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The Current

CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand

Three stories to expand your worldview, delivered daily. Matt Galloway cuts through a sea of choice to bring you stories that transcend the news cycle. Conversations with big thinkers, household names, and people living the news. An antidote to...

Location:

Canada, ON

Description:

Three stories to expand your worldview, delivered daily. Matt Galloway cuts through a sea of choice to bring you stories that transcend the news cycle. Conversations with big thinkers, household names, and people living the news. An antidote to algorithms that cater to what you already know — and a meeting place for diverse perspectives. In its 20 years, the Current has become a go-to place for stories that shape and entertain us. Released daily, Monday to Friday. The Current is produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada — and has recently recorded live shows about the Canadian election in Surrey and Burnaby BC. And shows to come in Oshawa and the 905, Red Deer, Alberta, Quebec City and Halifax.

Language:

English

Contact:

The Current CBC Radio P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 (877) 287-7366


Episodes
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A "major milestone" for treating severe depression

4/16/2026
Scientists have the results of the first ever large-scale clinical trial of a new form of treatment for severe, treatment-resistant depression, called magnetic seizure therapy. They found it's as effective as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is currently considered the gold standard. We talk to Dr. Daniel Blumberger of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, also the co-lead of the study, about how this treatment can change lives.

Duration:00:10:47

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The Real Cost of Reality TV

4/16/2026
Since the dawn of reality television in the '90s, the genre has capitalized on the 'train wreck' appeal of its stars. Now, with recent abuse allegations against the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul, there are renewed calls for networks to stop prioritizing dramatic plotlines over participants' mental health. We talk to Theresa DeMaria from Netflix's 'Age of Attraction' and Danielle Lindeman, the author of 'True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.'

Duration:00:25:38

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Skyrocketing airfares may be here to stay

4/16/2026
Air travel is getting more expensive.. A global jet fuel crunch, driven by conflict in the Middle East, is pushing up costs and starting to disrupt supply in parts of the world. Airlines are already adjusting — raising fares, adding fees, and in some cases, cutting routes. John Gradek, an aviation lecturer at McGill University, explains what’s driving the spike, what it means for your summer travel plans, and why higher prices could stick around even if the crisis eases.

Duration:00:13:48

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Why Canada's long term care system can't keep up

4/16/2026
Long term care workers in Nova Scotia are on strike, demanding more pay and better working conditions. Adults 85 and older are one of Canada's fastest growing age groups. It's estimated that long term care capacity will have to almost double in the next decade to meet demand. We look at the demands on long term care workers and what staffing issues mean for residents with Ty Loppie, long term-care worker and Vice President of Young Workers CUPE Nova Scotia, and Andre Picard, health columnist for the Globe and Mail and the author of Neglected No More: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Canada's Elders in the Wake of a Pandemic.

Duration:00:19:15

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How the energy crisis is hurting Canadians

4/15/2026
From trucking, to farming, to filling up your tank. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices skyrocketing. Murray Mullen is the senior executive officer and chairman of Mullen Group, a logistics and trucking company based in Alberta. Plus, Reid Southwick, the Western Bureau Chief for the Financial Post, about the wider pinch this country is feeling.

Duration:00:19:51

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Former Bank of Canada gov on Canada’s economic outlook

4/15/2026
We speak to Stephen Poloz, the former governor of the Bank of Canada, about how the Iran war is making a shaky global economy even worse — and what options governments and ordinary Canadians have to weather the storm.

Duration:00:16:55

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How powerful is Anthropic's Mythos?

4/15/2026
Anthropic has not released its latest AI model "Mythos" to the public, but only to a consortium of 40 companies because it says it's too powerful when it comes to cybersecurity. It has found bugs in some of the most protected systems in the world, and if Mythos falls in the wrong hands, it can leave hundreds of organizations vulnerable. Lily Hay Newman, senior writer at WIRED unpacks it all for us.

Duration:00:10:16

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Circling back: Corporate BS is driving us crazy

4/15/2026
Every workplace has buzzwords and jargon. A new study shows that employees who are most impressed by it tend to be bad at analytical thinking and practical decisions. But before you get too smug, Cornell BS researcher Shane Littrell warns that all of us can fall for BS, depending on the circumstances.

Duration:00:22:31

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Could readers like AI books more than ones written by humans?

4/14/2026
The new thriller novel “Shy Girl” by Mia Ballard has been pulled from shelves over speculation it was written by AI and it's throwing the literary world for a loop. Questions are being raised about what role AI could, and should, have in creative writing in the future. Can it write better than humans? Does it matter? Authors Stephen Marche, Andrea Bartz, and Vauhini Vara join us to talk about it.

Duration:00:24:20

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What’s behind a chimpanzee 'civil war'?

4/14/2026
Scientists spent decades watching a large group of chimpanzees in Uganda, living peacefully together. Until 2015, when suddenly things started falling apart. And within a few years, two rival factions were launching violent attacks against one another, resulting in a permanent rift. Aaron Sandel is a primatologist at the University of Texas at Austin, he explains why the violence may have erupted, and what we humans can learn from it, about social breakdown.

Duration:00:11:51

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Trump vs Pope Leo

4/14/2026
We look at the latest tirade by President Donald Trump against Pope Leo. We hear from two experts on how unprecedented the move is from a US president, and how the Catholics in America are reacting. Chris White is the author of Pope Leo XIV, he’s also the associate director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, and Francis Rocca is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and the Vatican editor at EWTN News.

Duration:00:19:25

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Hungarian voters reject its far-right government

4/14/2026
After 16 years, Hungary has a new Prime Minister. Voters have decisively ousted far right leader Viktor Orbán in favour of center right leader Peter Magyar. Nick Thorpe is BBC’s Central Europe correspondent, based in Budapest. He talks about what this could mean for the country's relationship with the European Union, and the future of the far-right movement.

Duration:00:12:41

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Deadly attacks in Lebanon continue despite ceasefire

4/13/2026
We speak with The Guardian's Will Christou from Beirut on the latest in Lebanon. Hundreds have been killed by Israeli strikes and a disagreement about Lebanon’s inclusion in the US-Iran ceasefire could put the whole agreement in jeopardy.

Duration:00:08:31

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What comes next if Mark Carney wins a majority?

4/13/2026
The Liberals may be on the verge of a majority. Our National Affairs Panel — CBC's Rosemary Barton, Ryan Tumilty of the Toronto Star, and Stephanie Levitz of the Globe and Mail — take a close look at the latest floor-crossing from the Conservatives, the potential takeaways from tonight's byelections and what all this says about the fate of Mark Carney's political honeymoon.

Duration:00:19:58

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Swiping fatigue means more dating IRL

4/13/2026
Singletons are turning away from dating apps. A 2025 Forbes Health survey said 78% of users were feeling emotionally mentally or physically exhausted by dating apps at least some of the time. So instead, some are going old school — and actually meeting people in person. The Current’s Juliana Konrad explores this in her documentary: Swipe or no swiping.

Duration:00:25:14

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Is Canada ready to become a true World Cup nation?

4/13/2026
Just two months to go until the World Cup begins. Can the Canadian men's team finally breakthrough on home turf? Will Canadian fans show the kind of love for the game seen around the world? Canadian Soccer Hall of Famer Amy Walsh is hopeful. Are you?

Duration:00:15:51

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What’s happening in Downtown Calgary?

4/10/2026
Downtown Calgary is undergoing a massive transformation. There's been a huge influx of funding for new arts and culture, including what's soon to be the biggest performing arts campus in Canada. So, we go there to hear from the locals!

Duration:00:07:21

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CFL legend Jon Cornish on why they love Calgary

4/10/2026
Jon Cornish is a sports legend and community hero in Calgary. They played nine seasons for the Stampeders, won two Grey Cups, the Lou Marsh Trophy and is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. And after their CFL career, they decided to stay in Calgary. They founded the city's premiere Black leadership organization — the Calgary Black Chambers. And since 2022 they have served as Chancellor of the University of Calgary. We talk to Jon Cornish about the city they love, and the future of Calgary they hope to see.

Duration:00:09:24

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Premier Danielle Smith’s vision for Alberta

4/10/2026
We talk to the Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, about the separatist movement to take Alberta out of Canada, and the major push for a nation-building pipeline, happening at the same time.

Duration:00:19:45

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What it’s like to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere

4/10/2026
Tonight, the Artemis II crew comes back to Earth at a maximum speed of 38,405 kilometres per hour. Only a very few people know what that feels like — and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques is one of them. We talk to him about his experience of going to the International Space Station and how he feels today as his astronaut friends make their way back home.

Duration:00:07:32