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.

What’s going on with the detentions at the Canada-U.S. border?
May 6, 2025 – 00:25:04
How kids are getting hooked on gambling through online games
May 5, 2025 – 00:23:04
How a math prodigy-turned-fugitive siphoned millions in crypto
May 2, 2025 – 00:23:21
Campaign Call: Obstacles ahead for Poilievre, Carney and the NDP
May 1, 2025 – 00:32:02
Eyewitness accounts of the Vancouver festival attack
Apr 30, 2025 – 00:18:19
Carney wins, Liberals preside over ‘splintered parliament’
Apr 29, 2025 – 00:27:25
East to West: What matters to rural Canada this election
Apr 28, 2025 – 00:31:34
Campaign Call: Unpacking the final days of the election
Apr 25, 2025 – 00:30:44
What lies ahead for the NDP and Jagmeet Singh
Apr 24, 2025 – 00:24:18
Tanya Talaga on Pope Francis’s apologies to Indigenous peoples
Apr 23, 2025 – 00:23:58
The companies betting on Canada despite U.S. tariffs
Apr 22, 2025 – 00:22:19
The strategists inside the Liberal and Conservative war rooms
Apr 21, 2025 – 00:24:17
The changing face of election interference
Apr 20, 2025 – 00:39:35
The case for prioritizing rest in the age of burnout
Apr 17, 2025 – 00:25:35
Campaign Call: Debate prep and an inside look at polling
Apr 16, 2025 – 00:29:20
Canada’s fragmented medical records system
Apr 15, 2025 – 00:20:39
An interview with Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault
Apr 14, 2025 – 00:31:47
Campaign Call: Western separatism amid a moment of Canadian unity
Apr 11, 2025 – 00:31:43
Global markets reel from tariff whiplash
Apr 10, 2025 – 00:22:37
What happened to the ‘carbon tax election’?
Apr 9, 2025 – 00:24:06
The case for teaching your child it’s okay not to share
Apr 8, 2025 – 00:21:34
Despite what Trump says, barely any fentanyl comes from Canada
Apr 7, 2025 – 00:23:48
Campaign Call: Trump chaos and Conservative infighting
Apr 4, 2025 – 00:29:59
Making sense of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
Apr 3, 2025 – 00:23:31
What you need to know about U.S. travel as detentions rise
Apr 2, 2025 – 00:23:43
New foreign interference allegations emerge in election campaign
Apr 1, 2025 – 00:22:36
Youngest premature twins to survive celebrate a hallmark birthday
Mar 31, 2025 – 00:29:06
East to West: voices in Atlantic Canada ahead of the election
Mar 30, 2025 – 00:12:45
Campaign Call: What it means to be a ‘change’ candidate
Mar 28, 2025 – 00:29:11
Why Canada’s water security is being threatened by Trump
Mar 27, 2025 – 00:24:59
Canadians executed in China as tensions grow
Mar 26, 2025 – 00:22:46
What it’s like to be an undocumented migrant in Canada
Mar 25, 2025 – 00:21:43
The ‘trade war’ election campaign is under way
Mar 24, 2025 – 00:25:03
How Prime Minister Mark Carney is preparing for the federal election
Mar 21, 2025 – 00:25:12
Project 2025 had a tariff plan, but Trump has gone off-script
Mar 20, 2025 – 00:21:29
Limited ceasefire brokered in Ukraine-Russia war
Mar 19, 2025 – 00:22:16
Why Trump is targeting Canada’s dairy protection regime
Mar 18, 2025 – 00:21:45
Major measles outbreak in Ontario, cases across Canada
Mar 17, 2025 – 00:23:09
Introducing Happy Enough: lessons from Canada’s happiest people
Mar 15, 2025 – 00:31:16
Hudson’s Bay, Canada’s oldest retailer, faces financial crisis
Mar 14, 2025 – 00:25:05
How to protect your money during a trade war
Mar 13, 2025 – 00:21:39
Pierre Poilievre’s problems with corporate Canada
Mar 12, 2025 – 00:22:05
The Canadian detained by the Taliban for 77 days
Mar 11, 2025 – 00:24:11
Mark Carney will be the prime minister – what happens next?
Mar 10, 2025 – 00:25:02
How Trump’s imperialism is reshaping global alliances
Mar 7, 2025 – 00:22:55
A carve out in the trade war – is this the first of many?
Mar 6, 2025 – 00:25:09
What Canada did day one of the trade war
Mar 5, 2025 – 00:26:02
Trump declares trade war, Canada prepares counter tariffs
Mar 4, 2025 – 00:24:44
The ‘quiet rebellion’ underway in Iran
Mar 3, 2025 – 00:23:13
Big Tech hijacked our attention. Chris Hayes wants to win it back
Mar 1, 2025 – 00:30:54

Recent Reviews

SamsunRo

Great Canadian Perspective

Great balance of Canadian issues and Canadian views on global issues.
NizkR

Huge fan

High quality stories with a Canadian perspective.
Danoftheforest

Finally! A Canadian perspective

An outstanding podcast on both domestic issues and global affairs. Tamara Khandaker is an excellent host, and the level of analysis is second to none.
EmmaMollyMay

A considered perspective

I’m a midwife in the US who has cared for many COVID+ patients this pandemic. I have to say that your episode on pregnant people in the ICU with COVID is one of the only times I’ve heard the voices of parents really highlighted in this pandemic. So many families have welcomed newborns after quarantine. It can be painful and scary and unnatural, even for asymptomatic parents. I appreciate the fact that you not only made parents feel safe enough to share concerns about bonding but that you also centered those concerns. Thank you for that.
Antostler

Loved Episode 7 on Working from Home

I’ve been enjoying the new Decibel podcast and was delighted to hear Zabeen Hirji share so many great insights to help firms manage their team members working from home and for the eventual return to the office. A key message that resonated was the importance of ensuring employees get genuine breaks to recharge as work from home has a tendency to encroach upon evenings and weekends