The Curious Task

In this episode, Matt speaks with Reem Ibrahim about whether Brexit can be considered a success six years after the UK left the European Union. They examine the classical-liberal case for Brexit (focused on sovereignty, deregulation, and free trade) and contrast it with a post-Brexit reality in which many EU-era regulations, trade barriers, and interventionist policies remain. While the most catastrophic “Project Fear” predictions did not come true, Ibrahim argues that Brexit’s promised freedoms have largely gone unused, leaving its long-term success still unresolved. References Brexit Referendum (2016) — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results Project Fear — https://ukandeu.ac.uk/why-take-back-control-trumped-project-fear/ Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)’s Analysis of Brexit’s impact on trade — https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Perspectives_5_Has-Brexit-really-harmed-UK-trade__web-1.pdf Brexit: The Movie — https://www.youtube.com/c/brexitthemovie UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement — https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) — https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uk-and-the-comprehensive-and-progressive-agreement-for-trans-pacific-partnershipcptpp Working Time Directive — https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/rights-work/labour-law/working-conditions/working-time-directive_en   Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this episode, Alex speaks with Franco Terrazano about government spending, taxation, and fiscal accountability in Canada, with a focus on how deficits, debt, and expanding bureaucracy effect affordability for ordinary Canadians. Franco outlines where federal spending has grown most rapidly, critiques the lack of clear priorities and performance measurement, and explains how interest payments on the debt increasingly crowd out core public services.   References Canadian Taxpayers Federation  https://www.taxpayer.com/ Federal Budget of Canada (most recent edition)  https://budget.canada.ca/home-accueil-en.html Public Accounts of Canada  https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/services/payments-accounting/public-accounts.html Canada’s Debt and Interest Charges  https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/federal-and-provincial-debt-interest-costs-for-canadians-2025.pdf Government Program Spending Growth Since 2015  https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/explaining-growth-federal-program-spending-2015   Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Alex interviews Sabine Benoit of the Consumer Choice Center on Canada’s housing crisis. Sabine argues the main causes are chronic undersupply plus policy barriers: zoning that blocks “missing middle” density, long approval timelines/red tape, and high development fees that get passed to buyers. They also cover why immigration is often scapegoated despite being only part of the story, and why governments should focus on enabling private building (and targeted skilled-trades immigration) rather than new government developer programs.   References: Consumer Choice Center (CCC): https://consumerchoicecenter.org/ Sabine’s article in The Hub: https://thehub.ca/2026/01/14/only-the-richest-canadians-are-able-to-afford-homes-its-time-to-free-the-market-deepdive/ TD Economics Housing Market Outlook: https://economics.td.com/ca-provincial-housing-outlook Scotiabank study: https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/economics/economics-publications/post.other-publications.housing.housing-note.housing-note--march-19-2025-.html CMHC Supply Study: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/housing-markets-data-and-research/housing-research/research-reports/accelerate-supply/canadas-housing-supply-shortages-a-new-framework   Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask  

In this conversation from 2025, Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about Canada's evolving role on the global stage, from Confederation through to the post-Cold War era and into the geopolitical uncertainties of today. They explore Canada’s historical balancing act between major powers, its close alignment with the United Kingdom and later the United States, and its present-day challenges in maintaining global relevance amid military underinvestment and economic stagnation. Thompson argues that Canada must become more serious about geopolitics if it wants to protect its sovereignty and remain influential internationally. References “Canadians no longer take geopolitics seriously – and our neglect is going to cost us” by Graeme Thompson (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2024-04-03/graeme-thompson-canadians-no-longer-take-geopolitics-seriously-and-our-neglect-is-going-to-cost-us/ Biography Collection: Ogdensburg Agreement and Canadian Wartime Diplomacy (Dictionary of Canadian Biography) https://www.biographi.ca/en/topics/topic-match-list.php?id=1504 Statute of Westminster (1931) – Recognized Canada’s legislative independence from Britain https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/statute-of-westminster NATO Archives: Canada's Role and Early Involvement https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_161511.htm Canada–U.S. Automotive Products Agreement (Auto Pact) https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-us-automotive-products-agreement Lament for a Nation by George Grant https://a.co/d/bnRI7Rb Canada’s Military Expenditure and NATO’s 2% Spending Target (Parliamentary Budget Officer) https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2223-010-S--canada-military-expenditure-nato-2-spending-target--depenses-militaires-canada-objectif-depenses-2-otan Thanks to Our Patrons Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Abigail Hall about propaganda - an elusive and at times far-reaching concept that can be found everywhere: from overt wartime speeches by presidents to covert uses of sports and film to promote the ends of state militarism. References 1. “Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361  2. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272  3. Abigail Hall’s Previous Episode on The Curious Task Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-13-abigail-hall-%e2%80%94-how-does-foreign-policy-create-a-boomerang-effect-at-home/  4. “Keep Calm and Carry On” Poster Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On  5. “Uncle Sam” Poster Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam  6. “Smith-Mundt Act” by US Agency for Global Media Link: https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/smith-mundt/ 7. “Dick Cheney” by Britannica Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dick-Cheney  8. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Colin Powell (1937-2021)” by Office of the Historian Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/powell-colin-luther  9. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Condoleezza Rice (1954-)” by Office of the Historian Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/rice-condoleezza 10. “Pat Tillman” by Britannica Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Tillman 11. “The Life and Death of Phil Strub” by Spy Culture Link: https://www.spyculture.com/the-life-and-death-of-phil-strub/ 12. “Windtalkers” by IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245562/ 13. “Top Gun” by IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/ 14. "Transformers" by IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/ 

In this episode from 2024, Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications. Episode Notes: Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=145    1. Bruce Winton Knight's "How To Run A War": https://www.amazon.com/How-Run-War-Bruce-Knight/dp/B000OMR1KG    2. Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499  3. Noam Chomsky's website: https://chomsky.info/  4. Alexis de Tocqueville's biography, including reference to his distinction between hard and soft despotism: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexis-de-Tocqueville    5. Otto Neurath's "Through War Economy to Economy in Kind" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-010-2525-6_5  6. Abigail Hall and Christopher Coyne "Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361   

Matt speaks with Randy Hicks (CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity) about why jobs and social capital matter, how government programs can stabilize but often fail to help people escape poverty, and what reforms might better support work and self-sufficiency. They also discuss the benefits cliff, UBI, the role of civil society (including faith-based organizations), Utah’s “one door” model, and the minimum wage. References The Georgia Center for Opportunity: https://foropportunity.org/  Alliance for Opportunity: https://allianceforopportunity.com/  The "One-Door Path": https://allianceforopportunity.com/focus/safety-nets/one-door-2/  “Benefits cliff”: https://freopp.org/whitepapers/fixing-the-broken-incentives-in-the-u-s-welfare-system/  Milton Friedman and the Negative Income Tax proposal: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/NegativeIncomeTax.html  Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs and the dignity/value of work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17ip3ZwG0Q  --- Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask 

In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Kevin Erdmann about how zoning, the 2008 economic crisis, and the desire to live away from "those people" is effecting the state of housing.  Episode Notes: Kevin's page at the Mercatus Centre: https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/kevin-erdmann The Erdmann Housing Tracker: https://kevinerdmann.substack.com/  Kevin on X: https://x.com/KAErdmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor  Kevin's book "Shut Out: How a Housing Shortage Caused the Great Recession and Crippled our Economy" on Amazon Canada:  https://a.co/d/gIh82Og 

In this episode, Matt speaks with Sean Speer about the rise of the so-called “New Right” and the growing tension between conservatism and classical liberalism. Speer defends a fusionist vision rooted in ordered liberty, pluralism, and institutional restraint, arguing that attempts to use state power to impose cultural outcomes misunderstand how culture actually evolves. Together, they explore elite anxiety, civil society, immigration, and why liberal means remain essential even for those with conservative ends. References Sean's author page at The Hub: https://thehub.ca/author/seanspeer/  What Is Conservatism? — edited by Frank S. Meyer https://a.co/d/5suzcP4  The Road to Serfdom — F. A. Hayek https://a.co/d/evGqw3L  The Crooked Timber of Humanity — Isaiah Berlin https://a.co/d/4PuAvLB  Bourgeois Dignity / Bourgeois Equality — Deirdre McCloskey https://a.co/d/8B7qlQV  The Anywhere vs Somewhere Divide — David Goodhart (interview) https://www.commonplace.org/p/somewheres-and-anywheres-with-david  --- Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask 

In this episode, Alex speaks with Abraham Singer about his book Everyone’s Business, exploring why businesses and other private organizations should be understood not only as economic entities but as political communities that shape power, responsibility, and moral life. Singer explains how firms structure our choices, why classical liberals must take internal organizational governance more seriously, and what it means to treat workplaces as sites of real political and ethical significance. References Everyone’s Business: Toward a New Understanding of How Organizations Shape Our Lives - Abraham Singer https://a.co/d/iz5yWEU  “The Form Of The Firm” - Abraham Singer https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-form-of-the-firm-9780197586860?cc=ca&lang=en&  Abraham's Scholarly Articles https://abrahamsinger.weebly.com/research.html  “The Political Nature of the Firm and the Cost of Norms” - Abraham Singer https://www.jstor.org/stable/26550924  Private Government - Elizabeth Anderson https://a.co/d/gNrwGK2  The Nature of the Firm - Ronald Coase https://www.jstor.org/stable/2626876  --- Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask