As a good Catholic lad, Jason Kenney calls his return to the wilds of X/Twitter his “lenten mortification.” I think that means he’s not supposed to enjoy it, but one does sense a certain gusto in his online tirades against Donald Trump’s recent adventures in tariffication, annexation and selling Ukraine down the river:
I don’t tweet, but I still look in on the din. Kenney’s obvious strong feelings about most of what Trump is doing made me ask him to come on the podcast. Again.
Kenney has become this podcast’s most frequent guest. This is his fourth appearance in three years, on top of repeated appearances in the interview series I used to run when I worked at some magazine. Not everyone will be thrilled. Oh well. It’s my show. The former Alberta premier, former minister of this and that in Stephen Harper’s governments, is a champion talker. And he’s even more free to talk about his own version of conservatism since he left public office. He’s foursquare for Ukraine, for exporting Canada’s oil and gas, for responding in kind to the Trump tariffs, and for taking incidental shots against any Canadian who disagrees with those stances. He even thinks withholding exports of Alberta oil and gas should remain an option — “Canada First,” he told me, using Pierre Poilievre’s campaign slogan in ways Poilievre might not. (Kenney manages to convey the impression that his thoughts on his former cabinet colleague are complex, even though a transcript of his words reads as nothing but praise.)
The recent wave of outraged nationalism that has come to characterize the current Canadian moment doesn’t mean our other debates will vanish, or that they should. We still have a lot to discuss as a country. I’ve always valued Kenney’s contributions. And so again today.
When I began this season of the podcast, I wasn’t expecting to to become so focused on the aftermath of the US presidential election and its effects on Canada. I have no intention of letting those issues become the only ones this podcast treats, but events in the US have left us with much to talk about, and I’m trying to help. If you’re catching up, or would like more after this week’s episode, the full podcast archive is always available to subscribers. It includes:
• A post-election panel on Trump and tariffs with Mexican and American experts, and broadcaster Vassy Kapelos.
• The last interview David L. Cohen gave as Joe Biden’s ambassador to Ottawa.
• An interview with Alberta premier Danielle Smith — combined in a single episode with a history of the American idea of manifest destiny.
• An interview with Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who insists he’s always been eager to export Canada’s natural resources.
• Mark Norman, the former Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, on how to recognize a threat and respond.
• Interviews with authors Anne Applebaum and Timothy Snyder on Ukraine, freedom and authoritarian threats.
After a bit of a soft launch, I’m starting to let people know that this podcast, and a bunch of fun videos that will quickly become more numerous, are all available on my Youtube channel. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and a bunch of other platforms via the “Listen On” button that you can see at the top of this post when you view it on your desktop browser. If you listen on a podcast platform, hit “Like” and “Subscribe” buttons, and leave a good review, to help spread the word.
You can read a (machine-generated) transcript of this week’s episode via the "Transcript” button at the top of this page when you view it on your desktop browser.
I am grateful to be the Max Bell Foundation Senior Fellow at McGill University, the principal patron of this podcast. Antica Productions turns these interviews into a podcast every week. Kevin Breit wrote and performed the theme music. Andy Milne plays it on piano at the end of each episode. Thanks to all of them and to you. Please tell your friends to subscribe to The Paul Wells Show on their favourite podcast app, or here on the newsletter.
Share this post