The Decibel

This week, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is visiting China as part of an effort to improve relations amid a trade war between Canada and China. It began last year, when Ottawa imposed a 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles. China responded by launching an anti-dumping probe into Canada’s canola imports, and later issued its own 100-per-cent tariff on Canadian canola oil, meal, and peas, followed by a 78.5-per-cent tariff on Canadian canola seed.Kate Helmore is the Globe’s agriculture and food policy reporter. She’s on the show to explain what’s going on with the trade war between Canada and China, and how tensions with the U.S. are contributing to an unstable situation for one of Canada’s most important crops.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The ceasefire in Gaza that U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker has been in place since Friday. But already, both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the agreement. Tensions flared over a slower-than-expected return of deceased hostages, and Hamas has, so far, refused to disarm and cede power in Gaza. Despite the disagreements, humanitarian aid trucks began entering Gaza on Wednesday, and Israel is set to open Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt this week. But as cracks in this deal emerge, where does this ceasefire go from here?Today, Globe freelance journalist Hasan Jaber joins us from Gaza. He’ll describe the mood in the region, as thousands of Palestinians return and Hamas fighters remerge. Then, The Globe’s senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon will discuss the state of this deal, and whether this ceasefire can hold.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canada’s agriculture industry is big business, contributing $32-billion to Canada’s GDP in 2024 and employing an estimated 223,000 people. What garners less attention is how heavily dependent the agriculture industry is on migrant labourers, with about 80,000 workers in the sector. The job is often gruelling and typically pays around minimum wage, but that money tends to go a lot farther in the workers’ home countries.Jason Kirby, a business reporter for The Globe and Mail, revisits his roots in an Ontario farming community and digs into the influence of foreign labour in Canada’s farms. He talks about why Canadian farmers have become so reliant on migrant labour, and what keeps foreign agricultural workers coming back year after year. Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A legal battle is underway over the notwithstanding clause, which allows governments to override “[certain] rights of Canadians” that are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It’s a tool provincial governments have invoked often in recent years.But the federal government is bringing the dispute to the Supreme Court, asking it to consider new limits on the clause. Divisions over that legal review are breaking out, with five conservative premiers calling on Ottawa to back off.Globe columnist Andrew Coyne joins us to talk about the roots of this battle. He argues that there’s a deeper fight going on – that is not about the notwithstanding clause but rather, longstanding grievances with the Charter itself.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Geoffrey Hinton, “the godfather of AI”, pioneered much of the network research that would become the backbone of modern AI. But it’s in the last several years that he has reached mainstream renown. Since 2023, Hinton has been on a campaign to convince governments, corporations and citizens that artificial intelligence – his life’s work – could be what spells the end of human civilization.Machines Like Us host Taylor Owen interviews Hinton on the advancements made in AI in recent years and asks: if we keep going down this path, what will become of us?Subscribe to The Globe and Mail’s ‘Machines Like Us’ podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A new pipeline pitch is stirring up an old fight. On Oct. 1, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the province would be drawing up a proposal for a new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast by May. In the last week, B.C. Premier David Eby has voiced criticisms of the project and opposed Smith’s coinciding efforts to repeal laws affecting access to the coast. In recent days, the disagreement has escalated.Today, The Globe’s B.C. politics reporter, Justine Hunter, joins the show. She’ll share what we know about the pipeline Smith is proposing, why it’s stirring up familiar tensions between the provinces, and whether the project can survive Eby’s opposition.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Five years ago, hundreds of Canadian companies publicly pledged to address anti-Black racism. They signed the BlackNorth Initiative, which has since become the most high-profile DEI effort in corporate Canada.Many of the commitments came with a 2025 deadline. The Globe and Mail surveyed the signatories to find out how they’ve fared. Vanmala Subramaniam is the Future of Work reporter for The Globe. She explains the results that show that the enthusiasm employers once had for diversity projects has waned considerably.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Five months after his first appearance in the Oval Office, Prime Minister Mark Carney made his second trip down to Washington. And while he said little during the 30-minute press conference, talks between the countries carried on throughout the day and into the night.Doug Saunders, The Globe’s international affairs columnist, assesses Carney’s second performance at the White House and explains why he thinks Carney might be stalling on making a trade deal.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On October 7, 2023, members of Hamas launched attacks in Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 people hostage. Israel responded by launching a war in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of eliminating Hamas. Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and much of Gaza has been destroyed.Two years later, reverberations of that initial attack and the ongoing war continue. The ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has led to a global protest movement in support of Palestinians. At the same time, antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in the diaspora. In the years since October 7, dinner table conversations in Jewish families have increasingly centred on – do we still feel safe in our homes? And what responsibility do we feel for the destruction that is happening in another land? These are questions that have led to division – and reckoning – within Jewish communities.Globe columnist and author of October 7: Searching for the Humanitarian Middle Marsha Lederman joins Decibel producer Michal Stein for a conversation from a Canadian Jewish perspective in understanding what’s happened since October 7 and how it impacts them today.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. He did so alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it a “critical step”. Hamas has since responded, and agreed to parts of the plan — notably, the release of all remaining hostages and the relinquishing of its control over Gaza. Negotiations will begin in Egypt on Monday.The Globe’s European Bureau Chief, Eric Reguly, joins the show. He’s been reporting from Cairo and Jerusalem, and will explain the details of Trump’s peace plan, how it’s being received across the region, and whether it could mark the beginning of the end of this war.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The education system has been fraught with controversy in Alberta. From the government’s recent attempt to ban certain books in school libraries, to their introduction of several measures affecting transgender students. And now, a major pressure point between teachers and Premier Danielle Smith’s government has come to a head: overcrowding in Alberta’s schools. On Monday, over 50,000 educators across the province are set to strike for the first time in over 20 years.Today, the Globe’s education reporter, Dave McGinn, joins the show. He’ll tell us about the major influx of students in Alberta, what’s behind it, and how it’s transforming schools.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at – thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The great boom of the lobster industry is, in many ways, a story of success. For more than 30 years, Canada’s most valuable seafood export has generated wealth for Canadian fishing communities and created an appetite around the world for the luxury food. But it’s also come at a tremendous cost – Indigenous fishers have been excluded, and scientists have warned warming waters and overfishing are severely affecting catches, causing high tensions and sometimes violent fights.Greg Mercer, investigative reporter for The Globe and author of Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink, joins the podcast to talk about how the gold-rush mentality of the multi-billion dollar industry is creating a crisis for both the shellfish and its environment.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Official estimates from Ukraine’s government say 19,000 Ukrainian children have been taken by Russian forces since the start of the conflict. And many of these kids are living in Russian camps overseen by former soldiers. Now, a pamphlet from one of the camps has given the world a window into the lives of these children. Janice Dickson, The Globe’s international affairs report, discusses Russia’s attempts to turn these children against their home land. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Just two months after ChatGPT was launched in 2022, a survey found 90 per cent of college students were already using it. But students are no longer using artificial intelligence for writing essays – AI is used in generating ideas, conducting research, and summarizing reading. In other words: they’re using it to think for them. What does this mean for higher education? And what are the real costs of AI in critical thinking?Machines Like Us Host Taylor Owen, welcomes two guests – Conor Grennan, chief AI architect at NYU’s Stern School of Business and Niall Ferguson, senior fellow at Stanford and Harvard, and the co-founder of the University of Austin.Subscribe to The Globe and Mail’s ‘Machines Like Us’ podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last Monday, the Trump administration linked Tylenol to autism and warned against pregnant women taking it — Health Canada says there is no conclusive evidence and continues to recommend acetaminophen to treat fever and pain during pregnancy. This is not the first time U.S. President Trump or Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made controversial remarks on autism and what causes it. And some advocates and scientists are concerned about the wider impact this could have. Today, developmental pediatrician Dr. Melanie Penner joins the show to help us unpack the growing fixation on autism, why unproven links to its cause continue to resurface, and what we should be focusing on instead. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.