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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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  • No Experience Necessary

    No Experience Necessary
    Sep 8 2026

    In this episode of On The Line, Jen Gerson speaks with Ronnen Harary, co-founder of Spin Master, the Canadian company behind some of the world’s most successful toys and entertainment franchises, including PAW Patrol.

    This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We've been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we're focusing on the "made-in-Canada" part. Since 2015 BioCanRx has supported the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, in building a truly Canadian pipeline so Canadian patients don't have to wait for cancer therapies developed elsewhere to reach a clinical trial here. In the first iteration, genetic engineering happened in labs in Vancouver, a lab in Ottawa created a viral delivery system, and a facility in Victoria modified each patient's immune cells. The resulting therapy was shipped to a research-intensive hospital where the patient received it. More than 100 patients in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario received treatment. Now the network is growing: new biomanufacturing facilities are preparing to produce cells in Calgary and Ottawa, and new clinical trial sites are being onboarded in other provinces. CLIC technology is being used in three active Canadian clinical trials, with more on the way. So when it comes to producing made-in-Canada cancer immunotherapies, Canada isn't starting from scratch. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us share these stories. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.


    Harary takes Jen through the early days of Spin Master and the risks that he and his partners were willing to take while they were still young enough — and perhaps naive enough — to take them. They discuss why your twenties can be an unusually valuable time to take big swings, what entrepreneurs can learn from failure, and why intuition and an understanding of history can matter when trying to distinguish a durable trend from the latest industry bubble.

    The conversation then widens to Canada’s entrepreneurial culture. Harary argues that Canada has enormous creative talent but needs to become more comfortable with ambition, risk and the possibility of failure. He and Jen discuss the difference between building and servicing, the importance of protecting time for deep creative work, and why a successful innovation economy needs diversity not simply of backgrounds, but of ideas, experiences and ways of thinking.

    This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.

    For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.

    We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.

    Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.

    Finally, they look at what Canada could do differently. Harary offers ideas for encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, attracting and developing talent, and creating a culture in which more Canadians are willing to build companies capable of competing globally.

    It’s a conversation about toys and business, but also about ambition, creativity, risk and what Canada needs to do if it wants to produce more globally successful companies.

    This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada. A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada. Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.


    As always visit our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and don't forget to like and subscribe!

    #OnTheLine #RonnenHarary #SpinMaster #PAWPatrol #Entrepreneurship #CanadianBusiness #Innovation #Canada #Startups #BusinessAdvice #JenGerson
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    51 min
  • American Chaos meets Canadian Pride

    American Chaos meets Canadian Pride
    Sep 4 2026

    In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, Jen Gerson speaks with Bloomberg senior White House correspondent Josh Wingrove about the collapse of the Canada–U.S. trade deal, the politics behind it, and why Canadians and Americans increasingly seem to be talking past each other.

    This episode is brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.

    The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.

    A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.

    Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.


    Jen and Josh unpack the breakdown of the latest negotiations, including the competing Canadian and American accounts of what happened and the domestic political pressures shaping both governments. They discuss what Washington actually wants from Canada, how the dispute looks from inside the United States, and what Canadians may be misunderstanding about the political forces driving American policy.

    This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage. Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness’ in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how. Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.


    They then widen the lens to the broader state of U.S. politics: Donald Trump’s hold over the Republican Party, the strength of America’s democratic guardrails, the coming midterms, and where the country may be heading politically. Finally, they consider what all of this means for Canada—and for a bilateral relationship that Canadians can no longer take for granted.

    This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx. Over the summer we partnered with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September, we want to better understand the “made-in-Canada” part. Many drugs discovered in Canada leave to be developed and commercialized in the United States –– with the benefits accruing there. Completely made-in-Canada immunotherapies are rare because Canada doesn’t have a major domestic pharma company to support the development costs or regulatory requirements. BioCanRx is one of the rare not-for-profits with the capacity and expertise to help move Canadian-discovered and manufactured immunotherapies towards the market, both through translational research funding and regulatory support. Promising examples include several therapies now in clinical trials through the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, which are fully designed and manufactured in Canada to target certain blood cancers and, more recently, solid tumours. More on those next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.


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

    #TheLinePodcast #CanadaUSRelations #TradeWar #DonaldTrump #MarkCarney #CanadianPolitics #USPolitics #JoshWingrove #USMidterms #CurrentAffairs
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    1 h et 22 min
  • B.C. goes bonkers. And Canada needs to grow up, fast

    B.C. goes bonkers. And Canada needs to grow up, fast
    Sep 1 2026
    In this episode of On The Line, host Matt Gurney is joined by two guests for conversations about political chaos on the west coast and why Canada may need to start thinking very differently about its maritime security.This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. Over the summer we partnered with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September, we want to better understand the "made-in-Canada" part. Many drugs discovered in Canada leave to be developed and commercialized in the United States –– with the benefits accruing there. Completely made-in-Canada immunotherapies are rare because Canada doesn’t have a major domestic pharma company to support the development costs or regulatory requirements. BioCanRx is one of the rare not-for-profits with the capacity and expertise to help move Canadian-discovered and manufactured immunotherapies towards the market, both through translational research funding and regulatory support. Promising examples include several therapies now in clinical trials through the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies Collaborative, or CLIC, which are fully designed and manufactured in Canada to target certain blood cancers and, more recently, solid tumours. More on those next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.First up is Rob Shaw, who has spent more than 18 years covering British Columbia politics and now reports for CHEK News in Victoria. He also hosts the weekly Political Capital podcast and YouTube show, serves as a political correspondent for CBC Radio’s All Points West and Radio West, and contributes columns to Business in Vancouver and BC Business Magazine.Rob joins Matt to try to make sense of the unfolding chaos in B.C. politics, where the provincial Conservative Party is in full-on meltdown and Premier David Eby may have an increasingly tempting opportunity to call a snap election and secure a majority as the trade war heats up. The situation is moving so quickly that news was breaking even as Matt and Rob were recording. God only knows what will have happened by the time you hear this. Things are crazy over there.This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag. For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment. We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home. Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.Then Matt is joined by Jamie Carroll of Carroll and Co. Consulting. Carroll is a former national director of the federal Liberal Party, but this time he’s not here to talk politics — at least not initially. Instead, the two discuss Carroll’s recent proposal in The Hill Times arguing that Canada needs to grow up, recognize that the rules have changed, and start organizing itself accordingly.His proposal is pragmatic: Canada should find ways to get the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard working much more closely together. Matt and Jamie discuss how that could strengthen Canada’s ability to patrol and defend its enormous maritime approaches, make better use of existing resources, and build national capacity at a time when sovereignty and security are no longer abstract concerns.And then, yes, Matt asks him about the politics of it all.This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. Canada is entering a decisive decade for energy, and the nuclear reactor we choose now matters. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns, and we cannot afford to spend years designing a reactor before construction begins. That is why Cameco believes the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada. It is already operating globally and ready now, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers.The AP1000 reactor means job creation and supplier contracts, energy security at home, and significant investment staying right here in Canada.A proven design, built on time and on budget. That is how we build Canada.Learn more at ap1000.cameco.com.Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, like and subscribe, and take good care.#OnTheLine #BCPolitics #BritishColumbia #BCConservatives #DavidEby #RobShaw #CanadaPolitics #CanadianNavy #CanadianCoastGuard #NationalSecurity #JamieCarroll #MattGurney
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    1 h et 1 min
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