The Current

The Current for June 24, 2020

Today on The Current: Racism in education, Freeing the two Michaels, Wil Fundal on new CBC podcast They & Us, COVID-19 and children in care.
Matt Galloway is the host of CBC Radio's The Current. (CBC)

Full episode transcript

An independent investigation found that black students were singled out for suspensions and expulsions more than most at the Peel District School Board — sometimes for wearing hoodies or hoop earrings. We speak with trustee Kathy McDonald, who is pushing for change, and researcher Carl James who is looking at racism in education broadly.

Several Canadian legal experts say more can be done to free the two Michaels — Michael Spavor and Kovrig — who are detained in China. We speak with former Justice Minister Allan Rock who recently presented the government with a legal opinion that says the government can stop the extradition proceedings of Meng Wanzhou, and Charles Burton, senior fellow with the Macdonald Laurier Institute.

In their new podcast, They & Us, Wil Fundal answers questions about gender identity, pronouns and trans rights — and explores their own experience as a non-binary person. Fundal joins us to talk about what launching the podcast means in this moment. 

COVID-19 restrictions have kept children in care from seeing their birth parents for months. We discuss what can be learned about foster care from the pandemic.