The Line Podcast: Poilievre wins a dumb debate on points

Programming note: The Anti-Panel will go out on Saturday, but The Line will be taking Easter Sunday off. Watch for our next dispatch on Monday. Happy Easter, and, of course, a happy Passover as well — it’s still goin’ on, so we didn’t miss it!In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on April 18, 2025, Matt and Jen unpack the weirdest Canadian federal election in recent memory. The race feels like it’s tightening, there are reports of massive early turnout in the advance polls, and nobody knows what it means — which, as Matt points out, usually means something is breaking, but no one can say for sure what or in whose favour. Carney remains the presumed frontrunner, despite the fact that no one is particularly blown away by him. But given that the alternatives haven't really landed a punch ...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.Then it’s debate time. The format was bad — truly bad — but the moderators did their best with it. That didn’t stop social media from swallowing the whole thing in real-time hot takes and reaction clips. Blanchet probably shouldn’t have been there. Carney did fine. Singh was present, but seemed to waste his ammo on Poilievre. Speaking of the CPC leader, we think he won on points. But the bigger question is whether any of it moved a single vote.This episode is also brought to you by TikTok Canada. For the past five years, TikTok has been investing in Canada — hiring hundreds of employees for well-paying jobs in Toronto and Vancouver, and contributing over $1.4 billion in GDP to Canada's economy. However, TikTok has been ordered to shut down its Canadian operations. This will be a chilling precedent for global companies considering investing in Canada and will cost jobs in areas like software development and ad sales, which create opportunities for Canadians to work in global tech. It's in Canada's best interest to find a way forward that keeps local teams in place to support the success of Canadian creators, artists and small businesses on the platform. Whichever party forms government, it will have an opportunity to demonstrate that we're open for business, while addressing security concerns and fostering a thriving tech sector.Facts matter. Shutting down TikTok Canada eliminates jobs and stymies investments in Canada. Let's find a solution for TikTok that makes sense for Canadians.In the final segment, your hosts reflect on the tension just off the debate stage — including a shouting match between various factions of the media that were present. The debate commission clearly wasn't ready for something that was honestly quite foreseeable. The legacy media is still clinging to its traditional role even as that role keeps shrinking. Jen and Matt consider whether the old guard is ready to share the stage with the new independents, even (or especially) badly behaved ones. Spoiler: probably not.This episode of The Line Podcast is also brought to you by Westinghouse. Canada’s energy future is being shaped by the choices we make today. Westinghouse is 100% Canadian-owned and brings the world’s most advanced, operational Gen III+ reactor — the AP1000® — proven, safe, efficient, and ready now. It can be brought online within a decade, delivering clean, reliable power when we need it most. Canada needs energy. Westinghouse is ready. Learn more at westinghousenuclear.com/canada.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, send it to a friend, post about it online, or shout it across a parking lot. We’ll take any help.YouTube:Video goes live in 30 minutes 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 will release new episodes every Tuesday morning. In case you missed it, here is last Tuesday’s episode, where Matt gets an update from our friends at Ipsos, and also has a long and sometimes emotional talk with Marcus Kolga, human-rights activist and anti-corruption crusader, about what it’s like to be a target of foreign interference … and why so few of our politicians are willing to actually stand up for Canadians who are victimized by foreign regimes.It’s inconvenient politics, you see.Thanks for all your support. Watch for the Anti-Panel tomorrow.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. 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