The Decibel

The Globe and Mail

Context is everything. Join us Monday to Friday for a Canadian daily news podcast from The Globe and Mail. Explore a story shaping our world, in conversation with reporters, experts, and the people at the centre of the news.

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1,334 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes1334

Newest first

Oct 29, 2025 · 22 min
U.S. trade talks stalled after Ford ad, Carney heads to Asia
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump ended trade talks with Canada and threatened to hike tariffs on Canadian imports by another 10 per cent because of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s anti-tariff ad. Now, Trump says he doesn’t plan to meet with Carney “for a long time”, as both leaders head to Asia for trade summits and turn their attention to repairing trade relations with China. The Globe’s chief political writer, Campbell Clark, joins the show. He’ll explain why Ford’s ad struck such a nerve
Oct 28, 2025 · 19 min
Why more young people are signing prenups
‘Til death do us part – that’s the promise couples make to each other when they tie the knot. But what happens in the event of a divorce? Disentangling a marriage can carry a big financial burden if the division of property, pets and assets are in the mix. Once derided as unromantic, the pre-nuptial agreement is now gaining popularity among young Canadians planning to get married. Mariya Postelnyak, consumer affairs reporter for The Globe, talks about how pre-nups legally work in Canada, what’s
Oct 27, 2025 · 22 min
Do we need a ‘buy Canadian’ movement for culture?
As Canadians, we’ve spent a lot of time over the past year talking about what it means to be Canadian and how to support our country. For some people, that looks like checking labels at the grocery store or limiting travel to the United States. But as the Globe’s film and deputy arts editor Barry Hertz argues, now is also the moment to bolster Canadian culture. And we’re squandering it. So today, Barry is on the show to talk about the state of the arts in Canada right now (and yes, Quebec is a
Oct 24, 2025 · 25 min
OK Blue Jays! A bandwagoner’s guide to the World Series
The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the World Series for the first time in over 30 years. It’s the third time in franchise history that Canada’s team is playing for the championship. But this monumental moment isn’t just for the diehard Jays fans – everyone can get in on the fun. So today, we bring you The Decibel’s bandwagoner’s guide to not feeling totally lost as the Jays try to make history. Producer and lifelong fan Madeleine White will walk us through some baseball 101 – including the lin
Oct 23, 2025 · 24 min
What record gold and silver prices tell us about the stock market
The prices of gold and silver have been climbing quickly this fall, with both precious metals setting a new high for per-ounce price. Why is this happening? Columnist and reporter Tim Kiladze explains how central banks, Trump and even AI factor into it.
Oct 22, 2025 · 22 min
What’s going on with Pierre Poilievre?
Last week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made comments about the RCMP being “despicable” on a YouTube show, accusing them of “covering up” for former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This sparked backlash from opposition parties as well as Conservatives, and earlier this week, Poilievre walked those comments back, explaining that he meant to direct his comments towards the former RCMP commissioner. Between his YouTube appearance and some recent social media activity, Globe opinion columnist
Oct 21, 2025 · 24 min
Why bail reform is hard to get right
On Thursday, Ottawa announced incoming legislation to reform the bail system. It comes after months of pressure both in Parliament and across the country, as a surge of Canadians say they feel crime is worsening, and that the bail system is too lenient. But with overall crime down, will making our bail system stricter really make Canadians safer? The Globe’s justice reporter, David Ebner, joins the show. He’ll explain what we know about the reforms the Liberals and Conservatives have been calli
Oct 20, 2025 · 21 min
AI and digital sovereignty in the ‘elbows up’ era
There has been a lot of talk about Canadian sovereignty ever since the election of Donald Trump. And that sovereignty talk extends to the digital realm too. Last month, nearly 70 public figures and experts sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney demanding he take sovereignty in the digital space more seriously. The government is currently working on that, with plans to build a sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure. These projects would have major implications for Canada’s data security and e
Oct 17, 2025 · 21 min
The crop caught in the crosshairs of the Canada-China trade war
This week, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is visiting China as part of an effort to improve relations amid a trade war between Canada and China. It began last year, when Ottawa imposed a 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles. China responded by launching an anti-dumping probe into Canada’s canola imports, and later issued its own 100-per-cent tariff on Canadian canola oil, meal, and peas, followed by a 78.5-per-cent tariff on Canadian canola seed. Kate Helmore is the Globe
Oct 16, 2025 · 24 min
A dispatch from Gaza as the fragile ceasefire takes hold
The ceasefire in Gaza that U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker has been in place since Friday. But already, both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the agreement. Tensions flared over a slower-than-expected return of deceased hostages, and Hamas has, so far, refused to disarm and cede power in Gaza. Despite the disagreements, humanitarian aid trucks began entering Gaza on Wednesday, and Israel is set to open Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt this week. But as crack
Oct 15, 2025 · 23 min
What it’s like for migrant workers on Canadian farms
Canada’s agriculture industry is big business, contributing $32-billion to Canada’s GDP in 2024 and employing an estimated 223,000 people. What garners less attention is how heavily dependent the agriculture industry is on migrant labourers, with about 80,000 workers in the sector. The job is often gruelling and typically pays around minimum wage, but that money tends to go a lot farther in the workers’ home countries. Jason Kirby, a business reporter for The Globe and Mail, revisits his roots
Oct 14, 2025 · 23 min
The fight over the notwithstanding clause
A legal battle is underway over the notwithstanding clause, which allows governments to override “[certain] rights of Canadians” that are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It’s a tool provincial governments have invoked often in recent years. But the federal government is bringing the dispute to the Supreme Court, asking it to consider new limits on the clause. Divisions over that legal review are breaking out, with five conservative premiers calling on Ottawa to back off. Globe
Oct 13, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
Machines Like Us: Geoffrey Hinton on AI’s future
Geoffrey Hinton, “the godfather of AI”, pioneered much of the network research that would become the backbone of modern AI. But it’s in the last several years that he has reached mainstream renown. Since 2023, Hinton has been on a campaign to convince governments, corporations and citizens that artificial intelligence – his life’s work – could be what spells the end of human civilization. Machines Like Us host Taylor Owen interviews Hinton on the advancements made in AI in recent years and asks
Oct 10, 2025 · 23 min
How a new pipeline could test Canadian unity
A new pipeline pitch is stirring up an old fight. On Oct. 1, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the province would be drawing up a proposal for a new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast by May. In the last week, B.C. Premier David Eby has voiced criticisms of the project and opposed Smith’s coinciding efforts to repeal laws affecting access to the coast. In recent days, the disagreement has escalated. Today, The Globe’s B.C. politics reporter, Justine Hunter, joins the show. She’ll share what
Oct 9, 2025 · 22 min
How seriously is corporate Canada taking DEI these days?
Five years ago, hundreds of Canadian companies publicly pledged to address anti-Black racism. They signed the BlackNorth Initiative, which has since become the most high-profile DEI effort in corporate Canada. Many of the commitments came with a 2025 deadline. The Globe and Mail surveyed the signatories to find out how they’ve fared. Vanmala Subramaniam is the Future of Work reporter for The Globe. She explains the results that show that the enthusiasm employers once had for diversity projects
Oct 8, 2025 · 25 min
Key takeaways from Carney’s second meeting with Trump
Five months after his first appearance in the Oval Office, Prime Minister Mark Carney made his second trip down to Washington. And while he said little during the 30-minute press conference, talks between the countries carried on throughout the day and into the night. Doug Saunders, The Globe’s international affairs columnist, assesses Carney’s second performance at the White House and explains why he thinks Carney might be stalling on making a trade deal.
Oct 7, 2025 · 32 min
How October 7 is still haunting the Jewish diaspora
On October 7, 2023, members of Hamas launched attacks in Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 people hostage. Israel responded by launching a war in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of eliminating Hamas. Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and much of Gaza has been destroyed. Two years later, reverberations of that initial attack and the ongoing war continue. The ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has led to a global protest movement in support of Palestinian
Oct 6, 2025 · 25 min
How Trump’s peace plan for Gaza could end the war
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. He did so alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it a “critical step”. Hamas has since responded, and agreed to parts of the plan — notably, the release of all remaining hostages and the relinquishing of its control over Gaza. Negotiations will begin in Egypt on Monday. The Globe’s European Bureau Chief, Eric Reguly, joins the show. He’s been reporting from Cairo and Jerusalem,
Oct 3, 2025 · 21 min
Why Alberta teachers are on the cusp of a historic strike
The education system has been fraught with controversy in Alberta. From the government’s recent attempt to ban certain books in school libraries, to their introduction of several measures affecting transgender students. And now, a major pressure point between teachers and Premier Danielle Smith’s government has come to a head: overcrowding in Alberta’s schools. On Monday, over 50,000 educators across the province are set to strike for the first time in over 20 years. Today, the Globe’s educatio
Oct 2, 2025 · 16 min
Boiling point: the uncertain future of lobster fishing
The great boom of the lobster industry is, in many ways, a story of success. For more than 30 years, Canada’s most valuable seafood export has generated wealth for Canadian fishing communities and created an appetite around the world for the luxury food. But it’s also come at a tremendous cost – Indigenous fishers have been excluded, and scientists have warned warming waters and overfishing are severely affecting catches, causing high tensions and sometimes violent fights. Greg Mercer, investig