Redeye

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, we saw a global reckoning on anti-Black racism. In response to this uprising and demand for action, universities across North America scrambled to make public commitments to racial justice.  But some Black scholars in Canada say these pledges now face a challenging landscape. We talk with Dr. Cornel Grey, assistant professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at Western University. He joins me now.

Think globally, act locally is an old adage, but one that might be relevant as Canada works to strengthen our national economy. With US economic aggression shaking the economy, everyone is searching for ways to bolster businesses and industries here. Dr. Heather Hachigian says Canada’s policy makers need a renewed approach to economic development  – one that focuses on the local. Hachigian is an assistant professor in the Masters of Global Management Program at Royal Roads University.

PACE Society is a peer-driven organization located in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver that provides support, advocacy, and education for current and former sex workers. In late February, they announced they were temporarily suspending services and programming and laying off most staff. PACE’s announcement followed a string of closures and service reductions at other organizations serving sex workers and other marginalized women. Jennie Pearson joins us to talk about why these closures happened and what’s needed to support women in the Downtown Eastside. She is a PhD Candidate in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program at UBC. She is also a volunteer with PACE Society.

Canada Council director Michelle Chawla says Canadian decision-makers need to acknowledge that the arts have a vital role to play in these uncertain times. In response to the threats of annexation by the U.S. and the tariffs aimed at weakening the Canadian economy, there has been a major rise in nationalistic cultural expression.  Musicologist Rosheeka Parahoo says that when it comes to radio play, funding and recognition, the promise of diverse Canadian music has seldom matched the reality. And that needs to change.

Patriotism has surged across Canada in response to Donald Trump’s attacks on our economic stability and sovereignty. In the midst of all this rallying behind the flag, Alpha Abebe says it’s a good time to consider who and what is being obscured in the current surge of Canadian patriotism. She is with the Faculty of Humanities and the Lead for Africa and Black Diaspora Studies at McMaster University.

The Nechako River was one of the main tributaries of the Fraser until the Kenney Dam was built in the 1950s. The dam diverted most of the river’s flow to power Rio Tinto Alcan’s aluminum smelter in Kitimat, severely impacting the lives of the local Stellat’en and Saik’uz Nations. Nechako is a new film that documents years of resistance by the two Nations, including a groundbreaking legal proceeding against the Canadian government and Rio Tinto Alcan that continues to this day. We speak with writer and director Lyana Patrick of the Stellat’en First Nation.

The English Language leader’s debate on April 17 ended with the abrupt cancellation of standard post-debate scrum.  At the centre of the incident was the accreditation of right-wing Rebel News and tensions between them and journalists at the event. We talk with the Tyee's Jen St. Denis about what happened that evening in Montreal.

Every December, students across Canada enjoy a two-week break to celebrate Christmas. In spring, Good Friday and Easter Monday bring further celebrations and a long weekend. But for Canadian students who want to mark celebrations in their own traditions, it often means being marked “absent” from school. A research professor who worked with high school students in Alberta says Canada should recognize celebrations like Eid, Diwali and Lunar New Year as public holidays. We speak with Dr. Rahat Zaidi, research professor in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.

Allegations of political interference involving Alberta Health Services have been swirling around the provincial government for weeks. The former CEO of Alberta Health Services. Athana Mentzelopoulos, is suing the province for wrongful dismissal, saying she was fired in January for looking into the overpays on contracts with private surgical providers. As the province continues to be hit by allegations of corruption and political interference, a new report from the Parkland Institute reveals how privatization has dramatically increased costs, undermined public hospitals, and prolonged wait times for critical surgeries. We speak with Andrew Longhurst, health policy researcher and the author of the report, Operation Profit.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza has been widely covered in the Canadian media. Yet the coverage has been shown to be unfair, misleading, and biased in favour of Israel. A 2023 analysis by The Breach of thousands of sentences in Canada’s top newspapers found that the largest Canadian newspapers have given disproportionate attention to the deaths of Israelis, portrayed Israelis in more humanized ways and more often identified who was responsible for killing them. In response to this clear bias against Palestinians, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East set up their Media Accountability Project and has played an active role in challenging media bias about the situation in Gaza since then. We speak with Lynn Naji, media analyst at CJPME.