Welcome to Real Talk — Opposing Views, the show where I invite people who disagree with me to sit down, speak plainly, and be heard.

I’m Michelle Budiwski, and this is Episode One: A Conversation with Tim. On September 20th, we streamed this conversation live — and what you’re about to hear is that full, unedited recording.

Here’s the backstory: Tim was banned from my Facebook page for repeated abusive and bigoted language. He wasn’t happy about that. In fact, he was so upset he followed me over to Instagram and tagged my personal profile multiple times, accusing me of censorship. But here’s the truth: my page gets thousands of opposing comments every month. People argue, they challenge me, they disagree — and they’re still there. Why? Because disagreement is welcome. Abuse and hate speech are not.

So Tim came back, live, to defend his position. And we covered a lot. From Charlie Kirk and Colleen Robbins — the PC MLA for Spruce Woods — to conservative values in general. We debated trans rights, DEI, and abortion. We dug into the Conservative push for a Three Strike Sentencing law, bail reform, COVID vaccines, conspiracy theories, and the difference between opinions and facts. We even touched on the CBC. And most importantly, we tackled the bigger questions: What is hate speech? Where is the line between criticism and bigotry? And how do racism, ableism, and intolerance show up in our conversations, our politics, and our communities?

It wasn’t neat. It wasn’t easy. But it was real.

And from that discussion, here are a few takeaways:

We almost always have something in common if we try to find it.

Some people want connection; others just want to be angry.

Politicians often profit from that anger by spinning propaganda.

It’s never okay to celebrate a death.

No one deserves to die for their beliefs.

You’re entitled to your beliefs — but not to use them to harm others.

Defending or excusing racism makes you complicit.

If you don’t like how a page is run, don’t visit it.

Facts don’t care what you believe.

And no one owes you an audience.

 

Agree or disagree — that’s the point of this series. We’re here to listen, to question, and to push back when speech becomes harm. So buckle up. Tim’s here. I’m here. The mic was live. And this is the unedited conversation from September 20th, 2025.