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.

Latest podcasts

  1. The Green Party’s identity crisis

    Thursday, June 17th 2021

    A defection. Calls for a leader’s resignation. Internal fighting. The Green Party of Canada is in the news for all the wrong reasons lately.

    On Friday, former Green MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to join the Liberals after a clash with her party over her position on the Israel-Palestine fighting. By Monday, some factions of the Greens were calling on their new leader, Annamie Paul, to step down. On Wednesday, Ms. Paul stood firm and accused both members of her own party’s executive and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of trying to subvert her and the vision she campaigned on.

    Political reporter Marieke Walsh joins host Tamara Khandaker to explain why this is all happening, what led up to it and how underneath it all there is a bigger struggle within the party about what it is and what it wants to be.

  2. After the Julie Payette scandal, the search for a new Governor General

    Wednesday, June 16th 2021

    Six months after former astronaut Julie Payette resigned from the role of Governor General of Canada, Trudeau has yet to find her permanent replacement. Globe political reporter Kristy Kirkup tells us what the job entails, why Julie Payette resigned, and who the government might choose next.

  3. Could hydrogen revive Alberta’s energy sector?

    Tuesday, June 15th 2021

    With the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and the increasing pressures of climate change, transitioning Alberta from an oil-based economy is feeling more and more urgent. Hydrogen fuel may end up playing a transformative role for the energy-producing province.

    Emma Graney, The Globe’s energy reporter, gives listeners a primer on hydrogen: the different ways it’s made, how it plays into governments’ net-zero-emission goals and why Canada thinks it could become a world leader in this growing energy sector.

  4. State surveillance, press freedom and covering China

    Monday, June 14th 2021

    As a correspondent based in Beijing, Nathan VanderKlippe prepares to leave his post after eight years and return to Canada. He talks about the changes he has seen and felt while covering China – and Asia – for The Globe and Mail.

    He shares stories of being followed in Xinjiang by the Chinese state while covering the treatment of Uyghurs, and talks about the ethical responsibilities journalists face when talking to sources under intense state surveillance.

  5. Tension in East Jerusalem as Israel awaits a new government

    Friday, June 11th 2021

    The Globe and Mail’s European Bureau Chief Eric Reguly is in East Jerusalem, covering a very tense moment in Israel’s history. While last month’s ceasefire has held, the dispute over home ownership in the city’s Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhood continues. Some Palestinian families are already being evicted from their homes in favour of Jewish settlers. Protests around these developments have erupted. Conflicts between neighbours have been captured on social media. Police and Israeli officers are stationed in the streets.

    Meanwhile, tensions are also high in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. Eight parties are attempting to form a coalition government that could oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and end his 12 years of rule.

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