The Sunday Editionwith Michael Enright
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The Sunday Edition for September 22, 2019
Listen to this week's episode of The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright.
Can capitalism reform itself? - Michael's essay
"Things are changing. Nothing terrifies the pilots of Bay Street and Wall Street more than change. Unless they're the ones doing the changing. The early signs are there. The mighty engine of capitalism is sputtering."
Introducing beloved Jamaican-Canadian entertainer Miss Lou to a new generation
Miss Lou recorded music, hosted radio and television programs, published books and taught folklore. She spent the last 20 years of her life in Canada, where she helped inspire generations of Caribbean-Canadians. Nadia L. Hohn wrote a new children’s book, A Likkle Miss Lou, to mark the 100th anniversary of Miss Lou’s birth.
Point of View
'I'm the mom with the kid who howls like a wolf'
It's hard enough figuring out how to parent children who have come to be known as neurodiverse. The behaviours can be troubling and hard to fathom and so can the shifting labels. This is the complicated world that Emelia Symington Fedy inhabits, where labels close doors and open them. Her essay is called "All the Little Weirdos."
After winning a jackpot, a former nurse dedicated her life to others
As a former nurse and charity worker, Rachel Lapierre has always wanted to give back. After a fateful scratch ticket guaranteed her $1,000 every week for life, Lapierre focused her efforts entirely on helping her community. David Gutnick follows a life of generosity in his documentary "What Makes Rachel Run?"
Remembering Graeme Gibson, who loved birds and words
He was a great lover of birds and words. A conservationist, a literary activist, and quite simply, a lovely guy. Graeme Gibson died on Wednesday 18 September. Hear Michael Enright's conversation with him about one of the books for which he was beloved, The Bedside Book of Beasts.
Canadian farmers on trade, environmental policy and the federal election
Michael Enright speaks with three Canadian farmers about the urban-rural divide in this country and the election issues that matter most to them, such as international trade, the economy, the environment and carbon taxes. And what they'd like us, the consumers of their food, to consider when we cast our votes.
The man who brings astronomy to downtown Montreal
Defying the light pollution of downtown Montreal, Trever Kjorlien sets up his telescope in the city's busiest streets. His mission: to bring the wonders of the planets to the people of Montreal.
The Sunday Edition for September 15, 2019
Listen to this week's episode of The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright.
Confessions of a smartphone addict - Michael's essay
"I had pooh-poohed those pitiable creatures welded to their phones, but now I was experiencing an empty sense of loss which I never expected. Was it conceivable that I had become as addicted to my phone as they were to theirs?"
Canadians may or may not elect the government they want
It's fair to say that there's an odour of cynicism in the autumn air with an election five weeks away. Author and electoral reform advocate Dave Meslin, political scientist Melanee Thomas and former Conservative senator and long-time political insider Hugh Segal join Michael Enright for a lively discussion about how well Canadian voters are served by our parliamentary democracy – and how well our parliamentary democracy is served by voters.
'The fiddle is laughing': How this teen and 83-year-old keep Ti-Jean Carignan's music alive
Maxim Bergeron is a teen violin virtuoso from Berlin. Gilles Losier is an 83-year-old Acadian pianist from New Brunswick. The bond between them was forged by the music of legendary Quebec musician Ti-Jean Carignan.
The global explosion of cities built from scratch sparks hope and concern
It's an urbanization trend that's taking off around the world. Take swaths of undeveloped land, add steel, concrete, technology, political capital and heaps of money and voila: Instant cities — ones that promise low environmental impacts and high quality of life. Sarah Moser of McGill University talks about this global phenomenon and how well it delivers on its promise.
The wit and wisdom of the late Desmond Morton
We pay tribute to the great Canadian historian and public intellectual Desmond Morton, who died on September 4, by digging into The Sunday Edition vaults for his insights on an issue that's as relevant as ever in this political season: Promises, and what they're really worth — especially when it's politicians who are making them.
Point of View
I made a vow to stop buying new clothes. It's harder than I thought
Our economy is built on consumer capitalism, but endless consumption takes a heavy toll on the planet and our bank accounts. Dorothy Woodend tells of her efforts to end her love affair with buying stuff in her essay, “Shop No More.”
Is meatless meat really better for your health and the planet?
Meat, especially beef, has been getting a bad rap in recent years for the toll it takes on the planet and our health. Hence the soaring popularity of meatless burgers that still look, smell and taste like real meat. But Jim Thomas, a Co-Executive Director and Researcher with the ETC Group in Quebec, says we should think again about whether highly-processed meat substitutes are a real solution.
The Sunday Edition for September 8, 2019
Listen to this week's episode of The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright.
September need not be the end of summer - Michael's essay
As cool winds set in, we are constantly reminded of the inevitability of winter. Even though September signifies darkness, it is also a reminder that summer's warmth will re-emerge again.
Paul Rogers and Margaret MacMillan discuss a planet on the verge of a nervous breakdown
Kashmir, Hong Kong, Iran, Brexit, U.S. politics, the rise of the xenophobic far right across Europe, not to mention the extreme weather unleashed by climate change: Lately, it's seemed as if the world is having a meltdown. British security and geopolitical expert Paul Rogers and renowned Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan have studied global affairs at their most turbulent in the past and present, and discuss the current state of geopolitical upheaval and Canada's place is in the world (dis)order that's unfolding now.
A thank you dinner for the 'forgotten' migrant workers who pick Canada's food
Migrant farm workers from the Caribbean and Latin America toil in the blazing sun, but live largely in the shadows. Except when a businesswoman in Leamington, Ont., throws them a party — a feast full of the tastes and sounds of home. Alisa Siegel takes us to that party in her documentary "The Forgotten Ones."
An award-winning writer faces terminal illness by pursuing beauty
Brian Brett is a writer and self-proclaimed rural renegade. After years of battling illness, Brett was given the bad news that he has terminal cancer. In an essay entitled “If Your Doctor Said This Was Your Last Spring, What Would You Do?”, he explores how to die with a 'rage to live'.
The Canadian who helped craft Pope Francis's statement on climate change will be our fourth cardinal
Pope Francis named Czech-born Canadian Jesuit priest Michael Czerny a cardinal last weekend. We revisit Michael Enright's 2015 interview with Czerny about Laudato Si — Francis's encyclical on the environment, which Czerny played an instrumental role in drafting.
One hundred years later, a new book chronicles the tale of a missing millionaire
On Dec. 2, 1919, a wealthy theatre impresario went missing in Toronto. His last recorded action was to deposit a cheque for one million dollars and no one knew what had happened to middle-aged man. Writer Katie Daubs chronicles this perplexing mystery, which occurred at the dawn of the twentieth century.
Point of View
Unlike some of my students, I have loved the beginning of new school years
As September marks the end of summer, English teacher Brian Kellow reflects on the simple pleasures in his day-to-day interactions with his students.
The Sunday Edition for September 1, 2019
Listen to this week's episode with guest host Connie Walker.
