Conversations With Canadians

Louise Johnson is a former beauty marketing executive turned full-time journalist who recently wrote her first book, Behind the Red Door: How Elizabeth Arden's Legacy Inspired My Coming-of-Age Story in the Beauty Industry.

I have to say that this was an interesting episode for me. Louise and I dive into the history surrounding Florence Nightingale Graham (aka Elizabeth Arden), who was a Canadian business magnate that pioneered the modern beauty industry. I was puzzled that I did not know Elizabeth Arden was Canadian or that her name was Florence Nightingale Graham before I encountered Louise’s book. Not only was Elizabeth Arden one of the richest women in the world, and inducted into the American business hall-of-fame, but she and I were even born in the same town of Woodbridge Ontario. We chat about Louise’s time working at Elizabeth Arden and some of the parallels between her journey and that of Florence Nightingale Graham. We discuss risk taking, the importance of introspection, pursuing your personal version of success, the impact of social media on our psyche, the impact of beauty standards on young people, and so much more.

Louise is a real gem, a brilliant writer, and I encourage you to check out her book.

Louise Social Media

Instagram @Louiseclairejohnson
Twitter @LouiseJohnsonTO
Louise YouTube
Louise Website and Book

Mike "Ryan" G Contact Information

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Jonathan Kay is a Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker. He is currently a senior editor at Quillette, a publication dedicated to freethought. He was previously a member of the editorial board at the National Post in Canada, and from 2014-2017 he served as editor-in-chief at The Walrus, another Canadian publication. 

On this episode we chat about how Canadian progressives have imported U.S culture wars. We discuss critical race theory, intersectionality, and how otherwise good people manage their cognitive dissonance through virtue signaling. We also touch upon the attempts to cancel Canada Day, the self hating rhetoric of Canada’s elite, and more. 

Jon is a very thoughtful guy and he is someone who very clearly has thought through many of his his political positions. I hope you enjoy the episode.

Jonathan Kay Twitter @Jonkay

National Post Article: How the left's obsession with American-style culture wars corroded Canadian identity

Mike "Ryan" G Contact Information

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Feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

On Twitter @MikeRyanG

On Instagram  @Conversations_With_Canadians 

JJ McCullough is a Canadian political commentator who currently writes for the Washington Post and has a widely popular YouTube channel that has a large focus on Canada. On this episode we chat about a whole host of issues from Canada’s democratic deficit, the problem with mandatory bilingualism for top political and bureaucratic jobs, Canadian identity, anti-Americanism and more. 

JJ is an awesome human, and he was a real pleasure to talk to. I hope you enjoy the episode.

JJ's YouTube Channel
JJ's Washington Post Column 
Follow JJ on Twitter @JJ_McCullough

Mike "Ryan" G Contact Information

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Feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

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Steve Paikin is a journalist, author, and documentary producer whose career has spanned almost 40 years. He is the anchor for TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin. Steve has moderated several leadership debates at both the federal and provincial levels, and he has been the host and co-host of several TVO political programs. He has produced several documentaries, written 8 books, and in 2013 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. 

This guy is a true gentleman who has spent his career trying to maintain a balanced approach towards political issues so he can bring some of the most contentious debates in our society directly to the public. If you spend any time talking to him it is obvious that he really cares about our country. 

On this episode we chat about how Steve Paikin got into political journalism, his interview style and preparation, the need to fight disinformation with empirically driven facts, and more.

The Agenda TVO
Steve Paikin Twitter @spaikin

Mike "Ryan" G Contact Information

YouTube Channel - This is a brand new channel. Please head over a subscribe to help me get it off the ground.

Feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

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Maxime Bernier is the Leader of the People Party of Canada who formally served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Industry, and Minister of State for Small Business, Tourism and Agriculture in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He was narrowly defeated by Andrew Scheer in his bid to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada losing by less than 2% in the 13th round of voting. He left the Conservative Party of Canada citing irreconcilable differences with the leadership of the party under Andrew Scheer. 

Maxime is a proponent of classical liberal values - individual responsibility, freedom, and small government. He has been an outspoken critic of lockdowns during COVID-19, speaking at rallies across the country. 

On this episode we chat about how Max got into politics, the problem with inflation and record levels of government spending, why it is important to advocate for principles and values you believe in even if you don’t hold political power. We also chat about federalism, free trade, Bill-96 in Quebec, and more  

It was a pleasure chatting with Maxime and I hope you enjoy the episode.

People's Party of Canada Website
Maxime Bernier YouTube

Mike "Ryan" G Contact Information

YouTube Channel - This is a brand new channel. Please head over a subscribe to help me get it off the ground.

Feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

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Dany Assaf is an Edmonton native, fourth generation Muslim Canadian, globally recognized lawyer at Torys LLP, and now, author of the new book Say Please and Thank You and Stand in Line: One Man's Story of What Makes Canada Special, And How to Keep It That Way

On this episode we chat about Dany’s family history and how his great grandfather helped establish the first mosque in Canada in 1938, living through 9/11 and the impact on him and his family, social media and how it encourages group think and can move society away from its true values, the greatness of Canada and everything this country could be if we get our aim right. 

Danny Assaf website - (https://www.danyassaf.com/)

Mike "Ryan" G Contact Information

YouTube Channel - This is a brand new channel. Please head over a subscribe to help me get it off the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-OBDJzTOUKimR7AcRTd6xA



Feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

On Twitter @MikeRyanG

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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

 Mike "Ryan" G Contact Information

YouTube Channel - This is a brand new channel. Please head over a subscribe to help me get it off the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-OBDJzTOUKimR7AcRTd6xA



Feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

On Twitter @MikeRyanG

On Instagram  @Conversations_With_Canadians 

Neville is a retired professor of history who taught at the University of Western Ontario, where he taught modern British and European history. He is the author of several books, including his recent work, The Third Man: Churchill, Roosevelt, Mackenzie King, and the Untold Friendships That Won WWII.

On this episode we discuss Canada’s longest serving Prime Minister Mackenzie King. We chat about Canada’s role in the second world war, and how Prime Minister Mackenzie King’s friendship with both Roosevelt and Churchill was a crucial component to the success of the allied forces in WWII. Neville was a real pleasure to chat with and I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Purchase The Third Man: Churchill, Roosevelt, Mackenzie King, and the Untold Friends That Won WWII


Please feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

On Twitter @MikeRyanG

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Lance Mortlock is a strategy partner with Ernst & Young, a visiting professor at the Haskayne School of Business and a board member for the Canadian Energy & Climate Nexus. His book Disaster Proof: Scenario Planning for a Post-Pandemic Future is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold. Connect
with Lance on LinkedIn and his website www.lancemortlock.com.

We had a great conversation about scenario planning, why it is important, and how to implement it. We discuss scenario planning at a macro level, and we narrow the focus of the conversation to the level of individual/smaller firms. Lance also highlights what leaders can do to incorporate scenario planning at their firms. I hope you find the conversation useful.


Please feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

On Twitter @MikeRyanG

On Instagram  @Conversations_With_Canadians 

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Michael Geist. We had a very timely conversation on the topic of Bill C-10, the internet regulation bill that is currently being proposed by the Federal government.  To say this bill has its critics would be a bit of an understatement, and Professor Geist has been making noise about this bill for quite some time. On this episode we get into the implications of Bill C-10 on free expression, and a host of other issues pertaining to the way this bill could potentially impact the online experience of Canadian users and content creators. If you have not been paying attention to the debate surrounding Bill-C10, I suggest you start. This impacts everyone who users the internet in Canada. 

Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law and is a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society. He has obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from Cambridge University in the UK and Columbia Law School in New York, and a Doctorate in Law (J.S.D.) from Columbia Law School. Dr. Geist hosts a podcast called Law Bytes where he explores the intersection between law and technology and more. 

Dr. Michael Geist Website - https://www.michaelgeist.ca/

Please feel free to reach out to me and provide feedback at [email protected] 

On Twitter @MikeRyanG

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