#354 This Virus Is Rampant Because We Abandoned Workers
With COVID-19 cases in Canada on the rise, what about the people who can’t stay home?
Hosted by Jesse Brown
The Toronto Star’s labour reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh has found that workplaces are a “major source” of transmission, and precarious work is helping the spread.
Madeline, a BC woman who describes herself as being on a “death clock”, is one of many Canadians facing that choice. And legislators are now pushing for a further expansion of MAiD - while disability supports remain unchanged.
Raging wildfires are now a normal part of summertime in Canada. Climate change comes at you fast, but the impact of these fires is far from equal across different regions. Those most likely to have to flee their homes are Indigenous people, and this disproportionate risk is only growing. The number of evacuees from First Nation reserves doubled over the last decade. Producer Sarah Lawrynuik travels to a remote Manitoba community to look at what fire has done to one community, and examines the implications for tens of thousands of other people in the years to come.
Virologist Angela Rasmussen listened to a recent Canadaland about the origins of COVID-19 and says we had it all wrong. Today she walks Jesse through the science and explains why the lab-leak theory remains highly improbable, what she feels previous guest Elaine Dewar got wrong, and how journalists should cover science during a pandemic and otherwise.
It’s a question that has dogged the PPC since its inception. A question that leader Maxime Bernier blasted journalists for even coming close to asking.
The lab-leak theory has more evidence supporting it than ever before. Journalist Elaine Dewar has written a new book documenting little-known scientific evidence and acts of deception and obfuscation from Chinese, American, and Canadian officials. So what exactly were they all trying to hide?
Non-disclosure agreements are incredibly common. But they protect abusers, and block journalism. They are also, as it turns out, often unenforceable. Zelda Perkins, who blew the whistle on Harvey Weinstein, has joined forces with law professor Julie Macfarlane to launch a global campaign against NDAs, called Can't Buy My Silence.
With the election coming in two weeks, Jesse sits down for an interview with Tiffany Lam, producer of The Backbench, to discuss what kind of politics show her and Fatima are making and how a politics show can be fun, accessible and nutritious. The interview is followed by the most recent episode of The Backbench. Subscribe to The Backbench to be informed about the important issues of this election.
