The Line Podcast: Pinning down Carney's first crisis

In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Sept. 26, 2025, Jen and Matt start off by digging into the reckless and needless fight Mark Carney and his attorney general, Sean Fraser, have decided to pick with the Constitution. Jen has some strong words about the notwithstanding clause, while Matt has some blunt advice for the guy who just destroyed Canada’s multi-decade immigration consensus: maybe don’t bring your special brand of talent to the highest law of the land next.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Universities Canada. From cancer treatments and clean water technologies to quantum computing and AI, university research is driving discoveries that change lives. These breakthroughs start in Canadian university labs, but their impact is felt in every community. Universities carry out nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s research and development, generating more than $55 billion in economic impact each year. Every dollar invested returns benefits for Canadians: new treatments, stronger industries, and thriving communities. But research requires sustained federal support. Without it, Canada risks losing talent and ideas abroad. To learn more, visit Univcan.ca.From there, they turn to Washington. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra made an interesting comment about what the Trump administration’s next pressure point on Canada will be. It’s a predictable one, but it could hurt. Jen also flags a news story out of D.C. that seems to have left even people who usually rush to dismiss Trump-related criticism as alarmism feeling uneasy.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.Finally, Matt makes the case for why they may need to accelerate their timelines on the Carney government. He’s driving over political landmines a lot faster than his predecessor did, and that can catch up with a leader in a hurry.This episode is also brought to you by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Working-age Canadians with disabilities experience poverty and food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population. The Canada Disability Benefit was designed to address this, but at $6.67 a day, it fails to cover essentials like food, housing, and medication. Daily Bread Food Bank and coalition partners urge the federal government to fully fund the benefit to lift those it was meant to serve out of poverty. Join thousands of Canadians calling for change to help ensure people with disabilities can live a life of dignity. Take action at FundTheBenefit.ca.All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.YouTube:Video goes live in 30 minutes!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 Jen Gerson sits down with Philip Ball, one of the world’s most respected science writers, for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of modern science and the art of explaining it.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. Please note: a donation is not a subscription, and will not grant access to paywalled content. It’s just a way of thanking us for what we do. If you’re looking to subscribe and get full access, it’s that other blue button!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: [email protected]. Get full access to The Line at www.readtheline.ca/subscribe