Alberta separatist campaign normalizes anti-migrant racism

Canada recently released a national AI strategy, premised on artificial intelligence for all.  But many are questioning the ethical, social, and environmental implications. A Canada Research Chair examining how bias shapes technologies in the criminal justice system questions the trust we should place in AI systems. We speak with Kanika Samuels-Wortley, associate professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at Ontario Tech University.

In her book, Stories of Nikkei Canadians, Masako Fukawa traces the history of her family through five generations, from Japanese village life to the establishment of Steveston and its re-establishment after the devastations of the war. Masako Fukawa is a Sansei educator, writer and historian who developed resources for teachers and students in the BC school system, the Nikkei National Museum and the City of Richmond Museum. Masako Fukawa joins us to talk about her book.

A group of First Nations in British Columbia are heading to court to challenge the federal government’s decision to designate the Pacific Link pipeline as ‘a project of national interest’. This is happening against a backdrop of the federal government fast-tracking projects under Bill C-39, speculation about replacing the Indian Act, and in BC, the Conservative premier’s intent to rescind DRIPA. We speak about all these issues with Terry Teegee, Regional Chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations.

Pharmaceutical industry promotion is a worldwide phenomenon. And while doctors recognize the commercial motivation behind the industry’s interactions with them, they don’t believe they are affected. A new Cochrane review released last month aims to clarify whether and how those interactions influence what doctors prescribe for their patients. It looked at the results of 93 studies involving millions of doctors and published largely over the past two decades. We speak with Quinn Grundy, one of the researchers involved in the review.

In June, three young Canadians launched a legal challenge alleging that the federal government is failing to comply with its obligations to reduce the causes of climate change. They are joined by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, CAPE,  and Environmental Defence.The federal government went to court to try to strike the case, but a judge dismissed their appeal and ordered the government to prepare its evidence to move forward in a timely way. We speak with lawyer Fraser Thompson of Ecojustice.

The one thing that is certain following Tuesday’s election in Israel is that Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition has lost its majority. It looked for a while as if the leader of the Jewish opposition bloc, Gadi Eisenkot, had a narrow lead. But now all the votes have been counted, the Netanyahu bloc has more seats but both blocs are short of the 61 seats needed to form a majority. Meanwhile Arab Israeli parties have 19 seats. Nir Hagigi is an MA candidate in political science at York University and Communications Coordinator with Independent Jewish Voices Canada. We speak with him about the results and what they mean for Palestinians.

In June this year, the federal government  launched a National Food Security Strategy, with the stated goal of building a more affordable and resilient food system in Canada. Yet experts in the sector say it does not address the root causes of food insecurity nor its health consequences. We speak with public health physician Dr. Lynn McIntyre, one of the co-authors of a recent article in The Conversation Canada critiquing the new strategy.

With the landslide victory for progressive candidates in Vancouver’s city election, hopes are high for improving mobility and transit in the city. Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders ran a campaign called Vote for a transit hero. We spoke with Denis Agar to see how the results tallied up for people who need transit and the road ahead for transit improvements.

The Alberta referendum ended with a resounding defeat for the separatist party. At least, that’s what most of the corporate media coverage has characterized it as. But, in an article in Canadian Dimension published before the vote, Megan Aiken and Will Kujula argue that Alberta independence is not a threat because it might actually happen, but because it normalizes organizing for white supremacist, anti-immigrant policies in Canada. We speak with Megan Aiken, assistant professor of political science at the University of Lethbridge.

In 2024, coho and chum salmon were returning to spawn in Worth Creek, a small stream east of Mission, but in December the following year, the creek suddenly ran dry, leaving fertilized salmon eggs high and dry.  Local journalist Jack Emberly was the first person to report what had happened, then others got involved, eventually forming the Norrish Creek Gravel Stewardship Group last year. We speak with one of the members of the group, retired biologist John Werring.