Because News

Post-referendum, Premier Danielle Smith sings “It’s My Party and I’ll Comply If I Want To.” A drone delivered McDonald’s to a Quebec prison in what could only be the happiest of Happy Meals. What’s with all the Pepsi in Netflix’s Below? The series is making Newfoundland proud. Gavin Crawford quizzes comedians Jan Caruana, Miguel Rivas, and Craig Lauzon about this week’s news. 

Not quite live, but still full price: Canadians paid big to see rapper Sidhu Moose Wala as a hologram. A new book calls Trump’s America an “Unreliable Boyfriend.” So, how should we deal with the White House? Use the “donut strategy.” Halloween decorations are too scary, so knock it off with all the Home Depot yard gak.

Favourite quiz rounds about food… if you consider booze, chips, and lobster to be the main food groups! Giving thanks for some of our favourite panellists on this Thanksgiving episode. Gavin Crawford quizzes Priyanka, Emma Hunter, Mattea Roach, and Miguel Rivas.

Turns out washing your berries doesn't make a big difference. Alberta Wants to Know: Who’s an Albertan? We try to decipher the confusing referendum questions. Now you need all the subscriptions to watch the NHL on TV. And the PWHL comes to primetime TV. Wing nights get expensive because nothing is cheap anymore. Gavin Crawford quizzes comedians Andrew Phung, Alice Moran and Jan Caruana about this week’s headlines. 

AI might kill us in only ten years; take that, climate change! “Copium” is now in the dictionary, but everything is fine, really. Star hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck wants to be traded. Rumour has it he could switch from the Winnipeg Jets to the Sharks. What-in-the-West Side-Story is happening?! Gavin Crawford quizzes comedians Colin Mochrie, Carley Thorne and Miguel Rivas on this week’s headlines.

Canada’s in a “situationship” with the EU. Mark Carney wants to sell you an airport. Manitoba makes daily gym mandatory and that’s our literal nightmare. Gavin Crawford quizzes comedians Martha Chaves, Tom Hearn and Michael Balazo on this week’s news. 

America needs our TP. It’s time to hold the roll, Canada. We have counter-tarriffed capes, cloaks and breeches. Apologies, aristocrats. Quebec has a Celine Dion lotto ticket: My Heart Will Gagnant! King Charles is on the $20 so bring on the Chuck Bucks. Gavin Crawford hosts the news quiz with comedians Alice Moran, Kris Siddiqi and Emma Hunter.

Season 12 of Because News is back with Gavin Crawford! Subscribe on your favourite podcast app, or check out new episodes on CBC Listen.

Teenage Dream or PR Scheme? The Justin Trudeau x Katy Perry romance has got Canada shaking its head. DAHHHH Blue Jays win! And the team tries to seal the Honmoon with a new baseball fight song. How did Doug Ford convince Ronald Reagan to star in the Premier’s new ad? Plus, New Brunswick is having a fire sale of the American liquor it pulled of the shelves. Gavin Crawford quizzes Miguel Rivas, Ann Pornel and Brandon Ash-Mohammed about this week’s headlines. (This episode aired October 2025)

Who is behind all these fake Alberta separatists on YouTube? They can’t even pronounce “Regina” correctly. The Tragically Hip is now a musical and there’s a real connection to Because News. With soaring fuel prices more fees are being added to our flights. Thanks, America. Try a new nightly ritual that will make you feel alive: mortality check-ins. Or try a new nightly ritual that will make you fall asleep: bedtime stacking. Gavin Crawford hosts the news quiz with comedians Jan Caruana, Kris Siddiqi, and Alice Moran. (This episode aired April 2026)

Artemis II breaks a record and a toilet. A new app is changing the way we run away from angry Canada geese. Polymarket and Kalshi are letting people test their luck and bucks on the prediction market. Why were the sites in the headlines this week? And who has stinkier farts: men or women? Yes, this was a news story this week. Listen now to this week’s panel of Miguel Rivas, Ann Pornel and Martha Chaves with host Gavin Crawford. (This episode aired April 2026)

Difficult people age you faster, so Trump has made us all ancient. This week, when he needed backup in Iran, his allies said, “New phone, who dis?” Taylor Swift fans at her Vancouver show might be getting refunds because their seats were that bad. The rich are now collecting dinosaur skeletons instead of fine art. And people are running while churning butter in their backpacks — or, as some call it, Amish CrossFit. A special episode from Vancouver, with host Gavin Crawford and comedians Ivan Decker, Caitlin Howden, and Kevin Vidal. (This episode aired March 2026)

Will the Minions be banished…from the Olympics? Will Alberta betray Canada and join the US? Will Jean Chrétien and Stephen Harper form an alliance? Plot twist, what is ski-mo? Has frozen juice been murdered? Mattea Roach, Eric Peterson and Jan Caruana take the news quiz with host Gavin Crawford. (This episode aired February 2026)

Why did Mark Carney get a standing ovation at DAVOS? Should Canada be “grateful” to Donald Trump? Is Greenland, Iceland? Which Canadian is going to space? How is Muskoka and Ottawa capitalizing on Heated Rivalry? What is a hegemon? (This episode aired January 2026)

Wicked is impossible to avoid, even on this podcast. “Quiet, Piggy” did not rank in the most-used words of the year, but parasocial did. Why was it chosen as the word of 2025? A Hamilton man stole a bus and no one was hurt, so we rejoice about a victimless crime that does not include any mention of files or famine. Gavin Crawford quizzes Andrew Phung, Eric Peterson and Jan Caruana about this week’s headlines. (This episode aired November 2025)

Our panellists beg: please, Santa, do not bring us a Christmas election. Red, yellow and green traffic lights are outdated because a fourth colour might be added to intersections. There’s a big innovation in menstrual products and thank god, it’s not AI! Peanut allergies have fallen fast, yet the PB sandwich remains a schoolyard crime. Why no one’s allowed to celebrate The Great Peanut Comeback just yet. (This episode aired November 2025)

The world is so bleak the Louvre heist feels like a happy story. Whatever will become of Napoleon’s family jewels? And please donate to our Go Jays Gofundme so we can get World Series tickets. The media has the Blue Jays as underdogs, but what’s underneath an underdog? Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre can’t stop talking about his ex-running mate, Justin Trudeau. Finally, our panellists are trying to speedrun a high grindscore. (This episode aired October 2025)

In peaceful Nova Scotia, elites will take refuge in a cold war-era bunker to escape the end times. Not a bad way to go! K-Pop Demon Hunters takes down Squid Game.The double date is popular again. Chinese EVs are hard to get but Mark Carney is signaling he might make it easier. Gavin Crawford makes games out of the news with Eric Peterson, Andrew Phung and Carley Thorne. (This episode aired September 2025)

Canada is in the knockout round in the World Cup. Mosquito buckets are trending. Calgary’s Cowboys Festival and the mayor had an Alberta-sized beef. Stampede eats make us hungry for the Area 51 burger. Olivia Rodrigo champions an all-women music festival. Guest host Andrew Phung quizzes comedians Jan Caruana, Rebecca Kohler, and Brandon Ash-Mohammed.

Rush is back with a sick new drummer, and fans are impressed. J.D. Vance has a new book about Catholicism, and the reviews are not good. Have we taken the protein craze too far now that there's no whey? Guest host Jan Caruana quizzes comedians Tom Hearn, Kris Siddiqi, and Martha Chaves.

Trump hosts a massive cage match at the White House, and only military hotties are invited. Canada’s job at the FIFA World Cup is to party and maybe win one game? Meet the tick that makes you allergic to meat. Is this a ploy by Big Vegan? Host Gavin Crawford quizzes comedians Colin Mochrie, Rebecca Kohler, and Miguel Rivas.

Pierre Poilievre wants to Uno-Reverse a decade of Liberal policy. It’s 1973 again, with high inflation, soaring gas prices and separatist talk. Canadian teens tease Trump with American Dictatorboard game. Are you smarter than a Grade 9 science fair winner? (No.) We celebrate the winners of the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Host Gavin Crawford quizzes comedians Leslie Seiler, Craig Lauzon and Jennifer Hsiung.

Premier Danielle Smith thinks B.C. ports are Canada’s ports, so who owns Alberta’s oil? Pope Leo takes aim at AI. What does the world’s oldest English poem sound like? The secret of why T-Rex had tiny arms has been solved. As FIFA descends upon Toronto and Vancouver, so do the FIFA bar police. Host Gavin Crawford quizzes comedians Martha Chaves, Carley Thorne and James Hartnett.

Thanks to Laufey, 2026 could be the year of the Wasians. The people of France are drinking more beer than wine. The best Canadian film you’ve never heard of has already won international acclaim - now it may take home the biggest film prize in Canada. Microearthquakes were recorded in Montreal when The Habs scored. Guest host Andrew Phung quizzes panellists Hart Shouldice, Emma Hunter and Alice Moran.

No audience, just anthems in this episode. We travel back in time to our favourite songs of the summer. One of them is a comeback from a UK popstar. Another from a group of Irish pre-teens. And who can forget the saucy album cover that’s got people singing “Manchild!” Host Gavin Crawford quizzes panellists Jann Arden, Andrew Phung, Emma Hunter, Ajahnis Charley and Martha Chaves.

America will not confirm or deny using kamikaze dolphins in war. Seriously. The Toronto Tempo has officially arrived as Canada’s first WNBA team. How will Drake manage to make this basketball team about him? Roughly 300 people in Vancouver attempted “speedrunning” Scientology. Welcome Louise Arbour, our latest and possibly most judicious Governor General. Gavin Crawford hosts the news quiz with comedians Jan Caruana, Ajahnis Charley, and Kris Siddiqi.

Need group therapy for the news? This is the podcast for you. New episodes every Friday.

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