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

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Sep 30, 2021 · 20 min
Can we measure reconciliation?
As Canada marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we remember its origin in Orange Shirt Day, and explore how to meaningfully measure progress toward reconciliation. One way: The Canadian Reconciliation Barometer, developed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers. Katherine Starzyk is a psychology professor at the University of Manitoba and principal investigator on the project, and Ry Moran is a collaborator, member of the Red River Metis and the associate university li
Sep 29, 2021 · 18 min
Robyn Doolittle interviews lawyer Marie Henein
Marie Henein is one of Canada’s most famous criminal defence lawyers. Her successful career is highlighted by her representation of well-known clients most notably, former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi. This has also made her a polarizing figure. Defending Ghomeshi against sexual assault charges – which he was acquitted thanks to her work – garnered public backlash. She was even accused of being a traitor to her gender. In a new book, Nothing But The Truth: A Memoir, Henein details her journey from he
Sep 28, 2021 · 20 min
The two Michaels: Where do Canada-China relations go from here?
After spending more than a 1,000 days in Chinese detention, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor arrived back in Canada on Saturday. Just hours earlier, Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Vancouver’s airport in 2018 on charges related to violating U.S. sanctions, returned to China after a deal was reached with U.S. prosecutors. These events signal a swift and dramatic end to what has been a tumultuous time for Canada and China’s relationship. Yves Tiberghien, a political science pr
Sep 27, 2021 · 18 min
How America is dealing with Haitian migrants at its border
There’s a four-lane bridge that separates Del Rio, Texas from Acuña, Mexico. As far as border crossings go, it’s not that remarkable. But until this Friday, the scene had looked more like a refugee camp for most of September as thousands of migrants gathered there with hopes of getting into the United States. The Globe’s Nathan Vanderklippe went to visit the migrant camp at this spot along the U.S.-Mexico border. There he spoke to Haitian migrants, many of whom travelled for months from South A
Sep 24, 2021 · 23 min
Could ketamine help treat depression?
What do you do when your depression doesn’t respond to traditional treatments? Especially when that depression is severe and causes suicidal thoughts? For author Anna Mehler Paperny, that meant turning to ketamine. Often thought of as just a party drug, evidence for the use of ketamine as a treatment for depression is growing. Anna details her journey navigating the new treatment as a patient, examining how the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs has changed the way we understand the brain and
Sep 23, 2021 · 18 min
Why investors are worried about China’s Evergrande failing
China’s second-largest property developer, Evergrande, owes about US$300-billion in liabilities, sparking fears that the property developer could default. But would Beijing allow such a huge company to fail? The Globe’s Asia correspondent James Griffiths explains how Evergrande became a behemoth in a real estate market overrun with speculation, and why its current trouble started partly because of new government crackdowns on inequality in China.
Sep 22, 2021 · 21 min
A reckoning over alleged sexual assaults at Western University
There is a reckoning happening on campus at Western University. The London, Ont., post-secondary institution is reeling after allegations that young women were drugged and sexually assaulted started spilling out over social media following its orientation week earlier this month. Now the university is pledging to do something, not just to make students feel safer on campus but to address the underlying cultural issues that have led to this situation. The Globe and Mail’s postsecondary education
Sep 21, 2021 · 21 min
Unpacking the federal election results
Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada won their third straight election, but failed to capture a majority mandate in Canada’s 44th federal election. By early Tuesday morning, the results nearly mirrored the seat count when parliament was dissolved. So now the question that is being asked is: Was the campaign worth it? Political columnist and writer at-large John Ibbitson and parliamentary reporter Kristy Kirkup join to discuss this, and break down what happened on election night and wh
Sep 20, 2021 · 20 min
COVID-19 in Alberta: When the worst-case scenario happens
One hundred and eighty two. That’s how many COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit (ICU) beds at the peak of Alberta’s third wave in May. But after a summer of no restrictions, that number is now beyond 200. And it is going to climb; public officials are nearly certain about that. Alberta Bureau Chief James Keller is on the show to explain how the province wound up here, why vaccination rates are the lowest in the country and what lies ahead for hospitals as case counts rise and ICUs are
Sep 17, 2021 · 23 min
Federal Election: One-on-one with Jagmeet Singh
At the start of the federal election campaign, we asked the three major federal party leaders to come on the show. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s team declined, and we never heard back from Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. But this week, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said yes, and from his tour bus between campaign stops, we asked him about his party’s plans to protect people from the effects of climate change and make affordable housing, and about strategic voting and low voter turnout among youn
Sep 16, 2021 · 22 min
What you need to know to be a climate-informed voter
For the first time, all four major federal parties have credible climate plans. And there is even some agreement between them. For example, they all want to invest in electric vehicles, develop battery supply chains and transition to a greener economy. But where do they differ? And whose plans are the most realistic according to experts? And will any of them actually hit their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets? Emma Gilchrist joins the show. She is the Editor-in-Chief of The Narwhal, a
Sep 15, 2021 · 19 min
What’s behind the recent protests at hospitals
In scenes that have baffled many across the country, groups of people have been protesting COVID-19 legislation outside hospitals. Despite the fact that healthcare workers have nothing to do with lockdowns or vaccine mandates, they are still being targeted by these demonstrations. Globe health reporter Andrea Woo went to one of these protests in Vancouver this week and is on the show today to discuss what the protesters said, who is organizing them, and why this is happening during a fourth wav
Sep 14, 2021 · 21 min
Federal election: How the parties plan to make life more affordable
The increasing price of everything from cell phone bills to housing to child care can feel overwhelming. And when a federal election rolls around, it’s a chance for politicians of all parties to vie for votes by pledging to make life more affordable for Canadians. So who is promising what in this election? And what do the experts think about their solutions? Report on Business reporter Mark Rendell is on the show to go through how the Liberals, Conservatives and the NDP are saying they will mak
Sep 13, 2021 · 24 min
The story of how three Afghan families escaped Kabul
Mohammed Sharif Sharaf and Mukhtar Amiri worked for The Globe in Afghanistan alongside our correspondents. Between them, their work for the newspaper spans a decade, and included translating, arranging interviews, reporting trips and helping Globe reporters safely navigate a country at war. When the Taliban took back Afghanistan in August, Sharif and Mukhtar knew that work put them – and their entire families – at risk of attack by the Taliban or their supporters. The Globe’s Senior Internation
Sep 10, 2021 · 21 min
Growing up Muslim in the shadow of 9/11
Omar Mouallem was just a kid growing up in High Prairie, Alberta when the World Trade Center in New York was brought down by two commercial airplanes hijacked by members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda, killing almost 3,000 people. Now a journalist and author, Omar explores how the events of that day shaped his own relationship to his Muslim heritage, and about his journey to mosques and Muslim communities across the Americas to better understand the history and present day lives of Muslims her
Sep 9, 2021 · 21 min
Conservatives are gaining in the polls — here’s why
With less than two weeks to go, the federal election campaign is heating up with two official election debates back-to-back. While Jagmeet Singh’s NDP have gained ground, polling suggests the Conservatives’ popularity have tied them with Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. Writer-at-large and political columnist John Ibbitson has been on the campaign trail with Erin O’Toole, and tells us how the leader has exceeded expectations this campaign.
Sep 8, 2021 · 22 min
How to make remote work fair for everyone
Women were hit harder than men by layoffs during the pandemic, and those who were caregivers or parents and kept working had to contend with COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and schools. Online learning, runny noses and COVID-19 scares all meant that kids stayed home more, often on short notice. This made remote work necessary for many parents and the burden fell disproportionately on women. As kids return to school, and the vaccine buys us some freedom to move around, employers are eyeing
Sep 7, 2021 · 20 min
How going back to school could save kids’ mental health
Even before COVID-19, one in five kids in Canada met the diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder. Since school closures, lockdowns, job loss, and of course the illness and death caused by the pandemic, children’s mental health has gotten even worse. Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt is co-author of a report from the Royal Society of Canada that explains what we know about the effects of school closures on children during the pandemic. She is a professor and Canada Research Chair in Children’s Mental Hea
Sep 3, 2021 · 21 min
Hong Kong democracy activists sentenced in a city ‘transformed’ by new law
Seven Hong Kong democracy activists were sentenced to prison this week for their roles in the 2019 protests that saw hundreds of thousands of people protesting, and many violent clashes with the city’s police. That unrest continues to have a major impact on Hong Kong today, thanks to the national security law passed in its wake, which banned secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. This broad law created a chilling effect on the city’s once-vibrant pro-democracy movem
Sep 2, 2021 · 18 min
Making the most of going back to school
We’re heading into the third school year of the pandemic. For 18 months now, students and their parents have had to deal with unpredictable school disruptions and a lot of anxiety around contracting COVID-19. Most students were forced into remote learning for weeks at a time. Kids in Ontario spent more than half of the 2020-2021 academic year out of the classrooms. Most kids and parents managed the isolation, the screen time, the tech issues. But very few thrived. And now that the vaccination r