The Current for June 9, 2021
Today on The Current:
Muslim women say they are often victims of hate speech and violence because of their appearance, and the fact that their faith is more visible. To discuss their experiences and what needs to change to make them feel safe in their communities, Matt Galloway talks to Areej Ansari, a fourth-year student at Western University in London, Ont.; Wati Rahmat, a community activist in Edmonton; and Azeezah Kanji, a legal academic who studies hate crime and Islamophobia in Toronto.
Plus, it's been five years since B.C. declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, but a report from the First Nations Health Authority shows a 119 per cent increase in toxic drug deaths among First Nations people in 2020. The organization's acting chief medical officer Dr. Shannon McDonald joins us to discuss the role that trauma and racism play in this emergency, and how to tackle it.
Then, a female carpenter in Toronto recently faced a lawsuit after she criticized remarks about sexual harassment made on a podcast about the construction industry. We discuss sexism in the industry with Kendall Ansell, owner of Belle Construction in Vancouver; and Shawna Henderson, founder and CEO of Bfreehomes Design and Blue House Energy in Nova Scotia.
And with graduations cancelled or scaled back for another year, we talk to Leonard Menon, who is graduating with a bachelor of music from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, about his hopes and dreams for the future. Tune in Thursday for a full special program dedicated to the class of 2021.