In 2025, the US President threatened to annex Canada and turn us into the 51st state. A motley crew of patriotic misfits got together to create Gloves Off, a podcast about surviving the American threat to Canada’s sovereignty and what we could do about it.
Fast forward to 2026. The rules-based international order is over. Canada is still under threat along with multiple countries around the world. And PM Mark Carney makes the most consequential speech in a generation.
In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice – compete with each other for favour, or combine to create a third path with impact.
Gloves Off Season 2 is more than surviving the American threat. This time, we look at how we can thrive in the new world disorder. We're answering the question:
How do we win?
When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself.
Also new for Season 2, we’ve brought in reinforcements:
Gloves Off has partnered with The Canadian Shield Institute, an independent think tank committed to strengthening Canada’s economic resilience, sovereignty, and global competitiveness. They are providing supporting research material for each episode.
Host - Stephen Marche
Stephen Marche is a journalist, novelist and essayist, the author of, among other works, The Next Civil War and On Writing and Failure. He has written features and essays for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail. The Walrus, and many others. He has collaborated with artificial intelligence on the first AI-generated novel reviewed in The New York Times, Death of an Author. His most recent novel, The Last Election, was co-written with Andrew Yang.
The Team
Created by/Executive Producer: Jennifer Ouano
Executive Producer: Jon Shell
Host/Writer: Stephen Marche
Editorial Producer: Mio Adilman
Producer, Guest and Audience Development: T. Brockwell
Audio/Video Engineer: Christian Prohom
Graphic Design: Markus Wreland
Research Partner: Vass Bednar and The Canadian Shield Institute
Copyright: Insurgentsia Productions