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

July 7 · 20 min
Why copper theft is on the rise and costing millions
The value of copper has sky-rocketed in the last number of years. The pink orange metal has been in high demand for data centres, telecommunications services and EV charging stations. But the increased value of copper has led to a rising number of thefts. These incidents have caused internet blackouts, disrupted phone lines, and have cost thousands of dollars in repairs. Irene Galea is the Globe’s telecommunications reporter. She’s been looking into what’s driving the surge in copper theft,
July 6 · 17 min
The Canadian spy agency you may not have heard of
A recent report from the Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s electronic eavesdropping agency, revealed it conducted cyberattacks to disrupt the online fentanyl supply chain. The report also detailed the agency’s growth; its budget will surpass $2-billion in 2026–27, up from just over $1-billion in 2024–25. The organization is one of the two main spy agencies in Canada and yet it remains relatively unknown to the general public. Steven Chase, the Globe’s senior parliamentary reporte
July 3 · 23 min
How alcohol sales explain Canada’s internal trade problem
Interprovincial trade within Canada is complicated. Existing barriers mean that many goods, like alcohol, often can’t be sold across provincial and territorial lines. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been pushing for ‘one Canadian economy’ in the wake of attempts to diversify away from the U.S. Opening up interprovincial alcohol sales, especially direct to consumer sales, have been a litmus test for this vision. But last week, the provinces and territories missed the deadline for an agreement on r
July 2 · 22 min
After 250 years of living next to the U.S., what’s next?
Canada and the U.S. share more than July birthdays. Between them is the world’s longest international land border, more than $3 billion in trade daily and they’re longtime partners in defence and security. The relationship is now being tested like few times in its history by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats and tariffs. What do past pivotal moments in Canadian-American relations tell us about what the future holds?
June 30 · 26 min
A new era of trade uncertainty for Canada, the U.S., and Mexico
With July 1 approaching – the formal review date for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement – it has become clear that there will be no 16-year extension of the trade treaty. The USMCA governs trade between the three countries, and Canada receives carveouts for U.S. tariffs on USMCA-compliant goods. Mark Rendell is The Globe’s economics reporter, and joins the show to talk about how Canada got into a position of entering trade limbo, and what this new reality could look like going forward. Q
June 29 · 25 min
Why Canada struggles to stop the illegal wildlife trade
Billions of dollars of illegal wildlife parts get trafficked around the world each year. Think elephant tusks, rhino horns, polar bear pelts and even some rare plants, like wild ginseng. One of the countries caught up in these criminal networks is Canada. Jenn Thornhill Verma looked into how Canada has become such a hub in the illegal wildlife trade and why the organized crime is flying under the radar. Her reporting is part of The Globe and Mail’s Surfaced series in partnership with the Pulitz
June 26 · 23 min
Dating sucks right now, here’s why
Dating can be rough, but it seems to be especially bad right now. According to Statistics Canada, in the 1980s, 68 per cent of Canadians aged 25 to 29 were in a relationship. In 2021, that number was 39 per cent. The Globe’s healthy living reporter – and unintended Carrie Bradshaw – Graham Isador points to a few reasons why dating sucks right now: app fatigue, distrust of technology, and affordability. Today, he explains how bigger issues in society spill over into the dating world, and what mi
June 25 · 26 min
The ‘valley of death’ for Canadian businesses
Canadian businesses don’t have an innovation problem – they have a growth funding problem. Small- and medium-sized businesses often find themselves in what’s known as the ‘valley of death’ – the crucial time when a business is ready to grow, but can’t access the funding they need to get to the next level. Jameson Berkow reports on capital markets for the Globe. He joins the show to talk about why it’s so hard for Canadian startups to access funding they need to grow, and with a Senate report ex
June 24 · 24 min
Canada’s push for nuclear power
The federal government wants Canada to get back into nuclear energy, pushing to increase nuclear power use and to build and export more Canadian-made nuclear reactors. For the first time in over three decades, a large nuclear reactor is being built in Canada. But The Globe’s investigative reporter and data journalist Matt McClearn says there’s a reason these projects fell out of favour. There are famous, very deadly examples of nuclear accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima, and these projects
June 23 · 24 min
Why more LGBTQ+ people are trying to flee the U.S.
On June 20, Rainbow Railroad released a report on the state of global LGBTQ+ persecution. As an advocacy group, Rainbow Railroad helps at-risk LGBTQ+ people get to safety around the world. This past year they received the highest number of requests for support since their operation began. Most of these requests came from the United States. Canada also makes the list of top ten countries for requests. Devon Matthews is Rainbow Railroad’s chief programs officer. She’s on the show to talk about th
June 22 · 20 min
How short-term rentals are fuelling human trafficking in Canada
A court case in Winnipeg has offered a rare glimpse into the mechanics of how human trafficking can work. And it showed that short-rental rentals, like Airbnb and Vrbo, can be used by traffickers while on the move with their victims. But some cities, like Winnipeg, are taking action. Temur Durrani is a reporter for The Globe based in Winnipeg. He explains the story of a Quebec teenager who survived being trafficked and the regulations Winnipeg has put in place to try and combat human trafficker
June 21 · 48 min
Patrick Radden Keefe, in conversation at The Globe
Patrick Radden Keefe, investigative journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker, is best known for his narrative non-fiction true crime stories and deep dives into history. His best selling books include Say Nothing, Empire of Pain, and The Snakehead, as well as the podcast Wind of Change.Keefe visited The Globe and Mail’s Toronto offices in June 2026 to talk to Globe feature writer Ian Brown about his latest work, London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City And A Family’s Search For T
June 19 · 26 min
U.S. and Iran sign an initial peace deal – now the challenge begins
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding this week to end the war, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The 14-paragraph agreement lays out the stipulations for each side – including that all military operations between the U.S., Iran and their allies will stop, that the U.S. will lift all sanctions against Iran, and Iran will allow vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. But Thomas Juneau, professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa,
June 18 · 25 min
Saskatchewan could hold the key to Canada’s foreign trade goals
Could Saskatchewan be the key to unlocking Canada’s trade potential? While Ottawa works to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade and rebuild important partnerships, politicians and business leaders may learn a lot by looking to the province in the centre of the country. Nearly twenty years ago, Saskatchewan began strategically diversifying their trading partnerships. It was a great success – the province now exports over 65 per cent of what it makes to about 160 countries. Today, the Glo
June 17 · 25 min
The fight to make streaming platforms fund Canadian content
Canada’s Online Streaming Act is a thorn in the side of the U.S. administration. The law, passed in 2023, brings streaming platforms like Netflix, Paramount and Disney under Canada’s broadcast regulations, and requires them to support and promote Canadian content. But the implementation of the law has been slow, and the regulator, the CRTC, has been taken to court by U.S. streaming platforms. Now, the Canadian government is asking the CRTC to back down on some of its funding requirements. Today
June 16 · 25 min
Ready to launch: Canada enters the space age
Despite Canada’s contributions to space technology and science, it lags behind other G7 nations in rocket launching capabilities. But that’s now changing – with federal investment and private business teaming up to eventually send spacecraft into orbit. It signals a growing political and economic interest in Canada. The Globe’s science reporter Ivan Semeniuk attended one of the recent launches in Nova Scotia. He’s on the show to explain the building up of spaceports, why the government is turni
June 15 · 24 min
Seafood supply changing East Coast menus this summer
Summer is peak tourist season for the Atlantic provinces, and many restaurants rely on revenue made during the season to get them through the rest of the year. But this summer, chefs and restaurateurs are facing a challenge: Staples tourists have come to expect, like scallops, haddock, and oysters, will be in short supply. Dakshana Bascaramurty is The Globe’s food culture reporter. She’ll explain what’s causing these shortages, what it means for businesses and customers, and how chefs are adapt
June 14 · 44 min
Introducing Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything
Introducing Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything, The Globe and Mail’s new soccer podcast for World Cup 2026. Every Thursday, throughout the tournament, host Eoin O’Callaghan will look at eight moments that changed soccer, the moments and stories that extend beyond the field and into politics, culture and the moral climate of their day.
June 13 · 57 min
Pierre Poilievre: An interview, in full
Following The Decibel’s analysis of a one-on-one interview with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, listeners wrote in and asked for an uncut interview to hear the opposition leader in his own words. This is the one-hour, full-length conversation with Poilievre, recorded on May 15, 2026. The interview has been edited for audio quality.
June 12 · 26 min
Canada’s first steps towards a social media ban
The government’s new Safe Social Media Act, introduced on Wednesday, will require social media companies to block users below the age of 16 from having accounts on their platforms in a move to address online safety. The ban itself is not imminent – the bill has to pass first – but its introduction begs the question: what does a well regulated internet look like? And is that a balance this government is striking? Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the