done, Matt argues, then it's never going to get important things done.

    This episode is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

    To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

    Next, Jen checks in from Alberta with an update on the separatist movement. While recent polling shows federalist forces comfortably ahead, she's far from reassured. The problem isn't the raw level of support for separation, which remains relatively low. It's the intensity. Separatists are deeply motivated, while federalists may assume victory is inevitable and fail to organize or even show up. If that happens, Jen warns, the result could be much closer than today's polls suggest.

    This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network dedicated to cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials — all in Canada.If a drug is discovered in a Canadian lab, and conducts successful clinical trials in Canada, there’s a chance it will be launched in Canada. So how do we get more drugs out of Canadian labs and keep them here? Every year around $500 million is spent on Canadian cancer research, but 70 per cent of that is for early-stage work — discovering whether a therapy can do something in the lab. That leaves limited resources for the complex and often disjointed process of moving Canadian innovations from discovery to a clinical trial and hopefully into the health system.BioCanRx has stepped into the gap. They specialize in “translational research” — the unsexy work that makes for boring press releases, but gets results: 16 Canadian cancer immunotherapy clinical trials in just a decade, treating more than 400 patients.Thanks to this, BioCanRx has first-hand experience with the systemic disconnects that are trapping discoveries in Canadian labs, or sending them out of the country to be developed. They have straightforward ideas about how to fix the problems, and spoiler alert: the answer isn’t just “add more money.” Stay tuned to learn more in coming weeks, and visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.


    Finally, Matt raises reports about Jagmeet Singh's possible next job after politics, and he's unimpressed. Jen offers a different perspective, suggesting that perhaps there's something to be said for a political class that takes care of its own after public service. Your hosts don't reach a firm conclusion — but they lay out both sides and leave it to listeners to decide.

    All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca.

    #TheLinePodcast
    #CanadianPolitics
    #MarkCarney
    #AlbertaPolitics
    #Federalism
    #JagmeetSingh
    #LiberalParty
    #PoliticalAnalysis
    #CanadaPolitics
    #CurrentAffairs
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    1 h et 24 min
  • Is NATO Doomed? (And Canada along with it?)

    Is NATO Doomed? (And Canada along with it?)
    Jul 28 2026
    For decades, Canada has enjoyed the benefits of NATO while spending comparatively little on its own military. That era may be coming to an end.This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network dedicated to cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research that they’re helping Canadian researchers bring from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.If a drug is discovered in a Canadian lab, and conducts successful clinical trials in Canada, there’s a chance it will be launched in Canada. So how do we get more drugs out of Canadian labs and keep them here? Every year around $500 million is spent on Canadian cancer research, but 70 per cent of that is for early-stage work –– discovering whether a therapy can do something in the lab. That leaves limited resources for the complex and often disjointed process of moving Canadian innovations from discovery to a clinical trial and hopefully into the health system.BioCanRx has stepped into the gap. They specialize in "translational research" –– the unsexy work that makes for boring press releases, but gets results: 16 Canadian cancer immunotherapy clinical trials in just a decade, treating more than 400 patients.Thanks to this, BioCanRx has first-hand experience with the systemic disconnects that are trapping discoveries in Canadian labs, or sending them out of the country to be developed. They have straightforward ideas about how to fix the problems, and spoiler alert: the answer isn’t just 'add more money." Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.This week on On The Line, host Jen Gerson is joined by Jean-François Bélanger, Senior Non-Resident Associate Fellow at the NATO Defense College, for a wide-ranging discussion about Canada’s long-overdue military buildup and what it means for the future of the Alliance. Bélanger’s work focuses on deterrence, nuclear strategy, wargaming, multi-domain operations, and military decision-making, making him well placed to explain the strategic thinking behind today’s defence debates.As Ottawa commits to dramatically increasing defence spending, Gerson and Bélanger examine what those promises will actually require. Is Canada genuinely preparing for a more dangerous world, or simply catching up after decades of underinvestment? What capabilities do the Canadian Armed Forces need most urgently, and how should those investments be prioritized?The conversation also explores how NATO has evolved in recent years, how the Alliance has adapted to the return of Donald Trump to the White House, and what Canada’s role should be in an increasingly uncertain international environment. They discuss the growing strategic importance of the Arctic, the impact of emerging technologies on military planning, and how the character of warfare is changing.This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest products sector is not asking Ottawa to start over. The federal government has heard the advice. It has recognized the challenges. And it has put a plan on the table. Now the test is action.That means clearing made-in-Canada barriers: regulatory duplication, transportation bottlenecks, and uncertainty around predictable access to manage our forests. It means working with provinces to protect communities from wildfire risk and giving companies the confidence to invest here at home. Nearly 200,000 Canadians working in this sector are looking for results.The playbook is written. Now Ottawa needs to deliver. Learn more at fpac.ca.Along the way, Bélanger explains why modern defence planning increasingly relies on forecasting, simulations, and sophisticated wargaming, and why many Canadians misunderstand both NATO’s purpose and Canada’s obligations within it.It’s a timely conversation about deterrence, alliance politics, and the difficult choices Canada faces as it prepares for a less stable world.For more, be sure to check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca. Like and subscribe This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.#OnTheLine #NATO #CanadaDefence #CanadianForces #JeanFrancoisBelanger #ArcticSecurity #Geopolitics #MilitaryStrategy #JenGerson #CanadaPolitics
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    57 min
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