Tô Lâm, president and general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam visited Canada on September 24. It was Canada's first official state visit of 2026 and the first time Canada welcomed a Vietnamese president to the country. Though the visit largely flew under the radar, the visit signalled a new chapter in Canada-Vietnam relations. Why did arch-capitalist Prime Minister Mark Carney build a bridge with communist Vietnam? Mike Tatarski, Ho Chi Minh-based independent journalist behind the Vietnam Weekly podcast and newsletter, joins Scott to discuss Vietnam's geopolitical approach, their response to Trump tariffs and what this visit means for both countries moving forward.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/canada-and-vietnam-bffs-ft-mike-tatarski-podcast

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Protestors chanted slogans condemning a former Israeli ambassador who defended military killings and mocked Palestinian victims. Leader of a federal party with five seats uses Yom Kippur to denounce the state committing violence in the name of his religion. Both of these are obscured, distorted and lambasted as pinnacles of antisemitism by pro-Israel voices. Three years into a Zionist genocide, outrage is continually directed at those who oppose Israel's extermination campaign, written under the guise of concern for antisemitism. Alex Cosh, news editor at The Maple, joins Scott to desntangle the overarching Zionism in the latest attacks in the right-wing press.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/zionist-canadian-outlets-throw-their-weight-around-ft-alex-cosh-podcast

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Eric Wickham, Ontario reporter for PressProgress helps Scott explain how you can help The Catch succeed in the future by spreading the show with your friends and starting a paid subscription.

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After weeks (even years) of a dysfunctional opposition, BC's NDP premier David Eby called a snap election shortly after the resignation of Kerry-Lynne Findlay as leader of the BC Conservative Party. Almost two years after a provincial election that saw a barely functioning political entity almost form government, there has been enough political snakery to fill several books in the BC Conservatives, and enough disaffection with the NDP to fill several MLA seats. Senior editor at The Tyee, Jen St. Denis joins Scott to explain the chaos, how Eby's plan may be backfiring and the increasing racism and threats lacing BC election cycles.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/nobodys-happy-about-the-bc-snap-election-ft-jen-st-denis-podcast

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Prime Minister Mark Carney kicked off his international investment conference Sunday night, beginning a massive push to entice international investors to pour private money into public projects. From chairs of Blackrock to the UAE's oil company, Carney hopes to get private capital for ports, oil and gas, data centres and renewable projects. While the news media gauges the viability and benefits of international investment, little, if any, legacy coverage has reported the tangible, inextricable consequences of private investment; more expensive services at poorer qualities for private benefits. Independent journalist and author of the Canada In Decline book series joins Scott to discuss the conference, its possible outcomes, what it means and how news media has stuck to their belief that private interests are Canadian's interests.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/normalizing-carneys-privatization-drive-ft-nora-loreto-podcast

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Trade talks collapsed and Ontario Premier Doug Ford laced up his boots and donned the flag to decry US President Donald Trump. Between telling Trump to "kiss my ass," and unveiling a Lake Ontario sign in response to Trump's executive order renaming the body of water, Ford and the PCs have seen a benefit in the polls. But Ford's tenure leading Ontario has pushed legislation and politics far closer to the MAGA movement than nearly any other premier. While Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is floundering by meekly confronting the US-Canada trade war, Ford is turning around public perception of him and his party. Eric Wickham, Ontario reporter for PressProgress, joins Scott to discuss Ford's appeal, his tenure as premier and how, despite all this fervour, life in Ontario continues to deteriorate.

Ontario’s Recent Policy Changes Are Part of a Larger Pattern to Centralize Power and Silence Dissent, Critics Say

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/reality-check-on-doug-fords-trade-posturing-ft-eric-wickham-podcast

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Over the past few days, every large news outlet has reported about the last-minute collapse of a trade deal between Canada and the USA. Despite the fact that details of the deal have only trickled out through anonymous or second-hand channels, the majority of legacy news rallied around Carney and commended the prime minister on doing the hard task of pulling out of a deal. But little critical coverage of the methods, details and process of the trade negotiations leads most outlets to sycophantic levels of deference to Carney. Isaac A. Peltz, award-winning independent journalist behind On the Trail, joins Scott to dissect the nationalistic news climate that buries critical capacity to hide behind the flag.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/legacy-news-worship-carneys-trade-blowup-ft-isaac-a-peltz-podcast

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In March 2025, provinces across Canada pulled US alcohol products off of their shelves in response to new tariffs announced by the US Trump administration. It's become such a sticking point that Trump specifically cited Canadian markets for US alcohol as a core reason for a new 50 per cent tariff against Canada. Have the booze bans worked? What has the effect been on the US alcohol industry? Can American brands recover after this debacle? Dave Infante, award-winning journalist and editor of the newsletter Fingers which covers drinking in the US, joins Scott to discuss these questions and more.

Note: Trump announced he paused the 50 per cent tariff for three days late on August 18.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/canadian-booze-bans-rattle-the-us-ft-dave-infante-podcast

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