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

Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Professor Jacob Levy about the concept of neutrality within the history of liberalism and how many historical thinkers have approached the subject within that tradition.

Episode Notes:

• Michael Oakeshott on “adverbial rules” https://lawliberty.org/forum/michael-oakeshott-on-the-rule-of-law-and-the-liberal-order/
• John Locke’s religious beliefs https://rb.gy/1yg43
• Heresy of Americanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americanism_(heresy)
• Deirdre McCloskey’s Bourgeois Virtues Thesis https://www.deirdremccloskey.com/docs/bv_selection.pdf
• Ronald Dworkin “Liberalism” https://www.scribd.com/document/313373358/Ronald-Dworkin-Liberalism#
• Stephanie Slade, "Must Libertarians Care About More Than the State?" https://reason.com/2022/03/19/two-libertarianisms/
• Alexis De Toqueville’s concerns about the rising liberal democratic order https://www.economist.com/schools-brief/2018/08/09/de-tocqueville-and-the-french-exception
• John Stuart Mill “On Liberty” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Liberty

Matt Bufton is joined by Bill Wirtz of the Consumer Choice Centre to explore why governments often crack down on fun—from drinking and smoking to gambling and vaping. They dive into the cultural and political roots of paternalistic policies, how public health rhetoric masks deeper control impulses, and why Canada offers a revealing case study in state-imposed virtue. Wirtz also highlights how prohibitionist instincts persist even when evidence contradicts their effectiveness.

“Children Are the Future: Authoritarianism, Culture War and Making Model Citizens” by Alan Elrod https://www.liberalcurrents.com/children-are-the-future-authoritarianism-culture-war-and-making-model-citizens/

That Which is Seen and That Which is Not Seen by Frédéric Bastiat https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/bastiat-selected-essays-on-political-economy#lf0181_head_009

The Fun Police – Podcast Series by Bill Wirtz https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/fun-police/id1714265675

World Health Organization – Framework Convention on Tobacco Control https://fctc.who.int/

Milton Friedman’s “Free to Choose” (PBS Series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dngqR9gcDDw&list=PLt27lKoC5LS4wbD28Jkv95UUm9H7wbVO4

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Marc-William Palen about the evolution of left-wing visions of free trade from the mid-19th century through the Cold War, highlighting key movements and figures like the Anti-Corn Law League, Karl Marx, and the Fair Trade movement, and contrasting these with protectionist and imperialist policies of the era.

Episode Notes:

Marc-William's book "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199320/pax-economica

Marx on Free Trade:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1888/free-trade/#:~:text=Only%20under%20Free%20Trade%20can,%2C%20wage%2Dlaborers%20there%3B%20hereditary

The Eric Schliesser episode of the Curious Task mentioned by Alex: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/special-episode-5-eric-schliesser-%e2%80%94-what-is-neoliberalism/

Journal of Liberal History's summary of the history of the Anti-Corn Law League:

https://liberalhistory.org.uk/history/anti-corn-law-league/

Overview of the history of the Opium Wars:

https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china#:~:text=The%20Opium%20Wars%20in%20the,China%20lost%20both%20wars.

A primer on the origins of Fair Trade and the Haslemere Declaration:

https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/05/03/what-fair-trade-was-originally-about-the-haslemere-declaration-of-1968/

In this conversation from 2022, Alex speaks with Russ Roberts about the nature of education and how we should rethink it in today's world. This is a special episode being released in conjunction with this week's episode of Econtalk.

References

1. The Center for Experiential Learning at Washington University

Link: https://olin.wustl.edu/student-resources/center-for-experiential-learning.php#:~:text=The%20Center%20for%20Experiential%20Learning,Driven%E2%84%A2%20practice%20and%20application.

2. EconTalk Podcast

Link: https://simplecast.econtalk.org/

3. “How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness” by Russ Roberts

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Adam-Smith-Change-Your-Life/dp/1591847958

In this episode from 2023, Alex speaks with David Friedman about defenses, definitions and critiques of Anarcho-Capitalism in David's work and in others'.

Episode Notes:

- Summary of David's book "The Machinery of Freedom" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machinery_of_Freedom

- Some of Ayn Rand's views on Libertarianism and Anarcho-Capitalism: http://aynrandlexicon.com/ayn-rand-ideas/ayn-rand-q-on-a-on-libertarianism.html

- Some of David's comments on his Father's views of his work can be found here: https://www.econlib.org/archives/2011/07/david_friedmans_1.html

- The Stanford Encyclopedia's entry on Anarchism https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anarchism/#:~:text=Libertarianism%20and%20anarcho%2Dcapitalism%20also,the%20idea%20of%20social%20development.

- "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" - Robert A. Heinlein https://a.co/d/4gmWZrP

- "The Private Enforcement of Law" - Landes and Posner https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=259376

- "Law Enforcement, Malfeasance, and Compensation of Enforcers" - Gary S. Becker and George J. Stigler https://laws21.classes.ryansafner.com/readings/Becker-Stigler-1974.pdf

In this conversation from 2023, Alex speaks with Mike Munger about the state of classical liberalism in an era in which conservatism seems intent on wielding the tools of central planning and the left prefers the term "progressive" to "liberal".

Episode Notes:

The Classical Liberal Diaspora by Mike Munger: https://t.co/xoRnPIUXXi

The Articles of Confederation: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Articles-of-Confederation

Preamble to the United States constitution: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/us

Fusionism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusionism

Albert Jay Nock and The Remnant: https://mises.org/library/isaiahs-job

Chile rewriting its constitution: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chilean-congressional-council-finalizes-new-draft-constitution-again-2023-10-30/

In a special episode of the Curious Task, Matt sits down with James Tooley and Robyn Mulcahy at Blueberry Creek Forest School and Nature Centre to discuss the benefits of private education, outdoor education programs including forest schools and the history of approaches around the globe that strive to offer students a more well-rounded alternative to government schools.

References:

James’ profile at the University of Buckingham:

https://www.buckingham.ac.uk/directory/professor-james-tooley/

Robyn’s bio on re-cognition:

https://re-cognition.ca/portfolio-item/educators/

Blueberry Creek Nature Centre:

https://re-cognition.ca/home-page/blueberry-creek-forest-and-nature-centre/

James’ Book “The Beautiful Tree”:

https://a.co/d/9SbGCMp

Thanks to Our Patrons

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit:

https://patreon.com/curioustask