Pierre Poilievre: Leader of Canada's Conservative Party and Leader of the Official Opposition, a self-described free-market 'prime minister in waiting' who has campaigned since 2022 on making Canada the freest country on earth.
What this episode covers
Poilievre lays out a small-government, maximum-freedom philosophy, arguing Canada should slash bureaucracy, fast-track resource permits and unleash its oil, gas, lumber and critical minerals to boost affordability for both Canada and the US. He blames money-printing and inflation for the housing crisis and the squeeze on working families, and pushes a Clinton-era 'pay-as-you-go' rule to balance budgets. The conversation pivots into health and culture: the dangers of assisted suicide expansion, processed food and glyphosate, the value of fitness and meaning, and a tough-on-crime stance toward repeat offenders. A long final stretch covers the opioid epidemic and addiction treatment (including ibogaine), and an extended martial-arts and MMA history discussion. Throughout, Poilievre defends Canadian sovereignty against Trump's '51st state' talk and calls for ending US-Canada tariffs.
Recommended on this episode
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl
“my favorite psychologist is u Victor Frankle Victor Frankl and he developed this um logos treatment which was basically giving people a sense of meaning”— Pierre Poilievre
Canadian maple syrup
various Canadian producers
“Well, this guy on uh Instagram was very convincing... I'm in it. I'm done. Stick with it. Tastes better, too. Yeah, it's the best. It's fantastic.”— Joe Rogan
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Capitalism and Freedom
Milton Friedman
“I read a lot of books like you know Milton Freriedman capitalism and freedom and and I came to to develop a philosophy”— Pierre Poilievre
The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith
“the 250th anniversary... of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, where he basically for the first time in human history described the free market system”— Pierre Poilievre
Ambrosia apples
South Okanagan growers
“in the meantime, you can buy ambrosio apples from uh the South Okonagan. I'm really plugging a lot of uh sales for the Canadian economy today.”— Pierre Poilievre
Perplexity
Perplexity AI
“Make sure that's true. I mean, in what way is it true? Uh, are there nutrients? Let's put it into perplexity.”— Joe Rogan
Ford F-Series
Ford
“the bestselling truck in America for 45 years now is the Ford series. It's aluminum. It's a it's a militaryra aluminum body.”— Pierre Poilievre
Painkiller
Netflix
“I don't know if you ever seen the Netflix docky drama series. Yeah. Painkiller or what was it? Was it called Painkiller?”— Joe Rogan
Big reveals from this episode
- Poilievre says a shoulder tendinitis injury that ended his teenage athletic career is what drove him into politics.
- Rogan reveals he no longer travels to Canada, citing how the government handled COVID and the trucker protests.
- Poilievre says he refuses to negotiate with Trump directly, deferring to the sitting PM and even texting him support during this US visit.
- Poilievre admits his opponents called his ideas 'scary,' then 'stole' his policies right before the election.
- The pair dissect Poilievre's viral 'apple interview,' which he says was filmed without him realizing and nearly thrown away.
- Rogan pitches ibogaine addiction treatment, claiming ~80% non-relapse after one session, and offers to connect Poilievre with Rick Perry.
- Rogan says he has deliberately avoided UFC events in Canada as a protest, but promises to attend if Poilievre wins.
Worth remembering
- The kettlebell originated as a Russian farmers'-market counterweight for weighing produce before becoming a strength tool.
- Poilievre claims one in 20 deaths in Canada is now assisted suicide (MAID).
- Canada is #1 in uranium and potash, #4 in oil, and holds 10 of NATO's 12 defined defense minerals.
- Poilievre says US homes doubled (70M to 150M) over 55 years while the money supply grew 30x, pushing housing costs up 15-fold.
- In Vancouver, the same roughly 40 repeat offenders were arrested about 6,000 times in a single year.
- North America has its smallest cattle herd since 1951, helping drive up beef prices.
- Lasers are now used to zap weeds in fields as an alternative to spraying glyphosate.
- Japan's 2008 'metabo law' fines companies (not individuals) if employees over 40 exceed waist limits, and Japan's obesity rate is 4-6% vs ~42% in the US.
- Tom Petty and Prince both died from fentanyl taken for chronic pain.
- The kimura submission is named after judoka Masahiko Kimura, who broke Helio Gracie's arm with the hold.