In this episode, Alex speaks with political theorist Ben Woodfinden about the meaning and complexity of Canadian conservatism. Drawing on his essay “A Tory Impulse and Anti-Laurentian Ideas Drive Canadian Conservatism”, Woodfinden explains why conservatism in Canada is not a single rigid doctrine but a pluralistic network of regionally rooted traditions — from prairie populism and Western anti-elitism to Ontario’s old Toryism and Quebec’s nationalist strands. They unpack Canada’s unique confederation story, the idea of the Laurentian elite, and how any coherent conservatism must remain a coalition rooted in local distinctiveness and historical context.

References

• “A Tory Impulse and Anti-Laurentian Ideas Drive Canadian Conservatism” – Ben Woodfinden (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2022/08/17/ben-woodfinden-a-tory-impulse-and-anti-laurentian-ideas-drive-canadian-conservatism/

• “Canada’s aspiring populists aren’t actually all that radical” – Ben Woodfinden (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2022/05/27/canadas-aspiring-populists-arent-actually-all-that-radical/

• “King Charles III and the glorious weirdness of Canada's monarchy” – Ben Woodfinden https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ben-woodfinden-king-charles-iii-and-the-glorious-weirdness-of-canadas-monarchy

• Ben's contributions to The Hub https://thehub.ca/author/benwoodfinden/

• “Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism” by George Grant https://a.co/d/d0NQs95

• “The Crooked Timber of Humanity” by Isaiah Berlin https://a.co/d/6l1wq3d

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