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Check latest episodes from The Current podcast

A grocery rebate can help, but by how much?

2026/02/09

Food prices have climbed for years and for families on fixed incomes, every increase means another trade-off. As the federal government rolls out a new grocery rebate, we hear from a single mother of four on the Ontario Disability Support Program about what it could change for her family, and from food economist Michael von Massow on what the rebate can and can't do to ease food insecurity.

Ask Me Anything: Jason Kenney on Alberta Separatism

2026/02/09

We've got a special episode today of Cross Country Checkup. It is Canada's only national phone-in show, broadcasting live from coast to coast to coast. Checkup is Canada's weekly town hall — a place for raw, honest perspectives on the most pressing issues of the week. For over 55 years, it's where Canadians gather to listen to each other every Sunday afternoon. This week, the host Ian Hanomansing is joined by Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney for a special Ask Me Anything.

Why men are travelling to Turkey for hair transplants

2026/02/09

Turkey has become a top destination for the booming business of hair transplants. But why are so many men opting for the procedure? We talk to John Paul Brammer, a writer and artist based in Brooklyn about his own experience with hair transplants. Plus, Glen Jankowski, an adjunct lecturer and researcher in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin, and the author of a forthcoming book, Branding Baldness, about how our perception of baldness changed over the years.

Zadie Smith loves Billie Eilish, clubs and third-rate novels

2026/02/09

Zadie Smith wonders if she's weird. She pays attention to a lot in an age when our attention has been captured and her phone-free life can be lonely. It's been twenty-five years since Zadie Smith published her widely acclaimed novel 'White Teeth.’ We talk to her about aging, attention, clubbing, why she loves Billie Eilish, and her most recent book of essays 'Dead and Alive.’

Canadian Olympic greats on the power of the Games

2026/02/06

Clara Hughes. Hayley Wickenheiser. Beckie Scott. Legends of Team Canada with 13 Olympic medals between them. So what do they watch for when Team Canada competes — and what goes through their minds when they see more Canadian athletes climb onto the podium? Olympians on why we should lean into the Olympics.

How a four-month-old bird flew non-stop for 11 days

2026/02/06

A young bar-tailed godwit code-named B6 flew for more than 13,000 kilometres from Alaska to Tasmania in 2022. That's the longest known sustained flight by a bird. Avian expert and author Bruce Beehler says we don't entirely understand how it did it — and that should humble us.

Several Toronto police officers linked to organized crime

2026/02/06

Toronto Star Crime Reporter, Jennifer Pagliaro on an investigation by York Regional Police connecting several Toronto police officers to organized crime, including a conspiracy to commit murder, shootings, extortion, robbery, drug trafficking and firearms offences.

The politics of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show

2026/02/06

Coming off his Album of the Year win at the Grammys, where he made a statement denouncing ICE, Bad Bunny will take the stage at the Super Bowl half time show. What message will his performance send, and why the NFL has gone against the White House to support him.

Why Canadian ice cream is a hit in Mexico

2026/02/06

Scrap chocolate and vanilla: mango, coconut, and pistachio are the hot new Canadian ice cream flavours… in Mexico, that is. Ice cream is one of many Canadian products making its way to Mexican shelves right now. We talk with Pierre Morin, the owner of Quebec ice cream manufacturing company Top Glacier, about why Mexico is hungry for Canadian products right now, how Canadian businesses are thinking about Mexico and the U.S. as trading partners, and what you should do if you want to get your product into the Mexican market.

Are you a target of algorithmic pricing?

2026/02/05

We know that companies are gathering data on us as we go about our lives online, but that information might also be used to create a personalized price for something you’re looking at buying. We hear from Jim Balsellie, the co-founder of the Council of Canadian Innovators and the Digital Governance Council, on how algorithmic pricing works and what guardrails need to be put in place.

Are you feeling the pinch of the singles 'tax'?

2026/02/05

There’s no getting around it - life is more expensive as a single person than it is when you’re in a couple. With singles in Canada now making up almost 40% of the population, The Current producer Cece Armstrong looked into the so-called singles 'tax' and how it’s hitting people’s wallets and life choices.

P.K. Subban on the Canada/US heated hockey rivalry

2026/02/05

Canadian hockey legend PK Subban is one of the executive producers of a new CBC special, Rivals: the Four-Nations Face-Off -- chronicling that epic hockey tournament, last year. He talks about the fights, the booing, and why Canadian fans criticized people like Wayne Gretzky, and Subban himself, during that heated political and cultural moment.

The last US-Russia nuclear treaty just expired

2026/02/05

The last remaining US-Russia nuclear treaty that put limits on nuclear arsenals, the New START, expires today. Experts warn that without a new treaty, it raises the risk of a nuclear arms race in an increasingly volatile world, We speak with Thomas Countryman, Board Chair of the Arms Control Association, and a former U.S. diplomat who served as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and Matt Korda, the Associate Director for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, who's tracking nuclear arsenals and trends.

CBC exclusive: Grandmother of missing Nova Scotia children

2026/02/04

Lily and Jack Sullivan have been missing for nine months. For the first time their maternal grandmother is speaking in a CBC exclusive interview.

Dry January? What's that gonna do for you?

2026/02/04

Many of us participate in Dry January — and go right back to drinking during the other eleven months of the year. Sure, Dry January can be a great jumping off point, but long-term health benefits aren't going to come with quitting the booze for one month. We speak to Catharine Fairbairn, a psychologist who runs an alcohol research lab, about what people should be doing if they really want to change their drinking habits. And we ask Dan Malleck, a medical historian specializing in alcohol and prohibition: Why do people drink, anyways? And is it really that bad for you?

Read The Current podcast reviews

4.3 out of 5

113 reviews

Tekkygal 2024/02/18

Manitoba

Can you come to Ontario. You are right on target. Our healthcare workers are burned out and in languishing. They need investment here in Ontario, ...

BethSYoung 2023/03/23

Uncommon Common Sense

Matt Galloway is an incredibly talented interviewer. He’s able to report calmly, clearly, and humanely. The topics chosen show the depth and texture o...

Siobbahn 2020/02/07

My new favorite interviewer, Matt Galloway

Have become a huge fan of The Current since Matt Galloway joined. He is one of the best interviewers and journalists. Always insightful, well-prepared...

Hibiscus 2019/12/23

Another really good one.

When doing boring stuff, this helps keep my brain active.

marlainreallife 2018/01/27

Relatable host covering tough topics.

The current does a wonderful job of keeping the topics covered interesting and modern. The host, Anna Maria, makes me feel like I’m talking to a frie...

lyric.mama 2019/03/04

Strong variety in interviews.

I appreciate the varied topics but have real trouble when an interviewer *constantly* interrupts the interviewee (eg. Duncan McCue in his ADHD segment...

mbadoc 2018/03/27

Impatient and rude

Really great topic on Early Cancer Screening episode - however the host kept interrupting the guest speaker to wrap up. I felt stressed listening

Alex K, 00 2012/01/08

World class journalism.

The Current is hands down my favorite in depth news source. Anna Maria Tremonti (sp?) is simply brilliant and the show is incredibly well-produced. T...

Expat Listener66 2017/12/19

Hard Core Leftist

I like to listen to The Current to hear the latest in hard core leftist thinking. Very useful.

Visuals Unnecessary 2009/01/09

The Current

Sharp interviews, or documentaries - beautifully edited, concise and artful. Intensely relevant stories/issues, right to the point, but often heart-w...

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