Hub Podcasts
Hub Media Canada
Welcome to Hub Podcasts, the audio version of the big ideas and in-depth conversations found at TheHub.ca, Canada's fastest growing digital news outlet with half a million people engaging weekly with our content.
Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large Sean Speer and managing editor Harrison Lowman engaged in longform conversations with leading thinkers on the big issues and ideas shaping the public conversation.
In Conversation with David Frum features the insights and analysis of leading author, journalist, and thinker David Frum, who weighs in every second Friday on global and Canadian news events.
The news cycle never slows down and neither does Hub Hits. Each day we provide you with quick hits on topical stories, big issues and important voices appearing in The Hub.
Every week, editor-at-large Sean Speer is joined by David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, and Amanda Galbraith, principal at Oyster Group, to dig into the drama and strategy of Canadian politics. Topics range from the issues dominating headlines, the communications battles behind the scenes, to the trends shaping parties, leaders, and voters. Some weeks, they'll focus on the hot story in Ottawa.
The Hub's media criticism podcast Full Press looks at how the media in Canada is covering the major stories of the day. Full press is hosted by The Hub's managing editor Harrison Lowman, and features journalist Tara Henley, and veteran news media executive Peter Menzies.
Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best analysis published daily in The Hub. Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go.
Each Friday, The Hub Roundtable features Hub co-founders Rudyard Griffiths' and Sean Speer's take on the big political and economic stories making the news.
Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large Sean Speer and managing editor Harrison Lowman engaged in longform conversations with leading thinkers on the big issues and ideas shaping the public conversation.
In Conversation with David Frum features the insights and analysis of leading author, journalist, and thinker David Frum, who weighs in every second Friday on global and Canadian news events.
The news cycle never slows down and neither does Hub Hits. Each day we provide you with quick hits on topical stories, big issues and important voices appearing in The Hub.
Every week, editor-at-large Sean Speer is joined by David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, and Amanda Galbraith, principal at Oyster Group, to dig into the drama and strategy of Canadian politics. Topics range from the issues dominating headlines, the communications battles behind the scenes, to the trends shaping parties, leaders, and voters. Some weeks, they'll focus on the hot story in Ottawa.
The Hub's media criticism podcast Full Press looks at how the media in Canada is covering the major stories of the day. Full press is hosted by The Hub's managing editor Harrison Lowman, and features journalist Tara Henley, and veteran news media executive Peter Menzies.
Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best analysis published daily in The Hub. Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go.
Each Friday, The Hub Roundtable features Hub co-founders Rudyard Griffiths' and Sean Speer's take on the big political and economic stories making the news.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 28, 2026 • 8min
Doug Ford has given up on trying to balance the budget
Discussion of Ontario’s new budget strategy that leans on growth and assumed restraint instead of specific policy choices. A look at Canada reaching the NATO 2% defense spending mark and the massive fiscal implications. Concerns about favouring domestic defense firms and how procurement and political pressures can raise costs and slow acquisitions. A brief note on AI-integred books turning reading into interactive experiences.
Mar 27, 2026 • 19min
Ontario's $13.8 billion deficit exposes Canada's broken fiscal model
Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer dissect Ontario's massive budget deficit and Canada's broader fiscal crisis. They examine how governments across the country are abandoning fiscal discipline, relying on deficit spending rather than organic economic growth. In the second half, they explore the collapse of entrepreneurship in Canada, the concentration of economic activity in government, and how an increasingly narrow tax base enables unsustainable spending. They argue this represents a fundamental shift away from economic freedom and individual autonomy toward European-style state dependency. You can read Charles Lammam's analysis "Canada is losing its entrepreneurs—and barely anyone is talking about it," here: https://thehub.ca/2026/03/23/canada-is-losing-its-entrepreneurs-and-barely-anyone-is-talking-about-it/ If you are enjoying the free version of the Hub Roundtable, subscribe to become a Hub Hero or Fellow to access the full version every week: https://thehub.ca/join/ The Hub is Canada's fastest growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get our best content when you are on the go: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Amal Attar-Guzman - Producer and Editor Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer - Hosts
Mar 27, 2026 • 10min
Why the Alberta-Ottawa energy MOU is far from dead
Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub. Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:22 - Why the Alberta-Ottawa energy MOU is far from dead, despite missed targets, by Falice Chin 6:25 - Beyond GDP: Americans' net wealth has doubled over last decade, while Canadians' lags far behind, by Alicia Planincic This program is narrated by automated voices. To get full-length editions of popular Hub podcasts and other great perks, subscribe to the Hub for only $2 a week: https://thehub.ca/join/hero/ Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get all our best content: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Watch The Hub on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Alisha Rao – Producer & Editor
Mar 26, 2026 • 22min
Why Iain Black wants to be the next leader of the BC Conservatives
Former B.C. cabinet minister Iain Black argues why he should be the next leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Black discusses his vision for addressing British Columbia's growing challenges, including its $13.3 billion dollar deficit, the worst housing crisis in the country, safety concerns around drug abuse, and questions around property rights following a landmark court decision around Indigenous title. Black insists his experience in power will be what unites B.C.'s fractured conservative movement. In the next few weeks, The Hub will interview the lead contenders vying to become leader of the BC Conservatives, and the next leader of the Official Opposition. The Hub is Canada's fastest growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get all our best content: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Watch a video version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Amal Attar-Guzman - Producer Alisha Rao - Editor Harrison Lowman - Host Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press - Photo Credit
Mar 26, 2026 • 33min
What to expect from the energy MOU's first big test
Alberta Edge's Amber Ruddy and Keith McLaughlin say missing some of the April 1 deadlines tied to the federal–provincial MOU does not necessarily mean a bitumen pipeline to the West Coast is off the table. They argue the pipeline process is now running on a separate but related track from the Pathways Plus carbon capture proposal. The two political strategists believe Prime Minister Mark Carney still has time—and political runway—to turn this into both an economic and national unity project. However, the opportunity won't last forever. This podcast is generously supported by Don Archibald. The Hub thanks him for his ongoing support. The Hub is Canada's fastest-growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get our latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get our best content when you are on the go: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Want more Hub? Get a FREE 3-month trial membership on us: https://thehub.ca/free-trial/ Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Falice Chin - Host, Producer, and Editor Amber Ruddy - Panelist Keith McLaughlin - Panelist
Mar 26, 2026 • 11min
Auditor general fires torpedo at Liberals' mishandling of international student fraud
Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub. Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:20 - Auditor general fires torpedo at Liberals' mishandling of international student fraud, by Stephen Staley 5:48 - New firm creation is down nearly 25% since the 1980s—The numbers behind Canada's entrepreneurship crisis, by The Hub Staff This program is narrated by automated voices. To get full-length editions of popular Hub podcasts and other great perks, subscribe to the Hub for only $2 a week: https://thehub.ca/join/hero/ Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get all our best content: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Watch The Hub on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Alisha Rao – Producer & Editor
Mar 25, 2026 • 26min
LIVE with David Frum: Trump, Iran, and a Canada that can no longer count on Washington
This week, The Hub gathered readers and listeners in Ottawa's National Arts Centre for a live conversation between Sean Speer, The Hub's co-founder and editor-at-large, and David Frum, leading author, thinker, and journalist. The two discussed the escalating U.S.–Iran conflict, the erosion of institutional guardrails in Donald Trump's second term, and the implications for Canada. Frum argued that we're witnessing a fundamental rupture in the international order that requires Canada to think and act like a middle power navigating between three potentially hostile giants. The Hub is Canada's fastest-growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get our best content when you are on the go: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Elia Gross - Producer and Editor Sean Speer - Host
Mar 25, 2026 • 10min
Why Canada's Major Projects Office hasn't delivered projects—yet
Andrew Lamb, partner at Gowling WLG's Calgary office, examines Canada's Major Projects Office seven months after its creation. He discusses why the office hasn't accelerated project approvals and compares Canada's regulatory challenges to those in the U.S. He also explores the tension between regulatory certainty and market forces, the likelihood of brownfield versus greenfield developments, and prospects for the federal-Alberta energy MOU amid ongoing negotiations over carbon pricing, carbon capture, and pipeline expansions. The Hub is Canada's fastest growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get all our best content: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Watch a video version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Amal Attar-Guzman - Producer Alisha Rao - Editor Falice Chin - Host Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press - Photo Credit
Mar 25, 2026 • 22min
Ontario needs a bold tax plan to spur growth and counter America's economic threats
Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub. Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:19 - Ontario needs a bold tax plan to spur growth and counter America's economic threats, by Charles Lammam 12:52 - It's time for Canada to start competing for African capital, by Idee Inyangudor This program is narrated by automated voices. To get full-length editions of popular Hub podcasts and other great perks, subscribe to the Hub for only $2 a week: https://thehub.ca/join/hero/
Mar 24, 2026 • 36min
How Calgary built 84 affordable homes in under two years
Jaydan Tait, president and CEO of Attainable Homes Calgary, discusses how factory-built modular housing can address Canada's affordability crisis. He explains his organization's successful partnership with ATCO Structures to deliver affordable housing and argues that streamlining municipal approval processes is critical to scaling modular construction. Finally, he demonstrates how Calgary's approach to zoning and permits enables rapid housing delivery on constrained urban sites. This episode is presented in partnership with ATCO Structures. The Hub is Canada's fastest growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get all our best content: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Watch a video version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Elia Gross - Producer & Editor Sean Speer - Host
