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The AIH Transcript for November 2, 2020

Hosts: Carol Off and Chris Howden

Prologue

CAROL OFF: Hello. I'm Carol Off.

CHRIS HOWDEN: Good evening. I'm Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

CH: Tonight:

CO: Houston, we fixed the problem. The largest county in Texas has made voting more accessible than ever, offering drive-thru and 24 hour options, which allowed our guest to cast her ballot at 3 a.m.

CH: Cut down in their prime. A professor at Kabul University tells us today's deadly attack that targeted students was an attack on the future of Afghanistan.

CO: Ensemble cast. When a reverend in North Carolina led a march to the polls, many in the group planned to cast their ballots but that became impossible after police pepper sprayed them.

CH: Partying words. In 2016, our guest hosted a satirical Election Day bash that included a mock Hillary Clinton email server and a fake wall. But this year, she says, no one's in a laughing mood.

CO: Accidentally on purpose. Curly of hair and calmer voice, Bob Ross could paint a landscape at a breakneck pace while offering strangely soothing instructions. Now fans are celebrating the late TV teacher at an exhibit where they get to make happy little accidents of their own.

CH: And nom de guerre. In the midst of an election that's dividing the U.S., The New York Times reveals how people with certain common first names are going to vote, helpfully dividing the country even further. As It Happens. The Monday Edition. Radio that's learnt no matter who wins, the election results will not appeal to every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

[Music: Theme]

Part 1: Texas vote

Texas vote

Guest: Norma Gonzalez

CH: Republicans in Texas tried to argue that a drive-in vote is no substitute for a walk-in vote, but a federal judge didn't buy it. The failed court challenge today aims to get about 127,000 votes thrown out. They were casted at drive-thru voting sites in and around Houston. A group of Republicans argued the ballots were illegal. The judge disagreed. In Texas, early voting has already surpassed the state's entire 2016 voter turnout. And officials in Harris County have offered some creative voting options. There was the drive-thru method and also 24 hour voting sites. Norma Gonzalez cast her ballot at 3 a.m. last Friday. We reached her today in Houston.

CO: Norma, why was it so important to you to cast your ballot in the middle of the night last week?

NORMA GONZALEZ: I think we are all seeing how much voter suppression is happening in Texas and especially in Harris County. The 24 hour voting locations offer, you know, more to people who can't go throughout the day and regular hours, even people who are out of town and wanting to get in late to cast their vote.

CO: And for you, that was the case, right? Why was 3 a.m. the best time for you to be voting?

NG: So usually I work all day, I don't get off until after 7:00 p.m., which is after the polls usually close. So it was a really good option for me to go after work. But also I wanted them to know that people are going to show up even late at night because of how much they know that their vote matters, and they want to be counted.

CO: When you say you do, you want them to know who's "they?"

NG: I guess anyone trying to suppress the vote.

CO: Now, there are a lot of things going on right now in Texas that seemed to be aimed at that. This provision to be able to vote at 24 hour voting sites, this came about in response to what was going on in Harris County in Texas that led to them just to give up this voting option of being able to vote 24 hours.

NG: In Harris County, we have a lot of different fields, you know, that people work in. We have the port of authority, we have a lot of refineries, we've also been a really major city whenever it came to earlier this year, whenever there was the George Floyd protest and the police brutality movement -- I think a lot of people got a lot more involved. Something else that was happening in Harris County was that this year, during the primaries and during our special runoff election, people stayed in line to vote after 7:00. They were already in line, but there was such a long line that I think one of the last people who voted, voted at 1:00 in the morning.

CO: This is also, I guess, somewhat in response to the decision of the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, who declared that there can only be one mail-in ballot drop box location in every county. It's been upheld by the Supreme Court in Texas. How big is Harris County to just have one mail-in box?

NG: Harris County is huge. I think you could drive almost two hours and still be in Harris County. In total regular polling locations, we have 808. So to only have one drop off location, it definitely suppresses the vote of a lot of people who could either be disabled or live just way too far away to have anybody available to bring them.

CO: So those are the mail-in -- when you want to drop your mail-in ballot off in the box. And I guess there were 12 locations and then they reduced it just to one. What about just mailing it yourself? Could you not just put it in the U.S. post office box?

NG: Well when it comes to mail-in, it also depends, you know, on when it gets sent. So some people were worried that it wouldn't get sent in time or that it just wouldn't arrive at the correct location. So it's a matter of feeling safe in your vote as well.

CO: Do a lot of people feel that their vote is not going to be counted unless they go to these lengths in order to make sure?

NG: Yes, unfortunately. We're seeing that people are worried that their vote isn't going to count. Some people who voted early through drive-thru are worried that their vote isn't going to count now. So they're wondering if they need to go vote tomorrow. And there's just a lot of uncertainty out here with the vote.

CO: And we've just learned that those drive-in votes you just mentioned, there was an effort to declare all the people who had voted through the drive-in to have 127,000 ballots tossed out because they'd say that they would be illegitimate after they had voted. We've just learned the Texas court says, that those votes should be counted and has rejected this Republican led effort to reject those votes. So what do you say to that?

NG: I think it's important that all those votes get counted because this was approved by our secretary of state. All of the drive-thru votes were monitored by trained election clerks. So there's no reason that the legitimacy of over 100,000 votes should be questioned. And I really think that it's unfair.

CO: There are a few people quoted in the papers are saying that they actually went to vote, they weren't inclined until they saw what was being done to prevent their votes from being counted or to suppress the vote. And they actually went to vote just because of that.

NG: Yeah. So drive-thru voting was, you know, a safer option for a lot of people. But now that we're all seeing this huge amount of voter suppression that is happening, I think people are realizing, hey, our vote does matter and they're trying to stop us. So we're just going to go out there and vote anyway.

CO: How close do you think the vote is in Texas that the Republicans are going to such lengths to question those who are going to vote? How close do you think it's going to be in Texas?

NG: Honestly, I have a lot of hope for Texas this year. We've seen a lot of movements in the activist realm, in the voting realm. Almost everybody I know has been doing "get out the vote." I'm not sure if we're going to turn into a blue state -- I sure hope so, but we're definitely purple.

CO: And what's at stake for you personally in this election?

NG: Personally, as a woman, I feel like my rights are at stake. Also, as a child of immigrants, my parents, my family, my friends, their lives are at stake. So I think that's one of my biggest issues that I fight for in order for them -- the immigration reform. And I don't think that's possible with a Trump administration.

CO: Those are big stakes.

NG: Yeah.

CO: Wow. Norma, I appreciate speaking with you. And I know you have got to get to work, so thank you so much for speaking with us.

NG: Thank you so much for calling me.

CH: Norma Gonzalez lives in Houston.

North Carolina vote rally

Guest: Greg Drumwright

CH: It isn't just Texans who've headed to early voting sites in droves. On Saturday, hundreds of people in Graham, North Carolina, marched in a get out the vote rally. The plan was to hold a moment of silence to honour George Floyd, the Black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis in May. The group would then carry on to the polls. But they never made it. Police officers shot pepper spray into the crowd and arrested people, including Reverend Greg Drumwright. We reached him in Greensboro, North Carolina.

CO: Reverend Drumwright you didn't just encourage people to go to the polls on Saturday, you wanted to march them there. Why did you organize this rally on Saturday?

GREG DRUMWRIGHT: Well, because North Carolina has led the nation since 2012 in voter suppression. We wrote the playbook, unfortunately, on policies and laws that actually suppress people from participating in the democratic process of voting. And so for this election cycle, given the Supreme Court justices determination here in North Carolina, that is that certain folks were cut out of the voting process with surgical precision -- we wanted to take people to the polls.

CO: Okay, so just go back to the rally which began in the morning. You were starting off at Wayman's Chapel and you would walk with the group. There were just hundreds of people, children, the elderly. And you would go to the Confederate monument at Court Square. That's where things got kind of hairy. What happened?

GD: Yes. That's where things have been very contentious for so long. As we were finalizing the last few moments of the George Floyd Memorial, 8-minute and 46-second stance there, the police have gone on record to say they only gave us 14 seconds for our hundreds of marchers to return to sidewalks. And it was at that point that tear gas, pepper spray was released upon our peaceful organizing.

CO: Police have actually confirmed what you just said, that their understanding was that you would stop at the monument in tribute to George Floyd and be there for 8-minutes and 46-seconds, the length of time that the police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd. And when you got to 9 minutes, then the police said that they had to clear the road because you were blocking it. Is that what you understand?

GD: Yes. As startling as that is, that is fact.

CO: They said that they sprayed the ground. Is that true?

GD: Not entirely. There are seemingly dozens of videos that have been posted to my Facebook page from marchers and from media that prove they did not exclusively spray the crowd. They also sprayed the crowd.

CO: CNN shows video of at least one officer spraying someone directly. And so now they said also they arrested only eight people. You said there were many more arrested, including yourself.

GD: Yes, there were two police forces that were covering this event. So what the police are doing is they are spinning the record because there were people arrested from the Graham City police. And then there were people who arrested at the hands of the Alamance County sheriff. They have colluded all along. And so with them only stating that there was eight people arrested, it is actually not the entire truth. Not the entire record.

CO: Were you charged?

GD: Yes, I was charged. As a result of criminal charges, I am banned until tomorrow from being there in the city of Graham.

CO: The chief of police in Graham said that Mr. Drumwright chose not to abide by the agreed upon rules. After violations of the permit, along with disorderly conduct by participants leading to arrests, the protest was deemed an unlawful assembly and participants were asked to leave. What do you say to the chief?

GD: We are asking the chief of police and the Alamance County Sheriff's Department, why, if we convened this same event in Graham on July 11th with proper permits -- what did we do on July the 11th that we were seeking that we weren't seeking to do on October 31st? The police have sought to slander and speak in short of the arrangements that we made for the march on the 31st. And they also acted very late, breaking policies and ordinances that we still have not received any documentation for, to quell our efforts and suppress our get out the vote march.

CO: There have been protests and counter-protests at that very place, the Confederate monument in Graham. Did you anticipate that there might be tension when you got there?

GD: Unfortunately, yes. However, with the world watching, we did not expect the police to do what they did. I'd have to admit, though, they've been doing this for so long. This is law enforcement entities that have been sued by the federal government for a disproportionate number of arrests upon Black and Brown people. This is a culture in this town. The people in Alamance County, if you're a minority, you do not feel safe and you feel like you have run out of options as to who you can call to keep us safe.

CO: The people you were leading in that rally, their plan was to, after stopping at the Confederate monument to proceed to the polls in order to vote. Did people get there to cast their ballots?

GD: We have heard from several that they did not vote on Saturday. There were people that were lying on the ground trying to recover from being pepper sprayed. There were elderly folks that were obstructed. There were people that were seeking to leave our rally and proceed to the polls. But the police turned them away one block from the polls. Also, I think the most unfortunate effect outside of the violence itself is that Saturday was the last day that people could register in Alamance County to vote. And therefore, we are now hearing from people who can't vote tomorrow simply because they cannot register.

CO: Reverend Drumwright we will leave it there. Thank you.

GD: Thank you.

CH: Reverend Greg Drumwright led a get out the vote rally on Saturday in Graham, North Carolina, where he and others were pepper sprayed and arrested. We reached him in Greensboro, North Carolina.

[Music]

U.S. election: no party

Guest: Sarah Fraser

CH: Almost no one seems to be in a party mood in the United States this election year. But last time the country went to the polls, plenty of people had Election Day bashes. Sarah Fraser was one of them. She's the co-host of The Hey Frase podcast. And in 2016, she hosted a satirical celebration at a comedy club in D.C. There was a mock Hillary Clinton email server and a fake wall. Here's part of what she said to Carol back then about hosting the festivities.

CO: There are a lot of people saying online and elsewhere that they can't do a party, they're not going to have a party, they're not going to go to a party. They just want to stay in a room by themselves and watch it privately and maybe drink heavily and just get through, just to somehow suffer through this that no matter who wins or who leads it's all very depressing for everybody. You don't feel that way.

SARAH FRASER: I don't. I feel like -- look, I'm sure you feel this way about, and many people that live in Canada feel this way about Canada, you know, it's a great country, it will prevail. I feel the same way about the U.S.. No matter who wins, we'll get through it. It's four years. The country will have great moments, it will have questionable moments. But I don't think this is the time for us to be depressed. And I think this is what's great about America. You know, you have the ability to kind of celebrate this stuff and not be prosecuted for it. So why be alone? You know, come out and celebrate and recognize what it was and then we'll all move on together.

CH: That was podcast host Sarah Fraser speaking with Carol in 2016. We reached Ms. Fraser today in Washington, D.C..

CO: All right, Sarah. What do you think of yourself from back in 2016?

SARAH FRASER: Carol, what was I thinking now? [Laughter] That was wild to go back down memory lane. Well, certainly it's a whole different vibe. And I think people have a completely different outlook now than they did in 2016. I think we are more care-free back then, certainly when we had our election night party and things were much more lighthearted than they are today and what people are anticipating for tomorrow.

CO: Can you imagine having a party? Are you going to have a party tomorrow? Are you going to be in that mood?

SF: No. Even if we were not in COVID, obviously with COVID, it's going to be very difficult, safety wise, to get people together. But I would say the atmosphere is so different now than when Hillary Clinton was running against President Trump -- I think people were much more united. We had people from both sides, Republican, Democrats, come to that party and everyone got along all night long, even despite results. I think now you're looking at such a divide, I can imagine a party like that causing such an outrage.

CO: So what's changed in the mood that you couldn't even have a party like that, that you had four years ago?

SF: You know, I think that people have just picked a side. You've probably seen this. They've eliminated friends from their life that disagree with them or family members that have different viewpoints. You know, I think there's many reasons for that. But one, I do believe that President Trump's rhetoric leads to people picking a side, being very divisive, and not compromising. Secondly, I think just a lot of issues, race issues, class issues, all that's kind of coming to light. And I think so now people are really, instead of 2016 where things are a little bit more happy go lucky or those conversations might have started to be happening, I think now people are demanding change and are really saying, look, I don't want to come or celebrate or take part in this until those things happen.

CO: How about just for you? How has your frame of mind, your state of mind, how does it compare with four years ago?

SF: Well, you know, I am an optimist and I'm a comedian and I host a comedy podcast. So it's been challenging, as I'm sure you've heard from many comedians, to on something that at times is satirical because people are getting cancelled, or if people don't like you they start cancellation campaigns. So I'd say, you know, I'd be lying if I said I'm not more on edge because I think you have to think about every piece of content you put out, which we didn't really do in 2016. You know, you kind of thought people had more of a sense of humor. So I'd say in that way, I'm more guarded. I remain friends with people from both parts, Republicans, Democrats, Republicans that dislike President Trump, family members that support him, and obviously family members, including my husband, who are a complete left who don't have anything good to say. So I like to hear people's opposing sides. And that, for me, isn't going to change despite the climate here, which is pick a side.

CO: How are you going to vote? Have you made up your mind or have you voted yet?

SF: I did, I did early voting with my husband. I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I think that the country is ready for some sleepy Joe. And, you know, personally, I hope that's the outcome tomorrow. I don't know. I think it's very hard to predict. I would say I think Joe is going to get it. But, you know, in 2016, I was shocked like everybody else. So I'm trying to not put too many predictions on tomorrow and see what happens.

CO: We had a politician, Canadian politician, a while ago, years ago, who sort of ran on the image that bland works. And he was very successful. Do you think your country is in the mood for a bit of bland?

SF: [Chuckles] Yes, they are. I think they are 100 percent. And you see seen I'm sure everyone in Canada has seen COVID is just running rampant here, and I think ultimately that is going to be the demise of President Trump, because despite what he says, so many people I know personally are getting it. I know people who have lost loved ones. It's been so mismanaged and it is so real. I think people want a clear message. And if that message is as simple as wear a mask, social distance, but it's unified from the top -- I think people are ready to hear a simple, boring, bland message.

CO: You said just in that clip that we played of you four years ago, you said that this is a great country, United States -- it will prevail. Are you still confident to feel that your country will prevail?

SF: I always do. You know, I am an optimist. I always do. I think one of the things that the media gets wrong is, certainly, we have a lot of division in this country, but also you have a lot of people going out and having conversations not on social media (but) with their neighbour who is of a different political belief. And they're having civil discussion. So, you know, yes, I believe that, you know, we will prevail. Good countries like Canada will always prevail. I always think that good wins over evil in the end. But there's certainly some touchy moments for sure. [Chuckles] So, yes, I think there's a lot of really healthy conversations happening here that don't get amplified.

CO: All right. [Chuckles] Well, that's a really good note to play because not many people are feeling very positive right now or are feeling anxious, I suppose, which I'm sure you're feeling the same thing. Sarah, it's good to talk to you again.

SF: Carol, you as well. I hope we're chatting in four years and who knows where we'll be then, but hopefully in good places.

CO: [Chuckles] I hope so too. Thank you. Bye bye.

SF: You got it. Thanks Carol.

CH: Sarah Fraser is the co-host of the podcast Hey Frase in Washington, D.C..

[Music]

Names and Votes

CH: With one day to go before the U.S. election, there is bitter opposition between Republican and Democratic voters. People are tired of arguing with their families and friends about politics. Well, good news, now they can argue with people they know only by their first names. Today, The New York Times published an article entitled The 2020 Vote Preferences of 102 Common First Names. After two months of polling in battleground states, the paper is ready to help Americans yell at their acquaintances by revealing who's supporting whom on a first name only basis. So let's say you live in the U.S. and you want to know who that guy across the street, Thomas something, supports for president. Well, according to this Times article, 61 percent of Thomas' polled intend to vote Trump. Or maybe you wonder whether you should be rude to Karen, who just took your order at the Taco Bell. Well, that depends. According to polling, 60 percent of Karens support Biden. If you want to be more certain about sneering at someone you barely know, it might be helpful to know that women named Sarah were most likely to support Joe Biden, whereas the men most likely to support Donald Trump are named Donald. There are interesting demographic reasons for all these results, but there doesn't seem to be any real reason to share the results. I mean, things are heated enough when you're perceived opponents are nameless, throw names in there and the whole situation seems too hot for handles.

[Music]

Part 2: Students killed at Kabul University were Afghanistan's 'hopes and beacons,' says prof

Kabul University shooting

Guest: Sami Mahdi

CH: They were at the university to study, to learn, to improve themselves. Now dozens of them are dead or wounded. At least 22 people were killed today at Kabul University in Afghanistan when gunmen stormed the campus. The attack went on for five hours with grenade explosions and gunfire. When it was finally over, the gunmen were also dead. Sami Mahdi is a journalist who teaches at Kabul University. We reached him in Kabul.

CO: Sami, first of all, I'm sorry for your loss and for all that you're going through today.

SAMI MAHDI: Thank you so much. It has been a very bad day for the entire nation.

CO: How difficult is it for you to see the images, see what happened at your university, students, your friends, colleagues, as they tried to escape these gunmen today?

SM: You know, when you have so much fond memories of close friends, students, and students who have become your friends, and then you see their faces in black...it's very difficult to comprehend. And it is one of the worst experiences I have ever had in my life.

CO: I know you went to the hospital to see what you could do, who you could help. What did you see there?

SM: I saw at least 10 to 13 students of my classes in very critical condition. Also, one of my colleagues, one the professors, a very young, talented professor who has got recently his master’s degree in public administration from Turkey, who has returned to the country just a few months ago. I saw also friends and family members of these students who were there to ask about the situation of their loved ones. And I also saw those family members who were looking for their loved ones, but their loved ones were not among the injuries, they were already lost.

CO: I'm so sorry. Sami a lot of families were still trying to find out if their loved ones, if their young people were still inside the university, even after it seemed to be that they had got control of the situation. Do you know if they have accounted for everyone at this point?

SM: When I went to the hospital, I was informed that some of my students were still inside the university and they were hiding and some of them were injured and bleeding. I talked to them a number of times and I was trying to console them and tell them that everything will be okay and everything will end safely. And when the area was cleared and they were safe, I saw some people seeking for their loved ones, and their loved ones were not among the students who were hiding.

CO: The ones you spoke with who were inside, did they all get out safely?

SM: All of them got out safely. Unfortunately, two of them were injured. Both the ladies, they were taken to hospital. Others got out safely. And I talked to them and I saw most of them after they were out of the university.

CO: This faculty is, you're a journalist, a professor of journalism. I think the law faculty was in the same area, seems to have been the target of these gunmen. And ISIS has claimed responsibility. Why do you think they would have targeted your faculty?

SM: Actually, the ISIS statement -- [inaudible] attacked or targeted a training centre for judges and attorneys. But, you know, there is a building which is used by the law school as well as the policy and public administration school where I teach. So one of our classes was in that building today. I'm not sure if our school was targeted or we were just a victim of the place.

CO: And as you know, that these students are among the best and the brightest. They are the future of Afghanistan, really, aren't they? And so what's been lost today with the deaths of so many of your young people in the university?

SM: I think young souls are lost. Sons and daughters are lost. Brothers and sisters are lost. Loved ones are lost. Beautiful souls are lost. At the same time, Afghanistan has lost some of its best children it has ever produced. I knew these kids personally. And they were really really among the best of this generation. So they were the hopes and beacon of our future. But unfortunately, we have lost them. And we have collectively failed to protect some of our best.

CO: How difficult is it going to be for you to return to university?

SM: I've been thinking about it since the moment I heard that my students are under attack. I have been just thinking it takes so much bravery to go back to the school and look in the eyes of my students who were injured and those who were lucky enough to escape this tragedy. It's mentally so much difficult for me to go back. But I think we have no other choice. We have to work for the future of this country and we have to remain resilient and strong and positive enough to be able to see a brighter future and an end for this tragedy.

CO: Sami we'll leave it there. I know it's late and it's been a very long day for you. Thank you so much for speaking with us tonight.

SM: Thank you Carol. Thank you for this opportunity.

CH: Sami Mahdi is the Afghanistan bureau chief for Radio Azadi and a lecturer at Kabul University. He was in Kabul. And you can find more on our webpage: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Michel Auger

CH: When Michel Auger was awarded the Medal of Quebec's National Assembly, Quebec's premier told the crime reporter, "Your courage and your refusal to remain silent inspire us and encourage us to reiterate our determination to build a tolerant society free from violence." In September of 2000, a biker gunman shot Mr. Auger six times, but he didn't just survive -- he went right back to writing exposes on organized crime. Michel Auger died on Saturday of pancreatitis. He was 76. In 2006, As It Happens caught up with Michel Auger after he announced his retirement. We wondered whether he'd given any thought to quitting after what seemed like the miracle of surviving that shooting.

MICHEL AUGER: First of all, the doctor also says that it's a miracle. And in fact, I had the opportunity then to stop my career. And I hope that I will work for a few months and then retire. But those few months, became six years.

TOM HARRINGTON: You know, when something like that happens and someone in the criminal element, if you say, tries to take your life, that one reason not to retire since you survived is a sort of not let them win, that you weren't intimidated by them. Was that part of the decision to stay on?

MICHEL AUGER: For sure. Nobody else than me will have to decide the date of my retirement. It was not the Hells Angels who will decide that when I'll finish my career that way.

TOM HARRINGTON: Whatever happened to the investigation, Michel, into the attack on you?

MICHEL AUGER: The police investigation identified the shooter and all the members of the conspiracy because there were four or five others. But there is not enough evidence to charge those guys.

TOM HARRINGTON: How do you feel about the fact the guys who shot you are still walking the streets?

MICHEL AUGER: I will feel better if that guy will be arrested or had been arrested, but it's not necessary for me to see that guy in jail. I know that for sure one day that guy will pay for what he did to me.

TOM HARRINGTON: If someone tried to kill me and he's still on the street, I'd be worried about my safety. How about you? Aren't you worried about your own safety or your family's?

MICHEL AUGER: No, not at all. First of all, my family was never at risk. They were after me because the way I was describing their criminal activities was on a continuous basis. But I think that after the arrest of most of the Hells Angels in Quebec in February 2001, things cooled down and also the violence eventually stopped within the bikers world -- in Quebec there were probably only two or three murders linked to the Hells Angels over the last five years.

TOM HARRINGTON: I don't think you can put your finger on something like this, but in all the years you've been on the beat, more than 40 years as a journalist covering a crime in Quebec and Canada, what are you most proud of?

MICHEL AUGER: Doing my little part to help the small guy -- poor people, young people, old people who are not able to express themselves easily, who are mostly the victim of the criminals. In a way in my career, I helped those people to be better off.

CH: That was crime reporter Michel Auger speaking with As It Happens, guest host Tom Harrington in 2006. Mr. Auger died on Saturday. He was 76.

[Music]

Bob Ross exhibit

Guest: Jessica Jenkins

CH: The theme to the classic show, The Joy of Painting. And if that doesn't bring your heart rate down, I'm not sure what will. After all, calming his viewers was what the late Bob Ross did best. Well that and painting perfect little landscapes in 25 minutes flat, perfect in their imperfections, of course. Or as Mr. Ross always called them, they are happy little accidents. The Joy of Painting was a hit. And it remains one 25 years after his death. So much so that fans travelled from across the U.S. in the middle of a pandemic for the opening of a 1.2-million dollar Bob Ross exhibit this weekend. Unlike the beloved painter himself, the Bob Ross Experience invited them in and let them stand beside his easel and even hold his palette. Jessica Jenkins is one of the curators at the Minnetrista Museum and Gardens in Muncie, Indiana, where for many years Bob Ross filmed his show.

CO: Jessica, everyone's looking for something to calm the nerves right now. So would the Bob Ross experience do the trick?

JESSICA JENKINS: I absolutely think it will. I mean, Bob is the king of chill. So that's what we're trying to bring here to Muncie, Indiana.

CO: Just describe what somebody would experience if they went into this exhibit.

JJ: So I think the best way to describe the exhibit is that it is an immersive experience. So when you walk into the historic Lucius L. Ball home, what we've done is we've tried to take it kind of back to the essence of what it was like in the 1970s and 80s when Bob Ross was filming The Joy of Painting there. So when you come in, kind of the crown jewel of that is what used to be a former living room space that WIPB-TV transformed into a really teeny tiny television studio. So you're going to walk into the space that Bob was filming in. And we've done our best to really kind of recreate that. So you really get a sense of what it was like to be in there with the TV cameras, with that orange carpet that was in the space at the time, kind of a leftover from the 70s. It's a nice bright orange.

CO: Is it shag? [Chuckles]

JJ: Not shag, no. But it does have that very iconic 1970s colour to it.

CO: Thank God it's over that color that was -- that was the 70s for sure now. But is there an easel you can actually sort of be Bob Ross for a moment when you're in there?

JJ: Yes. So we have in our museum collection several, you know, 26 original Ross paintings. We have his personal easel, his personal palette, his paint brushes. So what we've done is we found a really fun and creative way to put those artifacts into the space and keep them safe so you can stand right where Bob did, put your feet right where his feet were while he was painting. You can get your picture there and you can really kind of just feel that space and what it was like to be there.

CO: Okay. How much interest have you had in this Bob Ross experience?

JJ: You know a lot, the last couple of days. [Chuckles] We, like everywhere else, every other kind of, you know, visiting institution, we've had to set our capacities because of COVID -- wanting to make sure we're keeping our visitors safe. But over the course of the weekend, we sold out all of our tickets and had people from Florida and Arizona and all over the United States that came and joined us to, you know, safely be able to have fun and experience Bob and his message.

CO: And what did they tell you as to why they wanted to experience Bob and his message?

JJ: You know, I would say that the whys are kind of all over the board, some people are because they have fond memories of Bob, of, you know, being that kid in the 80s and 90s on the couch when you're sick -- that was me. Others, you know, Bob is just so calming and relaxing -- and I think certainly right now in the current, you know, climate of the situation we're living in, where everyone's feeling a little bit more anxious than usual, that Bob and his calm and soothing and just his very quiet nature, I think is really appealing to people.

CO: Okay. Now we have a clip. There are people who may not have been home sick and watching. So we have a clip of Bob Ross, The Joy of Painting. This is from the 1993 episode where he creates island in the wilderness. I'll just play a bit of Bob Ross here.

BOB ROSS: I want to darken the corners a little bit. I am going to take a little Prussian blue and just add in the corners here and there. A little bit up there. And we'll go over to the other side and add a little more. And then down to the bottom, we'll put a little down here too. I am just putting a little Prussian blue in each corner to darken it. And then the most fun part of this whole technique is washing the brushes. Since these are oil paints, we're washing our brushes with odorless paint thinner. Shake off the excess. And just beat the devil out of it. That's really the most fun part of it.

CO: I feel calmer already.

JJ: I love that. That's a wonderful clip. And I have to tell you that 'beating the devil out of the brush' there at the end -- that (makes sound) thump, thump, thump, thump, thump that you hear, that's him on the leg of the easel and the easel itself you can actually see the spot on the leg of the easel that is licked clean with paint all around it that that exact spot that he used every time.

CO: What people who haven't seen it, we just had to do the radio thing there, but Bob Ross -- I mean, he looks like he sounds, right, except that extraordinary hair he had. And I just learned from reading about your exhibit that it was a perm in fact. I had no idea that Bob Ross's hair was permed and that it used to be straight.

JJ: Yes, absolutely. As a kid, as a young adult, it was straight as a stick. But he permed it along the way. And we have on good authority. He got it permed as a cost saving, you know. He thought you'd have to get haircuts less often with it permed. And he kind of got stuck with it. You know, it became his trademark look. They made the company logo look like that bushy afro of his. And he could never get rid of it as hard as he might want to. He was stuck with it for life.

CO: He died in 1995. He's only 52 years old. What would he think of your exhibit if he could see it?

JJ: I think that Bob would be thrilled with it. One of the reasons that we were so confident in speaking with Bob Ross Inc about doing this exhibit here is that we had actually worked with Bob personally back in 1991, and we held the first ever museum exhibition of Bob's work. And it was during his lifetime because he loved Muncie so much. He loved our location where we are. Our museum, you know, owns that house where he filmed. And so he loved that exhibit when we did it. And we feel really confident that he would love what we've presented here. And we've really infused it with not only his voice, but also the voice of his friends and the crew of The Joy of Painting. So I think he would be tickled to sit to see this happening and see the way that, you know, his life philosophy and work is being celebrated by so many people.

CO: Jessica, thanks for your exhibit and for giving us a moment of calm in the midst of all of this.

JJ: Thank you so much.

CH: Jessica Jenkins is the vice president of collections and storytelling at the Minnetrista Museum and Gardens in Muncie, Indiana. For more on this story, visit our website: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Tenet Viewer

CH: At the beginning of September, Craig Sharpe expressed his belief in a single tenet, the actual movie Tenet. He wanted to break the record for the most time seeing a single film in theaters. The record is held by an Australian who saw Bohemian Rhapsody 108 times in theatres in 2019. And Mr Sharp told us he wanted to smash that record. He wasn't going to watch the Christopher Nolan film Tenet just a couple of times more. He wanted to watch it at least 120 times. But on Friday, Craig Sharpe's run came to an end after Manitoba announced it was shutting down theatres starting today. Mr. Sharpe didn't make it to 120, however. While, it's not verified yet, he says he still broke the record by three after watching Tenet 111 eleven times. From our archives here he is speaking about his thoughts on the movie after his first viewings.

CRAIG SHARPE: Yes. The first two times I was there for the sheer entertainment value of it, and I was granted totally confused after the very first time. [Chuckles] But as I watch it more and more, it being at 19, I have had crystal clear sense of this movie since the fifth time. Now I'm just enjoying it.

HM: You know, sitting in the theater for hours can be uncomfortable at times. Are there any hazards involved here?

CS: Oddly enough, out of all 19 times, I've only gotten one leg cramp. [Chuckles] And that was way back on Sunday. And I had to fidget in my seat just to stay comfortable because I cannot leave the theater even to go to the washroom. I have to be there from when the movie starts to when all the credits end and the screen goes black.

HM: Do you get bored at any point of the movie?

CS: None. [Chuckles] Oh, no. Not even remotely bored.

HM: Are you starting to memorize dialogue? I mean, you know what's going to happen next.

CS: I do find myself at key points in the movie going through the dialogue. The movie as a whole is awesome.

HM: Do you think you might hear from Christopher Nolan?

CS: The thought is there. If he did contact me I would just want to thank him for fighting to get this movie released in the theater. I know how he is adamant on the movie theater experience. I am the same way. This way I can be like promote a movie theater that is properly doing social distancing measures and properly running a movie theater. And we can all have two and a half hours of amazing entertainment. I am blown away. And I honestly would probably be stumbling if I actually got into contact with him in any way, shape or form. [Chuckles] But it would be an honour.

CH: From our archives, that was Winnipeg's Craig Sharpe speaking with guest host Helen Mann on this show in September. And Christopher Nolan, if you're listening, give Mr. Sharpe a call.

[Music]

Robert Fisk

CH: Robert Fisk did not scare easily. It would have made his work impossible. The British journalist covered the troubles in Ireland, civil war in Lebanon, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, the U.S. invasion of Iraq and much more. He was one of few Western journalists to interview al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. And he won awards and acclaim for his coverage. Robert Fisk died on Friday. He was 74. Mr. Fisk had his critics too, especially in his later years when he was widely accused of reporting that was too sympathetic to Syria's dictatorial president, Bashar al-Assad. Neither criticism nor physical danger would back him down though, as evidenced by an appearance on this program in 2001. At the time, he told our former host, Mary Lou Finlay, about how he and his colleague were badly beaten in the Pakistani village of Killa Abdullah and why that left him undaunted.

ROBERT FISK: I think what happened was that we had by great misfortune, had a car break down in a village with a large number of Afghan refugees whom, as we later discovered, had lost many relatives, civilians and other families in the most recent American air raids around Kandahar. These are people who have had brothers, sisters, cousins killed under American bombs. And we, of course, suddenly became the representatives of the West. We were the people who were waging the so-called war of civilization, if you like, inside Afghanistan. And they turned on us. And I suppose I'd have to say that even at the time, I felt like I knew very well what was happening. And I thought to myself that if I was them I'd probably do exactly the same to me. I think when people have been mistreated in this way, when they're in the mourning their families they will turn upon those whom they see as representatives of those who killed their brothers and sisters.

MARY LOU FINLAY: There was a warning a couple of weeks ago to Western journalists not to travel in that part of the country because of the danger of being robbed, beaten, or killed. You don't care about that?

ROBERT FISK: If journalists obeyed all the warnings they were given and they would stay in Toronto, London, New York and Paris and never move. I'm afraid that if we are going to do our job properly, we have to travel, we have to be on the ground. There are many parties that prefer that we took these warnings seriously, because if we did, then we wouldn't learn what was happening. And one of the most tragic things in this area at the moment is to see the number of wounded people, civilians, not military people, being brought across the border from Afghanistan and wounded by allied or American bombs. A very unfortunate day, my colleague and I were the people who bore the brunt of the anger. It wasn't about journalists not abiding by warnings, it's our job to find out what's going on.

CH: Robert Fisk speaking with Mary Lou Finlay in 2001. Mr. Fisk was a long-time Middle East correspondent for the British newspaper The Independent. He died on Friday at the age of 74.

[Music]

Part 3: Indigenous Alaskans fight back as U.S. strips protections for Tongass National Forest

Alaska forest

Guest: Marina Anderson

CH: The Tongass National Forest in Alaska is gigantic, more than 16 million acres gigantic. And enormously important as well. Researchers refer to it as the lungs of North America. It's home to a number of communities, but mostly huge swaths of undeveloped old growth forest. That's largely because of a 2001 regulation known as the roadless rule. It was implemented by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. And it's just been unimplemented by the current president. Last week, the Trump administration announced that for more than half the forest, the roadless rule will no longer apply. Marina Anderson is the Haida and Tlingit tribal administrator for the Organized Village of Kasaan. They were part of the environmental review process. But last month, they opted out. We reached Ms. Anderson on Prince of Wales Island inside the Tongass National Forest.

CO: Marina, the threat of this deregulation has been looming for some time. How does it feel to know it's official?

MARINA ANDERSON: It's overwhelming. There are still possibilities for moving forward, potentially with a new administration there can be a change, but it is definitely disappointing.

CO: Just for people who have not seen it, and even if they have, this is a massive area -- the Tongass Forest. What's it like? What's it like to be there?

MA: For me, being in the Tongass is being at home because these are my ancestral lands. I have Tlingit roots and my Tlingit people have been here for well over 10,000 years and our people bleed over into what is now Canada with that border. And then my Haida roots, my people came up here before Western contact from actually Canada, from Haida Gwaii. So for me being here, it's being home. For other people to be here, it's this vast, temperate rainforest that is both dangerous and offers safety. It's full of canopies of old growth forest that have an abundant amount of life within them. Everything that provides this extremely lush ecosystem that is green year round.

CO: It's been called America's last climate sanctuary.

MA: Yes. And for North America, it's been known as the lungs of North America.

CO: Why did your community give up its status as a cooperating agency in this process?

MA: The organized village of Kasaan opted out of being a cooperating agency when the final environmental impact statement was released. Multiple times, we had voiced concerns regarding the environmental impact statement. And yet the final environmental impact statement was reflecting things that we did not believe to be true. So the tribe decided to pull out as a cooperating agency so that our names will not be reflected on that.

CO: But at the same time, the Trump administration seems to be going ahead with this, that half the forest the roadless rule will not apply. What does that actually mean? What will that open the Tongass to actually have happen?

MA: What that means is that it will open the Tongass to more natural resource extraction. There's a land management plan, a timber management plan. But this opens it up for when that plan is over, and when they are re-planning, this opens up more acreage. This also will open up areas for roads, for other natural resource extraction. Opening up these areas provides direct access for these timber companies to come in, build roads, log the timber, and then those roads can easily be re-patched for mining companies.

CO: Your community has participated in logging in the past, though. I understand your father was a logger himself. So what's different about this plan than it was in the past?

MA: I think what's really important to take into consideration is the overall history of our people here and where we were at that point in time. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, that was the only opportunity at the time for our people to retain as little land as they were able to retain, it was through that act and through that act, corporations developed. And with corporations, there's the responsibility to the shareholders, of course, to uphold duties of a corporation and provide income. And so they started logging. And another thing that I think about, my father passed away a few years ago, but something I think about a lot is how he told me that he didn't know what these clearcuts would do. He didn't know that these clearcuts were going to be bringing down landslides and that these clearcuts were going to make the habitat for the deer unsuitable and the habitat for humans unsuitable and the habitat for proper regrowth unsuitable. It was a new way of logging at that time. And today I'm seeing years later the effects of these clearcuts.

CO: You know, that Alaska has gone through a lot economically with the loss of tourism during this pandemic has been quite devastating for the economy. And so the government in Alaska, the governor is saying that the logging could help to rescue your region from economic ruin. What do you say to the economic argument?

MA: The economic argument I say, that it is invalid. A lot of the logging companies that come in, we have outside people that come in, they get flown out to their logging camps where they're provided food, and then they fly back home when the cut is over and it's a boom and bust economy. If you look at Prince of Wales Island, we have four tribes on our island. The rest of the towns on the island are all old logging camps that people have settled in that are now second class cities that the state of Alaska cannot fund. A boom and bust economy does not work here.

CO: Marina we will be watching. Thanks so much for speaking with us.

MA: Thank you.

CH: Marina Anderson is the tribal administrator for the Organized Village of Kasaan on Alaska's Prince of Wales Island. For more on this story, visit our website: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Reading: The Glass Hotel

CH: Emily St. John Mandel's 2014 novel, Station Eleven, was a big hit. Maybe because it was kind of prescient taking place before and after a fictional flu pandemic that devastates the world. It was unsettling in its timeliness. And it was nominated for several big awards, although the fact that it won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction suggests people didn't quite get how prescient it was. Anyway, Ms. St. John Mandel's latest book is inspired by an earlier time and crime that, if convicted, fraudster Bernie Madoff. The Glass Hotel is a study of people and profit and the story of a Ponzi scheme. And it's one of five finalists for this year's Scotiabank Giller Prize. The prize jury says it's a boldly lyrical tale, echoing the deceit and ruin of the 2008 financial crisis in which the author turns her gifted attention to the mirages of now. The winner of the 100,000 dollar prize will be announced next week. And this week we're featuring readings from the contenders. Beginning tonight with Emily St. John Mandel, and The Glass Hotel.

EMILY ST JOHN MANDEL: We had crossed a line, that much was obvious, but it was difficult to say later exactly where that line had been. Or perhaps we'd all had different lines, or crossed the same line at different times. Simone, the new receptionist, didn't even know the line was there until the day before Alkaitis was arrested, which is to say the day of the 2008 holiday party, when Enrico came around to our desks in the late morning and told us that Alkaitis wanted us assembled on the 17th floor conference room at one o'clock. This had never happened before. The Arrangement was something we did, not something we talked about.

Alkaitis came in at 1:15, sat at the head of the table without making eye contact with anyone, and said, "We have liquidity problems."

There was no air in the room.

"I've arranged for a loan from the brokerage company," he said. "We'll route it through London and the record wire transfer as income from European trading."

"Will the loan be enough?" Enrico asked quietly.

"For the moment."

A knock on the door just then, and Simone came in with the coffee. No one was sure where to look. Simone had only been at the job for three weeks and wasn't party to the Arrangement, but it was immediately obvious to her that something was amiss. There was a charged quality to the room's internal atmosphere, like the air before an electrical storm. She was certain that someone had said something terrible just before she walked in. Only Ron returned her smile. Joelle stared blankly at her, Oskar was looking very fixedly at the legal pad on the table before him, and it seemed to Simone that there were tears in his eyes. Enrico and Harvey were staring into space. Alkaitis nodded when she came in and watched her until she left. Simone finished pouring the coffee and let herself out, closed the door, and waited in the corridor instead of walking away. It seemed to her that no one spoke for an unnaturally long time.

"Look," Alkaitis said finally, "we all know what we do here."

CH: Emily St. John Mandel reading from her Giller shortlisted novel The Glass Hotel, one of five finalists for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize. The winner will be announced during a live broadcast on CBC Radio and Television next Monday, November 9th. For more, visit: cbcbooks.ca.

[Music]

Navajo Nation voting

Guest: Allie Youth

CH: I know you've heard the original, the Billy Ray Cyrus remix, the Diplo remix, and the remix with RM from BTS, but you may not have heard this cover of the Lil Nas X song Old Town Road yet. [Old Town Road plays but with a message regarding voting polls] The song is in a video posted on Facebook by the grassroots initiative Protect the Sacred. As this music plays, a group of people wearing cowboy hats and facemasks ride their horses together in Navajo Nation in Arizona. Leading that group is 30 year old Allie Young. Ms. Young is a Dine activist and the co-founder of Protect the Sacred. She's been leading horses and voters to the polls to vote ahead of tomorrow's U.S. presidential election. We reached Allie Young in Farmington, New Mexico.

CO: Allie the pictures of you on these rides with the dusty ground beneath you, the mountains at your back. What does it actually feel to be out there on horseback heading to the polls?

ALLIE YOUNG: It's incredible. Actually, it's a very spiritual feeling because we're in our homeland where we're reminded of what we're fighting for. And that's to protect not only our community and our people, but our Mother Earth and our sacred homeland.

CO: How far do you have to go? I mean, I understand that the Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles and touches over Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, parts of all those states. Where do you actually have to go, all the people who are there, to vote?

AY: There are several polling places across Navajo Nation -- not as many as there should be, in my opinion. They're kind of spread out in more of the bigger towns within the Navajo reservation. So the trail ride that we did on October 20th was Kayenta, which is a bigger town within Navajo Nation.

CO: I mean, people could get there some other way, could they not? Why is it so significant to be on horseback?

AY: To be on horseback is to reconnect with our culture. And it's really about motivating our Native youth who are always inspired by our elders and our ancestors and especially what they fought for, for us to be here today and also have a right to vote. So it's in honour of them and paying homage to our ancestors, but also to reconnect to what we call to have that horse medicine with us, which means, you know, taking the time to reflect before casting our ballot. So, you know, a two hour ride is a long time to be surrounded by our community, our homelands, and to be reconnected to Mother Earth through the horse spirit.

CO: I suspect we could all use a bit of that horse medicine right now.

AY: Absolutely.

CO: And so what happens on these rides to the polls?

AY: So we'll choose a meeting location. We'll all gather there. And, of course, you know, masks are required, we are social distancing. We'll start out with a prayer and, you know, the one in Kayenta, we had an elder there who offered a horse song that's in Navajo from our culture in our ceremonies. When that finished up, we mounted our horses and we began riding. And there were moments where it was quiet and serene and peaceful and there were moments where we were chatting and reconnecting as a community.

CO: There are pictures of your mother tying a traditional Dine sash around your waist. Can you tell us about that?

AY: Yes. I chose to wear my traditional clothes or dress and sash and our turquoise jewelry to ride to the polls because, again, I'm honouring my ancestors. And that's traditionally and historically the attire that we wore, and what is also required when we're in ceremony, the sash has great significance to Dine women because it's something that we wear around our waist, but it also is something that is utilized in birth. You know, I hear stories about how our women gave birth in our traditional hospitals, but the sash was used to tie above like on the ceiling, and then the women would hold themselves up and pull on the ends of the sash and help them give birth.

CO: What are you hearing from those who are joining you, especially the young people? What are they saying about this ride?

AY: They're saying that it's inspiring them and they're very thankful that we're putting this together because it is activating, it is mobilizing them because they were feeling discouraged, they were feeling frustrated with the system in the way that native people are being treated in the United States by the federal government. And most recently, it's COVID-19 and how the funding was delayed to tribal nations, which really affected us. And Navajo Nation became the number one hot spot in the country per capita because of that delay. And so are native youth who are feeling like, why are we going to continue participating in this colonial system that has never worked for us? And that's a completely valid point, which I agree with. But at the same time, this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime. And in order to make the changes that we want to see, we have to elect leaders and officials who will invite us to the table and invite us into conversations about how we want to lead our own community.

CO: How many more of these rides to the polls are you going to lead?

AY: Oh, one more and give it our final push, tomorrow on Election Day.

CO: What do your elders and what is your mother saying about the effect that you're having?

AY: They're proud, you know. And I'm riding with my dad. This is something that we would do often in the summer times. I've done a number of trail rides with my father, and it's something that's kind of our thing in the way that we bond. He told me that he hasn't been really motivated or activated to ride recently, have become, you know, tired and exhausted, and that this really got him out. And he's really excited and excited for tomorrow's ride. So they're proud and they're excited to see that we're inspiring not only native youth in our native communities across the country, but other communities of colour who've reached out and thanked us for our efforts.

CO: Allie you're an inspiration.

AY: Thank you so much.

CO: Thank you.

CH: Allie Young is the co-founder of Protect the Sacred. She's in Farmington, New Mexico.

[Music]

Brad Marchand

CH: All bets are off when Brad Marchand is on the ice. Along with being one of the top scorers on the Boston Bruins, Mr. Marchand has developed a reputation for antagonizing his opponents, sometimes in an unusual way. Landing in his crosshairs might mean getting licked on the face. But during this season, the Nova Scotia native has taken his pension for a wild game to Newfoundland and Labrador, where he's shooting bucks instead of pucks. Mr. Marchand is the new co-owner of an outfitting lodge in central Newfoundland with his Bruins teammate Kevin Miller. After a hunting trip last week, he spoke with the CBC about scoring a business and some real estate.

BRAD MARCHAND: Well, it started a long time ago. My family's always gone over the tradition. My grandfather started with his sons and then my father and my brother and myself over there last year. And we got home and we just were talking and we just said to each other, like, we need to get our own place over there. We go over there every year and we need a place of our own. So we started looking around and took a while, but we finally made it happen and we're very very excited about it.

BERNICE HILLIER: Now, you could have bought a cabin in the woods here in Newfoundland and had it for yourself, but you bought a hunting lodge. Why did you decide to go into business?

BRAD MARCHAND: My family's in business. Kevin Miller and myself, we have our own kind of outdoor company. And it's something that we were actually looking at doing as we were looking at getting an outfitter and getting in business, something that I wanted to do when I retire. It just seemed like a great opportunity. It allows us to have different options to do hunting here. And it's a passion that we have and we love so we wanted to just further our business in that sense and have a place we can go to enjoy even the summertime and take the kids and the family that fish and stuff like that. So it was fun.

BERNICE HILLIER: Your lodge is in a pretty remote location. What's the appeal of that for you and you hope, I guess, for your customers as well?

BRAD MARCHAND: It's a beautiful place. I've only been there one time, but I was just blown away with the landscape. And I mean, everyone in Newfoundland knows it's a very beautiful place. But being right on the water and just having such a vast country to explore -- you can go every day and see a new piece that you didn't see before. It is just a beautiful place to be. The animals are so beautiful and it's such a fun hunt.

BERNICE HILLIER: Brad, I have to ask you, did you get your moose by?

BRAD MARCHAND: Yeah, we were fortunate enough to get some moose and some caribou, so we had a very fortunate week. But we had the cap it all off. But we did get a moose.

CH: That was Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins speaking with Bernice Hillier, host of CBC Radio's Newfoundland Mourning about buying an outfitting lodge in Newfoundland's interior.

[Music]

Elisapie Isaac

CH: When the Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie Isaac was named Indigenous Artist of the Year last night at Quebec's music awards, she took the opportunity to say a little more than the obligatory thank you. She said, I want to talk about systemic racism. And then she addressed the shocking death of Joyce Echaquan in September. Ms. Echaquan was Indigenous. As we've discussed on this program, shortly before she died, she recorded the racist abuse she received from staff at a Quebec hospital. Ms. Isaac also acknowledged the violent attacks in Quebec City on Halloween night that killed two people and injured more, saying, we're with you, we're all together.

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November 2, 2020 Episode Transcript

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