Elbows Up Podcast By Jordan Heath-Rawlings Laura Palmer Mat Keselman cover art

Elbows Up

Elbows Up

By: Jordan Heath-Rawlings Laura Palmer Mat Keselman
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A podcast for Canada, in a dangerous new world. The global order is shifting under our feet. Our best friend might become an enemy. It’s a psychic shock, and a threat to our sovereignty that demands a response. It's also an opportunity. So, what are we going to do about it? Longtime journalist and podcast host Jordan Heath-Rawlings (The Big Story, The Gravy Train) examines this strange new world and gives Canadians real work we can take on right now, individually and as a country, to emerge from the chaos strong and free. This isn't a show about picking a fight. It's a show about being ready for one. Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The Carney-Trump meeting and life in the disinformation economy
    May 13 2025

    Last week's meeting between Canada's new prime minister and his counterpart in Washington was, by recent standards, civil and non-confrontational. Mark Carney was firm in his dismissal of the 51st state rhetoric, and Trump was mostly accepting of that reality. Broadly speaking, nothing much happened, though it was good to hear a simple, "No. Never," from Canada's leader.

    But if you happened upon social media in the hours following the summit, that's likely not what you saw. Depending on your platform and feed, Carney was either a Canadian hero slapping down a bully, or a pathetic clown who was "owned" and "humiliated".

    Canada gets vast majority of its media from the United States. And that media, especially the social kind, has become increasingly distorted and unreliable. Meanwhile, our own media struggles with resources and—increasingly—public distrust. How can we protect our citizens from the distortions they're exposed to every time they—by accident or necessity—venture beyond a handful of reliable Canadian sources?

    After Jordan and Laura break down the Oval Office meeting, Jordan speaks to Taylor Owen, the Chair in Media, Ethics and Communication at McGill University, the founding Director of The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy and principal investigator at the Media Ecosystem Observatory, to try to get a handle on the firehose of falsehoods we're blasted with today.

    Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: hello.elbowsup@gmail.com.

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    44 mins
  • How do we keep Canada's automotive industry rolling?
    May 6 2025

    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 cross the border several times before they're finished.

    But does it have to be that way? What does Canada need to make our auto industry less dependent on America? Could we even, perhaps, make our own cars here at home? The whole car, from start to finish? Or is that an impossible dream. Jordan talks to Lorraine Sommerfeld, a longtime auto journalist about how to keep Canadian jobs safe from American tariffs, and how to keep our plants running despite the trade war—including the possibility of a totally Canadian-made automobile.

    Then, Laura grills Lorraine about how, exactly, a Canadian needing a new car should navigate the current situation. Buy now? Wait a while? Go used? Forget the whole thing? This is your guide to auto tariffs, from the macro down to the micro.

    Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: hello.elbowsup@gmail.com.

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    40 mins
  • A history lesson for Canada's new Parliament
    Apr 29 2025

    These might feel like unprecedented times, with the US President dropping his latest annexation proposal on Canada's election day—but in truth, we have been here before. Sort of.

    While the chaotic, bullying approach of the current administration may be unique, Canada's faced threats of tariffs leading to financial ruin and eventual annexation before. And we survived. We've faced down America on a few occasions without blinking, and as some newly elected MPs and their parties get ready to do it again, Jordan and Laura are sitting down with Craig Baird, host of Canadian History Ehx, to learn a few thing we might have forgotten—and yes, to talk about that whole 'burning down the White House' thing.

    (Note: this episode was recorded before this weekend's horrifying tragedy in Vancouver cast a pall over final days of the election.)

    Feedback from listeners is so, so welcome. If you have something to say, email us: hello.elbowsup@gmail.com.

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    31 mins
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