Episode notes
Most Albertans don't want to leave Canada. Most Canadians don't want to see them go. The data is clear, the separatist wing is a small percentage of the population, and is likely buoyed by foreign influence campaigns. To many Canadians, it seems clear there's no need for a referendum at all—that it only raises a question that millions of people already answer every day; that it's a bad faith attempt to steer the political conversation further right. So, why have it? Because we live in a democracy. A democracy that, like most in the West, is under threat. And you don't solve a democratic…
Podcast
CanCon
Jordan Heath-Rawlings, Laura Palmer, Mat Keselman · News · English
It's a fascinating time to be Canadian. This is a show that breaks all that wide open. Dangers. Opportunities. The stories that make this country what it is. And what it isn't. Longtime journalist and podcast host Jordan Heath-Rawlings (Elbows Up, The Big Story, The Gravy Train) returns to host cri
More from CanCon All episodes →
-
E54 · 8 Oct 2026 · 26 min
Inside the ever-advancing world of grandparent scams
You've been warned about them, undoubtedly. You've probably passed on that warning to your elderly loved ones, or anyone you see as a little digitally naive. But how much do you really know about how so-called 'Grandparent Scams' operate in Canada—from the scale of them to their ever-increasing sophistication to the damage they leave behind in their wake? This week, Rachel Brown walks us through her detailed reporting for The Walrus to give you a detailed look inside what's becoming a huge criminal industry, one that shows no signs of slowing down...
-
E53 · 1 Oct 2026 · 23 min
How a small Canadian business copes with a trade war
Many of us have been lucky enough to experience the ongoing trade war with the United States as a small part of everyday life. We may pay slightly higher prices, or choose not to buy American products. We may read headlines about job losses or plant closures and feel sympathy, but we don't know what it's like to grapple with the ever-changing tariffs playing havoc with our bottom line. But small Canadian businesses have been living this hell for a year and a half now, and we wanted to give you a firsthand look at what that's like—from small annoyances to macro business pressures that force…
-
E52 · 24 Sep 2026 · 30 min
What will private investment in Canada's airports mean for travellers?
Mark Carney's government will open up three major Canadian airports to private investment, raising billions of dollars and fundamentally changing how these facilities are run. It's a strategy used in many countries around the world, but it's a new one for Canadian travellers. So, what's about to happen? John Gradek, Professor Emeritus at McGill University and one of the country's leading aviation experts, walks us through what could be a massive improvement to the Canadian airport experience. And while many Canadians would welcome the upgrades other massive international airports have seen,…
-
E51 · 18 Sep 2026 · 31 min
The state of local news in Canada
If you're reading this in a big city, congratulations! You have reliable local news options! If you're living somewhere smaller... well, it's a bit of a dice roll, really. While most communities still have at least one options for reporting on their every day lives — everything from city council to education, local hospitals and sports and events — but news deserts are spreading with every closure of small town newspaper or radio station, and while independent publications and podcasts are working hard to replace them, that business mode is difficult to make work in smaller places. Today, we…
-
E49 · 3 Sep 2026 · 24 min
Canada's economy is ... somehow doing pretty well?
New tariffs have hit us. Our government will respond in kind next week. A trade war has begun in earnest. And there's no doubt Canadian businesses will suffer and jobs will be lost. And yet. After more than a year and a half of economic turmoil, the numbers tell a story of resiliency. Of an economy that did not, in fact, enter a technical recession. An economy that, in the last quarter, actually posted a very impressive number. Is this our economic diversification at work? Is it the calm before the storm? What do good numbers in the middle of uncertainty really mean for the months to come?…
-
E48 · 27 Aug 2026 · 32 min
How Canada is taking the lead on Arctic security
Canada's going to become one of three "framework nations" taking the lead on Arctic defence. The government is moving to purchase military equipment outside the United States or even (gasp!) build it here at home. Is all that talk about taking national defence seriously starting to show up in action? Alistair Edgar, Associate Dean at the School of International Policy and Governance at Wilfred Laurier University, joins us to analyze the Carney government's recent defence decisions.
-
E47 · 20 Aug 2026 · 31 min
Has the Carney government abandoned climate policy? It's complicated
You may have noticed that we're talking about building another pipeline. And our acknowledgement that we'll probably blow past our emissions targets. You may have also noticed all the trees burning. Again. And the smoke and the flooding and the ... you get it. But the country faces economic and non-economic threats as extreme as any in recent memory, and in times of trouble we often look to the oil fields. So has Prime Minister Carney's government sacrificed our climate future for dollars and jobs right now? Or can the Liberals have their cake and electrify it, too? Environmental journalist…
-
E46 · 13 Aug 2026 · 42 min
IN REVIEW: How do we keep Canada's automotive industry rolling?
This week, as another set of US tariffs loom, we're revisiting a previous episode about an industry that is particularly vulnerable to them. We'll be back next week with fresh CanCon in your feed! More than 120,000 Canadians work in Canada's auto industry...for now. As tariffs imposed by the US President kick into gear, only to change and then change again, plants and shifts are adjusting by the day, and some have already shut down some production lines, at least temporarily. Right now, we're at the mercy of these tariffs, as our production is so entwined with the US and Mexico's that cars…
-
E45 · 6 Aug 2026 · 31 min
IN REVIEW: Exploring Canada's Hidden Gems
Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be revisiting a couple of our previous episodes—beginning with a trip through some of Canada's least-known but most worthy places to visit if you've still got some time to explore this summer: This summer, given ... everything going on down there, Canadians are more interested in exploring their own backyard than traveling to the United States. And since we've spent four months exploring everything about this country we need to fix, we wanted to look around at everything we don't. No matter where you live, this episode will give you some incredible ideas…
