Satire

It's Friday July 30th, ahhhh, a long weekend and Molson is cutting the cost of a case of beer in the wake of falling stock prices after the proposed merger with the American beer company Coors was announced.

Currently, the marketing geniuses behind the merger are desperately scrambling for a catchphrase that would reflect both countries and beers...their first choice : "My name is Joe Schmo and I am North American..."

Molson: Coors - Business Reporter

The holiday weekend is just hours away, and Molson is set to buy its way into Canadian hearts and stomachs.

Fresh from its proposed merger with American brewing giant Coors, Molson is cutting the cost of a case by five dollars.

Great news for beer drinkers, maybe but will this be the last time Canada's long-weekend warriors will be able to pledge their patriotism while quenching their thirst?

To give us the latest on the proposed Molson-Coors marriage, we were joined by Patrick Brethour. He's a business reporter with The Globe & Mail and he was in Calgary.

Molson: Coors Factboard

Now that Molson and Coors are joining forces, Canadian beer fans might be interested in knowing a little bit more about the famous American family behind the “Silver Bullet.”

The Coors Brewing Company was started in 1873 in Golden, Colorado, by German immigrant Adolph Coors. Since then, the popular label has enjoyed its fair share of media attention and controversy and not only for its purportedly watery-tasting beer.

In 1960, the brewing empire was struck by tragedy when CEO Adolph Coors – the third grandson of the founding patriarch, was kidnapped and murdered.

Soon, the Coors name was attracting attention for other reasons, including the political views of some of its family members. In 1972, Joe Coors helped found The Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.

In 1977, the powerful union group, the AFL-CIO, launched a ten-year boycott against Coors. It said the company treated workers and especially minorities unfairly.

Recently, though, some people have praised Coors for its labour practices including decisions made in the 1990s to offer special resources to gay and lesbian employees as well as same-sex partner benefits. Coors is also a sponsor of Denver’s annual gay and lesbian Pridefest.

Still, don’t expect the Coors moniker to be free from debate anytime soon. Pete Coors, who used to run the company, is now seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Colorado. And he’s facing criticism for his own stance on gay-rights, because he opposes same-sex marriage.

Molson: Coors – Tape & Ad Exec

Maybe it's just the long weekend talking. But you have to wonder if all this fuss over the Molson-Coors merger doesn't hit just a little closer to home because of the company's history as a Canadian icon.

After all, Molson does have a two-hundred-and-eighteen year foothold in Canada. In fact, it's one of the oldest and largest breweries in all of North America. But, history doesn't always dictate popular taste in fact, many Canadians are turning their noses up at Molson and competitor Labbatt in favour of local brews.

We popped into a Toronto pub to figure out what is the most popular pint these days. It seems despite their patrons' tastes, Molson is still a dominant force in Canada.

To discuss the company's legacy we were joined by a man who knows an awful lot about beer. Allen Sneath is a former advertising executive who worked on both Molson and Carling O'Keefe campaigns. He was also a founding partner in the Algonquin Brewing Company, an Ontario micro-brewery. And he's the author of "Brewed In Canada: The Untold Story of Canada's 350-Year-Old Brewing Industry", published by the Dundurn Group. Allen Sneath was on the phone from his home in Thornhill, Ontario.

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The Current: Part 2

Sudan: Canada’s Role

The crisis in Sudan's Darfur region continues to escalate, with at least 40-thousand people reported dead and one and a half million more displaced from their homes. Today, the United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution giving the Sudanese government thirty days to stop the Janjaweed militias, who have been carrying out attacks against civilians. Human-rights groups believe the Janjaweed are getting support from the government in Khartoum.

To many observers, what is going on in Darfur is clearly genocide. But for the most part, countries around the world -- including Canada -- are reluctant to apply that label.

In the meantime, Sudanese-Canadians are watching the chaos from afar. Mahjob Abdallah immigrated to Canada nine years ago. He now lives in Toronto, where we spoke with him.

To discuss what Canada could be doing to help resolve the Sudan crisis, we were joined by Frank Chalk. He's a history professor at Concordia University. He is also the co-director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies.

Sudan: Mobina Jaffer

Canada has made an effort to bring attention to the problems in Sudan. The question is, has it been enough? Our next guest was appointed the Special Envoy to the Peace Process in Sudan. Liberal Senator Mobina Jaffer joined us from Vancouver.

Sudan: History

As the saying goes, if you don't understand the past, you'll be doomed to repeat it. So to take a brief look at Sudan's past, we were joined by Robert Matthews. He is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Toronto, and he is also co-editor and author of the newly published book, "Durable Peace, Challenges For Peacebuilding in Africa" published by U of T Press. He was on the line from his home in Roches Point, Ontario.

Listen to The Current: Part 2

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