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The AIH Transcript for January 9, 2016

Hosts: Helen Mann and Jeff Douglas

STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE

Prologue

HELEN MANN: Hello I'm Helen man, sitting in for Carol Off.

JEFF DOUGLAS: Good evening. I'm Jeff Douglas. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

JD: Tonight:

HM: Cold hands, warm hearts. A Toronto doctor fights to save asylum seekers from frostbite after they're smuggled overland from the United States and abandoned in the Canadian winter.

JD: Losing their temper. Iran mourns former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as a revolutionary hero. But our guest says it's his power to temper anti-Western views that will really be missed.

HM: having the final say. After six decades of announcing at presidential inaugural parades. Charles Brotman is told he has to hand over the mic to a slightly younger set of pipes.

JD: Averse to testing. Sarah Holbrook says she is keen to have kids reading her poems. But U.S. artist pities the kids who have to guess at what they mean on standardized exams in Texas.

HM: Digging deep. Toronto archaeologist Rasha El-Endari struggles to describe her relief and her family's loss as she prepares to welcome them as refugees from Syria.

JD: And two turntables and a bone to pick. Quebec rapper Rod le Stod joins a PQ-led campaign that is poking holes in the plans for Canada's big 150th birthday bash. As It Happens the Monday edition, radio that always asks for your wrapt attention.

[Music: Theme]

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Part 1: Refugee doctor, Rafsanjani obit, poet test

Refugee doctor

Guest: Paul Caulford

JD: Most of us would not consider crossing the Canada/US border to be a life-threatening proposition. But these days some refugee claimants are risking at least severe frostbite to reach Canada. In Manitoba last week, two asylum seekers from Ghana were hospitalized after a seven hour walk to Canada from North Dakota in frigid weather. Now in Toronto, doctors have seen nine cases of frostbite from women and children who were left in parks by people smugglers. Dr. Paul Caulford is medical director at a Toronto refugee health clinic. We reached him in Toronto.

HM: Dr. Caulford, for just how severely frostbitten or some of the people who are turning up at your clinic right now?

PAUL CAULFORD: The severity varies, but sadly I would say about 50 per cent of the cases involve very severe injury to the hands and particularly fingers.

HM: And what are the health implications of that?

PC: Well for frostbite of that severity and by the way about 50 per cent of whom we're seeing are children. But the implications for the frostbite are the potential for loss of digits — Fingers and hands and if it involves the feet, the feet, the toes and the portions of the foot. Certainly in talking with the plastic surgeons who's been generous enough to give us some support here. The comment has been we vigorously tried to treat the frostbite in when it occurs in the winter to prevent amputation in the summer.

HM: Can you describe what the hands of these people look like as an example when you see them?

PC: On our first case the doctor even actually drew out and traced around the hand because the fingers were so swollen. It was quite ghastly. In the first case we saw the patient when we finally did get her to see us. We knew her hand was hanging limp at her side unable to be used.

HM: Where are these people being left?

PC: We have had one person in a remote Park area of Toronto. We've had another person drop near a church. One was dropped in a road area on the edge of Toronto and they are generally in a condition of not being properly clothed for the severe weather we have. They are left there and this is what happens.

HM: Who's transporting them?

PC: We hear that they've been transported in a truck generally. And there are a number of people in the back of a cold,unlit truck. The journey can take up to three hours. All cases have come from the U.S. their original journey started in sub-Saharan Africa.

HM: Given where they originate. Do they even know what frost bite is?

PC: That's a great question, Helen. We even for us, we've been stunned when the very I guess it was the last patient we saw put her hand out. Finally she looked at us and said, “what is wrong with my hands?” And we said, “it's frostbite it's severe frostbite.” “What is that?” Was the answer. In the first case the woman's hands that were most severely injured that I described, she'd had huddled her 18-month-old child under the only coat she had and had kept that hand over that child's face for three hours.

HM: Have you heard from them or from anyone who's keeping an eye on what's happening here. Why they're deciding to make this trip from the U.S. to Canada?

PC: Their comments to us are that they're told that it's not a good environment for them to be in the United States now. As a refugee and they've been told that they're going to have to have their journey extended.

HM: We know the Obama administration has at a record number has been at a record number of deportations in recent years. And now, of course, Donald Trump is coming in as President. Have you heard any references to either those situations as being a factor here?

PC: Only in a more general sense that it is not a welcome environment now. That's been mentioned on a couple of occasions, but no other specific references to the specificity I’ll leave that up to others. Our main focus here is alerting what’s a long border. And we saw what happened in Winnipeg and actually that was one of the gentleman from I think it was Ghana…

[Cross talk: HM] that's right.

PC: Who had courage to step forward and say this is what happened was found walking on a highway outside of Winnipeg and the horrific images of the injuries and the Band-Aids. And when that happened and we had seen our first two or three families when we had another one last week. We got together at the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Healthcare and said OK we have a problem here. We don't know how many might be elsewhere because they tend to wait and hide and some of them may well wait — we're worried — until the pain settles down on this whole thing settles down and then have essentially dead limbs.

HM: How does that affect you as a doctor to see these happening especially in a cluster?

PC: You know it's heart breaking to see it in the children and in the mother. You think about what that mother did for three hours and you are moved by it.

HM: Are these people now able to get some warm clothes?

PC: Yes, the shelters have been terrific. We've been in touch with Toronto Public Health with we're trying to reach out to as many people as we can the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care. They've all been terrific in spreading the word spreading the message getting it out to area hospitals now in the last 48 hours.

HM: Yeah. Do you know if the patients you've treated have all claimed refugee status?

PC: Yes, they all have claimed refugee status and all have now that protection — Canadian protection — that that grants them. And they will have health care in about four weeks, which is a problematic issue. And one of the requests we have it takes that long to process their claim. Is that there be some action on the part of our governments to expedite the presence of the access to health care because it's the physiotherapy in the hands that is critical in the first number of weeks and months to prevent the amputations that might occur later on. And just because the hands seem to be healing the range of motion, the stiffness that occurs, which physiotherapy is still important too. They may not receive the care they need in time to prevent the subsequent loss of limbs and help the regeneration of the hand.

HM: What do you think of the people who are transporting these folks across the Canadian border?

PC: I believe they're no different than the people who are transporting them in rickety boats and leaving children on the beach dead. I believe that they're criminals and that by abandoning them in a desolate park minus 15 degrees with an 18-month-old should just shock everybody to the core.

HM: Dr. Caulford, thank you so much for speaking with us.

PC: Thank you, Helen.

HM: All right. Bye bye.

PC: Bye.

JD: Dr. Paul Caulford is medical director of the Canadian Center for Refugees and Immigrant Healthcare. We reached him in Toronto. There is more on this story on our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

[Music: Ambient]

Rafsanjani obit

Guest: Trita Parsi

JD: One of Iran's top reformists has died. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was president of Iran from 1989 to 1997, died in hospital on Sunday after suffering a heart attack. He was 82-years-old. Mr. Rafsanjani was one of the original leaders of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and later he became a leading voice against Iran's hardline conservatives. Trita Parsi has been weighing the impact of Mr. Rafsanjani's death. Mr. Parsi is the founder of the National Iranian American Council. We reached him in Washington.

HM: Mr. Parsi, what is the significance of the death of former President Rafsanjani to Iranians?

TRITA PARSI: Well, it depends, of course, who you ask. But a very large part of the population are very worried right now because they viewed him as someone who had the capacity to stand up against the conservatives. He was a balancer against the more conservative and radical elements inside of the Iranian government. So many people you talk to they actually don't express so much sadness because Rafsanjani wasn't necessarily a very popular figure. They express fear because now they're fearful that this will shift the balance of power in favor of the radical elements inside of their government.

HM: And is there something to the timing of this as well?

TP: Well, this is a couple of months before the next Iranian elections, which is of course a very important will determine whether Rouhani will be a one or two term president. And this may actually give the moderates a bump in the polls and in the election. But in the longer run I think it's going to be to their detriment because this was a person who unlike almost anyone else could challenge taboos and question the conservatives and pushed the limits without paying a significant price for it. Very few others in the Iranian system have the ability to do so.

HM: What is it about him that made him such a significant and such a different figure when it comes to Iran's relations with the U.S. and the West in general?

PT: Well, I think it's because from the very beginning he always try to find ways to look for openings and improve relations with the West. He was the point person on the Iranian side in the secret negotiations back in the 1980’s that eventually led to the Iran-Contra scandal. And this is not something either just because the Iranians were in need of weapons in the war against Saddam Hussein, but also because he generally wanted to find a way to improve relations with Washington. And that was just one out of many attempts that he engaged in. Unfortunately none of them were particularly successful.

HM: And he was more open when it came to relations with the Saudis as well?

PT: He masterminded the Iran-Saudi reformation that came to fruition during President Khatami in 1997 and he was one of the few people from the Iranian system that actually had enjoyed a lot of respect inside of the Saudi government. And now we're in a scenario in which the Saudi-Iranian relations are at their worst that they have been for more than two decades.

HM: So what were the roots of his openness to the west and I guess really more particularly specifically to the United States?

PT: Well, I think it's nothing in particular in the sense that he's not more in admiration of the West, but he's just a very pragmatic individual who had the courage to strike deals and had the courage to be pragmatic. It's much easier to just be a radical and say no all the time. I think his earlier years may also have influenced him because he actually did travel in the United States in the 1970’s he actually saw the United States and he saw the west. So that his close ally Hassan Rouhani actually spent time in Boston studying. That's a big difference between them and many of the more radical individuals, who frankly have spent very little if any time at all outside of Iran.

HM: Mr. Rafsanjani’s presidency lasted about a decade starting in 1989. What would you say was the legacy of that position for him? What marked his presidency?

PT: Well, that era is probably most important because it's the area of reconstruction. It's an area in which the Iranians under Rafsanjani came to the conclusion that exporting the revolution and pursuing a very radical foreign policy was not going to advance Iranian interests and they try to shift towards a more pragmatic stance.

HM: How is it then you know given that he did have these successes that he did not manage to stay on as president?

PT: Well, he served twice and then he ran for president two more times in 2005. He was handed a very humiliating defeat at the hands of Ahmadinejad, who at the time was a rather unknown figure. And the reason for this is at the end of the day Rafsanjani was not a popular figure. He was seen as a representative of the establishment. He was seen as tremendously corrupt and as a result there was a desire to revolt against the establishment and that's how Ahmadinejad came to power. Rafsanjani managed to rehabilitate his image amongst the Iranian public in 2009 when in the elections and before the elections that took place there he came out on the side of the reformists and the protestors and he objected to the very harsh repression that government engaged in at the time.

HM: These perceptions of corruption how accurate were they? Because he was also seen to be operating his personal business very well on the side while he was president wasn't he?

PT: Yeah, I think at the end of the day the question was not whether he was corrupt, but to the extent that there was corruption. Because I think it's quite clear that there was definitely a lot of corruption taking place during his years and that he himself did enrich himself. There may have been some exaggerated numbers out there. I don't think we know for certain. What is fascinating though is that today that has become much less of an issue because of the way that he sided with the protesters and the fact that he played a critical role in uniting the centrist and the reformist to back Rouhani which is exactly what enables Hassan Rouhani to defeat six conservative presidential candidates in the 2013 election.

HM: We appear to be entering another crucial time when it comes to us around relations with President-elect Donald Trump promising to rip up the Iran nuclear deal that was negotiated under President Obama. How do you think Mr. Rafsanjani's death could impact the future of that specifically?

PT: In these times in which there will be these challenges to the deal and which there also will be an attempt to actually provoke the Iranians to do something radical in order to cause the deal to collapse. A moderating voice such as that Rafsanjani is very much needed and now it will be missing.

HM: And I just want to be clear when we talk about him as a moderating voice as a reformer. You know there are many human rights activists who say that you know he wasn't particularly progressive when it came to the individual rights of Iranians and actually oppressed an awful lot of people. What do you say to that?

PT: No, I think that's absolutely true. Moderate is of course a relative concept. It's within the Iranian system that he was a moderate, but within that system particularly when he came into foreign policy he was a moderating element when he came to domestic policies. He became more moderate towards the end.

HM: Trita Parsi, thank you for speaking with us.

TP: Thank you so much for having me.

HM: Bye bye.

TP Bye.

JD: Trita Parsi is the founder and president of the National Iranian American Council. We reached him in Washington.

[Music: Piano]

Poet test

Guest: Sara Holbrook

JD: I still have the nightmares: I'm at school, we file into this classroom, we sit at desks for hours and we frantically fill in little bubbles to questions for which most of us don't know the answers. I am talking, of course, about standardized tests. And decades after leaving school Sara Holbrook is still stumped by them. Ms. Holbrook is a poet who recently wrote about how she could not answer questions on a standardized test in Texas, which is especially concerning because the questions were pertaining to her poems. We reached Ms. Holbrook in Cleveland.

HM: Ms. Holbrook if you have difficulty answering questions about your own poems. How do you think the students actually taking these standardized tests are doing?

SARA HOLBROOK: Well, the problem is the construction of the questions right? And we've all taken these tests before they're uniformly vague on purpose. They are written so that there's more than one right answer. And the kid must choose the most right answer. It's just frustrating.

HM: Mm hmm. And I gather in this instance you're not just talking about the questions you also have some concerns about the choice of the poems that they put in the testing is that right?

SH: I was kind of taken aback that they chose that poem. It was a poem that I remember writing one day because a phrase just came to me “sudden self-loathing syndrome”. That feeling when you get down on yourself and the gist of the poem is that I'm as welcome as in-coming dogbreath when I'm like that and at the end it says, “but tomorrow I'll come around”. And when you put a poem like that in an anthology you put things around it some happy poems right? Or some poems about other emotions, but to just pull that one out I was startled that they chose that.

HM: And the grade the grade level looking at that poem is what?

SH: The grade of looking at that poem is 7th grade.

HM: So can you give us some examples of the questions on this test about your poem?

SH: OK. It says here the poet reveals the speaker's feelings mainly by using similes and metaphors to describe them explaining their effect on others connecting them to memories. Or “J” repeating specific words for emphasis. Now I do have — just let you know — a word that's repeated throughout the poem The word is “today”. So I might say that's a little true. I could say connecting them to memories Well how else would I know about in-coming dog breath except a memory right? And then explaining their effect on others. And I do in the poem say I'm as I'm about as useless as a leftover bath right? Or I'm as welcome as in-coming dog breath. So that's my effect on others. And then it says I use similes and metaphors to describe them. All of those are true.

HM: So every answer is effectively right?

SH: Right. But it's my job as a test taker to climb into the test writer's mind and say what did they think was the most right?

HM: Yeah. Now as I understand it you also there's one question involving the stanzas in a poem, but the poem was not presented to the kids in a way where they could tell which verse was which?

SH: And that was a different poem. What happens is after the test has been given then the next year they use the test from the year before to help kids understand how to take tests. And teachers may spend 30 or 40 days of the school year — of instructional time — in teaching kids how to take tests. So they use the past test as like mentor text or something. So they had distributed this poem on insomnia title “Midnight” and said in one of the questions is why did the author put in a stanza break? And then they had no stanza break in it. So in December a teacher had written to me and said where's the stanza break? And so I sent him a scan of the poem and how it appeared in a book. And the thing is I put that stanza break in there because I'm a performance poet. And that's where I pause and that wasn't even one of the things on the list. You know they had just made up things.

HM: So what does that tell you about the formulation of the questions as related to your work?

SH: It is like a big bologna sandwich. It is just made up. I mean people make up these questions and I don't want to doubt their scholarship or anything, but I do think that we jump the shark when we move from. What does this passage mean to you? To what was the author's intent? And unless you asked the author you don't know what the intent was.

HM: And you said you don't want to question I suppose. But what do you think of the intelligence of the questions being asked?

SH: I think they're silly and laughable. Except that kids’ lives depend on this — whether or not they're promoted to the next grade. My own daughter is a teacher in Virginia and 40 per cent of her evaluation depends on how her kids do on these guessing games and they aren’t guessing games because there is no right or wrong answer.

HM: So how do you think students should be learning about your work and I guess about poetry more generally?

SH: Louise Rosenblatt, who is a big guru of comprehension and poetry, says poems are just inkblots on the page. And a lot of the meaning of a poem is what the reader brings to it and the true meaning of the poem floats somewhere in between the page and the reader. So discussing poetry and what it evoked in us. This is all good brain building stuff you know. And then I would have a student write a response.

HM: If you could speak directly to these 12 and 13 year olds some of them perhaps agonizing over and analyzing your poem in these tests. What would you say to them?

SH: I'm so sorry. I hope if this poem does not speak to you that you don't turn off to all poetry and you go find a voice that does speak to you. I mean I think of poetry a little bit like music. If you just introduced your average middle schooler to Frank Sinatra and said that’s music they might say ew you know? But if they can go find the music that speaks to them. So I would rather turn kids loose in the library, let them find poetry that speaks to them and let’s start a discussion.

HM: Ms. Holbrook, thank you. It's a thoughtful discussion. I appreciate you speaking with us.

SH: Thank you for taking an interest in this.

HM: All right. Take care.

SH: OK. Bye bye.

HM: Bye.

JD: Sara Holbrook is a poet in Cleveland and we have tweeted the poem that she mentioned if you would like to read it. It's on our Twitter account.

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Part 2: El-Endari family, Quebec 150th

El-Endari family

Guest: Rasha El-Endari

Rasha El-Endari left Syria in 2010, she had won a Fulbright scholarship and said goodbye to her family and headed for the University of Arkansas to earn a master's degree in archaeology. Then came the war and Ms. El-Endari moved to Canada. Her family remained at risk. Now they are scheduled to arrive in Canada tomorrow after being jointly sponsored by a mosque and a synagogue in Toronto. We reached Rasha El-Endari in Toronto.

HM: Rasha El-Endari, what kinds of emotions and thoughts are running through you knowing your family is arriving tomorrow?

RASHA EL-ENDARI: Oh, it's I don't know. It's hard to describe it. I’m so excited and worried and I don’t know all kinds of emotions. I just want to see them and enjoy you know my time with them at the beginning and then worry about other stuff.

HM: Now when you first left Syria back in 2010 on a Fulbright scholarship for graduate studies what was your plan?

REE: My plan was to go and get a master's degree and PHD degree and go back to a Syria to improve the field there. And you know pass my knowledge to the other Syrian generation students.

HM: Now you went back to Syria as I understand it for a visit while you were doing your studies and this was at a time when the uprising was getting underway. How difficult was it for you to leave again?

REE: It was very hard. We never thought that we would dare as Syrians to go to the streets and ask for our rights. So I was so emotional at that time I wasn't really thinking about my study. I was thinking about my people and my country and that is finally we will be living as other countries in dignity in freedom. But this wasn't what thought. The brutality, the shooting and the killing and the tanks were in the streets a week after the protest even though people were walking with olive branches and flowers asking only for reform.

HM: Were you tempted to stay at that time?

REE: I really wanted to stay and I was so worried about my family. I wanted to stand by them and my family at that time. They wanted me to leave because I had to wait for more than two years to get the scholarship. And they told me you know your degree is going to benefit us and benefit your country more than you're staying here. And yeah it was very hard when I remember that moment.

HM: Tell us what your family has been through in the five plus years since then. How have they coped with some of this terrible violence and the fallout from it?

REE: My sisters, the two of them were living in Damascus and they had to leave their apartment because of the bombing and shelling and all that it got so dangerous. So they had to go back to my city where my parents live. The situation there wasn't as bad, but my parents were active in civil society and the humanitarian organizations, which caused many problems for them by the Security Forces. My dad got arrested by the Assad regime because he hosted a displaced family from six kids at our place and this thing bothered the regime because they didn't want people to be nice to each other, especially when they are from different sects.

HM: So given all of that — given the long history that — your family had there what prompted them to finally decide it was time to leave Syria?

REE: They were tired and there was a bombing next to their house. Like now people in Syria they aren't really living. Even though there are no shelling in some cities. So they've finally decided that they have to leave. And my sisters both had kids now and then they were thinking it's not just us we have to protect our kids.

HM: Now they ended up in Turkey. They're set to arrive in Canada tomorrow. I understand your family is actually being sponsored in a joint sponsorship between a mosque and a synagogue. Can you tell us how they got involved with this?

REE: Yeah, that's the most interesting or amazing thing about this story that I wasn't expecting my family was going to be sponsored by this special group. And I remember I first met that application and then I got this offer to have a private sponsorship and then I remember in the first meeting I had no idea that it's a collaboration between the synagogue and mosque and in the meeting I felt very special that you know that my family — I was raised — in this family that they always encouraged us not to worry about people’s background and relations and just deal with people as human. And I think that was a great opportunity for me and my family to be sponsored by this special group and it's a great message for the whole world that religion should bring people together not to divide them.

HM: Canada is being praised internationally by many for being open to accepting Syrian refugees and other asylum seekers as well. But can you explain for people who may not know from your perspective how challenging this has been a year after this first wave of refugees arrived?

REE: What's happening here. It's very amazing. It makes me feel very grateful and fortunate because in light of what's happening elsewhere in the world the increase of hate speech and xenophobia. It gives me hope that the world is not going to end. And I remember when I was in Syria in 2003 when the Iraq war started; we had many more than a million Iraqi refugee in Syria. And I remember some people were annoyed that oh, the increase of prices and rent went up and some people were not happy with the situation, but at the end we could not close the doors. They were fleeing war and death. So I feel sometimes that you know life it has unexpected twists and turns that we never expected that we Syrians will be in this situation. And look now what happened. And I think now what Canada is doing it's something that human beings should do. We should all come together when we had crisis not put barriers in front of each other.

HM: Do you have any fears for the long term for your family and the ability of its members to find their way in this country? Especially when the obligations of the private sponsors end in a year?

REE: I am not worried about my sisters and my brother. They will be a great contribution to Canadian society. But always for you know for my parents it's going to be hard. For older people in general it's hard. They left everything behind and they are coming now to a new culture. It's hard to adapt and all that, but they are very optimistic people, so they are thinking about it as an adventure and then trying not to be negative or anything.

HM: Can you envision a day any circumstances which would make it possible for you to go back and live in Syria again?

REE: Oh, that is a very hard question. Oh my God, you see like every day, every time we think that the situation is going to be OK or finally we have something good the situation is just getting worse and worse. So I think I can't predict anything and I don't want to predict anything. We Syrians are now so scared. We are angry because it's so unfair what's happening back home. And now with all the media and the coverage and the Internet and people are watching everything we are watching in front of our eyes that people are being killed and tortured and the people are starving and we are just watching that and unable to do anything. So this is too much for us.

HM: It's a bittersweet reunion in some ways I guess that you will have with your family?

REE: Yeah, exactly. I'm happy that my family is safe and they are coming here. But at the same time I have many families back home you know? The people that I have work with that I have excavated with at the archeological sites that I love and everything back home. I want to go back there and my future is back there. I'm want to excavate there again.

HM: I wish you a very happy reunion with your family tomorrow and I hope we can keep in touch with you.

REE: Thank you so much, Helen. Thank you.

HM: Nice to talk with you all the best.

REE: Bye bye.

HM: Bye.

JD: We reached Rasha El-Endari in Toronto. Ms. El-Endari left Syria as a Fulbright scholar in 2010. Tomorrow, her family will join her in Canada.

[Music: Ambient]

Inauguration announcer

JD: Charles Brotman says that he is heartbroken about this year's presidential inauguration. It is not about who's being inaugurated that's not the problem. The problem is that he won't get to announce the parade. Mr. Brotman has been the announcer at every inauguration day parade for the past six decades. That is a parade for every president from Eisenhower to Obama. But Ihe got bad news in an e-mail last week from the inaugural committee the 89-year-old is being replaced. Steve Ray, a 58-year-old who was a campaign volunteer on the Trump campaign is going to be behind the microphone instead. Mr. Brotman talked about it with CNN's Carol Costello today.

SOUNDCLIP

CHARLE BROTMAN: It's been a thrill to be a part of this. I've done 15 inaugurals and 10 different presidents and every one I treat like it's the first time. It's never Ho hum, I've been there before. It's really exciting and I have had the pleasure of meeting many of these presidents.

CAROL COSTELLO: I want to go back to that that e-mail that you got from the Trump team.

CB: Oh ok. Let’s do it.

CO: Telling you that you would not be part of this year's inaugural parade.

CB: Correct.

CO: what did that e-mail say?

CB: Basically they have found another announcer and that Charlie, you are a legend and you're wonderful and all kinds of great lines that I wish I could use on myself some time. But basically this gentleman that you see is really good. But I was disappointed because I thought I would be the announcer. And then when I read the e-mail I thought I was going to commit suicide. It was really terrible. But it all went out fine.

CO: Are you surprised, Charlie that you were told in an e-mail and you didn't get a personal call from someone on the Trump team?

CB: I was surprised — maybe shocked — and it's one of these things where I think that a newer announcer — a younger announcer — might be in order. I'm 89-years-old and thank goodness I'm getting older. I don't want to get old — just older.

JD: That I was Charles Brotman on CNN today. After 60 years Mr. Brotman has been replaced as the announcer at the U.S. presidential inauguration parade.

[Music: Ambient]

Quebec 150th

Guest: Rudolph Demers

JD: As Ottawa gets all gussied up for Canada's 150th birthday celebration. The Parti Quebecois is planning a different kind of bash. They are calling it “L’Autre 150” — the “Other 150”. and in the words of parti Quebecois leader Jean-Francois Lisee, it will quote, “add a little spice to the Canadian salad they want to serve us this year,” unquote. Rapper Rudolph Demers aka Rod le Stod, is one of the spokespeople for the campaign. We reached him in Montreal.

HM: Mr. Demers, first of all, what do you make of this plan for the official Canada 1 50th anniversary celebrations?

RUDOLPH DEMERS: Actually I had to check out what was exactly this this anniversary about because I didn't know that Canada was 150 years old. And so I had to check a little bit to know more what it was all about. And then I discovered that it was not actually the founding of Canada that was way before 1867. And so I realized that it was way more of an administrative year or a celebration this year, so it's not that much of 150th year of Canada but more the 150 anniversary of the administrative tools that register the confederation. So it's kind of a weird anniversary. But they decided to celebrate it which is OK and we want to be part of the party.

HM: So given that the celebration is going ahead anyway what do you think of the actual plans? Some of the big events that are going to be taking place?

RD: I saw a couple of ads and I think there's a lot of big events that are going on, which I think is very great. But I think that the history part of the anniversary's kind of being evacuated. So that's I think where the “L’Autre 150” is going to come to bring a more I would say objective analyze of the history of Canada.

HM: This is the alternative event set up by the Parti Quebecois ?

RD: Yeah, exactly.

HM: So why did you decide to get involved with that?

RD: Well first of all, like I said I had to check out what really was the 150th anniversary of Canada. And so I checked a little bit and I realized that the history part was kind of being missed out or left out. So I think half a dozen of historians are getting together to spot the 150 events for the next year and we're going to celebrate the history moments that maybe have been left out by the official party. I would say the official celebration.

HM: What do you hope that that brings to the public consciousness? What do you hope that gets people thinking about?

RD: Well, I think that since we want to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada, I think that it's important that we talk about history. And it's very good to have parties and have big events. But I think that especially for the young people and for the Neo-Quebecois, I think it's important for them to know the history and to know what the real history of Canada is all about which is not all happy and balloons and confetti.

HM: When you look at the history you think is being missed. What are the key points that you think need to be brought to the forefront?

RD: Well, like I said I think it's for a government to celebrate the 150th anniversary of they want to put the good side of the story. I didn't know that, but one of the father of the Federation John A. McDonald was against universal voting, so he was against the women voting.

HM: Yeah, he wasn't alone in that. It took a lot of decades after that before women earned the right to vote.

RD: Sure. You're right. And actually Quebec doesn't have any lessons to that because we were the last one to accept it. But I think that since we have to celebrate Canada we have to tell the whole story.

HM: How much of that story is Quebec’s story?

RD: That's a good question. I would say at least 25 per cent if I had to say a percentage just because of the population of that. But we weren't that much invited to the party, so that's why we're bringing our vision or our side of the story. So I think Quebec’s story to Canada is very important to the way that we were one of the two founders. So I think Quebec history is very important in Canada.

HM: Quite a number of Indigenous Canadians have expressed some concern about celebrating an event that they see really is celebrating colonialism and doesn't acknowledge the struggles and the oppression of their people. Do you think maybe I should be a more multi-pronged approach to how we look at these kind of historic celebrations?

RD: Of course, and also like Canada officially is multiculturalism country, so I think that in that way they need to show a different side of the story. I think they chose it not to bring us. They want to bring out their side of the story. They want to show how Canada is a good and kind of perfect country. They want to celebrate it because they want to build some kind of national belonging to a Canadian history, which is kind of hard for a big country like this. It's very hard to have a common history in Canada. It’s hard to define it. So with these kinds of events they're trying to kind of making up one. And that's why we're putting holes in their propaganda to show some other side of the metal.

HM: All right. Well thank you very much for talking to us. I Appreciate it.

RD: Thank you.

HM: Bye.

RD: Bye.

JD: We reached Rudolph Demers aka Rod le Stod, in Montreal. The rapper is a spokesperson for an alternative 150^th campaign organized by the parti Quebecois. It is called quite simply “La Autre 15) — The Other 150.

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Part 3: Mosul Dam, ‘nightcrawler’ rescue

Mosul Dam

Guest: Nahdir Al-Ansari

JD: The Islamic State continues to battle Iraqi forces for control of Mosul, but up the river from the city lies what may be a far bigger threat. The Mosul Dam is holding back a giant wall of water, but barely. The ground beneath the dam has been crumbling for decades. It's been remedied or held together by regular injections of cement. Those injections lapsed when the Islamic State took over the area around the dam is now back under government control. And this spring melting waters are going to test what is left in that foundation. Nadhir Al-Ansari is an engineering professor who has been advising the Iraqi government on what to do about the dam. We reached Mr. Al-Ansari in Lulea, Sweden.

HM: Professor Al-Ansari, this dam has been described as a nuclear bomb with an unpredictable fuse. That sounds so frightening. I mean how catastrophic would a collapse be?

NADHIR AL-ANSARI: They were talking about the worst situations when the dam was fully impounded. That means the capacity of water is about 11 billion cubic meters and such a case if that dam fails. The European community, they predicted that about 7 million people will be homeless. Not to mention the infrastructure of all the cities that will be destroyed downstream from the dam until the capital, Baghdad. And the casualties according to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, will be about half a million to 1 million people will die.

HM: What is the problem with this dam? What’s wrong that that poses such a threat?

NAA: They built the dam on rocks of gypsum and limestone and these rocks are highly soluble, especially the gypsum rocks. And since they started the impounding of the Dam 1986, the gypsum rocks were dissolving causing seepage under the foundation of the dam.

HM: As I understand it the dam was built as a jobs and a local improvement project as well by Saddam Hussein. Was the government at the time aware of the risks?

NAA: Yes. In fact, they were. After impounding in 1986, I was asked in fact, by the Minister of Arrogation to go and investigate the problem. And when I handed my report and I told him that there were plenty of geological mistakes where the consultant has underestimated the geological problems they didn't believe me at that time. I was asked to give a presentation in front of the board and they realized the actual problem. They started grouting operations — 24 hour grouting — just to elongate the span life of the dam. And in 1988, they designed another dam 40 kilometers downstream from the Mosul Dam it is called the Badush Dam. They started the work there, they did 40 per cent of the work till 1991and then the work stopped due to U.N. sanctions.

HM: when you describe grouting I know you're talking about re-grouting a brick wall or something like that. What's involved when you're talking about grouting something of the scale of the Mosul Dam?

NAA: When you have this huge number of the solution off rocks you have to put something there instead of the raw material. If you don't put anything then you don't have huge cavities and then there'll be a collapse of the dam. But the grouting will never stop the dissolution of the base there.

HM: What is the latest information that you have received then about the condition of the Mosul Dam? What's it like now?

NAA: Three months ago Trevi, it's an Italian company, the government they signed a contract with this company to do grouting operations after a period of 18 months of no grouting. When ISIS, they occupied the dam area and the machines were destroyed. That means according to the US Army Corps of Engineers about 10,000 cubic meters of cavities formed during that period. So Trevi now they are trying to do a ground operation. They are supposed to work for about a year.

HM: You mentioned the period when which the Islamic State had control over the dam prior to that, of course, there was the Iraq war. Was ground last at that time in terms of maintenance maintaining the structure?

NAA: Yes, although ISIS occupied dam for a small period of time. But you know when they did there were about 360 workers and engineers doing grouting operations 24 hours. And all of them ran away. When the dam was re-occupied they couldn't bring all the workers and engineers back. But our worries in fact begin in April because it's flood time of the river Tigris. And if there is a huge amount of water coming in that will be disastrous.

HM: So you are worried about this coming April posing potential disaster?

NAA: Exactly. This coming April, last April Iraq very lucky because the flood was very low. But who knows this year?

HM: What about the people who are living in the path of this dam? Do you think they should evacuate the area?

NAA: Of course, there should be an emergency evacuation plan. In fact, the European Community they did such a plan and they were co-ordinating with the U.N. But everything now was halted due to the war going on between the Iraqi government and ISIS on Mosul city.

HM: Do you think people living beneath this dam are aware of the risk?

NAA: Some of them yes, but majority no they don't. Because the area within the vicinity of the dam is still occupied by ISIS. They tell people that the dam is very safe because they don't want to have problems with the locals. So ISIS telling them everything is OK. Don't leave. Nothing will happen.

HM: Professor Al-Ansari. Thank you for speaking with us.

NAA: Thank you.

HM: Good bye.

NAA: Thank you. Goodbye.

Nahdir Al-Ansari is an engineer and a professor at Lulea University of Technology. We reached him in Lulea, Sweden. You can find more on that story on our website: www.cbc.ca /aih.

[Music: Ambient]

Fentanyl death

JD: Janice Walker says that she noticed a change in her son over the past year. And that he desperately wanted to stop using drugs. But in December her son, Joe Walker was found dead in a garage. Toxicology reports confirmed that he died of a fentanyl overdose. He was 25-years-old. His death adds to the startling figures of overdose deaths from 2016. B.C’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe reported that seven hundred fifty five people died of a drug overdose in the province through November. Well now Ms. Walker is talking about her son's final days. Here's part of her interview from earlier today on the CBC Victoria show On the Island.

SOUNDCLIP

JANICE WALKER: He literally didn't come home one night and I had asked him that day. How is everything? How are you doing with everything? And he was awesome. I'm focused! I'm doing so well! And then it was like the flick of a switch and he didn't come home. And I knew that he was using again and he had come home in the middle of the night and slept in the garage. And then the next night he came home and you know he was really drunk and high. And I actually was worried that he was at the point of overdose. He was vomiting and just a wreck and I got him cleaned up. And you know to bed and just sort of watched him and he seemed to kind of come out of it and be OK, but there was no point in talking to him about anything or kicking him out at this point because he needed to sleep it off and get better and you know we could always talk later. And then I came home from work that night and he wasn't drunk, but I could tell he was really high. I had gone down into his room and saw the little packs of tinfoil so I knew he was using heroin. Marijuana cut up. So I knew he was smoking weed and I was upset. And you know I was torn because at this point I knew that he was at the at the end of his own rope. And that his life was funneling down to the point where he was even afraid of dying. And that was the hardest part. You know do you try and get him out of it and get him refocused? OK you relapsed; let's get you back on track. Or do you draw that tough love stance? You're using you can't be in the home. And that's what I had always said to him if you're using you can't be here. So I’d packed up his suitcase and he wasn't angry at me. And the last words he said to me, “Don't worry Mom, I'm not going to die.” And I closed the door in his face. And then I didn't hear anything and I knew something was wrong. I was trying to message him and he didn't get back to me. And I just had this bad feeling that I didn't know where he was. And this was on a Friday night and they figure that he overdosed on Sunday and wasn't found until Tuesday. And when we got his possessions back had tried to message me and said in his message that never sent to me was, “Don't worry Mom, everything's going to be ok. I love you.”

JD: That was Janice Walker on CBC Victoria's program On the Island earlier today. Her son, Joe Walker died of a fentanyl overdose last month.

[Music: Ambient]

Meryl Streep

JD: Donald Trump didn't see Meryl Streep's performance, but he's reviewing it all the same. Ms. Streep spoke at the Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood last night. She was being honored for her career on the screen, but it was Ms. Streep's politics that ever had everyone buzzing. Like many of her colleagues, Ms. Streep campaigned against Donald Trump. And while she did not mention his name in last night's speech, she left little doubt — no doubt really — as to who she was talking about when she referred to the Donald's imitation of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski. Here is some of what she had to say.

SOUNDCLIP

MERYL STREEP: An actor's only job is to enter the lives of people who are different from us and let you feel what that feels like. And there were many many many powerful performances this year that did exactly that. But there was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank its hooks in my heart. Not because it was good. There was nothing good about it, but it was effective and it did its job. It made its intended audience laugh. And show their teeth. It was that moment. When the person asking to sit. In the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it and I still can’t get it out of my head because it wasn't in a movie. It was real life. And this instinct to humiliate when it's modeled by someone powerful it filters down into everybody's life because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing. Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. We need the principled press to hold power to account. To call them on the carpet for every outrage.

[Sound: Applause]

MS: That's why our founders enshrined the press and its freedoms in our constitution, so I only ask the famously well-heeled Hollywood foreign press and all of us in our community to join me in supporting the Committee to Protect Journalists. Because we're going to need them going forward and they'll need us to safeguard the truth.

[Sound: Louder applause]

JD: That was Meryl Streep speaking at the Golden Globes last night. Donald Trump was not going to miss a chance to move the conversation away from his upcoming confirmation battles. The President-elect tweeted this morning quote, “Meryl Streep, one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood doesn't know me, but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a Hillary flunky who lost big for the hundredth time. I never mocked a disabled reporter — would never do that — but simply showed him groveling when he totally changed a 16-year-old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just a more dishonest media,” unquote. It looks like Ms. Streep, the Hollywood foreign press and the Committee to Protect Journalists has some work to do.

[Music: Latin]

“Nightcrawler” rescue

Guest: Austin Raishbrook

JD: Austin Raishbrook’s work has inspired magazine profiles, a reality show and Jake Gyllenhaal’s character in the film “Nightcrawler”. Mr. Raishbrook is a camera man in Los Angeles. a stringer known for his daring persistence. He gets up close to the action he does whatever it takes to get the shot. Often in the middle of the night, but on New Year's Day Mr. Raishbrook went from close to the action to being in the middle of it on an L.A. freeway. We reached Austin Raishbrook in Lake Arrowhead, California.

HM: Austin Raishbrook, tell us what you saw when you arrived on the scene of this accident?

AUSTIN RAISHBROOK: Yeah. So it was it was actually one of the most dangerous things I've ever seen. And one of the most hair raising things I've ever seen and it was an SUV stalled in the fast lane of a freeway at 3:30 in the morning with cars bounding past 70-80 miles an hour.

HM: And you say one of the most hair raising things you've seen. So what went through your mind at that moment? I mean what did you do?

AR: So, my mind my first instinct was to try and help as much as I could in that situation. So I pulled to the side of the freeway and put my emergency strobes on alerting other drivers to the fact there's a hazard ahead. And at that point I was just waiting, hoping and praying that nothing bad was going to happen before the authorities go. But unfortunately you can see what happens in the video is pretty bad.

HM: So you were filming from what point on?

AR: So, I pulled across the freeway and I started filming from probably about 30 seconds to maybe a minute before the big crash. The car was hit previously in 30 seconds prior to the big one. But I was I was rolling probably for a minute before the actual crash happened.

HM: Describe the big crash as you put it?

AR: So yeah, the big crash the vehicle that came along and made contact with it rear ended the car. It didn't seem like he braked at all probably going 60-65 miles an hour just rear ended the stalled vehicle. At that point both cars spin across the freeway. The stalled vehicle hits the center divider and just bursts into a ball of flames. That's when I turned from a cameraman into a potential rescuer. I didn't actually know whether there was anybody in that car or not, but I wasn't going to sit back and take that chance and wait and find out. So I put my camera down ran to the back of my car grabbed my fire extinguisher and my flashlight ran across four lanes of freeway to see what I could do to help.

HM: And are cars still barreling along at that point?

AR: No thankfully. You know people had slow down and stop so there was no movement on the on the freeway. That's the one thing I've seen quite frequently is people get killed by running across freeways. So you know I didn't want to be the next victim, so I was very careful at that point to make sure that there was no traffic coming.

HM: So you get over to this burning car with your fire extinguisher. What do you see then?

AR: I see the car fully engulfed in flames. I couldn't see inside the car because of the smoke and fire. So I smashed the passenger side window. I could kind of see the driver unconscious slumped over the steering wheel. So I ran around to the driver's side. It was quite awkward to get to because it was kind of up against the center divider, but I tried wrenching the door open couldn't quite manage it. Tried smashing the window didn't work. I finally got the door open. I was met with billowing smoke flames coming on the top of the car.

HM: So did that push you back?

AR: I knew I didn't have much time to help him. So I actually leaned in around his waist and tried to undo his buckle, but I did get overcome by the thick smoke at that level. So I leaned back out of the car leand over the center divider, took a deep breath, went back into the car, managed to pull down his shoulder belt and grabbed him round the waist. And pull him out from underneath his belt drag him onto the floor and then pull him away from the car.

HM: How long was it before ambulance or fire got to the scene?

AR: It felt like an eternity, but I guess in reality it was probably three to four minutes. And when they arrived the car did start exploding again. The tires were going up, so they advised me to pull him further away. My main concern at that point was I didn't want to aggravate any injuries he may have had I didn't know if he had any neck injuries, back injuries or anything like that. So the worst thing you can do is move somebody in that situation. So we kept him in that position and then the fire department turned up a couple of minutes later.

HM: You said when we started this conversation this is the most harrowing thing you've seen and you've seen a lot of difficult and dangerous things in your line of work. Have you ever gotten involved before like this?

AR: Not to this extent. You know we do arrive on the scene of things before the fire department and the police quite a few times. However, this is really the first life and death situation where I’ve been in the right place at the right time to be able to help.

HM: Do you think it was just a case of your instincts kicking in? Did you have to think it over before you jumped in to help?

AR: It's a good question. I've been doing this for 20 years. And you know I wouldn't say that I've rehearsed this situation. I've certainly gone over the scenario in my head of what I would do in case this happens and it was one of those times where I knew what to do. And thankfully you know I had just enough time to do it.

HM: We're living in a time in which journalists of all kinds are found or felt to be in some disregard by many parts of the population and some say specifically they find the kind of work you do distasteful even calling it ambulance chasing. Do you think this will make them think a little bit differently about you and the kind of work you're doing?

AR: I don't know really. We are there as journalists reporting the news. And yes we aim to get dramatic footage, but we will always help out first. If somebody watches this crash on the news and says you know if that happens to me maybe I'll try and pull into the right or pull into the center divider or likewise if we're shooting a drunk driver crash if that makes the news in the morning I'd like to think that people watching that would think twice about having a couple of beers before driving home that night. So we're providing a service and these things happen whether we're there or not. But yeah, we do get questioned about it quite frequently.

HM: Do you know how the man you rescued is doing?

AR: I've been in contact with the Highway Patrol. They’ve given me one update. A couple of days ago he was doing great. He was talking to investigators and he's due to be released sometime this week.

HM: I suspect he might want to meet you.

AR: I'd love to meet him I don't even know the guy's name, but I'd love to meet him.

HM: Thank you very much for talking to us about it.

AR: You're very welcome. Thank you.

HM: All right. Bye bye.

AR: Bye.

JD: Austin Raishbrook is a photojournalist and a real life Nightcrawler. He works in Los Angeles. We reached him in Lake Arrowhead, California. And we posted a video of the crash on our website: wwwcbc.ca/aih.

[Music: Percussive]

Dunphy Inquiry

JD: Megan Dunphy does not believe the police explanation about how one officer came to fatally shoot her father Don. That is what she told a judicial inquiry into his death today in St. John's. Mr. Dunphy was shot by a police officer at his home in Mitchells Brook, Newfound land on Easter Sunday of 2015. Officer Joe Smyth of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was there to conduct a risk assessment as part of then-premier Paul Davis's security detail. Police say that Mr Dunphy pointed a rifle at the officer and that Officer Smyth then fired and Mr. Dunphy four times. Two bullets hit Mr. Dunphy in the head. Ms. Dunphy was the inquiry's first witness. She began by sharing memories of her father.

SOUNDCLIP

MEGAN DUNPHY: Dad was really funny. He was very comical. He was really vocal and opinionated he didn't hold back about anything he thought or anything like that. He was really kind. He loved animals obviously. He had to really big heart. You know he took care of me after my mom died and then he took my pup.

[Sound: Crying]

MD: Sorry. You know he cared for me from the time I was three years old after my mom died. Sorry, I didn’t think this was going to start this quick. He was really really funny — he was sarcastic — I'm very sarcastic, I got that from him. Not always a good thing I guess I didn't like it when he was sarcastic with me and he didn't like I was sarcastic with him, but overall he was really friendly like where ever he went he was always laughing and I remember he’d go to the doctor and talk to everyone that was there. He could always bring up something to talk about. And obviously me and dad were really close. You know my mother died when I was young. I don't remember anything about her. So my whole life growing up it was just me and dad. I didn't have any siblings. You know he done everything he could for me. I pretty much got everything I wanted when I wanted it. He came to the basketball games you know he brought in piano lessons whatever he could do. I remember when I was a kid is there was a pizza place around home and he'd come home and we always went to pizza place and we'd go there and the lady was one of my friend’s moms who owned it. Then Dad would always tell me to order whatever I want. And if I wanted an extra-large pizza and then he'd order one from self it didn't matter. Whatever I wanted is what I got. It was really good father. Like whatever I needed he was there.

JD: That was Megan Dunphy speaking today at the Commission of Inquiry Respecting the death of her father, Donald Dunphy in St. John's Newfoundland. The Commission is scheduled to hear from dozens of witnesses and will continue through March.

[Music: Ambient]

Hugh’s Room closes

JD: Anyone who has been to a concert at Toronto’s Hugh's Room can tell you it is a unique place. Jory Nash was there regularly both in the audience and on stage and he pointed out to The Toronto Star that the music hall is bigger than the tiny spots that host the unknown's, but it's also not so huge that only big names can fill it. And so it found a niche in the middle and it made a home there for many folk and blues artists and their fans and now after 16 years, Hugh's Room has closed — very possibly closed — for good. Richard Carson is the owner. He named Hugh's Room for his brother, who died of cancer in 1999. And he has now begun cancelling the acts that he has booked: a James Taylor tribute concert and other celebrating the music of Gordon Lightfoot. He wrote on the venue's website: www.hughsroom.com that he is insolvent and may not be able to reopen. Hugh’s room has hosted Pete Seeger, Richie Havens and Serena Ryder. Photos of Canadian folk singers like Stephen Fearing, Ian Tyson and Jory Nash hang on the walls.

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Jan. 9, episode transcript

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