The Line Podcast: Join CERAAFRDP and see the world

NOTE: We had an audio issue with the episode, but it’s all fixed. The video release is delayed, however. Our apologies! In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded (at great risk) a day early on June 12, 2025, Matt and Jen admit they tempted fate. They had to record on Thursday evening due to travel — and even predicted that a war in the Middle East would probably break out while they were offline.So ... yeah. That actually happened. And no, they don’t talk about it. But the streak of wild things happening whenever we record early gets extended once more.What they do talk about is the state of federal politics, the upcoming G7 summit, and Jen’s somewhat surreal experience registering as media for it — an episode in Canadian bureaucratic dysfunction that somehow perfectly encapsulates why Canada no governing good.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.Next, a defence update. There’s good news: they’re genuinely pleased Canada is (finally) hitting the 2% NATO target. But Matt recaps the key points from his On The Line interview with Christian Leuprecht — the 2% goal gets us back to where we promised to be over a decade ago. It doesn’t build the military we need for the world we now live in. Whether Carney has the political will to take the next step is the big question. Also: Jen and Matt invent a cursed, unpronounceable new military acronym. You’re welcome, DND.Finally, they respond to Andrew Potter’s latest column on harm reduction. The conversation broadens into a deeper critique of how small-l liberals — not Liberal party partisans, but moderates writ large — lost the courage to say no to bad ideas, including widely unpopular ones. When the political centre abandons tough decisions, those decisions still get made — just not by the people you’d want making them. And those people get the credit, too.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, or find us on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, share it with a friend, post about it online, or shout your favourite bureaucratic acronym into the sea. We’ll hear you.YouTube:Video goes live in just over an hour, at 7:00 PM Eastern and 5:00 PM Mountain.Spotify:Apple:And plenty more options here.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 Matt Gurney talked Canada’s new military plan with defence expert Christian Leuprecht. Thanks for all your support. Watch for the dispatch on this weekend.The Line is entirely reader and advertiser funded — no federal subsidy for us! If you value our work, have already subscribed, and still worry about what will happen when the conventional media finishes collapsing, please make a donation today.The Line is Canada’s last, best hope for irreverent commentary. We reject bullshit. We love lively writing. Please consider supporting us by subscribing. Follow us on Twitter @the_lineca. Pitch us something: [email protected] Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe