The Sunday Edition for October 6, 2019
Listen to this week's episode of The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright
Michael's essay - The press isn't entirely free in Canada: "Late last month, the Supreme Court of Canada put some legal muscle, sort of, behind the right of a Canadian journalist to protect a confidential source. The decision came as the first test of a federal law called the Journalistic Sources Protection Act ... But before we reporters crack open another Jeroboam of bubbly in celebration, let's remember that the press isn't entirely free in this country."
The Speaker of Britain's Parliament — an unlikely political rock star: John Bercow has the seemingly impossible task of maintaining order and enforcing the rules in a fractious, rancorous House bitterly split over Brexit. But the wit and rhetorical flourishes with which he enforces parliamentary rules and imposes decorum and civility has made him one of the UK's most popular political figures — and deeply unpopular with his own Conservative Party. Just weeks before he steps down as Speaker, John Bercow is Michael Enright's guest.
From morning show host to London cheesemonger: Mike Finnerty has been a CBC Radio fixture for years … hosting CBC's morning show in Montreal and serving as a summer host for national programs. He's taken a much-needed sabbatical from radio, though, in a beloved home of his youth: London, England. And now, he's making his living by courting people's palates instead of their ears. Mike's essay is called "Cheesemonger."
What are we really talking about when we talk about reconciliation? Politicians say they're committed to it, indigenous leaders and activists demand it, and Canadians hope for it. But what exactly do we all mean by reconciliation? And how will we know when — and if — we've achieved it? Michael's guests are: Cindy Blackstock, the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society; Cheryl Ward, Executive Director of Indigenous Cultural Safety and Strategy with B.C.'s Provincial Health Authority; and Cowboy Smithx, a filmmaker and founder of the Elk Shadows Performing Arts Clan and the Noirfoot School For Cinematic Art.
Impeachment past and present: What can history tell us about a president who is utterly unprecedented? As Donald Trump flails and blusters his way toward possible impeachment, Beverly Gage — a professor of 20th Century American politics at Yale University — compares the ignoble end of Richard Nixon's presidency to Trump's conduct and discusses whether history can help predict the fate of the Trump presidency.
Confessions of a dishwasher and gambling addict who became a bestselling novelist: Stéphane Larue had the least glamourous job at a restaurant: a dishwasher. But it gave him an inside look at the hard-living characters working in frenetic, stress-filled kitchens. He turned those experiences into a novel, The Dishwasher, that takes the reader into the demi-monde of restaurant kitchens. It became a sensation and a big award-winner in Quebec and has just been translated into English.
A reality check on fake news: Fake news misinforms people, undermines democracy, and might have helped Donald Trump win an election. We've been put on notice that bad actors seeking to rig our election are targeting Canadian voters with reams of fake news to disrupt or distort the vote. Ira Basen has questions about all the attention being paid to the threat of fake news, and what we might be missing out on as a result. His documentary is called "Fake Sale."
Music this week by: Schumann, A Tribe Called Red with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Johnny Mercer, Tanya Tagaq, Wes Montgomery, Camille Saint-Saens, Jaques Offenbach, G.F Handel, William Tyler, Oscar Peterson and Jessye Norman