The Line Podcast: Partisans, pancakes and pathos

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on July 11, 2025, your hosts are back together! Matt returns from Europe and Jen gets him caught up — not just on politics, but on pancakes. (Seriously, there are questions.) First up: a full debrief on this year’s Calgary Stampede. Matt wants to talk breakfast, but Jen wants to talk vibes — and this year, the CPC was a much quieter, more cautious presence than last. Poilievre showed up and got the applause you'd expect from a friendly crowd, but even some Conservatives are starting to quietly admit … Carney’s off to a strong start.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.After that, the hosts discuss stories that didn’t quite fit in the Stampede segment. Matt, still slightly jet-lagged and sunburnt, shares what actually broke through to European news: a bit about Trump and tariffs, some grim headlines out of Texas got a lot of attention, but very little from Canada. The biggest political storyline back home? The NDP is hunting for a new leader, and neither Matt nor Jen can think of anyone likely to win. Summer is quiet. But the NDP might stay that way.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.To wrap up, Matt offers a few unsentimental takeaways from his European trip. No postcard clichés, just a growing unease: even cities with reputations for being gritty are starting to look better — cleaner, safer, more orderly — than some of Canada’s big cities. Are we losing ground without realizing it? Would Canadians ever accept it even if we were?This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. Everyone agrees that Canada needs to take real action to tackle the housing crisis, but only a few people argue that short-term rentals like Airbnb are part of that solution. Countless experts have argued that short term rental regulation is nothing more than a distraction, with the Harvard Business Review recently saying that “Put simply, restricting Airbnb is not going to be an effective tool for solving the housing-affordability problems.” This makes sense when you consider two key statistics: Canada needs 5.8 million homes to reach affordability by 2030, and Airbnb’s account for only 0.6% of Canada’s overall housing stock. The closer you look the clearer it gets that Canada needs bold action that addresses the entire housing market, not just 0.6% of it. Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.Oh. And. This is a bit of an aside. But. We discuss why Elizabeth May should not be given a gun. Just listen. It'll make sense, we promise.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.YouTube:Video goes live at 5:30 Eastern, 3:30 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, Jen Gerson speaks with veteran journalist and author Paul Palango about the 2020 Nova Scotia massacre — the worst mass shooting in Canadian history.Thanks for all your support. We’ll talk to you soon.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