Ben Woodfinden: A Pragmatic and Philosophical Look at Canadian Identity

Conversations With Canadians

Ben Woodfinden is a doctoral candidate and political theorist at McGill University. He’s a contributor at The Hub and publishes a newsletter called The Dominion.

This episode is a long one but a good one, it was a very intellectually stimulating conversation. We do a deep dive into Canadian identity, looking at how conservatism and then liberalism shaped Canadian identity, and we examine the idea that PM Justin Trudeau’s post-national world view is the logical end point of the hyper rational individualistic liberalism of PM Pierre Trudeau. We explore the idea that individualistic liberal universalism is not sustainable in the long-run for Canada, and Ben lays out what a new pathway for Canadian identity might look like.
We also chat about a host of other issues such as UFO’s and Ben’s Hobbes in space theory, Bill-96 in Quebec, Canadian federalism, the federal Conservative and Liberal parties, the potential impacts of the provincial and federal COVID-19 response on national unity, the conditions for freedom, and more.
The Dominion - Ben's Newsletter - https://thedominion.substack.com/
Twitter @benwoodfinden