The Current

The Current for Feb. 23, 2021

Today on The Current: Ontario pushes to curb human sex trafficking; letter-writing offers connection in the pandemic; MPs vote to label China's persecution of Uighurs a genocide; and psychedelic therapy: a breakthrough tool in treating mental illness?
Matt Galloway is the host of CBC Radio's The Current. (CBC)

Episode Transcript

Today on The Current:

The Ontario government has tabled legislation to curb human sex trafficking, including measures that would give police greater access to the guest registries of hotels and Airbnbs. Matt Galloway discusses the move — and what other supports are needed — with survivors Michelle Furgiuele and Karly Church, who works as a counsellor with Victims Services of Durham Region.

Plus, if your eyes are starting to glaze over in endless video calls, have you considered staying in touch with something a little more old school? We hear from people who've embraced the art of letter-writing in the pandemic.

Then, Canadian parliamentarians voted Monday to declare that China is conducting a genocide against its Muslim minorities. The prime minister and his cabinet abstained, but what will this vote mean for Uighurs in China, and Canada? We ask Mehmet Tohti, the co-founder and the Canadian representative for the World Uyghur Congress, and executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project. 

And this week, we're airing a three-part series about research into using psychedelic drugs as a breakthrough tool in treating mental illness. We start today with renowned addictions researcher Dr. Evan Wood, who joined us to talk about therapy trials with the drug MDMA, and what concerns still exist.