This week, Wojtek and Marc are your hosts, as Lynn enjoys a well deserved day off.
ListenLynn however did leave us one of her stories and a beautiful one it is. That comes up a bit later as this week we start with a political story from Wojtek.
This week, a look at the federal Liberal Party of Canada. The party has in the past been termed “the natural governing party” due to its record of being elected to power so often in Canadian history.
However, the party has been struggling in the past few years, losing power in 2006, and then, for the first time in history, losing even the status of Official Opposition in 2011.
Recently nominated leader, Justin Trudeau, son of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, was rallying supporters at the party’s recent annual convention as they look towards the next federal election in 2015. Wojtek has a report on the party, its prospects, and the changing political situation in Canada
Perhaps you, like many people have noticed an increasing number of children who have developed very serious allergic reactions to what are common foods, like peanuts, or milk for example.
Vancouver documentary filmmaker Bruce Mohun, also noticed and when he heard about an experimental programme exploring the possibility of “de-sensitizing” children to their allergies, in other words boosting their tolerance against allergic reaction.
His film is called “The Allergy Fix” and in it he also looks at the theories as to why there has been this apparently very significant increase in the number of children in recent years who have and are developing serious allergies.
With such a long, and very cold winter this year, almost all Canadians are eager for any sign of spring.
Residents of Montreal in the mostly French-speaking province of Quebec can get that chance at the city’s Insectarium. The facility is importing over 18,000 chrysalises from fair-trade butterfly farms in the Philippines, Tanzania and Costa Rica.
If one arrives early it’s very possible to see the insects emerge from their chrysalis in a process that takes about ten minutes.
About 2,000 butterflies flit about the greenhouse on any given day during the ten-week exhibition. They are attracted to flowers in the greenhouse and fruit which are put out for them. The butterfly exhibition has become the most popular event at the Insectarium. Last year 160,000 people came to see it.
Lynn spoke to Maxim Larrivée, head of the Insectarium’s research and collections department
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.