In today’s episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on May 8, 2026, your hosts rush through the recording so they can hang up and go focus on what really matters — today’s UFO document dump!

Kidding. But it is a short episode, because Jen Gerson is travelling this week. She’s in Ottawa, attending not one but two conferences. She reports back on the vibe from Ottawa, including her thoughts on a speech given by Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservatives. She notes that the man is much better at rebranding than at changing. They also discuss why Mark Carney and the Liberals are struggling to change, too — the choice of Louise Arbour as our next governor general isn’t bad, the hosts agree. Not exactly. But it is a worrying sign of what Matt identifies as path dependency — Arbour is a very old-fashioned move by a government that, at least in terms of what they’re saying, understands this country is in deep trouble, and needs to move fast to prepare for a new normal.

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Next, your hosts chat about the latest from Alberta. Even though she’s been in Ottawa all week, Jen can’t quite escape the unfolding story about the data breach. She updates everyone on the latest. Matt also notes that he’s been asking for months where provincial NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has been. Well. Seems like we found him! Jen also offers a word of warning about believing the polls. That way, she says, only complacency lies.

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After that, with Jen needing to bolt back to her next conference event, Matt tells her about some funny reaction he’s been getting to a column he wrote this week for the Toronto Star. He’s a bit worried that we have normalized dysfunction in this country to a point where we are starting to see parts of it as heartwarming, not alarming — a perfect real-world example of the “orphan crushing machine” internet meme. (He explains, don’t worry.) Jen notes that she’s seeing a lot of that herself on her visit to the capital. It’s looking a little bedraggled.All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Please like, subscribe and, if you want, chip us a few bucks. Even more of our competitors are selling out and taking the federal bailouts. We reject them. It ain’t easy. Please help.

(Note for video viewers: please forgive the video issues with Jen’s feed late in the third segment — we were at the mercy of hotel wifi.)

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Thanks, as always, and we’ll talk to you soon. Like, subscribe and share!

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