The Current for March 7, 2019
Today on The Current: We discuss Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments on the SNC-Lavalin affair; plus, we look at China’s social credit system, which uses points to reward — and punish — people for their public behaviour; and we listen back to an interview with Kate Harris, about her 10,000-kilometre bike ride along the Silk Road, in the footsteps of Marco Polo.
Today on The Current:
- The SNC-Lavalin affair has trundled on for weeks, as the drip, drip of information served only to raise further questions. At the heart of the scandal is the accusation that former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould faced political pressure over the criminal prosecution of the Quebec company, a claim that officials deny. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke out Thursday about the allegations; we discuss and dissect his comments.
- Since 2014, the Chinese government has been experimenting with a system that rewards — and punishes — people for their public behaviour through so-called "social credit" points. Points are deducted for offences as minor as walking a dog without a leash, and if your score drops too low, penalties include being stopped from buying airline and train tickets. We hear from experts worried about government control, and people who say those fears are overblown.
- On a mission to seek "the world's wildness," Kate Harris and her friend Mel Yule biked 10,000 kilometres along the Silk Road. Throughout her travels, Harris learned how the landscape can teach us a lot about human fragility. Recently, her book about their adventure won a top literary prize. We listen back to her conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti from April 2018.