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The Current

Author: CBC

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Three stories to expand your worldview, delivered daily. Matt Galloway cuts through a sea of choice to bring you stories that transcend the news cycle. Conversations with big thinkers, household names, and people living the news. An antidote to algorithms that cater to what you already know — and a meeting place for diverse perspectives. In its 20 years, the Current has become a go-to place for stories that shape and entertain us. Released daily, Monday to Friday.


Some of the topics we’ve covered recently, include: Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs and the impact they could have on Canadian businesses and consumers; the bids to buy TikTok; the future of public broadcasting; undocumented migrants living in fear of mass deportations; political foreign interference and alleged traitors in parliament; China’s new AI chatbot DeepSeek; the family doctor shortage; the Israel-Hamas ceasefire; the humanitarian crisis in Gaza; climate change and the cost of rebuilding after wildfires in Jasper and L.A.; the impact of social media on children; tackling homelessness and the housing crisis; Donald Trump’s second term and sweeping executive orders, including tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and threats to annex Canada; Justin Trudeau’s resignation and proroguing parliament; federal and provincial politics; provincial premiers and their politics; Ontario’s provincial election and incumbent Doug Ford; Canadian patriotism, boycotting U.S. goods and efforts to buy Canadian; truth and reconciliation; water sovereignty; science and disinformation; the cost of veterinary bills; a rise in vasectomies; the best places to vacation in Canada; how tariffs are affecting U.S.-Canadian relations; reckoning with the Holocaust; provincial premiers and their politics; big banks backing out of climate initiatives; relaxed regulations on drones; nature and your mental health; a conservation win for marine life; migrant workers in limbo over stalled visas; age verification for porn sites; alcoholism and ‘grey-area’ drinking; Donald Trump’s threats around tariffs, retaking the Panama Canal and annexing Canada to make it the 51st U.S. state; Elon Musk’s influence on world politics; rogue waves, methanol poisoning and other risks on vacation; the opioid crisis and drug dealers targeting teens; personal finances; weight loss drugs like Ozempic; women’s health; consumer rights and competition in Canada; mortgages and interest rates; the flow of fentanyl across the U.S.-Canada border; the fall of the Assad regime in Syria; the influence of Taylor Swift; the fatbergs floating through our sewers; and the movies, books and culture that have something to say about the world around us. 


Some of the stand-out guests we’ve had on recently: Basketball star Demar Derozan; comedian Mark Critch; Liberal leadership frontrunner Chrystia Freeland; addictions advocate Scott Oake; Sapiens writer Yuval Noah Harari; Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha; CBC’s new CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard; UK actor Idris Elba; Chef Yotam Ottolenghi; Fashion journalist Jeanne Beker; On Tyranny author Timothy Snyder; former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew; Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, author and former spouse of the Prime Minister; Alberta Premier Danielle Smith; Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell; godfather of AI Yoshua Bengio; Xena star Lucy Lawless; bestselling author and Prof G Pod host Scott Galloway; Trump nephew and critic Fred Trump III; former prime minister Joe Clark; The Certainty Illusion author Tim Caulfied; Indigenous author Tanya Talaga; tech insider and Pivot podcast host Kara Swisher; and NWT Premier R.J. Simpson.


The Current is produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada — and has recently recorded live shows on location about Canadian identity in Saskatchewan and fears around tariffs at the U.S.-Canadian border in Windsor, Ont.

1874 Episodes
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Iowa farmer Joshua Manske says the trade war could be “really, really, really harmful” for him and the other farmers who helped U.S. President Donald Trump win his second term. Matt Galloway talks to Americans about the impact of tariffs and counter-tariffs on their businesses — and what they’d like to say to Trump. 
Four Indigenous men were convicted of a 1973 Winnipeg murder following forced confessions and a trial later described by a judge as “infected” by racism. Three of those men have since been exonerated — after years behind bars — but Russell Woodhouse died in 2011 before he saw his name cleared. Now, his family are pushing for his posthumous exoneration.
Do you silently judge someone who says “less” when they mean “fewer”? Do you have very strong feelings about the Oxford comma? You may want a word with Ellen Jovin. For years, the author of Rebel with a Clause has been setting up a folding table on the street to talk to people about grammar — which she says can actually bring us together in divisive times.
The Trump administration’s dramatic cuts to USAID sparked worldwide alarm among humanitarian workers, leaving other organizations struggling to fill the gap. Matt Galloway talks to Avril Benoit, CEO of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières in the U.S.
With simmering U.S.-Canada tensions around tariffs, some Canadians are rethinking where they want to spend their travel dollars — and looking to some of the great places this country has to offer. The Current is putting together a travel bucket list and we want your suggestions! Go to cbc.ca/thecurrent to help us celebrate this big, beautiful country.
U.S. President Donald Trump has slashed and frozen funding to the National Institutes of Health, stalling research on ailments from cancer to dementia and possible new drugs to treat them. We look at the impact on research in Canada, and hear why some say this is an opportunity to attract talent to laboratories here. 
Many people want to stay in their own homes as they get older, but things like stairs and slippery bathtubs can lead to falls and injury. As part of our ongoing series on getting older, we look at what kind of improvements and modifications can keep seniors safe — and in their homes longer.
Mark Carney won the race to become Liberal Party leader by a landslide, and will likely replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister in the coming days. We talk to partisan strategists and commentators about what lies ahead for both Carney and Canadians, from Trump’s tariffs to an imminent election. 
Best-selling Canadian author Louise Penny has cancelled all upcoming appearances in the U.S., posting online that she doesn't feel she can visit the country amid “the ongoing threat of an unprovoked trade war against Canada by the U.S. president.” She talks to Matt Galloway about her decision. 
An iceberg weighing nearly a trillion tonnes, named A23a, appears to have run aground off the shore of an island in the South Atlantic. A scientist warns that it could pose a significant risk to local wildlife — but also presents an opportunity to study these rare, giant slabs of ice.
Today’s teenagers have grown up with smartphones, but some have turned away from these devices’ constant demand for attention. Matt Galloway talks to three 18 year olds who have either unplugged from social media or forgone smartphones completely.
The legendary music producer Bob Ezrin has renounced his U.S. citizenship and moved home to Canada, saying he doesn’t recognize America anymore. Matt Galloway talks to Ezrin about his decision; and to Peter Wall, who is organizing an “Elbows Up, Canada” rally to bring Canadians together in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats of annexation.
Everyone’s getting older, but not everyone wants to think or talk about it. In a new series, The Current looks at aging well and the hard choices facing older adults and their loved ones. We start with a conversation many people have been avoiding: how to talk to our aging parents about getting older.
It’s been five years since people banged pots and pans to support health-care workers battling the pandemic — but today many nurses say they’re still struggling in an overwhelmed system. Matt Galloway talks to two front-line nurses about the burnout, violence and staff shortages that are driving some out of the profession entirely.
What will U.S. tariffs mean for prices at the grocery store? What if you're about to renegotiate your mortgage? Matt Galloway puts your questions about the trade war to personal finance columnist Rob Carrick and economist Armine Yalnizyan.
With a big push to buy Canadian, vertical farming could be a way to grow leafy greens in the dead of winter — and reduce our reliance on U.S. produce. We look at how vertical farming works, what it costs, and whether it can actually be scaled up to help feed Canadians.
U.S. President Donald Trump launched his own cryptocurrency meme coin, $TRUMP, in January, and this week he’s hosting the White House's first-ever cryptocurrency summit. The CBC’s Nora Young explains why the president's interest in crypto — including plans to create a national reserve of the digital currency — is setting off alarms.
7-11 is a national institution in Japan, offering customers everything from great food to a way to pay bills and send money. But now a takeover bid from a Canadian conglomerate has some worried that these unique Japanese stores and the culture surrounding them could change.
Federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Ottawa isn’t interested in meeting the U.S. “in the middle” on tariffs — as suggested by one U.S. official — and that Canada just wants the tariffs removed. LeBlanc talks to Matt Galloway about how his government is fighting the trade war started by Donald Trump’s administration, and why he thinks trying to understand the president’s rationale can amount to “negative energy.”
The White House has denied reports that the U.S. is trying to eject Canada from the Five Eyes, the spy network both countries share with the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. We look at the critical role the U.S. plays in global intelligence, and whether it’s still a reliable partner.
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Comments (90)

G

Would live to share, Matt. Please share Bluesky link. FB/Twitter not reliable. Thanks.

Feb 4th
Reply

David Schaefer

less then $22 an hour. and your focusing on businesses. you try surviving on $22 an hour.

Nov 21st
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Giselle Buchanan

Matt, let people speak. Asking closed questions,interrupting...sounds like a bad lawyer badgering a witness. Relax.

Feb 6th
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km

Oh yeah sure, AI solves everything. 🤦‍♂️ well, the "Intelligence" of Canadian economists certainly wasn't enough. ~14:00.

Aug 31st
Reply

km

Canada is doomed. Young Canadians can't even manage.

Aug 31st
Reply

David Schaefer

BS hahaha 😆 west jet is a bs artist. go ahead cbc, let him blow smoke up everyone's ass.

Jan 14th
Reply

Ali Moghaddam

please help Iranian people. we are being killed easily. help us 😭💔

Sep 23rd
Reply

Dennis Mayer

The questions asked in this interview are annoying. You soften her up with questions about the challenges women face to get to the top level, then you grill her about whether she feels bad about what she has been selling or that she makes 31MM vs a minimum wager??? What do you want from her? Who do you think you're talking to, some environmental, health and equity advocate? She's a capitalist, a successful one, and she did her job well. She wasn't being paid to change the world at PepsiCo, but she did make some improvements. Move on - annoying.

Aug 21st
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km

Read "The War on Normal People" by Andrew Yang. and, #HumanityFirst

Feb 13th
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km

"everyone's replaceable right?" The psychopathy of our modern Western culture runs deep.

Feb 13th
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Eric Lauzon

So dissapointed to hear our Polticians lie like this. Prtoesters have been nice and peaceful and thats from someone who lives downtown Ottawa

Feb 9th
Reply

Ted treller

A very naive appreciation for issues and the interpretation of those issues. My goodness while I appreciate the persistence of CBC to visit the area but an absolute misunderstanding of the history and realities of Eastern Ukraine.

Jan 23rd
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C W

Sweet ending.

Nov 29th
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km

This is a horrifically whiny interview.

Nov 16th
Reply

km

YouTube "Roger Hallam" and "Facing Future". It gets worse.

Oct 11th
Reply

Midnight Rambler

no it's a tragic event. but the left wants to make every tragic event into Martyr

Oct 7th
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km

Things aren't looking good... YouTube "Roger Hallam"

Sep 21st
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Midnight Rambler

this guy loved toxicity during the trump years. but under Biden we need to heal..🤣😆

Sep 7th
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km

The economists here continue to normalize psychopathy. Current economic thinking is an absolute joke. YOU HAVE NOTHING if you don't have a liveable climate you god damned fools. You CONTINUE to eat your young ITS SICK!!!!! $'s/ton Oh Booooo-hooooo. Go f*ck yourselves. You've ALREADY f*cked the rest of Humanity... and most of life on Earth for that matter!!!

Aug 30th
Reply

km

Let's be very clear: we *remain* in a pandemic because of anti-vaxers and the hesitant. An election now is incredibly important. Let's hear what the people want to do next.

Aug 18th
Reply