This week, Lynn, Wojtek and Marc are your hosts
ListenWe start with a look at Canadian politics and this time how an important federal minister can stumble when they put their foot in their mouth
This time it was Canada’s Justice Minister, Peter Mackay.
Recently the same minister raised eyebrows during a news conference when he seemed to be confused about some aspects of the government’s proposed new legislation on prostitution.
Even more recently he was the target of more criticism regarding statements he made regarding women and visible minorities among the judges appointed by the federal government.
Minister Mackay brought motherhood into the equation, and found himself in hot water.
Wojtek prepared a report.
Many Canadian doctors took the unusual step of participating in demonstrations this week in a number of Canadian cities.
They were contesting budget cuts to refugee health care. Typically a refugee in Canada would have access to basic free health care during the time it took to process their claims, which could be anywhere from one to two years. In special cases, additional specialized care would be provided.
This changed in 2012 when the government decided that people from so-called “safe” countries, would no longer be given free health care. The governmnet has labelled 37 countries as being “safe” countries.
Lynn spoke with about the sitation and doctor’s concerns with Dr. Paul Caulford who is the founding director of a volunteer clinic for refugee claimants in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough.
Two environmental conservation groups have come together to highlight the central-west province of Manitoba in terms of its environmental importance.
The boreal forest covers much of the province, which is bigger than France, and much of that forest area is still in its natural state.
The group points out the uniqueness of the province in that it has four distinct ecozones within the boreal region, and several important ecosystems within.
It’s home to millions of birds, mammals including polar bears, and marine life including beluga whales.
The Boreal Songbird Initiative and Ducks Unlimited Canada put out the report to highlight the worldwide ecological importance of the province as a means to make people aware of the need to balance development desires with the need for protection and preservation of as much of the forest, and wetlands as possible
Marc speaks with Jeff Wells, senior science and policy advisor for the Boreal Songbird Initiative.
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