In the latest season of Understood, Mumbai-based journalist Salimah Shivji examines how Modi went from being barred from the US, to becoming one of the most powerful men in the world. And asks the pressing question: what’s at stake if he wins again? Season 3: Modi's India. About Understood: Know more, now. From the fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, to the rise of Pornhub, Understood is an anthology podcast that takes you out of the daily news cycle and inside the events, people, and cultural moments yo...
May 13, 2024•35 min
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney continues to face criticism from all sides for his handling of the pandemic in the prairie province, where doctors are begging for an immediate lockdown as the health care system remains on the brink of collapse. Other premiers and leaders across the country have not faced the same kind of crisis in this fourth wave — how did Alberta get here, and what happens next? Rosie and Elamin also look ahead to what priorities Justin Trudeau is hoping to tackle as his Liberal ...
Sep 30, 2021•28 min
Now that Rosie and Elamin have mostly — mostly — caught up on sleep after Monday’s big night, they’re ready to look ahead at what happens next. Sure, this new Parliament may look pretty similar to the last, but each federal party now has plenty of questions to grapple with: how do the Liberals move forward with their agenda in another minority? Will the Conservative Party have to re-identify who they are? Will the NDP devise a list of demands they expect the Liberals to fulfill in order to secur...
Sep 23, 2021•27 min
This is it: the final stretch before election day. Rosie and Elamin have noticed that the major party leaders have shifted their tone into more negative territory this week — but does that risk alienating voters and reaffirming the worst feelings people have about politics? And what about the risk of people feeling more divided than ever before? Elamin also breaks down some of the biggest differences between what the major parties are putting on the table as they continue to court voters, and Ro...
Sep 16, 2021•27 min
Tonight, five federal party leaders go head-to-head in the sole official English-language debate of this election. Elamin and Rosie lay out the stakes — which are much higher this side of Labour Day — and look at whether tonight’s event could have a greater impact than most leaders’ debates of the past. The two also take stock of the latest issues to add pressure to party leaders in recent days, including gun control, continued protests over vaccines and carbon pricing. How are the major federal...
Sep 09, 2021•27 min
We heard you loud and clear: climate change is a top issue for many Party Lines listeners. This week, Rosie and Elamin dive into what the major parties are promising when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and examine how the climate change conversation on this campaign trail is pretty different, compared to 2019. And before they get into that: the two dissect the recent shift in tone, as groups of protesters continue to direct anger over vaccines at Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. Wha...
Sep 02, 2021•26 min
We’re two weeks (out of five!) into this federal election campaign, and while parties have so far attempted to push a whole range of issues to the forefront, there was one that dominated the conversation early this week: health care. Rosie and Elamin get to the root of why, exactly, the Liberals and Conservatives appeared at odds over this, and what prescriptions leaders are pitching to improve Canada’s health-care system. The two also take a close look at the Conservative Party’s recent gains i...
Aug 26, 2021•22 min
They’re back! Rosie and Elamin have tossed the rest of their summer plans out the window and are settling in for a five-week federal election campaign that will culminate in a trip to the polls September 20. They kick things off with a close look at what might be the biggest question on a lot of people’s minds: why are we even having an election right now, anyway? With COVID-19 still present, wildfires raging in parts of the country and many would-be voters still in summer vacation mode, it’s un...
Aug 19, 2021•24 min
Welcome to Party Lines! Co-hosts Rosemary Barton and Elamin Abdelmahmoud demystify Canadian politics, one issue at a time. Because talking politics is for everyone.
Aug 18, 2021•37 sec
The way Elamin sees it, this Canada Day comes after a year full of questions that included: what is Canada about? And who is Canada for? As Indigenous leaders call for reflection today, and as some cities opt to pull back on celebrations, Rosie and Elamin look at the politics involved in the decision on how to mark July 1 this year. And before pausing for the summer — they’ll be back in August! — the two explore another big-picture question: what will Canada look like, coming out of this pandemi...
Jul 01, 2021•25 min
Questions about a possible trip to the polls have been floating around Ottawa for months, but election speculation hit a new level this week as the House of Commons prepared to break for the summer. Rosie and Elamin point out a few key signs that an election may be nigh — and take stock of where the federal parties currently sit. Plus: as the country hits a milestone of more than 20 per cent of eligible Canadians fully vaccinated, you might be wondering — what are you allowed to do, following yo...
Jun 24, 2021•23 min
On this week's podcast, Rosie and Elamin discuss the Ontario government's use of the notwithstanding clause for the first time in the province's history. Why did the Ford government resort to the constitutional "nuclear option," and how have other provinces used it or threatened to use it? The hosts break it down. And it's been a week for the federal Green Party. Leader Annamie Paul had a member of her caucus cross the floor to the Liberals, and now she's under fire from some party members for h...
Jun 17, 2021•23 min
In the wake of a fatal attack on a Muslim family in London, Ont., we've heard some familiar sentiments: “This is not who we are.” “This is not what Canada is about.” “This cannot happen here.” Elamin Abdelmahmoud, who brings lived experience to this conversation, wants to unpack some of that language — and discuss how it squares with the main messages coming from federal politicians of all political stripes. Nearly all party leaders condemned Islamophobia in general at a massive vigil earlier th...
Jun 10, 2021•35 min
It’s a heavy one this week, as Elamin and Rosie explore the state of Canada’s path to reconciliation with the help of CBC colleague Duncan McCue. Over the past week, many people across the country have reacted with shock and horror at the preliminary discovery on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., where the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation said they found the potential remains of possibly as many as 215 children in an undocumented burial site. But is the news surpri...
Jun 03, 2021•27 min
Anytime the words “Quebec” and “Constitution” come up in political conversation, it’s usually a pretty big deal — and, historically, it’s led to some pretty divisive situations. So why aren’t more federal politicians making noise over Quebec’s proposed Bill 96, which aims to strengthen provincial language laws and tweak Canada’s Constitution to recognize Quebec as a nation? Rosie and Elamin lay out the political stakes and connect the dots to the next eventual election. Plus: as other provinces ...
May 27, 2021•25 min
This week, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to ship 20 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines to countries that need them — meaning our southern neighbours will be sending abroad a total of 80 million shots by the end of June. This comes just days after the WHO urged rich countries like Canada and the U.S. to consider sharing shots before vaccinating its youngest citizens. As Canada gets closer to surpassing the U.S. in administering first doses, should the federal government follow Biden’s lea...
May 20, 2021•26 min
For weeks, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been urging the federal government to tighten border restrictions in an effort to prevent more cases of COVID-19 from entering Canada. But how much is travel influencing the spread of the virus in this third wave? Elamin and Rosie take stock of what the federal government has implemented up to this point, and weigh Ontario’s asks against the latest data. The two also dive into the hullabaloo surrounding Bill C-10, the government’s broadcasting bill, and t...
May 13, 2021•24 min
For months, the Prime Minister has said that the best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one that’s offered to you. If you’ve been watching the headlines this week, that might have felt hard to square with the message brought forward by the independent body of experts offering guidance on approved vaccines (you may know them as the National Advisory Committee on Immunization). NACI this week reiterated their position that mRNA shots — like those from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna — are their “preferred ...
May 06, 2021•22 min
After months of mounting pressure from opposition parties, scientific advisers, labour groups and local medical officers of health across the province, the Ontario government has unveiled a plan to provide three paid sick days by reimbursing employers through a temporary pandemic program that will run through to September. Does it meet what many have been calling for? Rosie and Elamin take a close look at the proposal and how Doug Ford’s government handled the highly anticipated announcement on ...
Apr 29, 2021•22 min
Elamin and Rosie turn their attention south to reflect on Tuesday’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin case. The former Minneapolis police officer was convicted on all three counts including murder and manslaughter for killing George Floyd in May of last year. What — if anything — does this verdict change, when it comes to policing in the U.S. and Canada, where charges and convictions are rare in cases of fatal encounters with police? The two also focus on the COVID crisis unfolding in Ontario, where ...
Apr 22, 2021•26 min
The pandemic isn't over but many people are over it. They're fed up with COVID-19, fed up with the lockdowns, and fed up with how governments have handled this whole pandemic. So today, Rosie and Elamin talk about the various ways people are expressing their anger, and whether there's anything governments can do to address the reasons for that anger. Plus, the two check in about the upcoming federal budget. It's the government's first in two years and — in the context of the pandemic and the eco...
Apr 15, 2021•26 min
Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed on Wednesday that Canada’s most populous province would be heading into its second stay-at-home order and third state of emergency as COVID-19 variants of concern continue to spread. Catherine Cullen, senior reporter for CBC News, sits in for Rosie this week and joins Elamin in examining how efforts in several provinces still tend to be reactive versus proactive, and may not reach the “middle ground” that premiers like Alberta’s Jason Kenney often strive to fi...
Apr 08, 2021•27 min
Elamin has turned to a simultaneously fun and frustrating way to pass the time during the pandemic: scrolling through real estate listings. He’s just one of an endless number of millennials hoping to somehow grab onto the real estate ladder and buy their first home — but when? And how? The national average home price in February was up 25 per cent from the year before (jumping from just under $542,500 to just over $678,000, if you’re curious) and there’s research out there that suggests a young ...
Apr 01, 2021•25 min
It’s our last episode! And what a wild ride it has been. Party in the U.S.A. was originally meant to cover the 2020 U.S. election, but then EVERYTHING happened. Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, Trump got COVID-19, Biden won, and a deadly riot on Capitol Hill led to Trump’s second impeachment. In this episode, we take stock of the last few months and what’s next for the U.S. But first, a deep dive into what’s happening in Bessemer, Alabama where a group of Amazon workers are trying to make history by be...
Mar 29, 2021•38 min
This week, an independent report found the RCMP racially discriminated against the family of Colten Boushie, the young Indigenous man whose shooting death in Saskatchewan was investigated by the national police force in 2016. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki accepted the report’s finding, the Saskatchewan RCMP is implementing the report’s recommendations, the Prime Minister has once again acknowledged the presence of systemic racism in the RCMP and other institutions — but what happens next? Rosie...
Mar 25, 2021•23 min
The Atlanta shooting attack on March 16 marked a culmination of a year of increased racism, discrimination and violence directed against Asians and Asian Americans in the U.S. In this episode, we look at the long history of discrimination against Asians in America, the complications of "Asian-American" as a political term, and what this moment means for mainstream politics and grassroots organizing. Elamin is joined by Kim Tran, an anti-racist researcher and consultant based in Oakland, and Aris...
Mar 22, 2021•24 min
Maybe Elamin’s situation hits home for you, too: he’s been getting WhatsApp messages from his mom with questions about COVID-19 vaccines, and some of those concerns appear to be based on misinformation floating around the internet. On a week that saw plenty of headlines about the AstraZeneca vaccine in particular, Rosie and Elamin lay out the need-to-know facts about the updated recommendation for seniors getting the shot here in Canada, and why some European countries have chosen to temporarily...
Mar 18, 2021•24 min
President Joe Biden has his biggest moment yet — the passage of his $1.9 trillion dollar COVID-19 relief bill. It’s one of the largest expansions of federal social support in the U.S. in decades, bringing aid to tens of millions of people. But another area where President Biden had promised to distinguish himself from his predecessor — the immigration file — is proving more difficult. He’s promised to usher in a new, more humane system and erase Trump’s controversial legacy on immigration policy...
Mar 15, 2021•34 min
There’s still plenty to unpack following Sunday’s bombshell Oprah interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, which shed light on their departure from the same royal family that is intrinsically tied to Canada’s system of government. Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the revelations of racism this week, and how they square with his own desire to address systemic racism and the legacy of colonialism in this country. Elamin and Rosie examine whether it’s enough to spur change i...
Mar 11, 2021•27 min
South of the border, there’s a battle brewing for the most basic expression of democracy — voting. And there’s never been more at stake. Former President Donald Trump has repeated false allegations that the 2020 election results are fraudulent due to massive, widespread voter tampering. This has inspired a wave of voter restriction measures at the state level — 43 states in all — and if passed, could represent some of the most restrictive voting laws since the Jim Crow era. At the same time, the...
Mar 08, 2021•31 min
