Mark Carney built his reputation as the climate banker who’d and help save the planet. Now, as Prime Minister, he’s scrapped the carbon tax, fast-tracked oil exports, and promised “balanced growth.” Gas is cheaper, Alberta’s smiling, but Canada’s services economy — where most people actually work — is shrinking fast.

This week, we dig into whether Carney’s pivot is pragmatic politics during turbulent times and tariffs - or a slow-motion betrayal. Can a “dual-energy” Canada work when the climate math doesn’t add up and the barista can’t pay rent?

Britain promised kids would be safe online. Instead, Instagram “teen accounts” are still full of self-harm content, while Keir Starmer pushes a shiny new digital ID — the so-called “BritCard.” Stewart and Lisa dig into why protections for kids don’t work, how governments keep selling surveillance as safety, and why Canada’s patchwork approach might actually be a blessing. Plus: Politics & the Pen, stolen water glasses, and a very blush-worthy Sean Fraser story

Kimmel’s FCC suspension vs. Canada’s CRTC: which country is actually more free? Brittlestar & Lisa B dig into political speech, CanCon, and why the algorithm might be the real censor.

Topics: Kimmel/FCC suspension, political speech vs. hate-speech limits, CRTC & discoverability, Canada vs. U.S. free expression, algorithms as gatekeepers.

Contact: politicsisbrokenpodcast@gmail.com

Green Party leader Elizabeth May joins us to unpack the fallout from Charlie Kirk’s murder, Michelle Rempel Garner’s call for Carney to speak up, and whether Canada risks following America’s path. Plus: PM Mark Carney... has his honeymoon already ended?

The Liberals invited the author of Project 2025 to a cabinet meeting… and then acted surprised when he ghosted them. Meanwhile, a U.S. DOJ official spilled Epstein file gossip on a Hinge date. In this episode, we ask: why do smart people keep engaging with loud idiots, and is Mark Carney just realizing what the rest of us already know?

Video version at Brittlestar.com

This one’s the inaugural Politics Is Broken with me and Lisa B… and Owen briefly fighting the intro music. Very professional. Very us.

It’s National Payroll Week (Sept 15–19). Share your best payday story with #PowerOfPayroll and #Contest, tag National Payroll Institute, and you could win a $250 prepaid card. Every eligible post also triggers a donation to Food Banks Canada—good deeds with prize potential. Enter!

In this episode

• The Power of Payroll: Real people make paydays happen. Let’s celebrate them—and win stuff while feeding people.
• Back to School, Back to Reality: Millions of students return… and the great Canadian debate: are they duo-tangs or just “those bendy paper binder things”?
• Poilievre’s New Tone (and Old Habits): Collaboration slogans meet carbon-tax-2.0 speeches. Will the CPC actually change… or just change outfits?
• Tariffs, De Minimis, and a Border Buzzkill: The U.S. yanks duty-free under $800; Canada Post partners with Zonos; small businesses (including ours) rethink shipping to the States.
• Alberta Teachers Draw a Line: 95% strike mandate. Class sizes, pay that tracks inflation, and why supporting teachers isn’t optional if you like… society.

Why listen

Because it’s smart, funny, and slightly exasperated—like September in Canada. We cut through the noise and still leave room for the important questions… like whether chalk is extinct and if we can weaponize duo-tangs.

🎧 Listen & follow the show:

• Apple Podcasts → Follow on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify → Follow on Spotify

📺 Want the video version? Become a Paid Subscriber at Brittlestar.com to watch the full episode in glorious moving pictures.

It's never easy to say goodbye - and saying hello again to Poilievre isn't so fun either. Thank you for everything, Steve!

This week, Brittlestar, Steve and Lisa talk the Air Canada strike coming to an end, the return of Pierre Poilievre, schmoozers in Ottawa, and more!

Post your story on Instagram or TikTok with #PowerOfPayroll and #Contest, tag @nationalpayrollinst, and you could win a $250 prepaid credit card. Plus, for every post with those hashtags, NPI donates $1 to Food Banks Canada – up to $25,000.

The video version of this podcast is only available to paid subscribers at Brittlestar.com. The audio version is free on your favourite podcast platforms. We love all subscribers.

This week we're joined by the incredible Alison Gill, a.k.a. Mueller, She Wrote! Allison also has her own fantastic podcasts, The Daily Bean, and JACK: A Special Counsel Podcast, to talk Canadians held in ICE custody, and the National Guard in D.C., Oh - also, the sandwich guy.

Post your story on Instagram or TikTok with #PowerOfPayroll and #Contest, tag @nationalpayrollinst, and you could win a $250 prepaid credit card. Plus, for every post with those hashtags, NPI donates $1 to Food Banks Canada – up to $25,000.

The video version of this podcast is only available to paid subscribers at Brittlestar.com. The audio version is free on your favourite podcast platforms. We love all subscribers.