The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay
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The Sunday Magazine for June 26, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, David Sedaris shares his latest observations on the world, we survey Canadian travel woes and wanderlust, and two academic pen pals publish their pandemic letters.
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The future implications of overturning Roe v. Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that gave women a constitutional right to abortion. Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Slate writer and podcast host Dahlia Lithwick about what the decision could mean for the future of reproductive rights and other legal protections.
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Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu answers questions from kids
Bianca Andreescu answered questions posed to her over video by children who take tennis lessons at Ontario Racquet Club in Mississauga, where she trained as a child.
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A philosophical voyage into the bigger meaning of travel
While Canadians struggle with delays at airports and long lines at passport offices, author and philosopher Emily Thomas is thinking deeply about how the pandemic has affected our relationship with travel, and what the current moment reveals about our desire to leave home.
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David Sedaris on his father's death, division, and choosing one thing to be terribly, terribly offended by
Storyteller and humourist David Sedaris joins Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss the darker subject matter of his new essay collection Happy-Go-Lucky, including his troubled relationship with his late father, while still delivering his trademark wit and wisdom.
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Pandemic letter writing project paves roadmap for a more hopeful future
During the pandemic, Canadian writers Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson started writing letters to each other. Their exchanges show how they coped through COVID-19 and contain insights into the way our country's history of colonization and slavery led us to this moment.
The Sunday Magazine for June 19, 2022
David Frum dives into the January 6 hearings, tennis star Bianca Andreescu serves up some life advice for kids (and adults), we uncover the politics of sleep, discover how unique animal senses shape their worlds and share one writer's journey to saying 'I love you, dad'.
Q&A
Simu Liu says this generation of immigrants needs 'to show the world that we belong'
In an interview with CBC Radio's The Sunday Magazine, Liu expressed his hopes that the next generation of immigrants will escape the 'grateful immigrant' trope — one where newcomers are expected to be gracious guests and not to expect too much from their adopted home.
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What the Jan. 6 hearings have revealed and where they might lead
Political commentator and staff writer at The Atlantic David Frum discusses the testimony and the potential consequences of the United States House select committee's investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots.
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Bianca Andreescu on rising to the top of the tennis world, and how she stays grounded
After rocketing up the Women's Tennis Association rankings in 2019, Canadian tennis phenom Bianca Andreescu has had a tough couple of years. Now she's back on the court and she's sharing some of her story about growing up as a child athlete.
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In today's economy, sleep has become a luxury many can't afford
Sleep is one of society's biggest divides right now, and COVID-19 hasn't helped. New trends in the world of work mean more and more of us are getting by with little or irregular sleep — and the consequences are real.
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From whiskers to flippers, what animal senses teach us about our world
Celebrated science journalist Ed Yong’s new book takes readers on a tour of the weird and wonderful world of animal senses. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer is transforming the way we perceive animals, their surroundings and our understanding of the world.
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A Father's Day reflection on expressing love
How do you show your dad love? This Father's Day, writer and artist Pik-Shuen Fung shares a story of how growing up in a Chinese family in Canada meant a lot of showing — not so much telling. And how she learned to embrace all the ways to say "I love you."
The Sunday Magazine for June 12, 2022
Simu Liu shares his real-life superhero origin story, Armine Yalnizyan explores what high inflation means for Canadians, Fariha Róisín takes a critical look at wellness culture, and Lucy Cooke busts stereotypes about female animals.
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Inflation is up, unemployment is down — what does it all mean for Canadians?
Food costs more. Gas prices are high. Interest rates are climbing. And it's not just Canadians feeling the pinch. Economist Armine Yalnizyan breaks down what it all means.
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Who wellness culture is for, and who it leaves behind
Companies like GOOP, savvy marketers and social media have propelled self-care into a movement and a multi-billion dollar industry. Canadian-born artist and writer Fariha Róisín critiques how the 'wellness industrial complex' has co-opted teachings and practices from other cultures.
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Busting myths about female creatures in the animal world
Zoologist and author Lucy Cooke's latest book, Bitch: On the Female of the Species, challenges, debunks and then reconstructs common narratives about female animals. She says they've been mischaracterized by years of sexist science, going back to her hero, Charles Darwin.
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Sunday politics panel: Guns, drugs and an Ontario election
Columnists Susan Delacourt, Matt Gurney and Sandy Garossino join guest host Helen Mann to break down the big political stories of the week.
The Sunday Magazine for June 5, 2022
Our political panel discusses the Ontario election, guns and British Columbia's new drug legislation, we examine the ethics of wastewater surveillance, we discover wolves' role in nation building, and broadcaster Ray Suarez examines the forces driving financial struggle.
Wastewater surveillance provides crucial COVID-19 data, but also carries privacy concerns: scientists
Wastewater surveillance has gone from niche science to mainstream public health tool over the course of the pandemic. But some experts caution that the data collected could lead to privacy concerns, especially because samples are often gathered from public sources.
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How wolves came to shape Canada
From the 'Big Bad Wolf' to nation builder, author Stephanie Rutherford examines how wolves have been misunderstood throughout history in the stories we tell about them and what they can teach us about our relationship with the environment.
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Ray Suarez spent decades covering poverty – then found himself at the centre of the story
The acclaimed journalist found himself jobless after his employer closed shop. He shares his own experience, as well as the stories of others going through tough economic times on his podcast Going for Broke.
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The global food supply is in crisis, but Ertharin Cousin says we can turn the tide
As the former executive director of the United Nations' World Food Programme, Ertharin Cousin has spent years observing the indicators of what she describes as a 'perfect storm' — a looming crisis of food insecurity affecting all corners of the world, exacerbated by a pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
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How much power does the NRA still have in America?
The National Rifle Association is gathering in Houston, Texas, this weekend. The same state still reeling from a deadly school shooting in Uvalde. But critics say the group is not the force it once was — yet its ideology holds strong. Journalist and author Frank Smyth has covered the NRA for decades and wrote its 'unauthorized' history in 2020.
