The Canadians cover art

The Canadians

The Canadians

By: Jared Michael
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The Canadians (formerly Bad Canadians) is a Canadian long-form interview series devoted to ideas, curiosity, and thoughtful conversation. Hosted by Jared Michael, the show creates a space where writers, journalists, and cultural observers can exchange ideas across traditions while avoiding the usual culture-war trenches.

Each episode is a deep, unhurried conversation with people who think differently, challenge orthodoxies, or see the country from an unexpected angle. The goal is serious, open-ended discussion about culture, institutions, history, science, media, and the stories Canada tells about itself.

Working-class roots. A Free Speech lens. Canadian contrarians. That means taking disagreement seriously and treating people as full moral equals, not caricatures or mascots for a side. The aim is to understand how thoughtful people actually think, especially when you disagree with them.

Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Aaron Pete: Curiosity, Reconciliation, and Leadership | The Canadians Ep. 19
    Jun 30 2026

    Aaron Pete is a First Nation Chief, law graduate, and host of the Nuanced podcast. Through hundreds of conversations across Canada’s political, cultural, and ideological divides, he has earned a reputation for approaching disagreement with curiosity rather than certainty.

    We begin by exploring what shaped Aaron’s approach to dialogue and what he has learned from speaking with people across the political spectrum. From there, we discuss reconciliation, Indigenous governance, economic development, land and title, and why he believes Indigenous policy should ultimately be judged by whether it helps communities become healthier, stronger, and more prosperous.

    This is a conversation about listening well, thinking carefully, and searching for practical paths toward reconciliation.

    Aaron Pete/Tim Thielmann debate on reconciliation:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py3Ktn4iEkc

    Aaron’s links

    Website:

    https://aaronpete.com/

    X:

    https://x.com/Aaronpete_

    Nuanced:

    https://www.youtube.com/@NuancedwithAaronPete

    The Canadians Links

    Website:

    https://www.thecanadianspodcast.ca/

    Support Page:

    https://buymeacoffee.com/thecanadians

    Follow us on X:

    https://x.com/TheCanadiansPod

    Subscribe on YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/@TheCanadiansPod

    Conversation recorded on May 14, 2026

    Opening Song: Aria 51 by MicroBongo Soundsystem, used with permission.

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    36 mins
  • The Love of Listening: A Reflection On Listening Across Difference | The Canadians Ep. 18
    Jun 16 2026

    Modern society has become very good at communication and increasingly poor at understanding.

    In this solo minisode, Jared Michael explores the difference between listening and simply waiting for our turn to speak. He reflects on disagreement, dehumanization, curiosity, and why recognizing another person’s humanity may be one of the most important skills a healthy society can cultivate.

    A reflection on listening, not as a communication technique, but as an act of recognition, empathy, and perhaps even love.

    The Canadians Links

    Website:

    https://www.thecanadianspodcast.ca/

    Support Page:

    https://buymeacoffee.com/thecanadians

    Follow us on X:

    https://x.com/TheCanadiansPod

    Subscribe on Spotify:

    https://open.spotify.com/show/75wxT42gEPMiOBGTFFU4D4

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bad-canadians/id1785300184

    Subscribe on YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/@TheCanadiansPod

    Opening Song: Aria 51 by MicroBongo Soundsystem, used with permission.

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    6 mins
  • Stephen Jenkinson: Cultural Poverty, Ritual, and Belonging | The Canadians Ep. 17
    Jun 2 2026

    Stephen Jenkinson is a culture worker, author, and founder of the Orphan Wisdom School. He holds master’s degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the University of Toronto and is the author of numerous books, including Die Wise and his most recent work, Trembling, Still.

    This conversation began as an attempt to discuss Stephen’s earlier work on death and grief, but quickly moved elsewhere. Instead, we found ourselves talking about culture itself: what it owes, who it serves, and what happens when people inherit a world that no longer provides reliable ways of belonging, remembering, or understanding their obligations to one another.

    We discuss Canada as a country shaped by immigration, displacement, and reinvention, the role of ritual and elderhood in modern life, the tension between freedom and obligation, and the challenge of building wisdom in an age increasingly detached from inherited forms of meaning.

    Finally we turn to his new book, Trembling, Still, written in the wake of a serious neurodegenerative diagnosis, and Stephen’s reflections on illness, identity, and the possibility of becoming a stranger to oneself.

    Stephen’s Links

    Orphan Wisdom School:

    https://orphanwisdom.com/

    Trembling, Still and Other Books by Stephen Jenkinson:

    https://orphanwisdom.com/books/

    The Canadians Links

    Website:

    https://www.thecanadianspodcast.ca/

    Support Page:

    https://buymeacoffee.com/thecanadians

    Follow us on X:

    https://x.com/TheCanadiansPod

    Subscribe on YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/@TheCanadiansPod

    Conversation recorded on April 22, 2026

    Opening Song: Aria 51 by MicroBongo Soundsystem, used with permission.

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    1 hr and 4 mins
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