A programming note before we begin: due to the long weekend, no dispatch post this Sunday. We’ll talk to you next week. Take care and have fun!
In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Aug. 1, 2025, your hosts talk about various conflicts.
And celebrities
... and aliens.
First, we kick things off with the latest on the trade war front. Friday was the deadline for a deal, and ... there is no deal. Matt shares why his patience with the prime minister is running thin. The conversation somehow takes a hard left into pop culture, touching on Katy Perry and Sidney Sweeney. We don't think we said anything cancelable. Probably.
This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Unsmoke Canada. Canada can be a global leader in reducing the harm caused by smoking, but it requires actionable steps, including giving adult smokers the information they need to choose potentially less harmful alternatives. Learn more at Unsmoke.ca.
From there, to something more serious: Canada has announced it will formally recognize the state of Palestine this September, assuming some pretty challenging conditions are met. Matt is unimpressed by the timing and strategy. Jen is unimpressed with Israel, full stop. They talk about regional peace, policy, and the persistent failure to find a workable path forward in the Middle East, and why Canada is responding the way it has. They do not solve the problem, alas.
This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Forestry For The Future. Canadian forestry supports 200,000 workers, generates $87 billion in annual revenue, contributes $21 billion annually to our nation's economy, and provides the products we need to build homes and drive economic growth. While trade barriers from the U.S. are siphoning jobs and investment away, Canada’s own approval processes and regulations are preventing critical projects that both prevent wildfires and boost our economic self-reliance.
We can and should have programs that expand domestic wood use, advance biomass use and pulp market opportunities, and cut red tape and regulatory barriers. The government of Canada has a clear opportunity to stand up for Canadian forestry at a time of growing global uncertainty. We need real action that puts Canadians first — supporting employees and their families, securing stability for our businesses, and protecting the long-term potential of our sector and its people. To learn more, visit ForestryForTheFuture.ca.
We wrap with a classic Line topic: aliens! Jen previews her upcoming On The Line interview with Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. We also discuss the fast-moving object heading into the inner solar system. It’s almost certainly a rock — but it’s weird enough to warrant attention, so we’re keeping an eye on it.
This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. If you’ve been following the pod the last few weeks, you’re familiar by now with the fact that all the Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock – and Canada can’t solve a housing crisis with less than one per cent of a solution.
But did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes?
Learn more about the critical role Airbnb plays in helping Canadians get by at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.
All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. Don’t forget to leave a nice review, and as always, like and subscribe.
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Please sign up at those options not just for this episode, or future episodes of The Line Podcast, but so that you can also receive our other podcast series, On the Line, which releases new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where veteran pollster and friend of the show John Wright joins Matt Gurney to look at how Canadians are feeling three months into Prime Minister Mark Carney’s post-election tenure. Matt is also joined by Rob Shaw, a prolific British Columbia journalist and regular contributor to The Line, for a roundup of the latest from the west coast.
Thanks for all your support. We’ll talk to you soon. But remember: no dispatch this weekend! We’ll be enjoying ourselves, and you should, too.
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The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Please follow us on social media! Facebook x 2: On The Line Podcast here, and The Line Podcast here. Instagram. Also: TikTok. BlueSky. LinkedIn. Matt’s Twitter. The Line’s Twitter.Jen’s Twitter. Contact us by email: lineeditor@protonmail.com.
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