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

January 23 · 24 min
How the world changed this week at Davos
This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump made waves in Davos, Switzerland as both offered competing visions of a new world order. Government and business leaders were in the Alps for the annual World Economic Forum, where the U.S. struck a ‘deal’ with NATO on Greenland and Trump launched his Board of Peace. The Globe’s international affairs columnist Doug Saunders is here to explain Canada’s place in a changing world order, as long-standing partnerships were tested
January 22 · 27 min
What Carney’s China trade deal means for EVs in Canada
As part of Canada’s new trade deal with China, 49,000 Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles will be allowed to be sold in the Canadian market this year. It’s a big change from our previous 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made cars. Auto leaders and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have criticized the deal, saying it puts the country’s auto sector at risk when it’s already facing pressure from the U.S. and Donald Trump’s tariffs. Dimitry Anastakis is a professor at the University of Toronto in the Depa
January 21 · 23 min
Military models invasion of Canada as Trump threatens Greenland
As U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to ratchet up threats against Greenland, Canada has weighed plans to send soldiers there as part of a NATO exercise. In a speech at the Davos Conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed support for Greenland, but did not say whether Canada would indeed send troops. Meanwhile, according to senior government officials, the Canadian Armed Forces have modelled a hypothetical U.S. military invasion of Canada, and the country’s potential re
January 20 · 22 min
What Legault’s resignation means for Quebec
Last week, Quebec Premier François Legault announced his resignation amidst plummeting poll numbers, while acknowledging Quebeckers are calling for change. The state of the province’s politics are now in flux, as the Parti Quebecois surge in popularity and a possible referendum on Quebec’s sovereignty is on the horizon. Konrad Yakabuski, Globe columnist and Quebec politics writer, discusses Legault’s legacy, the divide between sovereigntists and federalists and where the province’s parties stan
January 19 · 27 min
Why the flu is so bad this year
The flu season hit Canada hard and fast this year, seemingly reaching its peak in late December. But it’s not over yet: one public health official says we’re still in the ‘heavy, middle part’ of flu season. Alanna Smith explains what’s different about this year’s dominant variant of the influenza virus and the impact it’s having on Canada’s health care system.
January 17 · 26 min
Happy Enough: Why awe makes us happier
What happens when we stop rushing around and pause to take in the vastness of the world around us? In this episode of Happy Enough, we explore awe — the emotion that can make you feel surprisingly small, and, at the same time, happier. To break down the science behind awe and why it makes us feel better, Garvia speaks with Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the author of ‘Awe: The new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life’. They discuss how awe aff
January 16 · 25 min
International law in the Trump era
In less than a year, U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term has re-shaped the international order. From levying tariffs against much of the world, turning against long-standing allies, capturing Venezuela’s president, and threatening to annex Greenland – the U.S. has flouted international law and ignored the traditional rules-based order. Michael Byers, Canada research chair on global politics and international law at the University of British Columbia, is on the show to explain the legal ag
January 15 · 25 min
What Greenland thinks about Trump’s threats of annexation
For weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to annex Greenland, an autonomous region of Denmark. That led to a meeting on Wednesday between a delegation of Danish and Greenland foreign ministers and U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two sides did not seem to come to any kind of conclusion. The Globe’s Europe correspondent, Paul Waldie, is in Greenland to get a sense of how people are feeling on the ground. He was in Denmark earlier this week. He jo
January 14 · 26 min
Death toll climbs as Iranians protest against regime
Protests in Iran ramped up over the weekend after the Islamic Republic regime – ruled by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – instituted an internet and phone blackout. But despite this, reports started to come out about a crackdown. On Tuesday, an Iranian official said the death toll, composed of both protesters and security personnel, was over 2,000 people. The protests have garnered some global supporters, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who has issued threats to the Iranian regime over its treat
January 13 · 19 min
Carney’s high-stakes trip to China
This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney will head to China, marking the first time a Canadian prime minister has gone to China since 2017. Recent interactions between Canada and China have been wracked with tension and international incidents. But there is much at stake in this meeting, with Canada looking for new trade partners as the United States becomes increasingly unreliable. Steven Chase is the Globe’s senior parliamentary reporter. He’s here to talk about what Carney needs to balance in o
January 12 · 20 min
Why gyms have become so fancy and expensive
The new year is upon us and for some of us, that means New Year’s resolutions. These goals often involve improving our fitness, or going to the gym more often. But that’s not always cheap with gym membership and classes costing more and more. In today’s episode, host Sherrill Sutherland and The Globe’s healthy living reporter, Graham Isador, try a class at one of Toronto’s luxury gyms, Sweat and Tonic. They share their experiences and Graham discusses why gym prices have risen so drastically an
January 9 · 24 min
Chrystia Freeland resigns, takes new role with Ukraine
Today is Chrystia Freeland’s last day in Canadian politics, but she still plans to work in government – just not this one. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had appointed the former Liberal cabinet minister his new economic adviser. The news sparked a week of backlash in Ottawa, as many raised concerns that a sitting member of parliament working with a foreign government created a conflict of interest. The Globe’s senior reporter, Stephanie Levitz, joins The De
January 8 · 24 min
The people pursuing impossible goals
The new year is a time of goal setting. Culturally, there’s pressure to set resolutions that you are meant to achieve in due course. Think: weight loss, healthy eating, a new hobby. But what if you commit to something you know you can’t achieve? And what if you make that your life’s work? Mark Medley, the Deputy Editor of The Globe’s Opinion section, and author of ‘Live to See the Day: Impossible Goals, Unimaginable Futures and the Pursuit of Things That May Never Be’, profiled people who’ve do
January 7 · 23 min
Unpacking the U.S. strategy to control the Western hemisphere
Following the U.S. attack on Venezuela, President Donald Trump referenced the Monroe Doctrine – a centuries-old ideology that posits American control and dominance in the Western hemisphere. That idea was also cited in the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy outlining U.S. foreign policy. After campaigning on non-intervention, is this now Trump’s blueprint for dealing with the rest of the world? Vincent Rigby, a professor at McGill University’s Max Bell School for Public Polic
January 6 · 25 min
What the Venezuelan attack means for Canadian oil
U.S. President Donald Trump was clear on Saturday when he announced his administration’s plans for the future of Venezuela: “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” he told the world. But how feasible is that? How quickly could it happen? And even if U.S. oil companies do return to Venezuela and increas
January 5 · 26 min
U.S. attacks Venezuela, captures President Maduro
On Saturday, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. military forces in an early morning raid that included attacks on the capital city of Caracas. Since September, the U.S. has conducted deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats from Venezuela, as U.S. President Donald Trump accused Maduro of leading a criminal organization. The future of the Latin American country is uncertain, as the Venezuelan leader is held in New York, facing U.S. federal drug trafficking, terrorism
January 2 · 21 min
A 2026 forecast for Canadian politics
After a year that was truly one for the books in Canadian politics — from Trudeau’s resignation to Trump’s trade war, an “elbows up” election, Pierre Poilievre losing his seat, Jagmeet Singh resigning his leadership, and the prospect of a new Pacific pipeline — 2025 has come to a close. What will 2026 hold? Stephanie Levitz is a senior reporter with The Globe’s Ottawa Bureau, and she’s on the show to discuss the Liberal road to a majority, the leadership of both the Conservative Party and NDP,
Dec 31, 2025 · 24 min
Is AI making us dumb?
Most schools are now off for winter break — but this year, some educators are wondering how much their students are learning. A KPMG survey found that over half of Canadians over 18 years old now use generative AI to complete their school work. Professors and students are concerned that a growing reliance on tools like ChatGPT and Gemini could be weakening critical thinking skills. Recent research is now giving us further insight into that potential connection. The Globe’s Joe Castaldo reports
Dec 30, 2025 · 36 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
Dec 29, 2025 · 31 min
A mixtape of you: the summer of the Great Canadian Playlist
Canadians have been spending a lot of time thinking about identity and their relationship to Canada. As U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war drags on, taking an ‘Elbows Up’ approach isn’t just about economics – it’s also cultural. Many of the songs and albums that make up the soundtrack to your life are written and performed by Canadian artists – and they’ve helped shape what this country sounds like. Today, deputy arts editor Rebecca Tucker and reporter Josh O’Kane are here to talk about h