The Decibel

The Decibel

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.

Episodes

June 23, 2026 24 mins

On June 20, Rainbow Railroad released a report on the state of global LGBTQ+ persecution. As an advocacy group, Rainbow Railroad helps at-risk LGBTQ+ people get to safety around the world. This past year they received the highest number of requests for support since their operation began. Most of these requests came from the United States. Canada also makes the list of top ten countries for requests.

Devon Matthews is Rainbow Railr...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

A court case in Winnipeg has offered a rare glimpse into the mechanics of how human trafficking can work. And it showed that short-rental rentals, like Airbnb and Vrbo, can be used by traffickers while on the move with their victims. But some cities, like Winnipeg, are taking action.

Temur Durrani is a reporter for The Globe based in Winnipeg. He explains the story of a Quebec teenager who survived being trafficked and the regulati...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patrick Radden Keefe, investigative journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker, is best known for his narrative non-fiction true crime stories and deep dives into history. His best selling books include Say Nothing, Empire of Pain, and The Snakehead, as well as the podcast Wind of Change.

Keefe visited The Globe and Mail’s Toronto offices in June 2026 to talk to Globe feature writer Ian Brown about his latest work...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding this week to end the war, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The 14-paragraph agreement lays out the stipulations for each side – including that all military operations between the U.S., Iran and their allies will stop, that the U.S. will lift all sanctions against Iran, and Iran will allow vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

But Thomas Juneau, professor at the Graduate S...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Could Saskatchewan be the key to unlocking Canada’s trade potential? While Ottawa works to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade and rebuild important partnerships, politicians and business leaders may learn a lot by looking to the province in the centre of the country. Nearly twenty years ago, Saskatchewan began strategically diversifying their trading partnerships. It was a great success – the province now expo...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Canada’s Online Streaming Act is a thorn in the side of the U.S. administration. The law, passed in 2023, brings streaming platforms like Netflix, Paramount and Disney under Canada’s broadcast regulations, and requires them to support and promote Canadian content. But the implementation of the law has been slow, and the regulator, the CRTC, has been taken to court by U.S. streaming platforms. Now, the Canadian governmen...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Despite Canada’s contributions to space technology and science, it lags behind other G7 nations in rocket launching capabilities. But that’s now changing – with federal investment and private business teaming up to eventually send spacecraft into orbit. It signals a growing political and economic interest in Canada.

The Globe’s science reporter Ivan Semeniuk attended one of the recent launches in Nova Scotia...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Summer is peak tourist season for the Atlantic provinces, and many restaurants rely on revenue made during the season to get them through the rest of the year. But this summer, chefs and restaurateurs are facing a challenge: Staples tourists have come to expect, like scallops, haddock, and oysters, will be in short supply.

Dakshana Bascaramurty is The Globe’s food culture reporter. She’ll explain what’s causing th...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Introducing Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything, The Globe and Mail’s new soccer podcast for World Cup 2026. Every Thursday, throughout the tournament, host Eoin O’Callaghan will look at eight moments that changed soccer, the moments and stories that extend beyond the field and into politics, culture and the moral climate of their day.

In this episode, the focus is on Johan Cruyff, the Dutch master who took th...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Following The Decibel’s analysis of a one-on-one interview with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, listeners wrote in and asked for an uncut interview to hear the opposition leader in his own words. This is the one-hour, full-length conversation with Poilievre, recorded on May 15, 2026. The interview has been edited for audio quality.

Original Decibel episode with Poilievre: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-dec...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The government’s new Safe Social Media Act, introduced on Wednesday, will require social media companies to block users below the age of 16 from having accounts on their platforms in a move to address online safety. The ban itself is not imminent – the bill has to pass first – but its introduction begs the question: what does a well regulated internet look like? And is that a balance this government is striking?

D...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

There’s a surge of excitement around a few big companies going public this year – like Apotex and SpaceX both going on stock exchanges this week. These IPOs, or initial public offerings, are generating a ton of buzz – and there’s particular interest in trying to invest in a company before it goes public.

Meera Raman, The Globe’s personal finance reporter, is here today to explain how Canadians are gett...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The World Cup starts on Thursday, beginning what will be the largest iteration of a hugely popular global event. This time, there are 104 matches with 48 countries competing across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. And the Canadian team will be making its third ever appearance at the World Cup, competing in Group B and playing its initial games in Toronto and Vancouver.

But can this team advance to the knockout rounds? Espec...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 9, 2026 24 mins

Smoking cigarettes is cool again. Apparently. Social media and accounts online are raving about the habit, turning it into a trend with images from celebrities and appealing to Gen Z. But this rebirth in popularity runs counter to widespread anti-smoking campaigns warning about the dangers of getting addicted and the health effects of cigarettes. Where did this cultural resurgence for smoking and vaping come from? 

Dr. Robert ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The federal government released its plan for AI, and it includes a lot of new money ($2.3 billion, to be precise) towards training, adoption and supporting Canadian businesses and tech companies. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to this strategy’s release, both from those excited about how Canada plans to build and harness the technology, but also from those who are concerned about the potential ramifications and sa...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

As Canada builds out its military, there has been an increasing focus on arctic security. But military strategies that work in the southern part of the country do not always work in the North. Gavin John was embedded in a patrol with Canadian rangers as part of Operation Nanook-Nunalivut.

John, who covers national defence  for The Globe, shares what it was like to patrol more than 1,000 km in the Arctic on a snowmobile and why...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 4, 2026 22 mins

Canada’s economy has stalled. According to Statistics Canada, Canada’s real GDP contracted 0.1 per cent on an annualized basis in the first quarter of 2026. In the previous quarter, there was a 1-per-cent annualized decline. Two consecutive quarters of decline has sparked debate in Ottawa and on Bay Street about whether the country is in a recession.

Mark Rendell is The Globe’s economics reporter. He’s on th...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Interprovincial trade within Canada is complicated. Existing barriers mean that many goods, like alcohol, often can’t be sold across provincial and territorial lines. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been pushing for ‘one Canadian economy’ in the wake of attempts to diversify away from the U.S. Opening up interprovincial alcohol sales, especially direct to consumer sales, have been a litmus test for this vision. But...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

The Canadian trucking industry touches almost every aspect of commercial  life — most Canadian products on store shelves made at least some part of their journey on the back of a truck. The conditions for drivers who got them there, however, are getting worse. 

A Globe investigation by Sara Mojtehedzadeh , an investigative reporter at The Globe, and Mahima Singh, a Globe data editor, looked into the concerns raised ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault has announced his resignation from Mark Carney’s government, after stepping down from cabinet last fall.. During his time in Canadian parliament Mr. Guilbeault has become a symbol for the Liberal party’s climate conscience. His decision to depart centres on the Prime Minister’s approach to climate policy and it signals the most public disruption in the perceived unity of the Liberal ca...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The MeatEater Podcast

    Building on the belief that a deeper understanding of the natural world enriches all of our lives, host Steven Rinella brings an in-depth and relevant look at all outdoor topics including hunting, fishing, nature, conservation, and wild foods. Filled with humor, irreverence, and things that will surprise the hell out of you, each episode welcomes a diverse group of guests who add their own expertise to the vast world of the outdoors. Part of The MeatEater Podcast Network.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices