The Canadianist

For months, the conversation about the Conservative Party has focused on campaign tactics, messaging, and media strategy. But what if those aren't the real issues? In this episode of The Canadianist , Christopher M. Michaud explores the difference between winning a political base and winning a country. Using recent developments inside the Conservative Party as a starting point, he examines why lea...

On the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, we remember the Canadians who landed on Juno Beach and helped change the course of history. Their generation endured sacrifice on a scale that is difficult to imagine today. Many never returned home. Those who did helped build the modern Canada that emerged in the decades that followed, a country marked by growing prosperity, expanding opportunity, and a strong se...

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, Canadians are having a renewed conversation about our relationship with our closest neighbour, largest trading partner, and longtime ally. In this episode of The Canadianist, Christopher M. Michaud reflects on a childhood memory of a book called Between Friends , a Canadian gift to the United States during its 1976 bicentennial celebrations. That...

Canada just entered a technical recession. The political blame game started immediately. But Christopher M. Michaud isn't interested in who lit the match; he wants to know why the smoke alarms don't work. A look at long-term economic drift, structural political incentives, and why course correction is so hard in a system that rewards artificial majorities over genuine accountability.

Today’s upload is a little different. This is the premiere episode of Canadianism , originally released on its own dedicated channel, but I’m sharing it here on The Canadianist as well so listeners can discover the broader conversation taking shape across the Canadianist network. While The Canadianist focuses heavily on current events, political analysis, and what’s happening in Canada right now,...

Behind the scenes while preparing the next episode of The Canadianist. A simple thought about something Canada may have lost along the way, shared experiences, shared conversations, and the feeling that we were all participating in the same country together. 🎙️ The Canadianist with Christopher M. Michaud #Canada #Canadianist #Podcast #BehindTheScenes #CanadianCulture #CanadianIdentity #CanadaNews

Canada’s immigration debate has entered a new phase, and it’s no longer simply about immigration itself. In this episode of The Canadianist , Christopher M. Michaud explores the growing loss of public trust surrounding immigration management, housing pressure, affordability, and political representation in Canada. Starting with the federal government’s new pathway allowing 33,000 temporary workers...

Canada just announced the new Canada Strong Fund, a proposed $25 billion investment vehicle designed to support major national projects in energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and critical minerals. Supporters see it as a necessary shift toward a more active economic strategy in an increasingly competitive global environment. Critics see another government program wrapped in optimistic branding...

A press conference exchange with Prime Minister Mark Carney this week may have revealed more than intended. What began as a question about Ontario’s alcohol distribution quickly shifted into something much larger, a reframing of Canada’s economic relationship with the United States. Not as a temporary dispute, but as a structural break. In this episode of The Canadianist , Christopher M. Michaud w...

A real conversation sparked this episode. Christopher M. Michaud breaks down a discussion with a young Canadian in his twenties, educated, serving in the military, doing everything right, and still not seeing a future for himself in Canada. From housing that no longer makes sense, to work that feels harder to build on, to the growing frustration around immigration, this episode starts with what pe...

A sharp, satirical stand-alone from The Canadianist , this parody song turns a late-night monologue into a full political takedown of Canada’s current moment. Framed like a live studio performance, the piece walks through the illusion of a “majority government” built not at the ballot box, but through by-elections, floor crossings, and backroom math. What starts as crowd work and laughs quickly pi...

Canada just handed the Liberals a majority, and we’re being told that means stability. But when you step back and look at what’s actually happening across the political landscape, it doesn’t feel stable at all. The Conservatives are slipping after a long lead. The NDP has been reduced to the sidelines. The Bloc remains regional. And the Liberals now have full control, but without full alignment ac...

This episode is part of a larger series where I’m sharing my books here on the podcast, not as a detour but as context. If we want to understand what’s happening in Canada today, we need to understand how we got here. Driven Wealth: The Rise and Fall and Future of the North American Auto Dream is the first in that series. New book episodes drop Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m., while regular episod...

Today is by-election day in Canada, but this story goes far beyond three ridings. With the Liberals gaining momentum, floor crossings making headlines, and growing speculation about a possible snap election, the political landscape is shifting in real time. But here’s the question nobody seems willing to answer. If a snap election is called, and Canadians go to the polls, and the result comes back...

This episode is part of a larger series where I’m sharing my books here on the podcast, not as a detour, but as context. If we want to understand what’s happening in Canada today, we need to understand how we got here. Driven Wealth: The Rise and Fall and Future of the North American Auto Dream is the first in that series. New book episodes drop Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m., while regular episo...

A year after the election, we’re still talking about the result, but not in the way you think. In this episode, Christopher M. Michaud breaks down how a plurality government can evolve into a majority without a new national vote. From steady floor crossings to the April 13 by-elections, the picture becomes clear: this isn’t a one-off moment, it’s the system doing exactly what it was designed to do...

Today’s episode of The Canadianist looks at two sides of the same question, what we’re seeing, and what’s really going on underneath. In the first segment, Christopher M. Michaud breaks down the April 13 by-elections and the noticeable difference in how party leaders are showing up, or not. What does leadership look like during active campaigns, and what does it signal when that presence feels une...

In this episode of The Canadianist , we step back from the daily noise and focus on something deeper, something foundational. This is a presentation of The Five Pillars of Canadianism , a framework developed by the United Canadian Centrists that aims to answer a simple but urgent question, what holds Canada together? At a time when political division is rising, public discourse is breaking down, a...

In this episode, Christopher M. Michaud breaks down why so many Canadians feel frustrated, underrepresented, and disconnected from the system, even though the country itself remains stable. The problem isn’t collapse. It’s misalignment. As Canada has grown more complex, our voting system hasn’t kept up. The result is a system where millions of votes are effectively wasted, governments are formed w...

This episode is part of a larger series where I’m sharing my books here on the podcast, not as a detour, but as context. If we want to understand what’s happening in Canada today, we need to understand how we got here. Driven Wealth: The Rise and Fall and Future of the North American Auto Dream is the first in that series. New book episodes drop Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m., while regular episo...

In this episode of The Canadianist , Christopher M. Michaud revisits the Freedom Convoy conversation, not from headlines or social media, but from lived experience at ground zero in downtown Ottawa. As talk of a possible resurgence begins to circulate, this episode asks a simple but essential question: what are people actually fighting for today? With COVID restrictions gone and original grievance...

Hello friends, fellow Canadians. In this episode, I take a closer look at Pierre Poilievre and the question that keeps coming up after another Conservative loss. Is the problem that Canadians aren’t hearing the message, or that they are? After four straight election losses for the Conservative Party of Canada, it’s becoming harder to argue this is about reach. The message has been consistent, repe...

In this episode of our Canada Today series, Christopher M. Michaud explores one of Canada’s most overlooked strengths: our strategic geography. We’re one of the only nations on Earth with access to three oceans, the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Arctic. That’s not just a geographic detail. It’s a strategic advantage that could define Canada’s role in the 21st century. As Arctic routes open, globa...

In this installment of The New Canadiana , Christopher M. Michaud reflects on a conversation with a technologist who offered a simple but unsettling observation: shame is disappearing from public life. Social media has empowered voices across the country. It has expanded reach and lowered barriers. But it has also weakened restraint. The quiet voice that once asked, “What would my family think?” d...

The New Canadiana | Canada at th Crossroads In this episode of The New Canadiana , Christopher M. Michaud continues his journey behind the wheel, driving rideshare to listen to Canadians where they actually live, work, and think. This time, the conversations move beyond frustration into something deeper. A young mother from Jamaica navigating immigration limbo with a Canadian-born child. A civil l...