RCI | English : Interviews

Many Canadian students get loans to cover their tuition and living expenses for college and university, and they often graduate with an average of between $25,000 and $30,000 of debt. The debt is even larger for those who studied management, medicine or science or for those who graduated from a masters or doctorate program.

'Unable to start our lives'

“For a lot of Canadians, what this means is that we are unable to start our lives,” says Trina James, treasurer of the Canadian Federation of Students. “Many of us are unable to do things like purchase homes, purchase cars, get jobs within our field… and start our families.” (listen below)

Students at Morehouse College in Atlanta, U.S.A., cheered when philanthropist Robert F. Smith announced he would pay off the debts of the entire 2019 graduating class. That sparked talk about student debt in Canada. (Steve Schaefer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Federation seeks debt relief for all students

The Canadian government did pass some measures to help post-secondary students in its 2019 budget. These include lower interest rates on student loans, no interest on student debt for the first six months after graduation and some help for students with disabilities. James welcomes these, but says they are not enough.

“We need to be thinking about a framework of free tuition for all students. We’ve seen something similar to this happen in different countries like in Norway and Germany where...they’ve recognized that post-secondary is something that is a necessity for their citizens.”

Federal election, a good time to talk, says student treasurer

James notes there is a federal election coming up in Canada in October 2019 and she says it is a good time to “have conversations” about what she says is a vital issue. “Almost 70 per cent of jobs require a post-secondary education degree...Post-secondary education without financial barriers is something that is ...a necessity for us to have a thriving and healthy country.”

Unlike some students in the U.S., Canadians are unlikely to have a billionaire pay off their student loans. Trina James says post-secondary education should be free.

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Vaccines need to be kept cool and that makes delivering them in hot countries difficult and expensive. Now, researchers at McMaster University in Ontario have found a way to overcome the problem.

It involves using compounds that have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Agency. “We found that...we could mix those compounds with our vaccine and then dry the vaccine which essentially creates like a pill that’s in kind of a sugary gel format,” says Matthew Miller, an assistant professor in biochemistry who was part of the team working on the project.

“This considerably decreased the weight of the vaccine and also allowed it to remain stable at really high temperatures for many, many months.”

Once the vaccine arrives where it is needed it can be reconstituted with a salt water solution and made ready to administer.

Delivering vaccines in warm countries like Somalia can be difficult and expensive because the doses must be kept cold during transportation. (Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo/June 1, 2013)

Testing on humans is next

The process has been successfully tested using animal models but it must be tested on humans before it can be approved for use. That may take several years’ more work.

The UN’s World Health Organization says 1.5 million deaths could be prevented if global immunization coverage improves. Vaccination can prevent diseases like cervical cancer, diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, whooping cough, pneumonia, polio, rotavirus diarrhea, rubella and tetanus.

Prof. Matthew Miller explains the breakthrough in how to store and transport vaccines and why it is so dramatic.

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(photo: ESWI/Koen Broos)

Posting photographs with animals on social media has helped drive a dramatic increase in wildlife tourism, but National Geographic says that has lead to some extreme animal suffering.

“You’ll go to a place maybe for a couple of hours, maybe a day at most... You’ll have a great time, take some pictures, then leave and carry on,” says National Geographic writer Natasha Daly. “The nature of that means you can’t really see what’s going on outside of that.

“You aren’t seeing how these animals are being trained for these experiences, how they’re being confined, how they’re being made to repeat these experiences all day long for different visitors.”

The number of wildlife selfies posted on Instagram is said to have nearly quadrupled between 2014 and 2016. (iStock)

Magazine offers advice for finding ethical wildlife travel

Daly and photojournalist Kirsten Luce travelled to Thailand, Russia, the U.S. and the Amazon to document what happens to animals used at these types of tourist attractions.

Daly gives the example of elephant tourism where visitors may either ride, bathe or watch elephants performing tricks in a show. “That elephant has to be trained from a young age. And overwhelmingly what we found...is that elephants are trained typically using fear. They are taught to fear a stick with a metal hook at the end called a bull hook from a young age.”

(Natasha Daily/National Geographic)

Natasha Daly describes what she saw when investigating the treatment of animals used for international tourism.

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The article published in the June 2019 edition of National Geographic offers practical advice for travellers who want a close encounter with wildlife but want to choose a destination where the animals are treated in humane and ethical ways. Daly says what travellers choose can eventually affect on what is offered.

National Geographic says the number of wildlife selfies posted on Instagram alone nearly quadrupled between 2014 and 2016, and that international travel has doubled over the past 15 years.

Funding for the report entitled The Hidden Cost of Wildlife Tourism was provided by National Geographic Society.

The special report on Wildlife tourism appears in the June 2019 edition of National Geographic magazine. (courtesy National Geographic)

Public health officials in the province of Ontario are creating a research centre to counter misinformation about immunization in hopes of increasing the rates of vaccination. This is prompted in part by several outbreaks of measles in Canada and the world, and a warning from the UN’s World Health Organization that hesitancy to vaccinate is one of the top 10 global health threats in 2019.

“The new centre has been set up to address a range of issues around immunization, but ultimately it’s to try and convince the public that vaccines are safe and effective,” says Natasha Crowcroft, chief science officer at Public Health Ontario. “We really want to drive home how strong the science is of immunization and address this issue that’s been called vaccine hesitancy by the World Health Organization.”

Many Canadians don’t trust science that has proven immunization to be safe and effective at preventing many diseases. (iStock)

Centre seeks to build trust

The centre will look at who people trust. Crowcroft says many Canadians do not trust government, nor do they trust scientists. There will be an effort to get more scientists to speak in public about the safety of vaccines.

But Crowcroft says people put more trust in health care providers so there will be a focus on them. “We want to make sure that health care providers have the tools they need, they know how to approach parents who are questioning vaccines...And they need to have the right information to be able to answer all the questions that a patient or a parent might have.”

The centre will look for ways to obtain better data on vaccination rates. While they are generally high in Canada there is not much information about pockets where they lag. Researchers hope to develop ways to reach people who are either hesitant about immunization or reject it completely.

Funding will come from several sources including the University of Toronto and Public Health Ontario.

Ontario's Chief Science Officer explains the mandate of the new research centre on immunization.

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(photo: Public Health Ontario)

The first-ever public consultations on systemic racism and discrimination in Montreal began Wednesday.

There have been various kinds of talks, meetings and declarations on the matter for over 30 years, but activists are are hoping that this time--maybe--more than a little progress will be made.

The consultations by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) are being held in a city where immigrants now comprise 34 per cent of the  population and the unemployment rate for new immigrants is double what it is for non-immigrants.

According to the Montreal Gazette, hate crimes rose by more than 50 per cent--to a total of 311--from 2016 to 2017.

The general information session of the public consultation will continue Thursday evening. (Livestream/ocpm.qc.ca)

Last year more people began taking their anger about lack of action to the streets.

In December, the City of Montreal directed its police service to track allegations of social and racial profiling as part of a series of commitments aimed at curbing the long-standing problem.

That same month, a research group at Concordia University released a report that showed racial profiling remains an issue in Montreal neighbourhoods where people of a visible minority congregate.

Discussions and declarations go back to--at least--1989 when the city signed a declaration against racism.

Last December Montreal Police Chief Sylvain Caron unveiled the service's new action plan to curb profiling. It requires the department to record the number of cases where an officer is found guilty of racial or social profiling. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

And there have been plenty since (see page 66 of link at top of story) but, activists say, what's needed is a whole lot more action.

Still, systemic discrimination is back in the news, getting a bit of attention.

That's due in no small part to a human dynamo named Balarama Holness, who leads a group called Montreal in Action.

Holness is currently a third-year law student at McGill University

Among other things in his 35 years, he's has earned a Master's Degree in Education (University of New Brunswick, 2015), won a Grey Cup (Montreal Alouettes, 2010) and run (he lost) for borough mayor in Montreal North (Montreal municipal election, 2017).

Holness, in short, is one of those guys who doesn't let a lot of grass grow under his feet--understandable enough when one considers that he was a sprinter in university.

Balarama Holness, the former Projet Montréal mayoral candidate for the borough of Montreal North, was one of the people who spearheaded the initiative to demand the public hearings. (Antoni Nerestant/CBC)

In May of last year, he began gathering signatures for a petition he started to get the city moving on doing something about the ill-effects of racism

He got 22,000 and last summer it was declared valid, forcing the City to begin the consultation process.

He was in the room last night when he, along with with members of Montreal's deaf, physically handicapped and Indigenous communities, showed up for what was billed as an information session.

I spoke with him Thursday morning.

This group of young people, known as Montreal in Action, delivered the petition to Montreal City Hall last July. Their leader, Balarama Holness, discusses what they want the city to do to fight systemic racism. (CBC) EN_Interview_4-20190516-WIE40

Even as Canada’s Prime Minister is in Paris to join the Christchurch Call to curb the spread of violent and extremist behaviour, a government committee in Ottawa is studying hate speech in Canada.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights held a session today to discuss online hate with a view to creating or modifying legislation to deal with it.

Jay Cameron (LLB) testified before the committee today in Ottawa, expressing concern about the line between legitimate disagreement versus actual hate speech. He is litigation manager for the Justice Centre for Constitutional Rights, an advocacy organisation specialising in constitutional issues and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

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Under Canada’s current hate speech laws it is a crime to make “statements in any public place [which] incites hatred against any identifiable group where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace."

Jay Cameron, litigation manager, Justice Centre for Constitutional Rights, (JCCF)

With the rise of the internet and social media, the definition of “public space” has also grown.

Cameron says there has been a rise in recent years in the charge of “hate speech” to quell a disagreement or opposing opinion.

The Justice Centre previously appeared before the committee during discussion on a Parliamentary motion to condemn “Islamophobia” stating in written testimony , “The refusal of the Standing Committee to bring certainty to the debate and define what it meant by “Islamophobia”, lends itself to increased suspicion from Canadians about the true intentions of this government”.

Renowned Canadian psychology professor and author Jordan Peterson in 2016 attempting to discuss free speech and forced use of gender neutral pronouns while a noisy group of protesters attempt to drown him out. Claiming hate speech, objectors regularly demand his speaking engagements cancelled and if not, then disrupt them. (Youtube screengrab)

In a media release today, Jay Cameron commented, ““Much of what critics hate and decry as “hate” is simply disagreement.  And it is not only legal to disagree with ideology and religion and people’s pet theories in Canada, it is constitutionally protected. In that sense, Parliament must be wary not to create laws which echo  the blasphemy laws enacted in places like Iran and Saudi Arabia, which censure disagreement regarding religious dogma,”

The Montreal Children’s Hospital is warning people to use extreme caution when storing cannabis and to realize it is dangerous for children. Where it used to be rare for children to come to the hospital for cannabis use or intoxication before 2016, since then there have been 26 cases.

Hospital officials say the increase coincided with discussion about legalization which began in earnest in 2016. Recreational use was allowed in October 2018 and edible forms will become legal in October 2019.

Even though they are not yet legal, edibles are being consumed and children are finding and eating them.

The hospital recommends cannabis products be locked up, out of sight and out of reach. (iStock)

Some children required intensive care

“Children are quite vulnerable to cannabis and its effects and can become very ill following its ingestion,” says Debbie Friedman, trauma director at the hospital. “For younger kids...they’d be more susceptible to poisoning because of their smaller size.

“What we’re concerned (about) and what we’ve been   seeing is kids coming in with symptoms ranging from vomiting, anxiety, lethargy, increased respiratory rate, and in more severe cases seizures. And some of the children have even required hospitalization in our pediatric intensive care unit.”

In the edible forms, cannabis can be indistinguishable from ordinary gummy candies, brownies, chocolate bars or other foods. And they can be very attractive to children, warns Friedman.

“Given that the most common overdose in children occurs when they eat edible forms of cannabis, we want to make sure that it’s stored properly, kept out of reach of children--kind of what you would do with grandma’s pills.”

Keep cannabis locked up, advises hospital

A hospital statement says cannabis, especially edibles, “must be locked out of sight and out of reach.” It urges people who suspect children have ingested the drug to seek “urgent medical attention.”

Government statistics show about 4.6 million Canadians aged 15 years and older report using cannabis. That’s 15 per cent of the population. The number has not changed much since the drug was legalized for recreational use.

Trauma Director Debbie Friedman says children intoxicated by cannabis may require intensive care in hospital.

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A three-day hearing into a proposed settlement for survivors of Indian Day Schools was scheduled to wrap up Wednesday in Winnipeg.

Federal Court Justice Michael Phelan is deciding whether to approve the settlement for a nation-wide class action lawsuit to compensate survivors for harms they suffered while attending the schools

About 200,000 Indigenous children attended the federally-funded schools across Canada, beginning in the 1920s.

The Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Centre (KORLCC) in Kahnawake, QC has several photos in its archives of day schools, but some, like this one, don't say when they were taken or who is pictured. (KORLCC)

It is believed there are 120,000 to 140,000 potential Day School survivors still living.

The federal government announced last December it had reached an agreement with survivors of the about 700 Indian Day Schools, where students experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse similar to students who attended Indian Residential Schools.

Indian Day School survivors were not included in a $1.9-billion settlement for Residential School victims reached 2016.

Mariette Buckshot and Margaret Swan, left, console each other during an Indian Day school litigation announcement in Ottawa in March. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

The proposed settlement includes anyone who attended a federal Indian Day School, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

If the agreement is approved by Justice Phelan, anyone who attended a day school would be eligible to receive $10,000 in individual compensation.

Anyone physically or sexually abused could receive an additional $50,000 to $200,000, depending on the severity of their claim.

The Indian Day School settlement grew out of what was originally a $15-billion class action lawsuit filed in 2009.

Garry McLean launched the historic lawsuit in 2009. (Steve Silva/CBC)

The lead plaintiff, Garry McLean, died earlier this year at the age of 67.

Following today's hearing, there will be a 90-day opt out period for survivors.

If the settlement is accepted, the claims application period will be 2.5 years long.

There has been some disagreement among survivors about whether or not to accept the settlement.

Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Grand Chief Joe Norton, a former Indian Day School student, attended the first day of the Indian Day Schools hearing in Winnipeg on Monday. (Jessica Deer/CBC)

Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake Joe Norton knows first-hand about the ill-effects Indian Day Schools had on his people, who live across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal.

He was in Winnipeg to attend the hearing on Monday and is a former student at one of the schools.

I spoke with him Wednesday at his band council office in Kahnawake,

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The Canadian government lost an estimated $169 million from streaming companies in 2017 because it did not tax them, according to a report from the auditor general. Other analysts estimate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue could have been collected from Netflix since it established service in Canada in 2010.

While subscribers are supposed to voluntarily pay excise tax on streaming services from another country, few do and the law is not enforced. That may change as legislative review panel considers broadcasting and telecommunications laws and is set to report next year.

In the meantime, domestic companies are obliged to collect taxes, making them more expensive and putting them at a disadvantage.

The Canadian Revenue Agency could have collected $169 million from Netflix in 2017, according to the auditor general. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

'There's unfairness'

“There’s unfairness in our tax system because Canadian companies who sell digital streaming services have to charge, collect and remit the tax and the foreign companies don’t,” says Cyndee Todgham Cherniak, a trade lawyer and adjunct law professor at the University of Windsor.

“If Canadian companies have to collect, foreign companies selling to Canadians should have to collect as well. And it would mean that the legislation should be changed. There should be fairness in the tax system. It shouldn’t benefit foreign companies over Canadian companies.”

Netflix says it would pay tax if required to

Netflix Canada has said it is happy to comply and would collect tax if it were obliged to.So far, the federal government has not required it, but two provinces have. Both Quebec and Saskatchewan introduced legislation requiring digital businesses to collect provincial sales tax. Quebec estimates it will raise over $154 million over five years this way.

“That tax revenue can go toward social programs and pay down our debt,” says Todgham Cherniak. “Why wouldn’t we want to do this?”

There are an estimated 6.7 million Netflix subscribers in Canada.

(submitted photo)

Lawyer Cyndee Todgham Cherniak says the current tax system is unfair to domestic cable companies and deprives Canada of revenue it could use for social programs and to pay the debt.

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With files from CBC

Several years ago, when Canada invited thousands of Syrian refugees to move here to escape the insanity gripping their native country, a lot of us were proud of what appeared to be our collective ability to deliver compassion and help when it really counts.

Many of the over 60,000 people from Syria who have arrived here over the past four years have done well.

Others have struggled, just like the rest of us.

Now, many in the first wave are becoming Canadian citizens.

I've been thinking a lot these days about those Syrians as I read the news and talk with friends and family.

Basel Alzoubi (right) arrived in Canada with his family three years ago; he'll soon be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship. He is pictured here in his Ottawa home with his wife Hanaa and son Mousa. (Stu Mills/CBC)

Was that opening of arms who we are?

Or are we something else?

Sadly, I am beginning to wonder.

Example: My wife has a friend who has fallen victim to the after-effects of the Canadian embassy in Havana closing its visa office, setting back both her and her Cuban husband's attempts to reunite for keeps here in Canada. This spring my wife's friend suffered a miscarriage. Her husband remains in Cuba, she lives in Canada.

Example: I read a somewhat similar story from CBC News this week about a Cuban man who hitch-hiked across the island only to discover the visa office was not longer there.

Carlos Gonzalez Trenzado and Laura Silver are separated as they try to navigate the challenging process of immigrating from Cuba. (Laura Silver/Supplied)

Both couples will likely have to proceed (if they can find the needed money) at the Canadian visa office in Mexico City.

Example: I have a dear friend, who was born in Mexico and has been a Canadian resident for 21 years, a citizen for 16.

A professional woman, she's really, really smart.

Moreover, she's really, really compassionate.

She is someone I treasure and so should Canada.

Yet immigration authorities keep throwing up roadblocks when she tries to bring her mother to Canada to live near her and her grandchildren.

I confess to becoming irate when confronted with these stories.

I am told by those involved to calm down.

"That's immigration," they say, a flicker of despair sometimes crossing their foreheads.

Visitors wait at the entrance of Canada's embassy in Havana in April, 2018. Changes in visa procedures are adversely affecting many who want to come to Canada, especially those with little money. (Desmond Boylan/The Associated Press)

Immigration, I tell myself, is a government department.

A country is a country.

Are we not the country that invited all the Syrians just a few years ago, that invited thousands of so-called boat people from Southeast Asia--mostly Vietnamese--back in the late 1970s and early 1980s to seek asylum here, that asked 37,000 Hungarian refugees to come here 1956?

The answer, of course, is yes.

But Canada’s auditor-general, Sylvain Ricard, released a report last week that was critical of several aspects of the government's handling of asylum seekers.

A story last weekend told of a "stringent" visa process keeping qualified international students away from from Canadian universities.

Guidy Mamann testifies about Canada's policy towards Syrian refugees in Washington, D.C. in 2016.(Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)

One wonders if words like compassion, despair, heartache, and empathy have been stricken from our vocabulary, never mind our policies.

So what the heck is going on with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada?