In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on November 13th, 2026, Matt Gurney is joined by Andrew Potter, filling in for Jen Gerson from Montreal.

First up, your hosts tackle the immigration debate now exploding across Canada. Both are very mindful of the fact that they're middle-aged white dudes, but they have serious concerns about the government's new proposals. For one thing, the economic rationale simply isn't there. For another, the Liberals have done almost none of the political groundwork necessary to sell these changes to Canadians. As Andrew notes, this government, like most Liberal governments, hates having to explain itself to the public. Matt worries that the consequences could be severe. Canada has maintained a remarkable pro-immigrant consensus for decades, and while Canadians have clearly soured on immigration, they haven't yet soured on immigrants. That distinction matters. And it might not last.

Next, Matt and Andrew turn to the war in Ukraine, where Russia is hammering the country's utilities and forcing Ukrainians into darkness and cold as winter approaches. Matt also highlights a series of particularly brutal recent terror attacks against Ukrainian civilians, attacks that serve no military purpose beyond demoralizing the population. Your hosts agree that Vladimir Putin is trying to force some kind of resolution of the war before the Democrats take control of the U.S. Congress in January. Matt wonders whether Ukraine can hold out that long. Andrew has another question: even if it can, what help is actually coming? Will the Democrats care? Will the Europeans finally step up?

Finally, your hosts discuss the rapid downfall of Nvidia's Jensen Huang following revelations of a series of extramarital affairs with employees and potentially a Chinese intelligence asset. But the conversation quickly broadens to the extraordinary pace of progress in artificial intelligence, the threats this technology may pose to human civilization, and the difficulty of imagining any government effectively regulating it. Matt and Andrew consider historical parallels with genetic engineering and thermonuclear weapons, and the uncomfortable reality that AI has become one of those rare technologies where the people who understand it best, and who are actually responsible for creating it, often seem the most terrified of what they're unleashing.

Maybe we should think about that.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca and remember to like and subscribe before your AI does it for you.

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In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded between November 5th and 6th, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson are joined by special guest Stephanie Levitz of The Globe and Mail.

First up, a brief explainer: due to Jen's being at a conference, part of this episode was recorded earlier in the week, after the midterms, but before the Canadian federal budget had been released. To avoid ignoring one of the huge stories of the week, Matt recorded a special segment of the podcast on Friday, after Jen had left for her event. In that segment, Stephanie Levitz joins Matt for a quick discussion of the federal budget. What's in it, what's missing, and what does it tell us about the Carney government's priorities? They take stock of what Ottawa is promising, what it's actually prepared to spend money on, and what Canadians should take away from it all.

And then, as recorded earlier in the week, Matt and Jen have a lengthy discussion about the U.S. midterm elections and what they mean for Canada. They consider the political forces shaping the results, what the elections tell us about Donald Trump's America, and what Canadians should expect from Washington in the years ahead. Whatever happens in American domestic politics, Canada still has to figure out how to deal with a neighbour whose political priorities and relationship with the rest of the world have changed dramatically.

Finally, your hosts pivot from the American midterms to how they're being received here in Canada. Jen breaks her own rule about not talking about the Conservatives and talks about the Conservatives. Matt, meanwhile, has a warning for some Canadian conservatives: he thinks they're having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that they're Liberals now. And the sooner they figure that out, the better.

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

#TheLinePodcast #MarkCarney #FederalBudget2026 #CanadianPolitics #USMidterms #DonaldTrump #CanadaUSRelations #PierrePoilievre #ConservativeParty #CurrentAffairs