In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on January 30, 2026, one of your hosts starts with a literal public safety announcement. Line editor Gurney was the victim of attempted identity theft this week (like he doesn't have enough going on) and some Line readers may have received bizarre messages claiming to be from me. They weren't! He promises!

From there, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson start with a sharp and unsparing look at Alberta separatism. Jen is in no mood for half measures, especially when it comes to Premier Danielle Smith’s refusal to firmly commit herself. As she sees it, people who style themselves as free speech warriors don’t get to hide behind mealy-mouthed statements when it actually matters. She also takes direct aim at what she calls the loser energy of the separatist movement itself. Matt agrees, adding that many of the separatists he encounters remind him of the gun-ban obsessives or bike-lane warriors in other parts of the country — people whose entire identities are wrapped up in a single cause, and who spend enormous amounts of time constructing elaborate arguments to justify what is, in reality, an emotional state. Both hosts close the segment by wishing, once again, that Canada had a serious and functional ability to monitor foreign interference, because if this movement grows, they strongly suspect outside actors will be eager to help it along.

Later, the conversation turns to the Conservative Party of Canada, which is gathering in Calgary to review Pierre Poilievre’s leadership. There’s no obvious threat to him, but Matt argues the party has wasted the last nine months pretending the election result was a fluke, largely because that fantasy spared them from having to make difficult decisions. Unfortunately for the Conservatives, the facts haven’t changed. If anything, the hosts note that Mark Carney is settling into the job better than expected. He still makes the occasional rookie mistake, but overall he’s performing competently and growing into the role. That leaves the CPC with a real problem: it now needs a credible plan to defeat a capable Liberal government while also navigating the chaos of a disruptive Trump presidency.

Finally, the hosts circle back to the China deal they didn’t have time to fully address last week. Matt says he’s listened carefully to both the boosters and the critics, and has come to an inconvenient conclusion: he agrees with all of them. The deal contains real opportunities and real risks, and Canada may not be ready for what comes next. As both hosts note, we are entering a geopolitical era where being wealthy and strategically important can make a country a very attractive target, especially when caught between competing hostile powers. It’s a position many other countries have experienced before. Maybe, they suggest, it’s time Canada started asking the Poles or the Israelis for advice.

All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast.