United Canadian Centrists

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, I found myself thinking about a book that sat on a shelf in my parents' house when I was a child.

It was called *Between Friends*.

Published for America's bicentennial in 1976, it celebrated one of the most unique relationships in the world: two countries living side by side, deeply connected, yet proudly independent.

Fifty years later, the mood feels very different.

Tariffs, trade disputes, economic uncertainty, and growing concerns about Canada's dependence on the American market have changed the conversation.

But are we asking the right questions?

In today's episode of The Canadianist, I explore Canada's relationship with the United States, the role of China and other global markets, and why the real issue may not be who we're selling to, but how much we're producing.

A stronger Canada does not require a weaker America.

It requires Canada to grow.

The relationship between Canada and the United States helped shape the modern world. The question now is what the next chapter looks like.

Listen:
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1fRdnVhnts245AFcSXKRGT?si=M4QoOnSrQfyTruyrjXhpPg
Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2-e2-between-friends/id1870085458?i=1000771341377

Companion op-ed on The Canadianist:
https://thecanadianist.news/canada-doesnt-need-less-america-it-needs-more-canada/

The other day I found myself thinking about the old Monty Python argument room sketch.

The more I watch Parliament, the more I think we're living in it.

One side says yes. The other side says no. One side blames. The other side deflects. The country has real problems, but too much of our politics has become performance.

At some point, Canadians stopped looking for agreement and started settling for contradiction.

The latest Canadianist editorial:

Parliament Has Become the Argument Room

https://thecanadianist.news/parliament-has-become-the-argument-room/

Canada just entered a technical recession.

The political reaction was immediate and predictable. Conservatives blamed the Liberals. Liberals pointed to global conditions. Same debate, different day.

But here’s what I kept thinking about all weekend: we could see most of this coming. The productivity warnings. The housing pressures. The affordability squeeze. None of this arrived out of nowhere.

So why is course correction so hard in this country?

That’s what this episode is really about. Not who to blame — but why the smoke alarms don’t seem to work.

New episode of The Canadianist is up now.

S2 E1 | The Recession Isn't The Story Podcast Episode · The Canadianist · June 2 · 7m

The Canadianist Manifesto is here.
What does it mean to truly live Canada — not just reside here, but live it?
That's the question at the heart of everything the United Canadian Centrists are building. And for the first time, we've put it all in one place.
Eleven pages. Five pillars. One vision for a country that stays true to itself while it grows.
Flip through the album, or download the full PDF at the link below.
Then share it with someone who's been waiting for a political voice that actually sounds like Canada.
This isn't left. This isn't right. This is ours.
📖 https://uccparty.ca

Something I've been working on for a while.
Canada isn't broken. But it has stopped keeping pace with itself. The same problems keep returning regardless of who governs. The same arguments repeat. And millions of Canadians feel politically homeless — not because their views are extreme, but because the system no longer reflects the range of who we actually are.
I wrote this to name what I think most Canadians already feel but haven't heard said clearly.
The Canadianist Manifesto is available now — free, as a PDF and epub download.
Read it. Share it if it resonates. Tell me what you think.
🍁 thecanadianist.news/the-canadianist-manifesto

Canada’s streaming debate is becoming another example of Canadians talking past each other instead of confronting the deeper issue underneath.

One side sees cultural protection. The other sees government control. One side fears American dominance. The other fears censorship. The argument grows louder, but the real problem keeps getting missed.

We are increasingly living inside separate digital realities shaped by algorithms, outrage, and tribal reinforcement. Canadians are consuming entirely different versions of the same country, and it’s weakening our shared civic understanding in the process.

This isn’t only about streaming policy. It’s about the growing fragmentation of Canada itself.

Canada’s old “Two Solitudes” were linguistic. Our new solitudes are algorithmic.

The latest Canadianist column:
thecanadianist.news/canadas-streaming-debate-is-missing-the-real-problem/

The UCC Civic Compass was created to help Canadians better understand where they actually stand politically.
Not where social media tells them they stand.
Not where political tribalism pushes them.
And not where anger and polarization try to force them.
The Civic Compass looks at your views on:
democracy,
affordability,
immigration,
institutions,
public services,
national unity,
and governance,
then maps your political overlap across multiple political perspectives, including Conservative, Liberal, NDP, populist, and centrist viewpoints.
What makes it different is that it recognizes something many Canadians already feel:
Most people don’t fit neatly into one political box anymore.
You may discover you’re more politically blended than you realized.
You may discover you’re more centrist than you thought.
Or you may confirm that your views strongly align with a more traditional political lane.
Either way, the goal is reflection, not division.
Give it a try. You may surprise yourself with the results.

compass.uccparty.ca