The Current for Nov. 11, 2020
Today on The Current:
As the number of COVID-19 cases in this country continues to rise, some Alberta doctors are calling for a short, sharp "circuit breaker" lockdown to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed. But while some people argue it's not enough to stop the spread, others say it would be too detrimental to society. To break down what a circuit breaker would look like, and how effective it could be, we're joined by Dr. Shazma Mithani, an emergency room physician at Royal Alexandra Hospital and Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton; Dr Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health; and Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.
Then, on this Remembrance Day, we speak with historian and scholar Margaret MacMillan about how the legacy of war has shaped Canada and the world, and what lessons we can learn from studying conflict today.
And Dr. William Osler is seen as a medical hero, with hospitals and university buildings bearing his name. But Dr. Nav Persaud argues in a recent commentary for the Canadian Medical Association Journal that Osler expressed racist views, and there are other doctors from his era who deserve recognition.
Plus, Oregon voted last week to decriminalize small possession amounts of street drugs including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, making it the first state to take such a step. We speak with Haven Wheelock, who was among those leading the campaign, and Mark Haden, an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, who says B.C. and the rest of Canada should take notes.