The Decibel

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak wants Carney to slow down

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday, the Liberals’ controversial Bill C-5 was passed by the House of Commons — it’s the only legislation to pass, ahead of Parliament risi...

Threat of wider war looms after U.S. bombs Iran nuclear sites

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend, the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities, as it warned Iran about its nuclear capabilities and attacks against Israel. U.S. Pres...

How The Matriarch tackled trauma in the wrestling ring

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sage Morin’s life changed on May 19, 2013. A tragedy altered her family forever, and Sage was left to pick up the pieces, all while navigating her o...

How wildfires are changing the way we think of summer

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This year is off to a bad start for wildfires. To date, more than 40,000 people have had to evacuate their homes, and both Manitoba and Saskatchewan d...

Trump, Iran-Israel attacks loom large over G7 summit talks

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, some of the world’s most powerful leaders meet to discuss political and economic issues in the G7 summit. This year’s meeting, held in...

Israel-Iran conflict escalates as death toll rises

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The long shadow war between Israel and Iran is now out in the open, as pressure mounts over a nuclear peace deal pushed by the U.S. and President Dona...

Why the job market is hitting new grads especially hard

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Right now, the Canadian job market is tough. Unemployment is the highest it’s been since 2016, excluding the pandemic lockdown years. Young people a...

The black market for getting hacked Meta accounts back

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Having social media accounts hacked is stressful. Usually, companies have formal channels for users to regain access. But for Meta platforms like Face...

City Space: Why Berliners think expropriation could solve the housing crisis

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is expropriation, or forcing corporations to sell apartments to the government, a way to ease the housing crisis? Berlin seems to think so. In a landm...

‘Strong borders’ bill grants new powers to tighten immigration

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bill C-2, also known as the Strong Borders Act, is one of the first pieces of legislation by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government. The 140-page b...

The Canadian-funded project mapping Ukraine’s missing children

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More than three years on, the war between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of slowing. Ceasefire talks have stalled. Last week, Ukraine landed one of...

The Hockey Canada trial and how we talk to young men

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, closing arguments are set to begin in the trial of five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Hockey Team. Michael McLeod, Dillon ...

To save this baby, doctors had to kill part of her brain

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Trump doubles down on steel, aluminum tariffs

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new executive order that raised tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. One Ca...

Unpacking the nationwide push to fast-track major projects

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Ottawa’s plans to fast-track infrastructure projects. The effort aims to bolster the Canadian econom...

The legal fight over gender-affirming health care in Alberta

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Canadian Medical Association says that the Alberta government has created a “moral crisis” for doctors in the province. The CMA, alongside thr...

Former Anonymous hacker worries he helped elect Trump

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More than 20 years ago, a group of internet users created the online forum 4chan – a mixture of memes, pranks, disinformation and hate speech. Soon,...

Fossil feud: Paleontologists have a bone to pick with new find

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2021, mine workers in Morocco made a huge discovery. They found a fossil that scientists believed to be a new species of mosasaur – a large swimm...

Canada revamps standards around ‘forever chemicals’ in water

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s in your drinking water? On Prince Edward Island, the provincial testing program shows potable water in some communities have higher levels of...

King Charles III opens the 45th Parliament

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, King Charles III opened the 45th Parliament by delivering Canada’s throne speech. The speech lays out the government’s priorities, and...

How Canadian businesses are getting caught up in U.S. tariffs on China

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a challenging few months for Canadian businesses. Even though Canada has been largely spared from the worst of U.S. President Donald Trump...

Carney’s plan to build Canada out of the housing crisis

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Canada is facing tariffs, a possible recession and an ongoing housing crisis. The country needs millions of new, affordable homes, and Prime Minister ...

What’s going on with Canada Post?

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Canada Post received a strike notice from its union representing 55,000 workers. The notice comes just less than a year after the last post...

Israel launches new military offensive, Canada voices opposition

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend, the Israeli military launched a new operation in Gaza called Gideon’s Chariots. It comes after a two-month long blockade of humani...

Alberta’s AI push could come with a big energy price tag

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Generative AI has been taking the world by storm, and Alberta wants in on the action. The province currently has plans to break ground on at least six...

Why the judge in the Hockey Canada trial dismissed a second jury

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Justice Maria Carroccia dismissed the jury in the Hockey Canada case for the second time. The trial will continue and be heard by a judge a...

How Labrador Inuit are adapting to a warming world

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The experiences of Inuit people and scientific data show the impacts of climate change and how it disproportionately affects Canada’s Far North. Arc...

What Trump’s trade deals could mean for Canada

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past week, the U.S. has brokered trade deals with Britain, China, and the Middle East, signaling a shift in President Donald Trump’s trade ...

Carney’s cabinet: who’s in, who’s out

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet was sworn in. Canada now has 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state, with representation from...

The history behind the fragile India-Pakistan ceasefire

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After several tense weeks of escalating military action across the de facto border in Kashmir, India and Pakistan have agreed to a fragile ceasefire. ...

Measles is now spreading across Canada. What’s being done?

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Measles is spreading at an unprecedented rate in Canada. It was considered eliminated in Canada in 1998, but last week, Ontario reported 1,440 cases o...

How serious is Alberta’s push for a referendum on separation?

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While the Liberal Party celebrated winning its fourth mandate in a row in the latest federal election, thousands of Albertans spent the night calling ...

Testimony underway in Hockey Canada sexual-assault trial

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team are currently on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room seven years ...

What the Carney–Trump meeting signals about Canada–U.S. relations

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Prime Minister Mark Carney met with U.S. President Donald Trump face-to-face in Washington, D.C. for the first time on Tuesday. Tensions between the t...

What’s going on with the detentions at the Canada-U.S. border?

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. government is ramping up its efforts to deport immigrants. On Monday, the Trump administration announced a new policy offering anyone illegal...

How kids are getting hooked on gambling through online games

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Problem gambling is a real issue in Canada – where reporting shows young people having even higher rates than adults. The increasing monetization of...

How a math prodigy-turned-fugitive siphoned millions in crypto

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At 18 years old, Andean Medjedovic was a math prodigy, finishing his master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Waterloo before most young ...

Campaign Call: Obstacles ahead for Poilievre, Carney and the NDP

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Now that the election is over, we’re bringing you another edition of Campaign Call, The Decibel’s weekly election panel that makes sense of the ma...

Eyewitness accounts of the Vancouver festival attack

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu festival was supposed to be a celebration of Filipino culture and traditions. Instead, it became a scene of horror on Saturday...

Carney wins, Liberals preside over ‘splintered parliament’

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday April 28, Canadians voted in another Liberal government.They are heading to the House of Commons with what appeared to be a minority governm...

East to West: What matters to rural Canada this election

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s impossible to get a full picture of a country as big and diverse as Canada, but audio journalist Kasia Mychajlowycz set out on a road trip to f...

Campaign Call: Unpacking the final days of the election

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the federal election nearly upon us, we’re bringing you the last edition of Campaign Call before Canadians head to the polls. This week, featur...

What lies ahead for the NDP and Jagmeet Singh

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly 15 years ago, the NDP became Canada’s official opposition. Now, Jagmeet Singh and the NDP are trailing far behind the frontrunners of the upc...

Tanya Talaga on Pope Francis’s apologies to Indigenous peoples

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, many are remembering his time as pope as one that marked a shift towards more progressive ideals, inclu...

The companies betting on Canada despite U.S. tariffs

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs have created an uncertain environment for Canadian businesses, and many are cons...

The strategists inside the Liberal and Conservative war rooms

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On April 28, Canadians will vote in a new federal government. Voters have gotten to know the front-runners – Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre an...

The changing face of election interference

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Presenting Machines Like Us, a Globe and Mail podcast on technology and people.We’re a few weeks into a federal election that is currently too close...

The case for prioritizing rest in the age of burnout

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Canadians are not particularly good at resting. According to Statistics Canada data collected between July 2022 and July 2023, people over the age of ...

Campaign Call: Debate prep and an inside look at polling

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With less than two weeks until the federal election, The Decibel is bringing you another edition of Campaign Call, The Globe’s weekly election panel...

Canada’s fragmented medical records system

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The way medical records are handled in Canada is a patchwork of disconnected systems – creating massive headaches for patients and doctors. Patients...

An interview with Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The federal election is in two weeks, on April 28 – so the Decibel has invited the leaders from Canada’s major parties onto the show to share thei...

Campaign Call: Western separatism amid a moment of Canadian unity

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re halfway through the election period and it’s time for Campaign Call, The Decibel’s weekly election panel making sense of the major issues....

Global markets reel from tariff whiplash

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on most of the world, plunging markets into some of the worst days in recent ...

What happened to the ‘carbon tax election’?

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been framing the federal race as a “carbon tax election.” But then Mark Carney became the Libe...

The case for teaching your child it’s okay not to share

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the age of gentle parenting, a new trend has emerged: parents are changing the ways they talk to their young children about sharing. Rather than fo...

Despite what Trump says, barely any fentanyl comes from Canada

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, the U.S. Senate vote to pass Senator Tim Kaine’s resolution to end the state of emergency that allows U.S. President Donald Trump to issu...

Campaign Call: Trump chaos and Conservative infighting

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the end of the week, which means it’s time for Campaign Call…our election panel where we make sense of the major issues. This week we’re ...

Making sense of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Wednesday to put reciprocal tariffs on goods from most of its international trading p...

What you need to know about U.S. travel as detentions rise

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, immigration lawyers have reported seeing a rise in non-U.S. citizens being denied entry. At ...

New foreign interference allegations emerge in election campaign

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the first week of the federal election campaign, several new foreign interference stories have bubbled up. The first involves allegations that CSIS...

Youngest premature twins to survive celebrate a hallmark birthday

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This March, Adrial and Adiah Nadaraja turned three years old. Born at 22 weeks, they were the youngest premature twins ever to survive to their first ...

East to West: voices in Atlantic Canada ahead of the election

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During the election campaign, the Globe and Mail is travelling across the country to hear about the issues facing people in Canada today.In small comm...

Campaign Call: What it means to be a ‘change’ candidate

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to The Decibel’s inaugural election panel!Each week, we’re going to focus on a major theme from the week’s campaign, and provide some an...

Why Canada’s water security is being threatened by Trump

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, scientific research at the Great Lakes has meant close partnership between Canada and the U.S., but President Trump’s latest job cuts m...

Canadians executed in China as tensions grow

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Global Affairs Canada confirmed that China has executed four Canadians since the beginning of the year. The move further escalates already ...

What it’s like to be an undocumented migrant in Canada

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The population of undocumented migrants living and working in Canada is substantial. And while most of them initially entered the country legally, on ...

The ‘trade war’ election campaign is under way

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At midday on Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney asked Governor-General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament and begin an election campaign. Canadians are...

How Prime Minister Mark Carney is preparing for the federal election

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call a federal election by Sunday, after being sworn into office last week.And he’s had a busy week. Betwe...

Project 2025 had a tariff plan, but Trump has gone off-script

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Project 2025 was meant to be a U.S. Republican transition bible, outlining a vast set of proposed policies for the next leader. Within its 900 pages, ...

Limited ceasefire brokered in Ukraine-Russia war

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a limited ceasefire with Ukraine after a discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump. The deal, also su...

Why Trump is targeting Canada’s dairy protection regime

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Canadian dairy is a recent target of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariffs coming in April. Trump’s proposed levies are in ret...

Major measles outbreak in Ontario, cases across Canada

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Measles cases in Ontario are higher than we’ve seen in a decade, and we’re only three months into the year. Measles is one of the world’s most c...

Introducing Happy Enough: lessons from Canada’s happiest people

15 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The host of The Globe and Mail's newest podcast, Garvia Bailey, gets some crowd-sourced wisdom from people nominated by loved ones as ‘the happiest ...

Hudson’s Bay, Canada’s oldest retailer, faces financial crisis

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a moment when more people are looking to buy Canadian, Canada’s oldest retailer is facing a financial crisis. Last week, Hudson’s Bay was grant...

How to protect your money during a trade war

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, with Canada hitting back with counter levies on nearly $30 billion dollars worth of U.S...

Pierre Poilievre’s problems with corporate Canada

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout his campaign, Pierre Poilievre has taken an antagonistic attitude towards Canada’s business elite – a historically uncharacteristic app...

The Canadian detained by the Taliban for 77 days

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the last four years, Dave Lavery — a former soldier and UN security advisor — has helped Afghans safely evacuate to Canada. But this past Nove...

Mark Carney will be the prime minister – what happens next?

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Liberal Party of Canada have chosen their new leader — and the country’s 24th prime minister. Former Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney won ...

How Trump’s imperialism is reshaping global alliances

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a little more than two days, U.S. President Donald Trump paused the 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico until April 2. It’s not just the ...

A carve out in the trade war – is this the first of many?

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on the phone for nearly an hour about the trade war between...

What Canada did day one of the trade war

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. President Donald Trump‘s 25 per cent tariffs are now in effect on Canadian goods entering the U.S., with 10 per cent on energy. Prime Minister ...

Trump declares trade war, Canada prepares counter tariffs

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to follow through on his economic threat against North American neighbours – his government plans to im...

The ‘quiet rebellion’ underway in Iran

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Islamic Republic of Iran is as isolated from the western world as ever. It has no diplomatic relations with Canada, President Trump recently recom...

Big Tech hijacked our attention. Chris Hayes wants to win it back

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Presenting Machines Like Us, a Globe and Mail podcast on technology and people.We are living in a world of perpetual distraction. There are more thing...

How scammers deepfake businesses

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scammers are using generative AI technology to create deepfakes, compelling their targets to send large sums of money. And it is not just individuals ...

Where the Israel-Hamas ceasefire goes from here

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

March 1 marks the official end of the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. Phase two remains in doubt, unless all parties can start negotiations or e...

What you need to know about the Ontario election

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This Thursday, Ontario voters head to the polls for a provincial election that Premier Doug Ford called more than a year early. The threat of tariffs ...

How Canadian companies are responding to the ESG backlash

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since returning to office, the Trump administration has taken aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with major American corporations scrappin...

New trade partners for Canada? Easier said than done

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the new deadline for U.S. tariffs approaches, Canadian businesses are trying to suss out whether it’s possible for them to diversify their tradin...

Scaachi Koul and Haley Mlotek are ready to talk about divorce

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special weekend edition of The Decibel, two Canadian authors discuss their new memoirs on divorce. Scaachi Koul is a senior writer at Slate, ...

Trump warms to Russia, cools support for Ukraine

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump had a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the end of the war in Ukraine. That call...

The problems with linking weight and health

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Body weight often gets conflated with overall health, and the BMI — body mass index — has helped solidify that belief. But in recent years, the me...

Alberta government alleged to have interfered in healthcare deals

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government is facing scrutiny after serious allegations were in a wrongful dismissal lawsuit launched by Alberta He...

Why more young people are getting cancer

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rates of cancer diagnosis and death are climbing worldwide in people under 50, according to the World Health Organization. A report, with data between...

How Trump is waging war through tariffs

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Less than a month into his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has already threatened to impose tariffs on half a dozen allies and adversaries. T...

The growing demand for disability accommodations in universities

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At universities across Canada, requests for disability accommodations are on the rise. Since the 2013-2014 school year – the number of students requ...

The ‘valley of death’ for Canada’s mining companies

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Canada wants to position itself as a leader in the critical mineral industry, as the world becomes more reliant on renewable energy. But its young min...

What happens when your bank dumps you

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A connection to a bank is an important financial relationship – between chequing and savings accounts, mortgages and loans – they are crucial for ...

Why the Conservative path to victory just got complicated

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For more than two years, the federal Conservatives have held a solid lead in the polls, and with the party bringing in a record-setting $41.7 million ...

‘Buy Canadian’ and the week Canadians got mad at the U.S.

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. tariff threats against Canada may be on pause, but the reaction from many Canadians shows that the cross-border chaos struck a nerve. From an...