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The AIH Transcript for October 28, 2020

Hosts: Carol Off and Chris Howden

Prologue

CAROL OFF: Hello. I'm Carol Off.

CHRIS HOWDEN: Good evening. I'm Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

CH: Tonight:

CO: Treating with respect. A new health clinic for Indigenous people in Joliette, Quebec opens to overwhelming demand, after a dying woman's video raises the alarm about discrimination at the local hospital.

CH: Making ends meet. A hunter and a vegetarian convinced the government of Newfoundland and Labrador to launch a pilot project: supplying moose meat to food banks.

CO: Not close enough for comfort. He got a last-minute reprieve from deportation by the U.S., but now an asylum seeker from Cameroon is stuck in Texas, even though he has been offered a chance to plead his case in Canada.

CH: Trouble in paradise. Hawaii may be a dream destination for many, but a new film by a native Hawaiian shines a light into some of the state's darker corners — and asks who exactly its utopia is for?

CO: The defects that made him defect. A U.S. voter who quit the Democrats in 2016 tells us Black Americans need a new party, and he intends to start organizing one on November the 4th.

CH: And... epic flail. We take those inflated tube guys that dance wildly outside car dealerships for granted. But in Australia, a new study finds they're heroes that can scare off predatory dingoes.

CH: As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that assumes the results were adjusted for inflation.

Part one: Quebec Indigenous health, Cameroonian immigration, U.S. election former Democrat

Quebec Indigenous health

Guest: Jennifer Brazeau

CH: Today, a new health clinic opened at the native friendship centre in Joliette, Quebec. The clinic's founders say their goal is to provide Indigenous people with health care in a, quote, "culturally safe" place. They began seeing patients a month and a day after the death of Joyce Echaquan at the Joliette hospital. Before she died, the Indigenous woman live-streamed video of the hospital staff taunting her with racist comments. An inquest is now underway into the circumstances of her death. Jennifer Brazeau is the director of the Native Friendship Centre. We reached her in Joliette.

CO: Ms. Brazeau, what kind of demand did you get for appointments on the clinic's first day?

JENNIFER BNRAZEAU: Actually, we had quite a high demand, but we tried to work by prioritizing the ones who are most in need. And then helping those access services through accompaniment in the regular network where possible.

CO: Right. So what kind of services are you going to be able to provide?

JB: The clinic, right now, it will be two afternoons a month where we'll have the doctor able to accept patients. We also have a nurse that comes once a month that works mostly around sexual health.

CO: What does it mean for clients and the patients that will come to the clinic, the Indigenous people who need health care, that they will have this place to go to?

JB: We have some people who have accessed services that haven’t accessed services before. For us, what's most important is that people receive treatment. And especially with what happened following the passing of Joyce. It's caused a lot of anxiety for a lot of people in the community. And a lot of people who already were maybe a little bit reticent to access services are really not wanting to go to the regular services. So, I mean, it could mean a lot to be able to be in a safe space where you can feel comfortable. And if you have a medical issue, receive treatment for it.

CO: And you're referring to Joyce Echaquan, who died in September in hospital. She actually was able to record the abusive racism that she was getting from the health practitioners around her. What effect has that had on on the system?

JB: It's something that we were already well aware of, at least for us at the Friendship Centre, that a lot of our members were feeling discriminated against or were feeling that they weren't receiving adequate treatment. And what happened was, is when Joyce was able to bravely stream what was happening to her, it announced to the world that it's not something that was just a part of their imagination, because often times when they did try to complain or speak up, they would be told that they misread the situation or they misunderstood the situation. Now, at least it gives a validity when they speak out that it's not just them. Also, unfortunately, what happened is that it reinforces the idea that the medical system isn’t a safe space for them.

CO: When you say safe space, I mean, you mentioned discrimination and not getting adequate treatment. It goes beyond that, doesn't it? I mean, a lot of Indigenous people are just afraid to go into a clinic, too afraid of what they'll confront in there, right?

JB: Yeah. And it could be either just how they're greeted. They can feel that they're being judged as soon as they walk in the door. And it makes them a little bit hesitant to try to approach people in the system. Also, when they bring up issues that they have, they will feel like they're being judged for it. You know, we have members of the community here that maybe will be in pain then and will speak out to try to get some help. And they're told that they're just seeking pain medication. [dry chuckle] They're being treated as if they're drug seekers instead of actually being treated for the medical issue that they have. So what happens is that a lot of times, they just won't go.

CO: And that's what you were saying in the beginning, that you're seeing patients who should have been getting treatment, should have been seeing a health professional but were reluctant to do so.

JB: Yeah, it's to the point where we've actually had women call here who are pregnant and wanting to know if they would be able to have their baby at the Friendship Centre? To us, it’s evidently critical the lack of confidence that the population has towards the system that's in place right now.

CO: And could they have their baby at the Friendship Centre?

JB: No, [chuckling] we don't have, unfortunately, the proper space or equipment or team for that. And I'm sure our cleaning lady would be very upset if we started delivering babies. [both luaghing]

CO: Well, maybe not! Seeing a newborn baby has its own charms.

JB: Yes. [they both continue to laugh]

CO: But just do think that what you're describing is there's just absolutely no trust or confidence in the medical system for Indigenous people in Quebec, the ones you're treating. So do you think that the government is aware of that or that it's reaching the right places, the message that Joyce Echaquan sent to the world?

JB: You know, like there wasn't just Joyce. Before that, there was a whole commission, which established that there was an issue between Indigenous people and accessing services. I would think that the government is aware of it. I'm just unsure of how that will translate to concrete actions on the ground.

CO: The premier of Quebec denies there is systemic racism in his province. So what does that do for any hopes that they would change the health care system to make it safer for Indigenous people?

JB: For me, it's problematic that if we can't name things as they are and also considering that Indigenous people are telling him that that's the reality that we're facing, it's hard to have a good basis of communication and a building of trust when you're denying the reality that we're living. But also, he said that it hasn't become accepted by the population as a term yet. So I take that as the challenge. For me, it's important that allies and other community members, non-Indigenous people, let the premier know that they agree with us that this is what it is. It's systemic racism. And to be able to adequately respond to that kind of an issue, you need to be able to name it.

CO: I hope that that comes to pass, Ms. Brazeau. And I appreciate speaking with you. Thank you.

JB: Thank you very much.

CO: Bye-bye.

JB: Bye.

CH: Jennifer Brazeau is the director of the Native Friendship Centre for the Quebec region of Lanaudiere. We reached her in Joliette, Quebec.

Cameroonian immigration

Guest: Megan Walker

CH: Earlier this month, an asylum seeker named Kenneth was a passenger on board what some Cameroonians refer to as the "death plane". That's the plane that the U.S. uses to deport people back to Cameroon who have been denied entry to the U.S. But then, a miracle happened. Kenneth was led off the plane. It seemed that Canada was coming to the rescue. He was told that he'd been granted an interview in Fort Erie, Ontario for a hearing this Friday. But now Kenneth's supporters are struggling to get the U.S. to let him attend that hearing. Megan Walker is an advocate who is trying to get Kenneth to Canada. For the safety of his family, we've agreed to withhold his last name. We reached Megan Walker in London, Ontario.

CO: Megan, I understand you spoke to Kenneth last night. How is he doing?

MEGAN WALKER: Kenneth is a remarkable man. He's very humble. He has deep faith. And he was smiling, and he said it's in God's hands. And whatever the decision is, I will have to accept that.

CO: All right. Well, it might be in God's hands, but it's also in the hands of a lot of authorities here. So just tell us a bit of the back story. Two weeks ago, the United States had put Kenneth on a plane to be sent back to Cameroon. And then he was taken off the plane. What was he told? How had his fortune changed at that point?

MW: Well, it's been an interesting story. There was an unsolicited invitation from Canadian Border Services Agency to Kenneth to attend a meeting on October 30th, this Friday, at 8:00 a.m. So that is very rare that CBSA would give you an unsolicited invitation to attend, especially this tight timeline they gave it for. And so we sent that invitation to ICE, where he was being detained in Texas. And in the meantime, we knew that Kenneth was en route to the airport. Then we found out he was being loaded onto the airplane and we were all waiting and very concerned about this lovely man sitting on an airplane, doing up his seatbelt, thinking to himself, they're sending me to my death. And the next thing you knew, he and seven others were taken off that plane just before it took off.

CO: Wow! The meeting, the hearing would be in Fort Erie, Ontario.

MW: That’s right!

CO: So that's on Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. What's holding it up? Why isn't he able to get to that meeting at this point?

MW: Well, we understand there are communications going on right now with the Canadian government. And you indicated earlier that in addition to God or in place of God, there is also a lot behind the scenes going on with politicians. We are firmly placing this now in the hands of our senior ministers. Minister Blair, Minister Freeland. Minister Champagne, all in positions that they can reach out to their counterparts in the U.S. and talk about this issue and talk about the fact that this man, if he is returned, will be exposed to torture. He may disappear. Already, he has been brutally tortured before he left Cameroon. His sister was raped while they were trying to find him. These are significant human rights violations. And even Amnesty International has come out now saying Cameroonians will face a high risk of being detained, beaten, disappeared, tortured and even killed if they're returned.

CO: And now what was he charged with in Cameroon that led to his being detained and then fleeing for his life?

MW: He was charged with hostility to the fatherland. And what that means is that he was participating as an Anglophone in a peaceful demonstration, advocating for Anglophones, for the rights of Anglophone individuals. And he was arrested for that. So he was arrested for something that many Canadians do every single day, which is to take to the streets and demonstrate peacefully. And his charge comes with the death penalty.

CO: Right. And now this raises a larger political issue between the United States and Canada because our two countries are signatories of the so-called “Safe Third Country Agreement”. And Canada signed that with under the understanding the United States would consider as asylum for people like Kenneth or at least give them the hearing. And I guess had one and he was denied that asylum. So this is unusual that Canada should reach into the United States and say we want to consider these people, Kenneth being one of them, for asylum. What are you hearing about why Canada's doing that?

MW: Well, I know that there have been occasions where this has happened. There was recently a Saudi woman who was locked in a bathroom in a hotel and she was also provided access to come into Canada and do her hearing through a third party. So these things do happen. But I really believe that Canadians are paying attention to human rights violations. And it's been very clear through all the news media of the violations that Cameroonians specifically are experiencing in detention.

CO: His attempts to get to the border, why are U.S. authorities not allowing Kenneth, at this point, to get there? Do you know?

MW: You know, we don't know. What we do know is they want him out of the country. And this is an opportunity for ICE to be rid of Kenneth because he's got an opportunity to come to Canada. And he would never have been offered the invitation for the appointment if on the face of his case, Canada Border Services did not recognize that there was merit to his fear of persecution and execution if he was returned to Cameroon.

CO: Because he has a hearing is no guarantee that he will be granted asylum, does he have legal representation when he gets here?

MW: Yeah. So he does have a lawyer and the lawyer has reviewed all of the facts of the case, all of the documentation. And he believes very strongly and has written this and sent it to ICE, I believe, that Canada will need the exception in Article Six and should be allowed into the country, admission into the country because he, if returned, could receive the death penalty.

CO: Megan, we'll leave it there. We'll be following this story. Thank you.

MW: Oh, Carol, thank you so much for having me.

CH: We reached Megan Walker in London, Ontario.

U.S. election former Democrat

Guest: Gary Frazier

CH: Some people feel that politics — and voting — is about compromise. Especially in a country with just two major parties. But Gary Frazier is not one to compromise. In the last U.S. presidential election cycle, Mr. Frazier was an organizer with the group Black Men for Bernie — backing Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination. When it began to become clear in June 2016 that Mr. Sanders would likely lose the nomination to Hillary Clinton, his split with the Democratic Party began. Here's what he had to say to Carol at the time.

CO: If Bernie Sanders doesn't become the nominee or Bernie Sanders compromises the values that you've invested in him, then you're willing to see Donald Trump become the president?

GARY FRAZIER: No, we will visit other options. And we know we can get behind any third-party candidates and take the election from Donald. We would beat his butt in a general election.

CO: And what does Hillary Clinton have to do? Can she do anything to win your support and the support of the people you're talking about?

GF: Absolutely not. Can her husband redo the crime bill in 1992 that put Black and Browns all across this country in prison for nonviolent offences? Sorry doesn't get that. Do you realize how many blighted communities across this country have been affected because of the works of former President Bill Clinton? She can't do that.

CH: Gary Frazier of Black Men for Bernie speaking to Carol in June 2016. Not long after that, he defected to the Green Party. We reached Mr. Frazier today in Camden, New Jersey.

CO: Gary, what do you think when you hear yourself in 2016?

GF: [laughing] I was really, really, really inflamed at the Democratic Party for what I saw happening, you know, with Hillary Clinton and her securing delegates and the super delegates. A lot of that election period just infuriated me.

CO: But you did not beat his butt in a general election. You've had four years of Donald Trump.

GF: Yes. Well, and that's primarily because Bernie opted not to walk away from the Democratic Party, but instead to work with the Democratic Party to beat Donald Trump and failed miserably in the Electoral College.

CO: You know that a lot of Democrats blame Black voters who would not, could not bring themselves, or would not bring themselves to vote for Hillary Clinton. That you get blamed for these four years of Donald Trump. What do you say to that?

GF: Well, we say to those individuals who happen to be a lot of them are Blacks as well. You know, how long do we have to continue waiting for someone to change the dynamics of what we're seeing in our everyday community? People keep asking and making promises and running off of platforms but aren't delivering on the platforms in which they're running. And so quite naturally, at some point, we would have to turn our attention to what we see now as the independent thinkers and not so much having to just go to the polls and hold our noses. More conscious-thinking voters in America today, ever more than before, is really causing an eruption in the Black race period.

CO: But now, I know you're looking for, well, your political family, your political home. You tried the Green Party. That didn't go so well, right?

GF: Well, you know, I want to first say this to the Greens. There are a number of great Greens out here in this country who come from all walks of life, who truly believe in people over politics, who people truly believe in putting our planet over profit. And I really believe in those individuals there. It’s just a shame that you have other individuals who are part of the Green Party who have not quite opened their eyes and are not quite as welcoming to people from all walks of life. And seek more so the power in the party as opposed to growing the necessary movement that we needed to carry out from the Sanders movement that would have indeed sparked in urban communities all across this country.

CO: Well, right now you have a deeply divided country. You have open displays and support for racism and white supremacy, the likes of which we haven't seen and so openly in a very long time. Doesn't it disturb you that that has been unleashed to such a degree under Donald Trump?

GF: I only think it disturbs to a point a one who is not accustomed or numb to it. A man who's grown up a good portion of their life around racism, be it systemic or just blatantly in front of our faces, we've lived through that. We lived through those eras. We continue to live in those eras. It just wasn't as blatant as Donald Trump has allowed it to be able to be a front of our faces. Like, it was hidden. Like, we would see it when we go to the doctors with the type of insurance that we had. Also, from what type of city that we came from. We would see it when we go apply for a job. We were coming with the same credentials as somebody that wasn't our colour. This is not something new to us. It's just that, again, you know, I guess it could equate to some of what you're saying, but not to the point where saying, oh, we got to we've got to get Donald Trump out of office. I don't think that does something speaking to me because I'm four years surviving Donald Trump. And none of any of which people are displaying across this country about the racism has changed my life. In fact, what it’s did is create a movement out of my race that is being compromised again by a party again to do absolutely nothing. And that's when I speak of the Black Lives Matter movement and why many of us who are Blacks today simply just support the Black Lives Matter movement and not the organization.

CO: Gary, how are you going to vote in this election?

GF: So I’m not. I've opted not to partake in this election at this time. Morally, certain things are near and dear to me in my identity of who I am politically today and where I am at, where I intend to be going out politically. But morally, I just can't. I can't vote for war-mongers. I can't vote for those types of individuals who I know are going to do certain things from day one. So for me, I can't do it.

CO: So for the president, you're not going to get cast a vote. But what about for the other parts of the ballot? Are you going to vote for anybody else?

GF: Well, yeah, I've taken a look at a lot of the down-ballot candidates, and that's one of the reasons why I said I would not vote for the president. I'd vote for every down-ballot candidate that was an Independent.

CO: If we talk to you again in four years from now, where do you think you'll stand politically? Where do you think you'll be?

GF: Well, I know where we'll be. I know four years from now, you'll be hearing a lot about the Independent Black People's Party. That's part of what we're working on. Starting November the 4th, we begin the process of recruiting in New Jersey, first taking New Jersey as the first state to be able to get ourselves recognized. And so no longer will we allow anybody to pander to our vote. We're going to now start looking at recruiting all people from all walks of life at some point, and much of our Black communities cleanse our Black communities of that thought process of the two-party system while educating them about the two-party system and how its ability has been able to play with their minds.

CO: All right, Gary, I look forward to speaking to you four years from now. And we'll see what has developed and what has happened to your country in that period of time. Thank you again for speaking with us.

GF: All right. Thank you very much.

CO: Take care.

GF: Bye-bye.

CH: Gary Frazier was an organizer for Black Men for Bernie and, later, the Green Party. He was in Camden, New Jersey.

Dingo dancing men

Part two: Moose meat food bank, Waikiki film

Moose meat food bank

Guest: Debbie Wiseman

CH: Starting next month, food banks in St. John's, Newfoundland will be able to start distributing moose meat to needy clients. And if it wasn't for two unlikely bedfellows, the plan probably wouldn't have happened at all. Barry Fordham is a moose hunter, who has lobbied the government for years to be able to donate his extra moose meat to food banks. and Debbie Wiseman is a social justice activist -- and a vegetarian. We reached Ms. Wiseman in St. John's, Newfoundland.

CO: Debbie, how does a vegetarian get involved in a plan to provide moose meat to people?

DEBBIE WISEMAN: [chuckling] Well, actually, I'm very interested in issues around food insecurity. And so I don't put my personal beliefs into any of that kind of work. I know that the food banks need food. And so... and I know that meat is a coveted donation at food banks. And so I put my own feelings aside about all that and I tried to help.

CO: Why does it make sense that moose meat would be at food banks?

DW: Well, food banks do not get very many donations of meat. And also, meat is really expensive to purchase. And so the hunters, when they go and get their moose, they get a lot of moose. They get about 400 pounds or more. And it's just it's more than what one family can eat. And even if they give it away to their neighbours and their friends and everybody like that, they still have a lot left over. And so it's free and it's a good source of protein and it's needed by the food banks.

CO: Do you think that a lot of meat goes to waste in Newfoundland and Labrador?

DW: Yes, I have been hearing from hunters that a lot of it does end up going to waste because once it's been in the freezer for a year, it's not really fit to eat anymore.

CO: And it's a bit of an acquired taste anyways. I mean, did you ever tasted even before you turned vegetarian?

DW: I did. I wasn't a big fan of it, actually. [both laughing] I know a lot of people are though.

CO: And so now how much meat do you think that might be available out there to get into the food bank stream?

DW: It could be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of pounds of meat.

CO: Wow! But this idea has been kicking around for a long time that there is this wasted moose meat that people who want meat, the food banks needed. There’s food insecurity, as you point out. Why has it taken so long to get to the point where this could actually happen?

DW: I think it's a combination of things. We did have a new minister who came in and was willing to speak to us about it. We set up a meeting with him almost right away when he got set up. And also, the issues around food insecurity are really in the public eye right now. And this is a pretty easy thing for the government to just help out.

CO: What were the laws though that prevented it from happening before?

DW: So there is a provision in the Wildlife Act, and I believe it was to prevent poaching. But it's a pretty old provision. And it says that meat can't change hands more than two times. And so you would be able to if you were a hunter, you'd be able to give the meat to your neighbour, your friend, your family, whoever. But you can't give it to a food bank and then let a food bank give it to somebody else. That was what we were hoping to have changed. It hasn't actually been changed. But they are letting us go ahead with our program to see if it is a good idea to have a change.

CO: But it's complicated, it must be. Because meat has to be, if it's fresh meat, it has to get into freezers and fridges really quickly. How are you going to set this up?

dw: So the hunter will go to the butcher that we have a list of government certified butchers on our website — or we will very soon butcher will process it as ground moose, package it in one-pound packages and freeze it. So it's going to be frozen when it gets to the food banks and when it gets to the clients.

CO: And the food banks have the capacity in their freezers for the meat?

DW: Yes. I've talked to almost all the food banks here within the St. John's area, and they said that they have the capacity. And if they don't have the capacity, they will make the room for it because meat is such a coveted thing.

CO: And you're saying this is a really bad year, obviously, the pandemic is affecting a lot of people. What stories are you hearing from people about what they're struggling through?

DW: I do a lot of work around advocating for people with a lower income. So I've been listening to these stories all this year about how people are struggling. I hear people who they only have a can of soup to eat between a man and a woman all day. I hear a story of a man who had a can of sausages and he let his wife eat them and he didn't eat anything all day. I hear parents who skip meals because they want to make sure that their kids are fed and, you know, they want their kids fed before they eat. So they’re skipping meals. I've heard people who have to choose between food or their medication. So they choose food and they skip their medications.

CO: And this is has been the case for some people before. But how much worse is it now since the pandemic?

DW: Yeah, it's a lot worse since the pandemic, and it's a lot more public. So there's a local group here called Food First NL, and they did a survey of the food programs here in the area. And they said that there was a 50 per cent increase during COVID of people requesting food.

CO: You have your own personal experiences with food insecurity. You are in this in trying to help people because, you know, it's like?

DW: Yes. Yeah. I've lived with food insecurity my whole life. I'm 47 now. And when I was seven years old, my dad passed away. My mom raised us as a single parent. She had a bunch of jobs, but she just couldn't make ends meet. It was just too difficult. And so when I was a teenager, actually, my mom sat me down and explained to me that sometimes we need some help and it's OK to ask for help. And she took me to the food bank actually a couple of times and let me see, like what that experience was like. And so that kind of instilled in me this feeling of always wanting to help other people.

CO: And you have made a difference for so many people. And so how quickly do you think that this meat will be available to people from the food banks?

DW: So we are actually allowed to start accepting donations and distributing them in mid-November. And I hope within a couple of days of us starting, we're going to be able to do that.

CO: Have you got a few recipes that you can distribute as well?

DW: [both laughing] That's a good idea. I might put some recipes on our website.

CO: I would have no idea what to do with a pound of ground moose meat.

DW: I think a lot of people like moose burgers here. [CO laughs] It’s a very popular thing.

CO: All right. Well, I think recipes might be in order for some people, Debbie. [laughing]

DW: Yes.

CO: But I'm glad you were able to get this to work. Thank you.

DW: Yeah, me too.

CO: Bye.

DW: Bye-bye.

CH: Debbie Wiseman is a volunteer at St. John's Social Justice Co-operative. She helped convince the Newfoundland and Labrador government to launch a pilot project, where hunters can donate moose meat to food banks. We reached her in St. John's.

[Music: World music]

Facebook election

[Music: Hip-hop]

CO: Christopher, as you know, so much of the world thinks of Hawaii as paradise. Why did you want to disrupt that vision?

CHRISTOPHER KAHUNAHANA: Well, Waikiki has always been the crown jewel of the tourist industry, and they spent billions of dollars marketing Hawaii as a paradise. But it's not actually that for everyone who lives here. You know, we see Waikiki as the driving force behind the exploitation of Hawaiian culture. So they package our culture and resell it. And it's inaccurate. It’s not a correct representation of who we are as people. And, you know, we find offence to it. So as a Kanaka filmmaker, I felt it was my duty to actually show a fuller picture, you know, not just the one that we see every day.

CO: And not just a fuller picture, a very rich picture, because the early reviews for your film are extremely good, people talking about just how layered and deep the story is. And the main character, Kea, an Indigenous Hawaiian woman who dances for tourists there, and she smiles. She's a beautiful face, but there's another side of it. Can you give us a sense of what Kea is going through?

CK: So it's the image of what happens when she stops dancing and starts being performative. And, you know, she has to go back to normal life. So there's, you know, that smile soon fades. And Kea, our protagonist, has to navigate a world where intergenerational violence, abuse and poverty and mental illness are daily battles. So she has to deal with these diametrically opposed need to survive in modern society. And at the same time, the calling of our ancestors and their culture. These things tear at her. And she hopes eventually to reconnect to her culture.

[Sound: Birds chirp, wind bellows and chalk clacks on a board]

CO: She works as a dancer, also in a karaoke bar. And she has another job teaching children about Hawaiian language and culture. And we have a clip from the scene where she's in the classroom with some of those kids. And so I want to play a bit of what Kes is about in this clip. Here it is.

KEA: So remember yesterday when we talked about this. [speaking a term in another language] All right. Somebody remind me, what does this mean, sweetie?

STUDENT: It means that the land chief or the chief is the land. And us, or the people, are the servants.

KEA: Yes! But that is a literal translation. What does this mean to you guys specifically?

CO: That's a scene from “Waikiki” — your film. And tell us what's happening?

CK: I love that scene!

CO: Yes, it's beautiful. And we should say that sound, because it's radio, that sound is her writing on the blackboard in those pauses. What's going on in that scene?

KEA: So to live in Hawaii, we have some of the highest costs of living in the United States comparable to New York or San Francisco. Everyone here is forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet, to try and make rent. So in addition to working in a karaoke bar, she also teaches Hawaiian immersion school. So the [term] which she was explaining or discussing with the children in class is kind of the main theme and message of the film. If we destroy our planet and our culture and nature, you know, we destroy ourselves. We are intrinsically linked together. We know this as Native peoples. And I think everybody has that understanding that without the earth, there is no people. You can't separate the two. You can't just say, you know, use the Earth as an exploitable resource and forget your connection to it. But it's interesting because the film has come out during a pandemic where Waikiki went from 30 thousand people a day arriving in Honolulu to zero. I think the public got to experience Waikiki when it's not congested. And the fishery turned and I think people are now open to have those conversations and say is this the best use of our resources and land?

CO: We covered the story just a while ago of the protests against the telescope construction that really got people to rise up against what was going on and to protect Indigenous culture and land. And so do you think there is more of that spirit that that is emerging?

CK: I think the protests to protect Mauna Kea ignited this fire. And a lot of us as Kanaka Maoli, we saw the opportunity to say, you know, enough is enough. It's like this is our most sacred mountain. Mount Mauna Kea is the centre of our island. And if we don't have a say in how people choose to use our sacred sites, then what say do we have in any matter in our society? So, you know, I got to spend time on the Mauna. And being there made me feel that that connection. I think people are taking that experience and, hopefully, making changes within our own communities to stand for what they believe in.

CO: And “Waikiki” has been billed as the first narrative feature by a native Hawaiian filmmaker ever, which is really surprising. What does that mean for you at this particular time?

CK: You know, I've been trying to make films for 30 years. And this is the first film, this is my debut feature. I made a couple of short films part of this. And we didn't know that was the situation until we had entered post-production. And it was brought to my attention by a couple of people like, hey, you know, I don't remember there ever being a feature narrative from a native Hawaiian. And first thing I felt like, no, that can't be true, you know? Hawaiians had been the most literate nation at the turn of the century, and we've had the technology since nineteen hundreds. There's no reason that we being a storytelling culture orally. I’m like, why would we not make that transfer to film? And it was shocking. [deep sigh] And it was upsetting, but I am hopeful because I know there's so many great Hawaiian filmmakers who are working on launching feature projects. And I know we can look forward to at least two or three within the next year or so.

CO: That's very exciting!

CK: So hopefully it's a short-lived period of time. [both laughing]

CO: When you were the only one. [laughing]

CK: Yeah.

CO: Christopher, it's great to talk to you. And I wish you success with your movie. Thank you.

CK: I appreciate it. Mahalo.

CO: Bye-bye.

CH: Christopher Kahunahana is the writer and director of the new film “Waikiki”. It's screening this week at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival — and next month at the Hawaiian International Film Festival. For more on the film — and to see the trailer — visit our website at: www.cbc.ca/aih.

FOA: FLQ Crisis

DENNIS BAXTER: Well, Harry, what's happening is that the military has moved into the capital in force. The site is unnerving to see in the federal capital. Men in full battle dress, carrying submachine guns. They've arrived from Petawawa, which is about 80, 85 miles to the northwest of the capital. The first group of military men, the Canadian forces, arrived by helicopter. And the rest of them, we're not certain yet just how many there are. But we saw a convoy of some 75 or 85 trucks drive into Canadian Forces Base Uplands, and the men arrived there as well by helicopter and the rest arrived at a later time this evening by truck convoy. The first thing that happened was that there was a briefing with the RCMP officers who are making use of the military here in the capital. And the men then began to take up their positions. They're now in the process of taking up their positions at various places throughout the capital. And as I said, the site really is unnerving and seeing the old Chateau Laurier with a Jeep full of armed soldiers driving by. It's going to be something to see or to listen to the reaction of the thousands of civil servants who wake up early tomorrow morning and who drive to work to see armed soldiers in the street.

CH: From October 12th, 1970, that was CBC Ottawa reporter Dennis Baxter speaking with "As It Happens" host Harry Brown. Four days later, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. The Bloc Quebecois is now demanding that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deliver a formal apology for that decision.

Part three: Poland abortion protests, New Barrier Reef

BBC John Bolton

[crosstalk]

EM: You were asked --

JB: Because it's too complicated by -- Let me finish! Let me finish, OK?

EM: Can you just clarify, you were asked --

JB: Will you let me finish?

EM: Trial.

JB: Will you let me finish my answer?

EM: Please. Just answer the question, if you can?

JB: The House of Representatives never issued a subpoena for me. And when they issued a subpoena for my former deputy, the White House ordered him not to testify. The fact is, the advocates of impeachment did a terrible job and made the situation much worse. Because they impeached Trump, but by their own actions failed to achieve a conviction in the Senate. So the result of the impeachment was to empower Trump, not to constrain him.

EM: You explain in your book that the way you saw the impeachment process was that it wasn't big enough, the parameters weren't wide enough, that it was too politicized. But you still had the chance to say out loud to the people of America what you knew.

JB: And I did that, and it took 500 pages to do it.

EM: Not until the book though!

JB: And it may be inconvenient for you as a television reporter who wants answers that last for 30 seconds. But what I tried to do was lay out for the voters to read, and the book has sold very well. So a lot of people are reading it, the full story. And I did that. And I think that was the right course of action.

EM: The point is, I'm sure you did well in the book deal. But if Donald Trump gets reelected, [chuckling] which you've already hinted would be problematic, presumably you will have to accept your part in that, that you covered up a criminal act that you knew of --

[crosstalk]

JB: Absolutely not. This is really... Tell me something, do you work for free?

EM: I don't know what that means?

JB: Yeah, you don't take a salary, I take it?

EM: I take a salary.

JB: Yeah, of course you do. And that's why I got reimbursed for the book. I didn't cover anything up. In fact, the administration has made something of a precedent in American history by trying to suppress the book. That should tell you what they think of what I've revealed in it.

CH: That was "BBC Newsnight" host Emily Maitlis, interviewing former Trump national security advisor John Bolton last night.

Poland abortion protests

Guest: Antonina Lewandowska

CH: Poland already had one of Europe's strictest anti-abortion laws. And late last week, a top court decided to crack down even further. There are now almost no exceptions that would allow a woman to get an abortion in Poland. And in response to the tightened restrictions, thousands of people have been defying COVID-19 orders this week to protest. Many are refusing to work — and some are even vandalizing churches and crashing masses. An unusual act in the staunchly Catholic country. Antonina Lewandowska is a women's rights activist who's been part of these protests. We reached her in Warsaw, Poland.

CO: Antonina, you were out on the streets again today. What was the atmosphere?

ANTONINA LEWANDOWSKA: People are extremely angry and so irritated. And it's not only about women's rights, although obviously, that was the spark. But I think this anger is towards the government in general. And people, they are furious.

CO: Just give us an idea who is out there. I understand some of the women are dressed from characters from “The Handmaid's Tale”, which is something that is in many parts of the world has been part of these kinds of protests. Who is out there and how many people?

AL: It’s thousands. It's the biggest movement like this since ever, I think. Even the Black Protest seems to have been smaller. So it surely is thousands. We see even the smallest cities, the countryside, the villages, everyone is on the rise. And I would usually say that it's mostly young people, but honestly, it's everyone. I've seen people with disabilities. I've seen grandparents with their grandchildren protesting together. It's amazing. It's like the whole country is on the rise.

CO: The centre of the protest, I understand it has taken in a lot of other causes and issues. But at the centre of it is this change to access to legal and safe abortion in Poland. What exactly has changed for women?

AL: Abortion has been illegal in Poland with three exceptions, these exceptions being the pregnancy being a result of a crime, like rape and incest. The immediate threats to a woman's life or health. And the final exception being the malformation of the fetus, which stood for around 98 per cent of foreign legal abortions. So what has currently happened is they took away the fetal abnormalities from the list of reasons that she can have an abortion.

CO: And to explain, fetal abnormalities to terminate a pregnancy, what would that include?

AL: It's a huge range of medical issues. It's about fetuses with no brain, with Spina Bifida, that have their organs growing outside of their body. It's abhorrent, really.

CO: And also, it would include if the fetus would not survive outside the womb?

AL: Yes, obviously, it also applies to fetuses that would not be able to live on their own.

CO: And now, this change has not come about through the legislature. It's come through the courts. Why did the government seek that as a way to close this last area of legal and safe abortion in Poland?

AL: The matter of abortion has always been a very hot one in Polish public debate. And there were talks of changing this so-called, as they call it, the “abortion compromise”, which meant what I just said, that abortion was illegal with exceptions. And there were attempts to change it either way. But why the government chose this way is because they knew they are not going to push it through the parliament, through the votings. We've just had a poll that says that over 70 per cent of Poles are against this change. So what happened is a group of highly-conservative and some are right-wing parliamentaries, they filed a motion to the constitutional tribunal, which is currently highly-politicized. And numerous judges were actually appointed by the ruling party. So we don't even believe that their ruling is constitutional itself. It's a highly discussable matter, and it's very unclear on many levels. So why they did it? Because, I believe personally, I believe, that they knew they would push it, and there was no way for the opposition to step in.

CO: Now, the government has reacted very strongly against this. The government was the one that that that stick-handled this through the tribunal to these changes. And particularly, they are upset with what they feel is an attack on the Catholic Church. That's how it's been characterized. What is happening with the Church? How has the Church become the centre of this protest?

AL: The Catholic Church is one of the most powerful and influential players when it comes to politics in Poland. It has been for decades now, and they are getting more and more conservative and more and more and more fundamentalistic even, I'd say. And they're a very important part of the constant and ongoing polarization of society in Poland. So their attempts to criminalize sexuality education, to ban IVF and to ban abortion, obviously what they just succeeded in. So the church is responsible for a lot of things that have happened in Poland in the past years. And I think people just had enough. And now it's spilling out. I've seen people throwing paint-filled balloons all over the churches. I've seen people throwing balloons filled with paints onto buildings. So there is a lot going on. There is a lot of anger.

CO: You mentioned that a number of people out, including senior citizens, it’s more than just women who are protesting against the changes to abortion. This protest has taken on other causes and issues. How large is this becoming, this protest against the government?

AL: It's thousands. It's thousands. I've never seen anything like this. It's the smallest cities. It's people of any age, any gender, the queer community has joined. I have never, never, ever seen a taxi driver taking a mic during a protest and giving a speech about how they support our cause and how they stand with us. Football fans even are taking a stand as well, who are known for being rather conservative, sometimes fundamentalists. And suddenly, football players and football fans are the saying, we stand by our women, and we want to protect you, and we are on your side. It's unthinkable, really. And support is flowing in from every side you can imagine.

CO: Antonina, we will be watching what happens in Poland with these protests. Thank you for speaking with us.

AL: Thank you, too.

CH: Antonina Lewandowska is a women's rights activist who's been protesting in Poland this week. We reached her in Warsaw.

[Music: Jazz]

Chilliwack Football Club

ANDREA LAYCOCK: For the most part, the parents are very good with the mask policy. It’s now become the problem of the one spectator is really what it is. And that's where the abuse really comes in. You know, we get the eye rolls and the mask and that, but people will relent and go and do it. But it's the one spectator part that really is driving home the issues and the poor behaviour.

STEPHEN QUINN: And so what does that poor behaviour look like? How are people behaving?

AL: It's from screaming and yelling and swearing at these poor ladies that are sitting at the desk trying to collect data, so that if there is an outbreak, we can reach them, to just blowing past them and just being verbal with them to an extent that it just isn't appropriate.

SQ: And so this is the data, this is contact information should there be an outbreak, so that this person can be contacted to let them know, is that right?

AL: Exactly. Exactly. We're just doing everything that we're supposed to be doing to make sure that the kids can be on the field safely.

SQ: And so when volunteers ask for that data, they're being verbally abused?

AL: Yes, terribly abused.

SQ: Or ignored altogether?

AL: Or ignored altogether. And that's just not acceptable, you know? And now, as a result of the poor behaviour, we've had to take the steps to hire a security company to come through and just do sweeps, just have a presence to let everybody know that this is serious. It's not something we want to do. It's not something we want to spend our money on. But it’s the only way we feel that we can protect our members and the kids and our staff.

SQ: And so what kind of enforcement will we see on behalf of the security people that have been hired? I mean, if somebody blows past the desk where they're supposed to be signing in and they're standing on the side of the field without a mask, what happens?

AL: Well, at that point, they will they will either contact the RCMP, they'll ask them to leave first or comply. It’ll probably be the first option. Then the next step would be to ask them to leave. And if there's refusal, then the authorities would be called in, and we as an executive will enact our discipline committee and deal with that person, which could lead to, you know, being banned from games to being expelled from the club entirely.

SQ: And all of the games are held outdoors, is that right?

AL: Yes.

SQ: OK. And you've got teams for kids from under 11 years old up to teens and adults as well?

AL: Correct.

SQ: OK. And are you seeing this right across the board, this kind of behaviour?

AL:L Yes. Yes. It's actually shocking how much we're seeing of it.

CH: Andrea Laycock, chairperson of the Chilliwack Football Club, speaking with the CBC's Stephen Quinn on "The Early Edition" today.

Scaramucci “22 Minutes”

MC: You overlapped with Barack Obama in college and Donald Trump at the White House, who is more mature, college-age Obama or adult Trump?

AS: Well, you know, I think a baby Obama was probably more mature like, you know, little Baby Yoda. I mean, you know, come on.

MC: What happens if he loses and he refuses to leave the White House? He's hinting at this, says, I might go, might not go, I'm not sure if I'll go. But if he refuses to leave the White House, what happens?

AS: Well, you know, the Secret Service probably have seen this. It’s pretty well-documented. The Secret Service will pull him out of there. You don't know this about him, but I know this about him. He's a non-confrontational coward. When he loses, he's going to slink out of the White House. He's not going to be somebody that tries to hold on to power. He doesn't have the strength for that. He doesn’t have the backbone for that, actually.

MC: I really hope I live to see the Secret Service haul him out of the White House like a toddler in a Walmart toy aisle. I want to go back, it's mine, I deserve everything.

AS: I think he leaves without the Secret Service. He's too much of a coward to even put himself in that position.

CH: That was Mark Critch of "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" interviewing former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. You can see that whole interview, and the whole "22 Minutes" episode, on CBC Gem.

[Music: Hip-hop]

New Barrier Reef

Guest: Robin Beaman

CH: The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most celebrated sites — on earth or underwater. Endangered, as we know, by rising ocean temperatures. But impressive and immeasurable nonetheless. So immeasurable, it turns out, that entire reefs within it are still being discovered. Including an astonishing new coral construction the size of the Empire State Building. Researchers found the 500-metre tall detached reef earlier this month. And this week, they mapped it — from astonishing top to bottom. Robin Beaman is the marine geologist who led that effort. We reached him on board the Falkor — off the coast of Australia.

CO: Robin, first of all, how is it possible that a reef this massive is only now being discovered?

ROBIN BEAMAN: For a start, we always knew that the very far northern part of the Great Barrier Reef is quite poorly mapped in the deeper offshore waters. So we just have to understand the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park encompasses this very vast area from the shallow coastal waters right up against the Australian mainland. And then you've got these deeper waters, even down to submarine canyons that are over three kilometres deep. And so while the shallow coral reefs themselves have actually been quite well mapped, the deeper offshore waters less so. And in particular, the far northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, which lies along Cape York Peninsula.

CO: And so what was it like when your team discovered the reef?

RB: Well, we built up to it over a few days. We've been progressively mapping our way northwards. And so we would do a section at the time, we would 100 per cent map it. Sometimes it would take us a week, sometimes just a few days. And then usually we would put an ROV, the remote operated vehicle, down there and survey it. And then as we got into this detached reefs area, this sort of strange group of odd reefs that sit away from the edge of the Great Barrier Reef Shelf, but only by a few kilometres, we found that the waters around them were hundreds of metres deep. And our first pass over the area, we got a detection that said to me straight away that it was much shallower than what we envisaged. And we made a plan to very carefully go over this feature, because we didn't know how shallow was. We didn't want to put the ship in danger. And so very carefully, we crept over the top of it and it was like climbing up the side of a mountain. You can see it in all three dimensions on the screen as we're mapping. And it just kept rising and rising and rising, until we clearly got to the summit. And we were told we're at the top and we had like 38 metres of water under the hull. So it's pretty shallow. And then we got to the other side of it and then the mountain started climbing down.

CO: Wow! So when it started declining again, how high was this actual structure when you finally were able to map it?

RB: Yes. So after all that detailed mapping, we determined that it was about 500 metres height. The base of it is around, say, 560, 570 metres. It's a broad base. It looks very much like those mazes that you find in Monument Valley in America. You know, those classic Western movies. That's what it looks like in full 3D. It comes up very steeply along the sides. It gets narrow, narrow towards the top. But we're talking a very, very tall ancient coral reef.

CO: And how healthy is it? Because the stories we have then about the Great Coral Reef, or Great Barrier Reef is that it's dying. There's just so much damage to so many parts of it. Can you get a sense of how healthy this structure is?

RB: Yes, that's right. So once we'd actually mapped it within three dimensions, of course, the next question is, you know, what is it made of? How old is it? And what's living there? And so we had the benefit of the ROV Sebastian, one of the world's best scientific research remote operated vehicles. It's an underwater robot. And we dived on it just a few days ago. And so we dived it down half a kilometre deep to the base of it. And then we spent the day slowly spiraling up the sides of this steep reef all the way to the summit. So we've got a very clear look at all the animals down at these deeper depths, this zone which is this twilight zone where it's just a little bit of light filtering through and then up onto the summit itself. And when we actually finally got there, to us, it was a thriving coral reef ecosystem.

CO: Wow!

RB: We saw very healthy corals. There were lots of sharks all around. Now, to have a lot of sharks, you need a healthy fish population. You need healthy corals. And so to our understanding, this is a very healthy coral reef at the summit of this ancient 500-metre tall reef.

CO: We get so much bad news about coral reefs and about the bleaching and about the damage to them by shipping. And so what was it like for you and your team to see the health of this detached reef?

RB: Yeah. I mean, there was a lot of anticipation. We had some clues that we would probably see lots of shallow-water corals at the top because we could actually see the rubble that had been rolled down slope. When we got up into this twilight zone I mentioned, there were a prolific soft corals. And the edges of this coral reef had these prolific fan corals. And in some cases, they're metres across. So we were already getting the clues that this was looking quite healthy as we were getting closer to the summit. And as we popped up over the edge, over the lip onto the summit, we had big corals and really a blizzard of coral fish.

CO: Wow! Robin, [laughing] it must have bee quite exciting to actually be a witness, not only to see all that beauty, but to know that there is something of the Barrier Reef that’s that healthy.

RB: That's right. And I mean, it is a question as to why that is the case, certainly, in the far northern Great Barrier Reef, it was very badly affected by the first big mass-bleaching event back in 2016. But this wasn't the case on this new reef. So I guess this acting a bit like a seamount surrounded by deep oceanic waters. And perhaps just the fact that it's the top of the summit, it's it perhaps is just a little bit lower and may not have been affected by the bleaching event that happened in 2016 up in those waters.

CO: Well, very encouraging and beautiful discovery. Robin, thank you for telling us about it.

RB: My pleasure. Thank you, Carol.

CH: Robin Beaman is a marine geologist who's part of a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition that's just discovered a new section of the Great Barrier Reef — off the coast of Australia.

[Music: Ambient]

FOA: Don Mazankowski obit

DENNIS TRUDEAU: Mr. Mazankowski, the opposition says that your government is afraid to meet the House of Commons. Are you?

DON MAZANKOWSKI: That's a joke. The opposition isn't being very original. You know, I've been in opposition a long time. And they've come up with the same old lines, basically. I would have thought there might have been able to come up with something original. They would have been the first ones to condemn and ridicule us if we hadn't indicated our intention to bring a speech from the throne to address some of the important issues that face certain parts of the country.

DT: You, though, are being pretty original. No one's done this, apparently, since 1911.

DM: Well no, politics in Canada isn't boring.

DT: [chuckling] No, I suppose not. But what difference will it make whether or not you go back in the first week of September or whether you wait till October? What difference does it make?

DM: Well, it may not make that much difference in the pages of history. But in terms of the government's agenda and the work that we have to do during the month of September, it means that we'll be able to address a number of the important issues. There are eight federal provincial ministerial meetings during the month of September. There's the First Ministers’ Conference. There's the Meeting of the Group of Seven. There's the first meeting of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations. There are three state visits. There are a number of caucus meetings. And we've been meeting across the country and talking to our Members of Parliament across the country. And there has to be some attention paid to some of these areas as it relates to certain regions of the country. And that’s what we’re going to do.

DT: Maybe you’ll accuse me of not being very original. But you say you've got better things to do in September than meet the House of Commons.

DM: No, the House of Commons isn't the only part of governing a country. The House of Commons isn't the only part of being an effective member of parliament. Our members are working all the time, and I think opposition members are working as well.

CH: That was the longtime Progressive Conservative MP and cabinet minister Don Mazankowski speaking to “As It Happens” in 1986. Mr Mazankowski's death was announced in the House of Commons today. He was 85.

October 28, 2020 Episode Transcript

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