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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1,335 episodes
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Episodes1335

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Jun 10, 2025 · 21 min
The Canadian-funded project mapping Ukraine’s missing children
More than three years on, the war between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of slowing. Ceasefire talks have stalled. Last week, Ukraine landed one of its biggest blows against Russia, when it smuggled drones inside Russian territory and destroyed or severely damaged more than 40 Russian warplanes. Russia hit back with some of its heaviest bombardment yet. Ukraine’s demands for a ceasefire deal include returning the Ukrainian children who have allegedly been taken into Russian custody. Accordin
Jun 9, 2025 · 27 min
The Hockey Canada trial and how we talk to young men
On Monday, closing arguments are set to begin in the trial of five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Hockey Team. Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexually assaulting a woman known publicly as E.M. in London, Ont. in June of 2018. Michael McLeod also faces a second charge of being a party to sexual assault. All five men have pleaded not guilty. Rachel Giese is the author of the 2018 book, Boys: What It Means to Become a Man. She
Jun 6, 2025 · 34 min
To save this baby, doctors had to kill part of her brain
Maryam Fatima was born with a condition called hemimegalencephaly, a rare birth defect where one side of the brain is abnormally large. She suffered from severe seizures from the moment she was born. They became so bad that they stopped Maryam from feeding, sleeping and breathing. Her life was at risk. That’s when a team at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto decided to attempt a first-in-Canada procedure to save Maryam’s life. Health Science reporter Jennifer Yang interviewed some of th
Jun 5, 2025 · 25 min
Trump doubles down on steel, aluminum tariffs
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new executive order that raised tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. One Canadian steel producer said this means that their American business is now ‘unviable’. Jason Kirby is a staff reporter for The Globe’s Report on Business section. He explains why these higher steel and aluminum tariffs could mean higher prices on nearly everything, and what may have contributed to Trump’s escalation. Questions? Comments? Ideas? E
Jun 4, 2025 · 21 min
Unpacking the nationwide push to fast-track major projects
This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Ottawa’s plans to fast-track infrastructure projects. The effort aims to bolster the Canadian economy, as our trade war with the U.S. stretches on. Provinces are also in a rush to expedite project approvals and reviews — the controversial Bill 5 is currently working its way through the Ontario legislature, and B.C. just narrowly passed Bill 15. Some Indigenous nations and leaders, along with conservation groups and civil liberty associations, oppo
Jun 3, 2025 · 19 min
The legal fight over gender-affirming health care in Alberta
The Canadian Medical Association says that the Alberta government has created a “moral crisis” for doctors in the province. The CMA, alongside three Alberta doctors, has filed a constitutional challenge against the Alberta government for legislation limiting access to medical treatment for transgender youth. Bill 26 became law last December, and is part of a suite of laws in Alberta that regulate access to health care, participation in sports and use of pronouns in schools for trans youth. Toget
Jun 2, 2025 · 23 min
Former Anonymous hacker worries he helped elect Trump
More than 20 years ago, a group of internet users created the online forum 4chan – a mixture of memes, pranks, disinformation and hate speech. Soon, a hacker group on the forum calling themselves Anonymous gained notoriety for their online pranks and disruption. But now, a former member of that hacker group says they regret the role they may have played in driving today’s divisive political environment and wants to make amends. Alexandra Posadzki is the Globe’s financial and cybercrime reporter
May 30, 2025 · 23 min
Fossil feud: Paleontologists have a bone to pick with new find
In 2021, mine workers in Morocco made a huge discovery. They found a fossil that scientists believed to be a new species of mosasaur – a large swimming reptile that lived in the same era as the Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, many scientists, including a group in Alberta, are now questioning whether or not the fossil is real or fake. Ivan Semeniuk is The Globe’s science reporter. He’s on the show today to explain what we know about this fossil, the feud that it’s provoked between paleontologists, a
May 29, 2025 · 23 min
Canada revamps standards around ‘forever chemicals’ in water
What’s in your drinking water? On Prince Edward Island, the provincial testing program shows potable water in some communities have higher levels of toxic “forever chemicals” than is recommended by Health Canada. To what extent this affects other provinces is unclear – PEI is currently the only province that systematically tests water supplies to make sure they hit federal targets for toxic chemicals. Patrick White is The Globe’s water reporter. He explains the safety concerns surrounding “fore
May 28, 2025 · 20 min
King Charles III opens the 45th Parliament
On Tuesday, King Charles III opened the 45th Parliament by delivering Canada’s throne speech. The speech lays out the government’s priorities, and the King is only the second monarch to deliver it – his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did so twice before. The speech affirmed Canada’s sovereignty amid ongoing tensions with the U.S., and touched on Liberal election promises, including a middle-class tax cut, an end to interprovincial trade barriers, and rapid approvals of major infrastructure project
May 27, 2025 · 19 min
How Canadian businesses are getting caught up in U.S. tariffs on China
It’s been a challenging few months for Canadian businesses. Even though Canada has been largely spared from the worst of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, many Canadian small business owners are finding themselves caught in the crosshairs of the U.S. tariffs targeting China. Mariya Postelnyak is a consumer affairs reporter for The Globe and Mail. She’s on the show today to explain how small businesses are being affected by the trade disputes between the U.S. and China, how they ha
May 26, 2025 · 25 min
Carney’s plan to build Canada out of the housing crisis
Canada is facing tariffs, a possible recession and an ongoing housing crisis. The country needs millions of new, affordable homes, and Prime Minister Mark Carney wants the federal government to help build them. But how effective was it the last time the federal government built housing? Today, Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, a senior housing researcher with the University of Toronto, will walk us through the postwar plan Carney is drawing inspiration from. And then, we’ll analyze the challenges Carney an
May 23, 2025 · 16 min
What’s going on with Canada Post?
This week, Canada Post received a strike notice from its union representing 55,000 workers. The notice comes just less than a year after the last postal strike back in November. Canada Post is under major financial trouble. A recent report commissioned by the federal government says the postal corporation is in an “existential crisis.” Canada Post has lost $3-billion since 2018 and according to the report, that’s due to a drop in letter mail and parcel delivery competition. This is putting even
May 22, 2025 · 26 min
Israel launches new military offensive, Canada voices opposition
Over the weekend, the Israeli military launched a new operation in Gaza called Gideon’s Chariots. It comes after a two-month long blockade of humanitarian aid that is finally starting to ease as some trucks with food have been allowed to enter the Palestinian enclave. Hamida Ghafour is The Globe’s deputy foreign editor. She talks about the international response to Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent decisions, an update on the remaining hostages and what it has been like for Palestinians to live under
May 21, 2025 · 22 min
Alberta’s AI push could come with a big energy price tag
Generative AI has been taking the world by storm, and Alberta wants in on the action. The province currently has plans to break ground on at least six AI data centres this year. But, more data centres means more electricity usage, and in Alberta, that means more natural gas. Joe Castaldo is a business reporter for The Globe and Mail. He’s on the show to explain why Alberta is trying to become the next big data centre hub and what that means for the province’s electricity needs and emissions.
May 20, 2025 · 20 min
Why the judge in the Hockey Canada trial dismissed a second jury
Last week, Justice Maria Carroccia dismissed the jury in the Hockey Canada case for the second time. The trial will continue and be heard by a judge alone, rather than appointing a new jury and starting over – a decision that means the complainant, a woman known only as E.M. due to a publication ban, won’t have to testify again. Robyn Doolittle has been covering the court case for The Globe. She explains what prompted this shocking development, what led to the first jury getting dismissed and
May 16, 2025 · 35 min
How Labrador Inuit are adapting to a warming world
The experiences of Inuit people and scientific data show the impacts of climate change and how it disproportionately affects Canada’s Far North. Arctic sea ice is central to Inuit life – Labrador Inuit communities have more than four dozen Inuttitut terms for sea ice. And the weakening of the ice as a result of climate change poses a tangible threat: stifling access for remote fly-in communities, cutting off essential goods and endangering Inuit peoples’ traditions, including hunting and fishing
May 15, 2025 · 26 min
What Trump’s trade deals could mean for Canada
Over the past week, the U.S. has brokered trade deals with Britain, China, and the Middle East, signaling a shift in President Donald Trump’s trade war. What this means for Canada, however, is not yet clear. Mark Rendell is an economics reporter for The Globe’s Report on Business. He joins us today to help break down what these deals mean, how the trade war has been playing out in Canada, and what might come next.
May 14, 2025 · 22 min
Carney’s cabinet: who’s in, who’s out
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet was sworn in. Canada now has 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state, with representation from every province – including the north. Campbell Clark is The Globe and Mail’s chief political writer. He joins the show today to explain who’s who in Carney’s cabinet, and what this means for the new federal government.
May 13, 2025 · 25 min
The history behind the fragile India-Pakistan ceasefire
After several tense weeks of escalating military action across the de facto border in Kashmir, India and Pakistan have agreed to a fragile ceasefire. For the last week there have been reports of gunfire, drone attacks, and missile strikes in the region. This current conflict started after an April 22 terrorist attack left 26 people dead at a Kashmir tourist resort. But this isn’t the first time these two countries have been at odds. Dr. Reeta Tremblay is the former provost at the University