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.

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.

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.

Therapeutic coach Glynis Sherwood joins The Canadians for a conversation on scapegoating, family dynamics, shame, conflict, and public shaming.

We explore the human tendency to place blame onto individuals rather than confront deeper tensions requiring personal or collective self-reflection. From family conflict and workplace dynamics to online mobs and cancel culture, Sherwood argues that scapegoating is one of the oldest and most recurring patterns in human behavior.

We discuss scapegoating theory, projection, emotional regulation, Sherwood’s new book Finding Freedom, and the broader social dynamics that shape both private relationships and public life.

Glynis Sherwood is a therapeutic coach, and one of the pioneers in the study of scapegoating and family systems. Her website contains more than 100 articles exploring scapegoating, relationships, conflict, emotional systems, and personal growth, and serves as an excellent starting point for those interested in her work.

Glynis’ Links

Website:

https://glynissherwood.com/

Finding Freedom:

https://glynissherwood.com/finding-freedom-ebook-a-guide-to-healing-from-relationship-trauma/

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 April 6, 2026

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

Andrew Weaver is a climate scientist, former leader of the BC Green Party, and one of Canada’s most prominent voices on climate policy.

Widely reported to have endorsed John Rustad and the BC Conservatives’ climate plan during the last provincial election, Weaver begins by pushing back on that framing, using it as a starting point to discuss what it means to engage across political lines in an increasingly polarized environment.

We explore his path from science into politics, his time holding the balance of power in British Columbia, and the challenges of translating technical expertise into public policy.

Weaver argues that climate change is real and serious, but that framing it as an emergency can sometimes undermine practical solutions. He outlines his support for approaches like carbon capture and decarbonized oil, and reflects on why some of his strongest opposition has come from activist groups rather than industry.

Running through the conversation is a broader concern about the breakdown of public discourse, and the growing difficulty of having honest, good-faith conversations across political and ideological divides.

Andrew Weaver is a climate scientist and professor in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria. He previously held the Canada Research Chair in Climate Modelling and Analysis, served as a lead author on multiple United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientific assessments, and has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers. He was elected MLA for Oak Bay–Gordon Head in 2013, later led the BC Green Party, and served in the Legislature until 2020. He is also the author of two books: Keeping Our Cool and Generation Us, and continues to write on climate solutions and public policy through his website.

Recorded March 18, 2026

Andrew's Links

Website

X

The Canadians Links

Website

Support Page

Follow us on X

Subscribe on Spotify

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

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

Nick Osmond-Jones is a former investigator with the Office of the Ombudsman in British Columbia. Before entering government, he spent a decade working in Alberta’s oil and gas industry, eventually returning to school to pursue a career in public service aligned with his values.

What happens when someone inside a public institution begins to feel that the norms they once trusted are changing? And what are the consequences of pushing back in an environment where dissent is not easily tolerated?

Nick describes a gradual shift during his time in government. What began as a shared commitment to neutrality and political impartiality gave way, over time, to a more moralized and ideological culture.

After obtaining materials from one such workshop and sharing them with a journalist, a decision that would eventually be traced back to him, he found himself under investigation and, soon after, leaving his position altogether.

In the second half of the conversation, we widen the lens to questions of neutrality, institutional culture, and the difficulty of sustaining open dialogue in an increasingly polarized environment.

Nick has since rebuilt his life outside of government as an arborist, and continues to share his thoughts publicly.

Nick’s Links

Follow Nick on X

Nick's personal essay in Quillette

The Canadians Links

Website

Donations Page

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

Eric Kaufmann is a political scientist and professor at the University of Buckingham, and one of the few academics who has tried to define what people mean when they talk about “woke” as an ideology, rather than just a term of criticism.

Much of the current discussion around these ideas is confused or imprecise. In this conversation, we slow things down and start at the beginning. What is “woke”? Is it a coherent worldview, or something more diffuse? How does it differ from older traditions on the left, and how much influence does it have in Canadian institutions and public life?

Kaufmann suggests that what we are seeing is less a traditional political ideology and more a moral or cultural movement, one that defines certain ideas as sacred, establishes strong taboos, and increasingly shapes the norms of public life.

What makes his perspective distinct is that he does not frame this as a top-down political project, but as something that has developed more organically, with real moral motivations behind it, even as it creates tension and conflict.

This is a conversation about definitions, assumptions, and trying to think more clearly about a set of ideas that are often talked about, but not always carefully examined.

Professor Kaufmann is the author of several books on these topics, including Taboo and The Third Awokening.

Eric Kaufmann Links

Website

X:

The Canadians Links

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Donations Page

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YouTube

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

David Cayley spent more than thirty years as a producer for the CBC radio program Ideas, where he created hundreds of documentaries on history, philosophy, politics, religion, and culture. He is also the author of several books, including his latest, The CBC: How Canada's Public Broadcaster Lost Its Voice (And How to Get It Back), a reflection on the corporation and the question of what a public broadcaster should be in a fractured and distrustful age.

It is not unusual today to hear criticism of the CBC. What makes Cayley’s critique different is that it does not end in cynicism or a call to tear it down. He is trying to understand whether a public broadcaster could still serve a real purpose in this country, and if so, what principles might guide it forward.

In this conversation, we spend time on his diagnosis of what has gone wrong, but more on his constructive vision. We talk about the fact that the past cannot simply be recreated, that the old world is not coming back, and that any path forward has to reckon honestly with the situation we are now in. What emerges is a discussion not just about the CBC, but about institutions, public life, thinking itself, and what renewal might require.

Those interested in more of Cayley’s work can visit his website, which collects decades of articles, books, and documentaries.

David Cayley's Links

The CBC: How Canada's Public Broadcaster Lost Its Voice (And How to Get It Back)

Website

The Canadians' Links

Website

Donations Page

X

YouTube

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