The Decibel
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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.
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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 ye...
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 NAT...
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 ch...
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 say...
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 — t...
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,...
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...
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 bla...
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 intera...
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 mo...
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 Presid...
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 los...
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...
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 v...
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 ci...
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...
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...
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 f...
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...
Bark! The Herald Angels Sing: how people met their pets
The winter holidays are a time to cozy up with family – even if those family members are furry and of a different species. For many, dogs and cats are...
Why time feels like it’s speeding up – and how to slow it down
Many factors of modern life can make time feel like it’s moving faster than it actually is: hustle culture at work, a productivity compulsion at home,...
Why Heated Rivalry has everyone hot and bothered
The Canadian television show Heated Rivalry has found major success not just in Canada, but with American audiences, too. The show, a love story betwe...
Canadian military officer charged with leaking government secrets
Canadian counter-intelligence military officer Matthew Robar, is facing charges of espionage. The veteran military officer is accused of sharing infor...
The rise of medical tourism
This travel season, Canadians might be headed away for something other than a vacation.
More Canadians are participating in medical tourism, tra...
Bondi Beach shooting echoes past antisemitic attacks
The attack on Jewish Australians at Bondi Beach in Sydney has sent shockwaves around the world. To many in Jewish communities, it mirrors previous ant...
Why your loyalty points don’t go as far as they used to
Loyalty reward programs are everywhere we shop. They’re at coffee shops, retailers, airports and grocery stores. Many of us are connected to our point...
The multibillion-dollar fight over the McCain Foods fortune
The heirs to Canada’s multi-billion dollar frozen food empire are fighting. New Brunswick’s McCain Foods is the world’s largest French fry maker, and...
New crime bill addresses violence against women and court delays
Mark Carney’s federal government has introduced its second tough-on-crime bill this fall. The new bill, Bill C-16, focuses on violence against women a...
Rise in late-stage prostate cancer raises concerns over testing
Late-stage prostate cancer diagnoses are on the rise in Canada. According to a recent study, between 2010 and 2021, rates of prostate cancer discovere...
The traveller’s guide to Canadian airline disruptions
Hours before a strike deadline, Air Transat and the union representing airline pilots reached a tentative agreement. For customers, it comes as relief...
How three Canadian businesses have coped with Trump’s tariffs
The Canadian manufacturing sector has been having a hard time, which has been made worse by U.S. tariffs. The impact of these tariffs varies company t...
The construction industry’s opioid problem
For families, the tragedy of opioids is beyond measure. The opioid epidemic has claimed tens of thousands of lives in Canada and has been recognized a...
The future of Canada’s military and joining Europe’s defence fund
Canada is in the midst of reframing its approach to military spending. The reasons for this are twofold; a commitment to fulfilling NATO spending as p...
The businessman at the heart of Alberta’s health care controversy
It’s not unusual for business owners to forge ties with governments, but there are rules around conflicts of interest when it comes to procurement. In...
The case against cleaning before hosting
With the holidays right around the corner, households are getting ready for company and deep cleans are underway. Even the idea of letting family and...
Why do so many Canadian roads not have cell service?
Across Canada, highways and rural roads are studded with cellular ‘dead zones’. In some provinces, coverage gaps span over 30 per cent of major roads....
Why a new Ontario law has renters worried about more evictions
Ontario just passed Bill 60, officially named the “Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act.” It’s a big omnibus bill, but it’s garnered the most attentio...
Carney, Smith agree to pipeline framework, as minister resigns
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have signed an agreement that sets the framework for building a new pipeline, carrying b...
Why Canada lost consensus on immigration — and how to get it back
The Canadian consensus on immigration cratered last year. In the fall of 2024, an Environics poll found that for the first time in a quarter century m...
If AI is a bubble, how will it pop?
Some of the world’s largest tech companies, like OpenAI, Google and Meta, have invested hundreds of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence a...