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The Current Transcript for June 24, 2021

Host: Matt Galloway

STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE

Prologue

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The message comes through Facebook, are you the Robin I knew when I was 19 years old, it took me 10 minutes to figure out that it was you when I went, oh, my God, yes, it is. I do it. Yes. Yes, I am that Robin.

MATT GALLOWAY: A message from the past, from a long lost love. And that really is just the beginning of a remarkable tale. You'll hear it in our documentary, The Robin I Knew in thirty minutes. Also this morning, students will have some tales to tell about the school year, their teachers too.

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I missed laughter. I missed kids getting up to high jinks. We missed the energy. We missed all the things that make school. Our life was dimmed. Our lights in our school was dimmed.

MG: As a difficult school year comes to a close. We'll check in with educators about how they coped and how they made sure their students were hanging in, too. But as parliament enters its summer recess, our national affairs panel kicks us off. Talk of a looming election and a minister of national defence in a heap of trouble. Good morning. I'm Matt Galloway. And this is The Current.

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National affairs panel on a looming election, and criticism of Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan

Guests: Chris Hall, Kelly Cryderman

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Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until Monday, September 20th, 2021, at 11 a.m.. I want to wish everyone a wonderful summer, spend it with your family and friends and enjoy the time.

MG: And with that, parliament is on summer break. MPs might not actually be spending that much time with family and friends, though instead they may be stuck in war rooms with pollsters and election strategists because many government watchers are predicting a fall election. Our national affairs panel is here to break down what's happened this week and speculate not wildly about next fall. Chris Hall is the host of the House on CBC Radio and CBC's national affairs editor. He's in Ottawa. Kelly Cryderman is a reporter with the Globe and Mail. She's in Calgary. Good morning to you both.

CHRIS HALL: Good morning.

KELLY CRYDELMAN: Morning, Matt.

MG: That morning we will get to the looming election in a moment. But I want to begin with news that broke late yesterday that the house is the first nation in Saskatchewan says that it has discovered hundreds of unmarked graves at the site of a former Indian residential school. This, of course, follows a similar discovery in Kamloops, British Columbia. Many Canadians have been shaken by this news over the last few weeks, and they're demanding answers and demanding action from various levels of government and accountability as well. Chris, I'll start with you. The prime minister has staked his reputation on reconciliation. What are you expecting to hear from him and from his government in the days ahead?

CHRIS HALL: Well, I think very much similar to what we heard after the discovery in Kamloops, Kamloops. It's clear that that there are many more such unmarked grave sites in the country. Certainly Volume four of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission talked about this when they identified 32 confirmed deaths, but they believe many more had died than that and that very few records were being kept. So I think if you look at the truth and reconciliation, call Section 72 to 76, it talks about making sure these deaths are documented, that the identities, if possible, are known, that they are properly commemorated, these lives that were lost to families and that some answers be provided. And certainly for the prime minister and Carolyn Bennett, the indigenous Relations Minister, this is a priority. And I think what we learnt yesterday just adds to the need to begin to address this as quickly as possible.

MG: Kelly, what do you see as the role of governments in this? Jason Kenney announced something like eight million dollars for the search at a former residential schools in Alberta. We know that other governments have followed suit. So in the wake of these discoveries, with more discoveries, as Chris says, certain in days and weeks and months ahead, what's the role of various levels of government, do you think?

KELLY CRYDELMAN: I think the role of government is to match the level of, you know, angst and horror that indigenous communities, Canadians are feeling on this in a way, in a way that moves it forward. And I think we talk about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hold. Murray Sinclair from the commission has talked about how the money that has been put forward by the federal government to now to search for graves. It might need to be bumped up in a serious way and there might need to be a government funded investigation of the deaths. And we've heard other proposals like giving legal status to these former residential sites. I think as we hear where we are, we know we're going to hear more stories and of more sites and of more gravesites at school that former school sites. I'm here in Alberta where there was the highest number of residential schools at one time. And I think governments, again, are going to have to step up to that. There's also this is also going to add to the discussion that we're seeing play out amongst political leaders about how we celebrate Canada Day and whether those celebrations go ahead in a way that we've seen in past years.

KELLY CRYDELMAN: What are you expecting on that? I mean, this is something we've seen certain jurisdictions, Victoria, amongst them saying that Canada Day celebrations, such as they are, are going to be on hold for this year. What are you expecting to see in that?

KELLY CRYDELMAN: I think there's going to be a very vigorous debate up until, you know, we're just, what are we, a week away from Canada? You know, we had conservative leader Erin O'Toole said yesterday he still believes in celebrating Canada Day, despite all the flaws of the country and the horror of the residential school graves. He believes that going forward, you have you have people like Indigenous Affairs Minister Mark Miller saying, you know, talking about definitely more muted celebrations. So I think that is going to continue to be a debate. And amongst politicians is also going to be a debate amongst provincial politicians. You can certainly imagine someone like Jason Kenney weighing in on a topic like this.

KELLY CRYDELMAN: We will hear more about the discovery in Saskatchewan later today and we'll keep listeners posted on that. Before that news broke last night, it had already been a dramatic week by parliamentary standards. This was the prime minister speaking earlier this week.

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We have seen a level of obstructionism and toxicity in the House that is of real concern. There's always a back and forth in parliament, there's always got to be debate and holding people to account, and we welcome that and continue to. There's also a time to work together.

MG: Chris Hall, has the prime minister set the stage for him to pull the plug on parliament with language like that?

CHRIS HALL: You certainly would think so, that it is the kind of thing the leader of a minority government would say to justify going to. Well, the governor general, when they appoint one to to say, I cannot work, I need a new mandate. And clearly, there are other reasons if you if you think about it. But what was interesting to me was over the last week or so, the Liberals had listed four priority bills that they wanted through the House. And as of last night, thanks to keeping the Commons working late into the night and limiting debate, all of those four bills made it through the House of Commons are on their way to the Senate, but that's where their fates are far less clear. The Senate isn't sitting today and Friday because of St. John Baptist Day. They will hold sessions on Monday and Tuesday, sitting until midnight both days to deal with these bills. So what does it mean, Bill-30, which is the budget bill, Bill C30 and Bill C12, which is the proposed legislation committing the country to net zero emissions by 2050. Senators, I was talking to you last night believe both will be approved by the Senate in those two days of hearings. But the other two, one, banning the practise of conversion therapy and changes to the Broadcasting Act appear much less likely to become law before the fall.

MG: Kelly, is your sense that the prime minister is knocking at the door ready to go?

KELLY CRYDELMAN: It sure seems like it with language like that and having passed a key budget bill, which, of course was introduced back or we learnt about it back in April, where we're talking about a hundred billion dollars of new spending over the next three years, a really ambitious child national child care programme, that's 30 billion dollars all contained in this budget bill. It really and, of course, the continuation of pandemic programmes like the wage subsidy and rent subsidies, you know, that are propping up a lot of individuals and businesses in this country. So that continues until September and really is setting the stage for a government that has kept a lot of money flowing through this pandemic to continue to do so. And really, it's hard to imagine that things would get better for the liberal the Liberal government then right now for a federal election. If you know that, I think there's going to be a lot more difficulties in terms of whether it's inflation or concern about housing prices or other issues going forward that will make it more difficult for the government to get the majority government that it wants. If it does so later rather than sooner, people are still feeling overall happiness with those federal liberal government on their handling of the pandemic, partially, of course, for the amount of money that has been spent during this time.

MG: Chris, is that your sense that I mean, the government has steered Canadians through the pandemic and there has been criticism and a lot of shots taken by the opposition over the vaccine rollout, but what, 22 percent of Canadians are not fully vaccinated? The vaccines are rolling out and arriving by the millions. Is your sense that Canadians generally are satisfied with where the government has led Canadians over the course of this pandemic?

CHRIS HALL: Well, the polls certainly suggest that the liberal support is still fairly strong. It's they're higher in most of the polls that I've seen lately with respect to their position relative to the to the conservatives. But there are a lot of unknowns in this matter. There could be a fourth wave as the Delta variant, which was first identified in India and potentially others that could come into play. So to Kelly's point, there is a window now in the summer where people are relatively content. It looks like the provinces are all reopening, not necessarily at the same level, but certainly that's the direction they're taking. People are getting back to work. So I'm going to be watching for things like our jobs returning as quickly as people hope. Does the economy rebound and do Canadians start to spend again, which would be a good sign that they're now confident in the future? Because certainly over the last six months or so, people have not been spending. That's been a big part of the problem. So those are the things that the prime minister will have to weigh when he decides if it's a time now to pull the plug on this parliament.

MG: Kelly, when do you think that might be if all of the things seem to be aligning for some sort of election in the fall? Look into your crystal ball there. And when would the plug be pulled?

KELLY CRYDELMAN: Oh, goodness. You know, when the federal liberals believe their political opponents are at their weakest, to which, you know, and I think that's part of the calculation as well, that someone like Karen O'Toole, the conservative leader, has managed to gain the traction. Certainly that was hoped for by conservatives last year. He is still presiding over a very divided party in a number of ways with weather. And we saw this play out in the vote on conversion therapy. Some conservative MP's, of course, voting against the bill that would ban conversion therapy and there being a big debate about what the freedoms of the religion. So Erin O'Toole's having to deal with divisions within his party when it comes to social issues, when it comes to regional issues. And I think, you know, that that plays out in works in the liberals favour to a large extent. They're also facing an NDP leader who is becoming stronger Jagmeet Singh is exceeding expectations at this point. So I think that plays into their calculations of to go at a point where their enemies are weaker as well.

MG: Here's our own O'Toole. He was speaking yesterday. Take a listen to what he said.

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Friends, 12 years ago. Some of you were here, the Liberals, the NDP, the Bloc Québécois signed a pact. To govern Canada as a coalition. Today, with the addition of the Greens, that is precisely what we have. There isn't a choice between the Liberals, the NDP, the Green and the Bloc Québécois, they're all the same. And they're all part of the problem.

MG: So, Kelly, pick up on what you were saying. I mean, Erin O'Toole hasn't been leader for that long, but has he done enough to build a brand to let Canadians know who he is and what he stands for?

MG: I think a lot of people still don't know Erin O'Toole well, and in a way that's normal. In a way, that's what elections are for. And you see changes in perceptions play out during elections and people obviously are paying more attention. But like that was a very the clip that you played was very interesting because that's a new I think a fairly new line that we've heard from the conservative leader that basically all the other parties are to the left of the political spectrum. And the conservatives now remain this this holder of mainstream Canadian-ism, which is an interesting new argument from the conservative leader where he has the ability to get some traction, I think is on jobs and the economy and worries that Canadians have about paying off this pandemic debt. And I think that's where and I think some of the retail mainstream politics is still where the conservative leader has some room to grow potentially..

MG: Well, he is also looking for traction is on the issue of the minister of national defence and the investigation within the armed forces over sexual misconduct. This week, the military ombudsman accused the government and the minister of national defence, Harjit Sajjan, of trying to exert influence on investigations into misconduct. The conservatives all over that, as you could imagine. Here's James Beeson, the conservative defence critic. And a response from the minister.

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VOICE 1: In the military, Osman Gregory Leck, who reports directly to the minister, had this to say about the minister's failure to act on military sexual misconduct. When leaders turn a blind eye to our recommendations and concerns in order to advance political interests and their own self-preservation or career advancement. It is the members of the defence community that suffer the consequences. Will the minister face reality? Quit putting his own career ahead of the women and men in uniform and do the right thing and resign?

[Applause]

VOICE 2: Mr. Speaker, well, look, the member opposite continues will play political games, as he very well knows from the time that I join in the time that I left, and that currently what I'm doing is making sure that we look after our troops. And, Mr. Speaker, we know that we have a lot more work to do, the work that we began in 2015, and we will get it done. Thank you.

MG: Chris Hall, why is Harjit Sajjan, still the minister of National Defence, given all of the problems he's facing?

CHRIS HALL: It's certainly the question opposition MPs are asking, Matt. And we are increasingly hearing this, too, from former members of the military, including some of the women who have come forward during this look at sexual misconduct in the military. I'll tell you, there's few ministers have survived as long as Harjit Sajjan has with the issues he's face. Fewer still have survived in the same post for six years without being shuffled as he's done. So let's look at the issues he's caused for the government. He was formally censured by the Commons a week ago for mishandling the sexual misconduct cases during his six years as defence minister, Parliament's heard testimony that not only did he fail to deal with the allegations against former chief of defence staff Jonathan Vance in twenty eighteen about an inappropriate relationship. But he didn't want to see the evidence and he hasn't acted on recommendations made five years ago to ensure allegations of sexual misconduct are reviewed outside the chain of command. And despite that, the Prime Minister continues to express confidence in Harjit Sajjan saying just last week that he's the right man for the job and dedicated to reforming the culture inside the military. And that may be, but there are certainly doubts now that he is the man to do that. My guess here in part is that there are also political interests being weighed. Sajjan represents a key riding in British Columbia and an important voting constituency amongst Sikh voters. So it may be more problematic at this stage to to move him or certainly to remove him from cabinet than to try and weather the storm that he continues to cause.

MG: Kelly, just briefly on this, how problematic is Harjit, Sajjan, for Justin Trudeau?

KELLY CRYDELMAN: Obviously, the government is signalling that they're willing to stick by him, that has come through loud and clear all the even though the scandals, the concerns, the controversies keep coming. And it is, as Chris has outlined, to to watch that the defence minister continues to not abide by the principles of ministerial responsibility. It's interesting to me from a political point of view, watching what you know- it is possible to endure calls from opposition members to step down time and time again, that it is possible to get through that, especially when you are in a stronger position, even in a minority government.

MG: Jagmeet Singh you mentioned is part of this calculation as well. When it comes to an election. He has cut his teeth already in an election in 2019. Here is the leader of the NDP speaking yesterday before parliament rose.

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To have an election in August or September. When we are just getting past the point of vaccination would be to put at risk all the work that we've done so far. And to me, that would be an irresponsible decision. That would only be for the liberals to try to get power as opposed to doing what's in the interests of Canadians.

MG: Kelly, Jagmeet Singh clearly doesn't want a fall election. How effective has his party been wielding influence over, as you say, a minority government thus far?

KELLY CRYDELMAN: You know, I think you have seen the NDP government work hand-in-hand with the Liberal government on many things, including passing the budget, including a number of bills. And I think because the Liberals and the NDP have worked together and are aligned on a number of issues, including the legislation that forces Ottawa to meet climate targets to 2030. I think one of the challenges for Jadmeet Singh is distinguishing himself from the federal liberals and showing that he is more progressive to those voters who he wants to attract on climate, on issues of justice and of a more just economy. And I think that's a big issue for him heading into the election. At the same time, I think that, again, since 2019, we have seen him grow as a leader and I think exceed expectations that were around at that time, which is always what politicians want to do. And I think, if you look at the polling numbers right now, he goes into an election at least with some good polling numbers amongst young people, amongst women and a lot and amongst the people that the liberals would like to attract and keep as voters.

MG: Chris, in the last minute that we have for an election to be called, the prime minister has to go down the street and have a chat with the Governor-General. Shouldn't we have had a replacement for Julie Payette right now in that role?

CHRIS HALL: Well, that was certainly the plan. There is a shortlist of candidates before the prime minister now, and we're expecting he will announce his choice next week at some point once he finishes his mandatory quarantine after attending the G7 and NATO summit. But remember, Matt, Justin Trudeau needs to get this one right. After reports that Julie Payette and her chief of staff had presided over a toxic work culture inside, Red Hall was exposed by our colleague Ashley Burke. So there's lots of pressure to make a statement with the choice to get it right, someone who's bilingual, someone who has an unblemished record, who's been thoroughly vetted, and to get the kind of positive results that we saw with Mahmoud Jamal filling the Supreme Court vacancy. So it will be interesting to see who he chooses, chooses for this mostly symbolic role ahead of the one role that they really do have to perform, which is to allow the dissolution of parliament in an election.

MG: Sources say you will have a busy summer. It's good to speak with you both this morning. Thank you very much.

KELLY CRYDELMAN: Thank you.

CHRIS HALL: Thanks.

MATT GALLOWAY: Chris Hall is the CBC's national affairs editor and host of The House on Your CBC Radio. Kelly Cryderman is a reporter with the Globe and Mail and she was in Calgary. Your CBC News is next. And then.

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We talked for two hours and the next night we talked again for two hours. One night it went to four or five o'clock in the morning. She had to be back up in an hour and running again. My heart began to pound. It was ridiculous.

MG: That's the sound of someone in love. In case he couldn't tell. His love story is one for the ages. And we will bring it to you in six minutes. My name is Matt Galloway. You're listening to The Current on CBC Radio One.

They had a fleeting romance — and a son he didn't know about. 50 years later, they're back together

MG: Good morning, I'm Matt Galloway, and you're listening to The Current.

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MG: Still to come, have you looked at a teacher, you know, and asked yourself how they've done it this year? They have been some of Canada's ultimate pivotal during the pandemic, online classes in person, back again, condensed schedules, cohorts, sick days, teachers have dealt with all of it and more. And in about 30 minutes, we'll speak with some of them. But what they learnt this year, but first, nothing more and nothing less. And a love story.

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MG: These days, doesn't every good story start with a message out of the blue on Facebook from someone long forgotten? You know, the really good stories, the ones your friend tells you, beer in hand, leaning up against the side of a bar after a long day. This next story is one of those. It's got the mysterious Facebook message, long lost love, even a secret child. It is what we affectionately call on The Current a yarn. Here is Alexa-Chanelle Lauzon and her documentary, The Robin I Knew.

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ROBIN: Are we ready? OK, let's go down here.

KAREN: This way. Oh.

ROBIN: Are you OK, Hon?

ALEXA: It's moving day for Robin Taylor and Karen Paul. This couple has an easy rapport, joking like they've been together forever. But Robin and Karen will be living together for the first time.

ROBIN: How are we doing?

KAREN: Got it.

ROBIN: The back in First.

ALEXA: For three years, they've been making the seven hour drive between their homes in Quebec and Ontario.

KAREN: Are moving again.

ROBIN: You'll have to bury me.

ROBIN: Robin just turned 75. He has a long white ponytail and oval shaped glasses.

KAREN: That's four more baskets.

ROBIN: That's for the cherry tomatoes.

ALEXA: Karen is 71 with shoulder-length auburn hair. They're matching in navy coloured sweaters.

KAREN: Not at all.

ALEXA: An avid green thumb. Robin, take special care unpacking his gardening tools in this garden shed.

ROBIN: No need to keep these stones

KAREN: Is it too heavy?

ALEXA: Robin didn't expect to find love at his age, and he certainly didn't expect it to be with Karen, the same woman he had been on exactly two dates with over 50 years ago, who then seemingly vanished into thin air.

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ALEXA: Their story begins in 1967 in Montreal. Karen is an 18 year old engineering student at McGill University. Robin is a 21 year old jazz choreographer.

ROBIN: And it was during that period that I had befriended a lad who was doing the Windows displays for Le Chateau, [unintelligible[ and various other stores that were doing a more up-tempo, more creative style of things. While all of a sudden he wants me to meet this person called Karen and I see her, I'm like, Oh my God. This woman, my gosh.

KAREN: When I first met him, he had beautiful, beautiful, deep, dark, auburn hair. It was so lovely in his hair.

ROBIN: And she was very slim, tall, very, very good looking gal with long, long, bright red hair.

KAREN: It was just interesting how I emulated towards him.

ROBIN: And later that night, we got together intimately.

KAREN: I honestly think that I was very much in love with him then. But, you know, you're young, right?

ROBIN: And a short time later, we again got together intimacy.

KAREN: And it was a very, very emotional for me, extremely, especially the second time that we went. I remember that night so clearly. And I actually walked away saying to myself, I'm pregnant.

ROBIN: And then she disappeared. I mean, I didn't, I didn't see her again

KAREN: when I found out that I was pregnant, I was in that state of mind, where if you tell someone like Robin, who's a real swinger in downtown Montreal, you know, that's how I perceived him as being, you know, constantly on the go. And he probably had a trail of women behind him. And so I thought, I can't. I can't tell him that because all he's going to do is, you know, and laugh and, or whatever.

ROBIN: That's when my friends- and I asked him, I said, have you seen Karen? No. Where she gone? All of a sudden? I wonder if there's something, I said, you know,

KAREN: I didn't want to get in touch with him. I didn't want to. And it's funny, that was probably my maturity level, too. And I wanted to stay to myself, private. And I didn't want rejection. Who would want to, you know, go to someone like that who've you been to bed with twice and then you turn around and you say, by the way, I'm pregnant. And you go, well, who cares? I don't want it. You know, you take care of the whole situation. That's heavy duty rejection. So I said, I don't want that. I want to do my thing. And that's it.

ROBIN: She disappeared. So I didn't know what's she's in. What I understood was because my friend said, well, don't forget their called upper crust family from Westmount. And, you know, you're a downtown guy, Rob. And so, of course, it probably didn't go, you know.

KAREN: I did the right thing. I did the thing that I thought was the best.

KAREN: OK, I guess that's it. Life happens. Keep going, you know. And so keep going. I did.

[Music]

KAREN: The conversation one conversation I had with my parents was that I'm pregnant and it was like, you know, out the door, please. My mother threw me out. Well, you know, told me to leave the house because in 1968, it was not the thing to get pregnant. And what am I going to tell my friends? Right. We won't have you live around the house when you're- and the first thing was that she wanted me to get an abortion. I had to get my head together and I had to figure out what to do. And as I said, I was scared because I did not want to get an abortion because that petrified me. An abortion was a back alley situation. So I left my house, my home, and I worked as a waitress and I rented a little apartment in Ville Saint Laurant. And then when I no longer could work as a waitress because I was showing, I decided to check myself into the unwed mothers home in NDG.

ALEXA: The home was a part of the Kathryn Booth Hospital Centre, a maternity hospital, and Montreal's [unintelligible] neighbourhood and included a wing for unmarried mothers, which is run by nuns of the Salvation Army.

KAREN: It was very tough. They were tough on us and I don't want to get into that, but they were tough on us. We cleaned floors and toilets and, you know, they feed us, but not very well and that sort of thing. But it was a place where we could go that when you were unwed and you had that issue in the 60s, then that was a protection for me, you know.

ALEXA: Karen gave birth to a boy on May 16th, 1968. She named him Jonathan.

KAREN: I saw my son and then he was taken away right away. There was nothing more because I said, yes, I want him to be adopted.

[Music]

KAREN: I don't regret it. I don't regret anything I've done in my life, in my past life. I've always looked at it as an experience for growth.

ALEXA: Karen and Robins lives mirrored each other in the years that followed, both left Montreal. Karen settled in the suburbs outside of Oakville, Ontario. Robin ended up in the countryside of southern Quebec,

ROBIN: gradually became a furniture maker and met somebody and married and had two children.

KAREN: Married to a gentleman for 21 years, had two children.

ROBIN: And divorced.

KAREN: That was it. We finally split up

ROBIN: And by that time I had actually forgotten about

ALEXA: her. Karen admits that she didn't think much about Robin, but she did always wonder what happened to her baby, Jonathan.

KAREN: You know, I would always think, yeah, it's May, birthday. I always wondered what he was like, you know, what had happened to him, but never, ever thought that he would come looking for me in any way, shape or form.

ALEXA: But just shy of his fiftieth birthday, Jonathan did come looking only he was now called Daniel, a name given to him by his adoptive parents. Daniel was raised in Montreal South Shore after spending the first four years of his childhood in an orphanage. He grew up with a younger brother who is also adopted.

DANIEAL: Before I did not care. I did not have any children. And then my children came up. And you just think about these things. You just say, well, maybe it's for the good reasons, I guess. So I sent the few papers I had and it was just my name, no name, my size, my weight when I was born and just a few knickknacks information. Not much. After I received a call to two years later and she said, it's my turn, OK, so they ask you the reason, what's your motivation to do this? I just felt it was a good thing to make a research to for medical reasons, just in case, you know, cancer or whatever, you know, problems that they could have. Because before I did not care. In my head, it was she dumped me, so why should I look for her? It's true that they, why, well, you don't know the reasons. But, they, you just live your life and you do your own thing, that's all.

KAREN: I was in shock, but I was also ecstatic. But not shock, I, I felt a sort of draining in my body, thinking, oh my goodness, my past is coming back to me. And then I took a deep breath and I went, Huh, I want to meet this kid. I want to know what- I want to know everything about him. I want to know how he was brought up. Everything.

ALEXA: After a few phone calls, Daniel and Karen agreed to meet.

KAREN: I always compare it to being on a first date and you go and you sit across from a person you've never met before and you're trying to make friends with that person. You're trying to warm up to that person. And as you're warming up to that person, you can see it in their eyes that they've got a defence mechanism up. Because you abandoned them and I saw that in his eyes when he was sitting across from me the first time we met, I saw that look of why.

DANIEAL: Why.

KAREN: Why, why, why did you why did you give me up? Why did you abandon me? And those were his exact words. He didn't come out with that. But why did you abandon me? And we did. I did. Right.

DANIEAL: So you want to know why you were left there. I think that's a legitimate question.

KAREN: So I just explained to him why. And it was just I was too young. I just couldn't support him. And I thought that he would get a far, far better upbringing than I would put him through as a single mom. And I have to say, there were a lot of tears shed between both of us.

DANIEAL: Talked to a lot of things.

DANIEAL: After the first meeting, what we did is we went to have lunch together and I and I bought, I brought my little photo albums from my well, young time to date. So I wanted to show her my life.

KAREN: But, you know, who put that together was?

DANIEAL: Was my mom.

KAREN: His mother.

DANIEAL: My adoptive mom.

KAREN: Well your mom. And she put together this book from the time he was a baby at the time of her adoption. And then, to now. And it was so interesting because here you would think that she would be threatened by the biological situation being, you know, entering into the picture. But she put together this whole little album for him to give to me. And I couldn't believe it. I was you know, it was...

DANIEAL: It was nice.

KAREN: And we had lunch together. That was quite incredible because we really did connect right away. And it's the best thing.

DANIEAL: Was just destiny, I guess. [Unintelligible].

ALEXA: Karen felt like she had to contact Daniel's father.

ROBIN: It wasn't a phone call. The message comes through on Facebook and it was, Are you the Robin I knew when I was 19 years old? I didn't recognise the name, did not recognise the picture. I didn't, you know, 50 odd years later. And I'm going, oh, who the heck is that person who's that? Because it took me 10 minutes to figure out that it was you and that it was you. And I went, oh, my God. Yes, it is. I do. Yes, yes, I am that Robin. And I wrote back and said, yes, I'm that Robin. How are you? Well, it was that next message that was the kicker. Your son has found his birth mother, me, and now wants to know who the birth father is. And it's you. And he has two of his own children. So right away, I'm a grandfather. The truth of the matter was I was ecstatic. I was so thrilled to hear about this. Oh, my God, there's Karen. That's who I lost. Oh, my gosh. She must- she was pregnant and I never knew she was pregnant. And she had the child and the child's grown up and has his own children. Well, I got so excited about that.

ALEXA: Karen had no idea Robin was so excited about her message. She was busy building her relationship with Daniel.

KAREN: And all of a sudden the phone rings and it says Robin on it. So I answer it and I say to him very nicely, I can't talk right now because I'm busy. And he said, OK, OK. Very polite, very polite, you know? So then I left it and I never called him back. Then he calls me on my cell phone. I'm driving home from work again. And this was probably a week later. And he said, Hi, this is Robin. And, you know, he's just so light and easy and very, very, very polite. And I said, you know, Robin, I'm just driving home from work. And I, you know, it's 10:00 at night. And I said, I really would like to call you when I get home.

ALEXA: Karen wanted to make sure Robin knew that she wasn't trying to pick up where they left off more than 50 years ago.

KAREN: And this is what I say to him: Hi, Robin, because he didn't answer the phone, I said, hi, Robin, it's Karen returning your call. So you have a son and that son is wanting to get in touch with you because you're the biological father. So could you please call him? And here's his number. That was it. And I said, thank you.

ROBIN: My phone called back.

KAREN: And yeah, he actually called back and I just and I was annoyed because I thought I had, you know, shut the door.

ROBIN: So I didn't call my son. I open the door that you thought you'd closed and began to talk. And we talked for two hours. And the next night we talked again for two hours. One night it went to four or five o'clock in the morning. She had to be back up in an hour and running again. My heart began to pound. It was ridiculous. I don't understand it to this day.

ALEXA: For three months they talked on the phone every single night. Finally, it was time to meet in person.

KAREN: And I saw him sitting in his car with a goatee and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. And I'm going, ugh.

ROBIN: The two things she just liked the most, of course, was tobacco, the smell of it, and facial hair in a man.

KAREN: And then his long hair and his long hair on top of that. So I thought, oh, this is going to be interesting.

ROBIN: And that first meeting and first seeing her was a bit of a surprise. I did not who I was meeting or what I was meeting. And as much as she was shocked to see this, you know, sort of skinny guy sitting in the car with a goatee and a cigarette hanging out of his face, as much as I was surprised to see a short haired business gal, and yet all of that kind of melted or disappeared.

KAREN: Yes. Like it's like, you know, it's like fate has said to us, we belong together. And we just have to understand that this is the two of us together. But he did shave off. He did shave off his goatee for me, and then he finally said to me, I'm going to quit smoking. And I said...

ROBIN: And that said, I have never had a cigarette since. I've been smoking for 54 years. As you said, it just stopped. That's the end of that. Amazing.

ALEXA: Their new home is in Sutton, Quebec. It's nestled in the Appalachian Mountain Range in the very southern tip of the province. They live on a swerving dirt road surrounded by trees. There's a pond to swim in and plenty of room for their new puppy, Petro.

ROBIN: It was OK that we didn't get together 53 years ago, and but it really is OK that we're together now.

KAREN: Even though we may only have 30 years left of our lives. Wow. How beautiful it is to live life having 30 or how many years of absolute happiness with a partner you really want.

ROBIN: and a partner you really love.

ALEXA: Robin and Karen planned to get married, it will be a small, non-traditional ceremony. Daniel, of course, will be there.

DANIEAL: It's all my fault.

KAREN: It's not your fault.

DANIEAL: Oh, no. I think I'll have to go now.

ROBIN: Are you the Robin I knew when I was 19 years old? Stuff can't get there, can't get there. It's very hard for me. I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so moved every time when I think of that. And God bless our son for luck and for you.

[Music]

MG: Oh, my goodness, what a story. The Robin I knew was produced by the CBC's Alexa-Chanelle Lauzon. Liz Hoath is the current documentary editor. This is The Current on CBC Radio One. My name is Matt Galloway. Here is a sneak peek at a story that we'll be bringing you in the coming days on this programme. The pandemic has been a time when some people found their passion projects. For some, it was sour dough, bread, others it was gardening, woodworking. Perhaps for a Toronto boy, his passion turned out to be a drag character named Sous sous.

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My name is Ozzy Horvath, I'm 10 years old. Sous sous was a character for a long time that I would just go up to my mom and be like, [changes voice] Can I have some water, I'm thirsty. And then my mom's friend, Michael Boyack, he's in this dreg group called the B Girls. And they started this show in the beginning of quarantine called Corn Queen. And he asked my mom, like, would any of your kids like to do something in it? And we had the idea of, like, what if we put Sous sous in drag and we just, like, laughed our heads off?

MG: Ozzy Horvath and Sous sous tomorrow on The Current, coming up after your regional update, it has been a year for anyone involved in education and teachers will be here in about 90 seconds to reflect on that year and talk about what we could learn from it all. I'm Matt Galloway and you're listening to The Current CBC Radio One. Stay with us.

How teachers have coped in a school year like no other

Guests: Kyle Berard, Alison Palmer. Sabrina Jafralie

MG: Hi, I'm Matt Galloway, you're listening to The Current. No more pencils, no more books, I'm not going to sing it for you, but you know how it goes. School is either out for summer or about to be in most places in Canada. But this year, pencils and books were more like computer screens and video classrooms; online, in-person, back again, student cohorts, sick days. The pandemic school year was not easy.

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VOICE 1: It's less engaging than in-person classes. It's easier to get distracted and there's a lot more opportunity to not do your work.

VOICE 2: It's been very stressful. I feel like there's a lot of information that we're supposed to absorb in such a short time frame and like it's not working for me.

VOICE 3: It's been really difficult to not only focus during the three hours, but also just process everything. I feel like right now I'm a lot more focussed on getting a certain grade that's, you know, required for programmes as opposed to actually understanding everything that I'm learning.

MG: That was the experience for students. We thought we'd also reflect on what a year it's been for educators. Kyle Berard is the principal at Leamington District Secondary School in southwestern Ontario. Kyle, good morning.

KYLE BERARD: Good morning.

MG: Your grade 12 class graduated this week and you gave them said you gave them some parting words. What words of wisdom and advice did the principal send those students out into the universe with?

KYLE BERARD: Well, we tried to get right to the end, to be educators and get kids to think about what they've learnt through the pandemic and try to reflect on what we learnt throughout the pandemic. So we ask them to recognise what was really important in their worlds. And one of the things we always focus on is, you know, good citizenship in our school community. And they came to realise and came to understand. We have lots of conversations with kids that being together was absolutely crucial and that technology and the use of technology, while it was important, of course, and was a lifeline for us, certainly wasn't the solution. And our the power of our school community and what it provides for students and staff and the community at large, we really came to understand that it was at the centre of what we do.

MG: Tell me about your school community. How would you describe the mix of students who go to Leamington District Secondary School?

KYLE BERARD: Sure. So lamingtons are really diverse community. The students are from all over the world. We have students from 40 different countries here, the largest population. We've got many needs who may or may not know Windsor ethics and specifically Leamington has one of the highest child poverty rates in Canada. So a lot of love needed in the community. We spend a lot of time trying to meet some basic needs of our students, a lot of mental health struggles with students, a lot of families who really turn to the school for some support.

MG: What is it that attracts newcomer families to Leamington in particular?

KYLE BERARD: Leamington's got a very vibrant agricultural sector, huge greenhouse industry, lots of other agricultural industries. So a lot of jobs and a lot of good infrastructure in Leamington. And a real community focussed a lot of the community focussed partnerships in the community. So the school being kind of at the centre of it. And we try and centre a lot of services around the school so people know about our good ESL programming, for instance, English as a second language programming. But I think largely it's probably jobs that draw the families

MG: in the province of Ontario. I don't need to tell you this, but students have been out of the classroom for so much of this year. And what does that meant? I mean, to if you talk about the cohort that's coming, what sort of environment would those students be in when they are forced to learn from home?

KYLE BERARD: So, yeah, it was certainly a challenge. And you heard some of the students reflect on that earlier. And it's a it's been a challenge for staff and for students. And what we worry about is what kids, you know, aren't getting, aren't learning all the other lessons that kind of surround the curriculum.

MG: Like what?

KYLE BERARD: So being part of a school community and learning how to interact with your peers appropriately and growing as an individual, you can't measure those things virtually or through an online test or online assignment. And as I said at the beginning of the piece, the power of the community that we try and build at the school. And that's what kids reflected on when we asked them, you know, what do you really miss? They didn't talk about, you know, the curriculum, which they never really do, but they talked about not being together. And that's something that we are worried about. So I'll give you an example that we will monitor, let's say about 200-250 kids a year for various needs, mental health needs or basic nutritional needs. And that monitoring went from, I call it, the torrent of, you know, just absolute just rushes of needs to a real trickle. Like we hardly are getting any more input from our kids about needs. Well, the needs haven't gone away. We just haven't been able to respond to them because they're not here for us to see and interact with. And and that's been a real challenge for us.

MG: Like I remember a couple of months ago on this programme, we talked about kids who'd fallen off the radar completely. The teachers and educators and, you know, leaders like yourself couldn't get in touch with them. And to your point, you didn't have that feedback coming back. What do you do that and what are you most worried about?

KYLE BERARD: Well, yeah, that's what I'm worried about. I'm worried about the fact that it's not it certainly hasn't gone away. The needs are not gone. They're probably more intense than they were prior to the pandemic, actually, because it's a strain so many students and families. But, you know, I'm calling it the bounce back and I'm trying to think about what's going to happen in the fall and hopefully return to some normalcy, but the bounce back being the kids who come back to us and they trust us and say, OK, I'm ready now for some support. But they'll rush back into the building and that flood will come back into the building and then we're going to be pressed to get back into motion on mental health interventions for students. And I anticipate more than we've ever had in the past. That's what I'm really worried.

MG: What about the education piece? I mean, as you say, students rarely talk about the curriculum, but there are a lot of people who are worried about what kids weren't losing or weren't learning. And this kind of idea that they lost something you say up to that. What are you thinking about there when it comes to the fall and making sure that those kids catch up?

KYLE BERARD: Well, what we've already talked about is a staff and again, we were calling it the bounce back is we have to do some really good diagnostic testing to figure out where kids are at and what they have, like where the gaps are. So we have to do a needs assessment because we really don't know. I mean, we can guess and we can take a look at it. And there are some students that actually did OK and we're probably going to be fine. But especially in a community like Leamington, many of the students will need to slow down because they're not going to go from use an example of grade nine student, who I don't even have met most of them, by the end of grade our goal is to know them, know their needs, their academic needs or their social emotional needs. And we can then really create some really good targeted interventions. And we know their academic needs. But going into grade 10, we have to kind of start all over. That's the approach we're going to take, is beginning again with our students to really try and get a sense of who they are and what their needs are. But academically, we're going to have to just take a look at where they're at. And I've reassured staff like it's OK not to necessarily jump in with both feet into grade10, using that example of the grade 10 curriculum, you may have to go back a little bit and get kids. And quite frankly, most probably going to be a two or three year process before we drag everyone back to kind of where they're supposed to be, ideally two or three years.

MG: And now that I mean, and part of this is around the agriculture industry, that southwestern Ontario has been a bit of a covert hotspot over the course of the pandemic. But there are also have been churches in your community that have defied public health orders and and spoken out about that. Has that affected you in the school community at all?

KYLE BERARD: Not so much, no. We serve a lot of, you know, really, again, a very diverse group of students here. And one of the large group in our community are Low Germanic population. It hasn't impacted the school, necessarily, no, it's that we have fantastic partnerships with our low German and Mennonite faith based leaders. And there's many, many businesses in this community that support the school and the efforts. So it really hasn't had a negative impact on the school. Per say. No.

MG: How are people holding up? I mean, your staff and your teachers, how are they work at the end of the school year and hopefully towards the end of this pandemic? How are they doing?

KYLE BERARD: Yeah, staff are they're exhausted and they're wonderful people. And the care about kids and the way we, as a group, got through everything was to just say, hey, I know you're tired. I know the analogy. And people are rolling their eyes. I'm sure I kept saying, hey, I know we're building that plane as it's still mid-flight because we kept reinventing and they're tired of the reinvention and the pivoting and the adapting and all those things. But we just refocus our energy on what kids need and then we, you know, oftentimes will do a little, OK, let's hit reset. Think about what our families are going through, what our kids are going through, because we recognise that we come from a place of privilege as educators and people with good wages. And then we hit reset, take a deep breath and we get back at it. And the staff I can't say enough about the staff. They're just a truly remarkable group of people who have done everything imaginable to try and keep kids, kids afloat and keep families afloat.

MG: Just before I let you go, you started out talking about your remarks when you asked the students to reflect on on what they have learnt over the course of this pandemic. What have you learnt?

KYLE BERARD: Yeah, I've really actually renewed my belief because that's always kind of been my driving force as an educator in the power of education and how important what we do is to society. It's why I was attracted to the profession, you know, a long time ago. And I has actually renewed my faith in that idea and has also reinvigorated my goal, my drive to do better and do more to address inequities. I really saw that amplify. We always knew it. We always understood it. We were able to do a lot to kind of make it better when the kids were here and kind of level that playing field when they were here in the building, but now I was able to see the time and again when kids were more, of course, isolated from us, and it just became so amplified that, you know, it became really apparent to us more so. So that's it's reinvigorating me to really go after those ideas in our school community and do more to try and help kids and families.

MG: Your students are lucky to have you, and I'm glad to have the chance to talk to you.

KYLE BERARD: Appreciate that. I appreciate your time.

MG: You take care of yourself.

KYLE BERARD: You too, Matt.

MG: Kyle Berard, principal at Leamington District Secondary School in Leamington, Ontario. Teachers, whether they have been in the classroom, online or both, have had a year they will not soon forget. Alison Palmer taught grade six online in the Edmonton Public School District for the past year. Sabrina Jafralie is an ethics teacher at Westmount High School in Montreal, lecture at McGill University and the Faculty of Education. Good morning to you both.

ALISON PALMER: Good morning.

SABRINA JAFRALIE: Good morning.

MG: Allison. How are you holding up?

ALISON PALMER: I really I'm good, feeling a little tender and listening to that principal speak about his staff and his students, and it's we're all in a pretty emotional place, I think, right now.

MG: How about you, Sabrina?

SABRINA JAFRALIE: I just finished my last days yesterday. So I'm still recuperating, recuperating. And I'm still I don't know if I have the words. I'm still reflecting on the year. And I am happy to say that the year ended with some joy. So I think that's very encouraging.

MG: I'm going to ask you about the joy in a moment. Alison, just remind us briefly, how did you end up teaching online?

ALISON PALMER: I volunteered to teach online last August. Our school district gave families the option of choosing online or in person, as I think everybody did across the country. And a large number of our families chose the online option, I think about 30 percent or more. And I just thought they'll need teachers online. And I, I just thought I could do it after my experience last spring. I'm comfortable with the technology and being on camera and I just thought, well, I can do that, so. I'll volunteer.

MG: How did it go, because for so many parents and students and teachers, the online experience has been fraught, to say the least.

ALISON PALMER: It went really well for me. I was very fortunate. I was assigned to a grade that I hadn't taught in years. I hadn't thought grade six in years. So I'm really nervous about that. But it turned out to be a really wonderful experience, thanks to my kids. My students have just been amazing. I had taught many of them before when I because I taught grade four previously at the school. So on that first day, a lot of us knew each other. It was really nice to sort of right away have a bit of a relationship going. And then it was really just day by day. We just took it day by day and we just showed up every day and did our best. And for me it was just about showing up every day for the kids and showing them that they could talk about how they were feeling through it all. And I talked a lot to them about how I was feeling so that those who didn't want to turn on their mike and talk about it could at least hear that if they were feeling bad some days that that was OK because so was I. But we are still there for each other every day. And then those kids, they showed up every day and they were amazing.

MG: Sabrina, what about for you? You were in and out of the classroom because of covid. What was it like going back into the class when there were still cases in the community? People weren't sure whether that was such a good idea.

SABRINA JAFRALIE: Yes. When we started in September, well, going into September, I have to say, we had a wonderful principal who I wouldn't have wanted to go under any other leadership but hers. She had really taken the summer, her and the administration team, to think about what the physical layout was going to be like when we returned. That eased some of my anxiety. We had, you know, staggered entrances. We had half classes, but it was hard. You know, there was this desire to catch up with people and to talk to students and be close. And you couldn't we really had to find ways of showing caring without touching. I had a lot of anxiety returning. I was, especially in Quebec, where there was a lot of ups and downs from the government, the mask, no mask, full grade, the half grade. So it was very stressful on that level. But we ended up I ended up finding these really joyful moments and the kids and I really adapted fairly well and the staff was wonderful. And we all kept to our protocols. We had a really low number of cases that weren't traced back to the school. So it's very interesting how increasingly it became more normal and we all fell into rhythm with the protocols. So it was a very interesting had you asked me that in December, I might have been tearing my hair out.

MG: How were you able to take care of yourself? I mean, mental health we were just hearing for students is such a priority. What about for you, Sabrina? I mean, what were you able to teach your students and teach yourself about making sure that you were taking care of yourself?

SABRINA JAFRALIE: I think first and foremost, when the pandemic had started, I decided I wanted to keep a routine. So ironically, I was never an early riser. But the pandemic has now left me an early riser and I would get up every day and start the routine like I was going to school. And so I did a lot of exercises, a lot of yoga. I still continue to do that every day. And then what I notice about the students was doing check ins with them because I teach ethics and it lends itself to more of a community oriented classroom and there's no exam in my subject. I was able to check in with them. And what was wonderful to see that was they started to self advocate and they were tired or they were exhausted. And in our class we were able to negotiate deadlines. They were able to let me know what was going on and for me to advocate on their behalf, they were writing to their teachers, letting them know they were overwhelmed. So I think there was something about ownership of their mental wellness, which I'm really proud of them. And for myself, it was keeping the rhythm, exercising, speaking to other teachers when we could, because we didn't want to overwhelm each other. And to be honest, reality TV, there was something about watching something else that distract me.

MG: That's fantastic.

SABRINA JAFRALIE: And House Hunters, I don't know. This is my two obsessions during the pandemic.

MG: Whatever works. Alison, you mentioned the idea of checking in the students as well. I mean, in some ways it seems obvious. But when you do that, when you open up those lines of communication in, the students say that they're not doing well. I mean, it's really powerful, right?

ALISON PALMER: Absolutely, I think relationship is the most important thing in teaching the relationship we have with our kids, and a big part of that is being able to talk and be honest about how you're feeling and where you're at. And so the only way I can do that is by modelling it. And so talking to the kids a lot about how I was feeling and how I was coping and the things I was doing to keep myself going and leaving that open for them whenever they wanted to talk about how they were feeling and just share what was going on in their lives. And telling them I love them all the time and how proud I was of them for showing up every day. So we had to. It that's so important, that relationship piece is so important and it had to still happen online.

MG: You worked really hard to make this year special despite the fact that it was strange and unsettling. And one of the things was bringing in these high profile guests into your classroom. Tell me more about that and why you wanted to do that and who you brought in.

ALISON PALMER: Yes, we had a pretty special year. I just like I said, I just was taking the day by day. And every day I was thinking, hey, what can I do? And my group was so engaged. They are such an engaged group of learners who really care about the world and about what's going on around them. And in grade six, we learn all about government. And so I thought, well, we've got to actually we've got to keep connecting them to the outside world, even though we're all stuck at home. And I didn't want them to just be looking at me and listening to me every day, all day. We had to bring in other perspective and other people. And it started early because one of my oldest friends is a member of the opposition here in Alberta. And so I immediately called her to say, OK, you come and visit my class and talk about being elected representative. And then I just kept asking and I kept asking everybody. And we had other MLAs. We had a visit from Senator Paula Simons. She was amazing. And then in January, I just asked the prime minister's chief of staff on Twitter if he would come and visit us, and she made that happen for us. So we had a visit from Prime Minister Trudeau in January, and it was such an amazing day. It's something we still talk about. And I just love the idea that these kids will look back on this year and they'll have some really good memories and think, yeah, it was hard at times, but we did it and we also had some really great experiences.

MG: What did you learn from your students, Alison, this year that you perhaps didn't expect to learn?

ALISON PALMER: I just that, you know, we can we can do really hard things and back in in August, I was so anxious and nervous about this whole thing and how it was all going to work out and quite pessimistic and feeling and supported by our government. And I was just very, very worried that this year was not going to go well. And then every day I was faced with these 32 kids who just really wanted to keep learning no matter what was going on. And they were very inspiring to me, Sabrina, each year that I kept showing up.

MG: Well, that's I mean, that's amazing that as you said, you can do hard thing. Sabrina, you talked about Joy and the year ending with joy in the last couple of minutes that we have. Tell me about the joy in a really difficult year.

SABRINA JAFRALIE: You know, it's almost I want to paint a picture. It's almost like that sidewalk. And then you see this little plant pop out, and you're thinking, how did the plant get there in the crack? It definitely was that. It was the moment where we figured out how to take pictures with our mask two feet apart. Those were the joyful moments, the moments where we had a grand carnival for our graduating class. That was yesterday because we couldn't have prom. So we came up with a funfair. It was doing our activities virtually. It was the readapting and the relearning of how to have fun despite our barriers or in spite of our limitations and barriers. And I really think it taught the students about how to be adaptable and resilient and always looking for alternative ways. And that thinking outside the box, those were the joyful moments. Those were the moments where we would air Hi5 or we [unintelligible] touch. And because we so desired, as Alison mentioned, to connect. And it was just wonderful to take to sit down and reflect through the pictures that I have. I actually was able to take pictures of this year and see that we had joy in this new normal and also to slow down. I think I'm not ready to resume back into the hustle and bustle of pre pandemic. I'm ready to balance and we collaborate and keep that balance. So really, I really, really had some joyful moments. I'm actually surprised. But it was a fun year, when I think back, it was fun because we were safe, we were together. And I agree with the principle that we will definitely have to assess our students next year. But for now, we kept connected and we stayed together, which was important and we're healthy.

MG: What I said to the principal applies to both of you as well, that your students are lucky to have you and I'm grateful to have the chance to talk to you after what's been a tough year. Somebody said that they're feeling a little tender, and I think that's understandable after this last year and a bit. Thank you both.

ALISON PALMER: Thanks.

SABRINA JAFRALIE: Thanks, Matt.

MG: Alison Palmer taught grade six online in the Edmonton Public School District for the past year. Sabrina Jafralie is an ethics teacher at Westmount High School in Montreal. Lecture at McGill University in the Faculty of Education Teachers. We'd love to hear from you. What's this last year been like for you? You can email us thecurrent@cbc.ca That's The Current for this Thursday. Coming up next on CBC Radio One, it's Q You will hear from the winner of the Griffin poetry prize. Canisia Lubrin said LeBron just won for her poetry collection. It's called Dysgraph List, and you'll hear all about that coming up on Q in just a few moments. Before we turn it over to Q, though,

SOUNDCLIP

VOICE 1: And now hockey fans, would you please rise and join Mr. Paul Lorio as he passes the microphone to Joey Moss in the singing of. Oh, Canada.

[Singing] Oh. Canada.

MG: Joey Moss, hockey legend, was an Edmonton Oilers superstar off the ice. He was born with Down syndrome. Love to get the crowd going by singing O Canada and next year in his honour. Every morning we'll start with the national anthem at an Edmonton school named after him, Joy Moss started working as a locker room attendant for the Edmonton Oilers in 1984 when his sister, Vicky Smythe, started dating another Canadian legend, Mr. Wayne Gretzky.

SOUNDCLIP

Wayne and Joey were like, like two peas in a pod. They were inseparable. If Wayne had a bad day or a bad game, Joey would always pick him up.

MG: Joey Moss died last year at the age of 57, and the great one had nothing but fond memories of his old buddy.

SOUNDCLIP

When [unintelligible] say there was kind enough to let Joey jump on board, come and work in the locker room, we didn't anticipate him being there for 35 years. He brought a ray of sunshine and a lot of fond memories to all of us. It wasn't just us making his life better. Without question, he made our lives better. There was nothing better than having a cup of coffee before practise with him and him talking about life and his aunts and his family and his mom, to play in the games and losing tough games and tapping you on the shoulder, telling you not to worry about it, we'll win tomorrow. Joey sang a lot and a lot of my American friends would come to my camp and never seen Joey and didn't know what to expect. And once he sang them, Canada, most of them had tears in their eyes.

MG: Vicky Smythe says this is a great way to keep her brother Joey's legacy alive.

SOUNDCLIP

Naming a school after him is extraordinary, extraordinary for the kids that get to go there and to learn about Joey's legacy and hopefully carry on with his mantra of inclusively of love and unconditional love and embrace in life. He had a lot of life that was enviable.

MG: The Joey Moss school is scheduled to open in Edmonton in 2022. My name is Matt Galloway. Thanks for listening to The Current. We'll talk to you tomorrow.

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