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Kids have 'hard questions' about the London attack. Parents say they're learning from those questions too
When Omar Hamam and Ingy Akkary told their children about the attack on a local Muslim family, their sons reacted with fear and confusion. A child and adolescent psychiatrist says it's important to give children space to process traumatic events like this.
She pursued an education when others told her not to. Now, she's a college valedictorian
Ashley Vien said her family struggled with issues like addiction and low income when she was growing up, and that she never really had a home. She wanted something different for her own family, and thought “the way to go was just continuing school.”
The Current for June 11, 2021
Today on The Current: Muslim Canadians call for concrete change after London attack; ethical questions around neural implant technology; and a new report shows how the foster care system is failing Indigenous children.
These Muslim women say harassment because of their faith is constant and relentless
A Toronto legal academic who studies hate crime and Islamophobia says she is tired of Muslim women being asked to recount the violence they face, while “nothing fundamentally changes” to prevent that violence from happening.
The Current for June 10, 2021
Today on The Current, we're celebrating the class of 2021, with stories from graduating students across the country, and words of encouragement and advice from prominent Canadians.
The Current for June 9, 2021
Today on The Current: Muslim women discuss discrimination based on visibility of their faith; report shows huge spike in toxic drug deaths among First Nations people in B.C.; and sexism in the construction industry.
Church apologies for residential schools a necessary step in reconciliation, says Vancouver Archbishop
A Vancouver archbishop says that apologies by local church figures for the institution’s role in Canada’s residential schools “might not be enough” in the absence of a formal apology from the pope. But he hopes they will be “accepted as gestures of goodwill.”
Canadians must stand up to Islamophobia after fatal attack on Muslim family, says advocate
After four members of a Muslim family were attacked and killed Sunday, Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, says Canadians must stand up to the Islamophobia that drives such violence.
The Current for June 8, 2021
Today on The Current: Every Canadian must stand up to Islamophobia, say advocates; Archbishop J. Michael Miller on his apology after Kamloops discovery; how Canada could help ramp up vaccine production; and how "sticky stuff" is driving cheating in baseball.
Pandemic like a global experiment on how human activity affects wildlife, researcher says
Amanda Bates, an associate professor of ocean sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland, led an international study into how COVID-19 lockdowns have affected the natural world. She says the pandemic has given us an opportunity to understand our place in the natural world.
The Current for June 7, 2021
Today on The Current: Examining the threat of ransomware attacks; how the pandemic has impacted nature; what a new governing coalition could mean in Israel; and André Picard on new variants and vaccines.
He saw Kamloops residential school as a monster. With poetry, he denied it 'the satisfaction' of killing him
Kamloops residential school survivor Dennis Saddleman suffered devastating trauma after being forced to attend the institution for 11 years. But he discovered a talent for poetry in later life that helped with his healing.
Murray Sinclair calls for inquiry into residential school burial sites, more support for survivors
Retired senator Murray Sinclair says his biggest concern after Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation said it found indications of possible children's remains on the grounds of a former B.C. residential school last week is how to support people who have been retraumatized by the events.
Why it's time to appreciate the caracara, the 'extremely weird' falcon that acts like a crow
In his new book, Jonathan Meiburg argues that the striated caracara has an unique mind, and is :an incredible example of the flexibility of the world of birds to produce different kinds of minds and intelligences.
The Current for June 4, 2021
Today on The Current: How poetry has helped Dennis Saddleman heal from abuses of Kamloops residential school; what awaits Canada’s music industry on the other side of COVID-19; William Prince on reconciliation and hope; and Rosemary Barton on the federal government’s response to remains identified at Kamloops
The Current for June 3, 2021
Today on The Current: Inquiry into the death of Atikamekw woman Joyce Echaquan in a Quebec hospital comes to a close; report alleges China’s efforts at influence and interference in Canada; and new book explores the rise of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his global empire.
The Current for June 2, 2021
Today on The Current: Murray Sinclair on the deaths of children in residential schools, and what must be done to help survivors; advocates call on Catholic Church to release school records; Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open; and Jonathan Meiburg on the caracara, a most remarkable bird.
Discovery of Kamloops remains confirmed what they suspected. Now action must match words, says survivor
Former chief of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Manny Jules was a student at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C., as were his parents before him. He said his community wants to see "concrete solutions" from elected officials.
The Mafia from the mountains: Fighting Italy's most ruthless and secretive clans
The Calabrian ‘ndrangheta is the most powerful crime syndicate in the West, with ever-expanding investments in global capital markets and collusion of white-collar workers. The biggest ‘ndrangheta trial is underway in the southern Italian region, but Calabrians say only a cultural shift will free them from the clans’ stranglehold.
The Current for June 1, 2021
Today on The Current: Survivor recalls his time at Kamloops, B.C., residential school where remains of children found; the Mafia from the mountains; overcoming needle phobias to get a COVID-19 vaccine; and U.K. moves to ban peat compost sales.
Mandating vaccines at universities could set dangerous precedent, says bioethicist
A Montreal bioethicist says Western University’s plan to make vaccines mandatory for students in residence is ethically problematic, because it’s a form of discrimination.
Calls for accountability after remains of 215 children found at former Kamloops residential school
The remains of 215 children have been found at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., after the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation hired a specialist to investigate the grounds. We talk to Angela Sterritt, a CBC reporter based in Vancouver; and Cindy Blackstock, executive director at the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.
'We will not go back to the dark age': Why students are risking their safety to shed light on Myanmar coup
A Burmese law student who is helping funnel information to the outside world, about the violence happening in Myanmar, says she’s speaking out so future generations will have a chance at living in a democracy.
The Current for May 31, 2021
Today on The Current: Calls for accountability after remains of 215 children found at former Kamloops, B.C., residential school; ethical questions around Western University’s move to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for students living in residence; and students are risking their safety to shed light on Myanmar coup.
What it will take to find lasting peace in the Middle East
What is the path to real peace in the Middle East, after the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza? We discuss the road ahead with Bessma Momani, a political scientist at the University of Waterloo who specializes in Middle East politics and economics; and Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to Egypt under Bill Clinton and ambassador to Israel under George W. Bush.
