As It Happens: Friday Edition
Part One
COVID-19: François-Philippe Champagne
François-Philippe Champagne is out of isolation after getting the all-clear for COVID-19. We ask the Foreign Affairs Minister where Canada stands in the international fight.
Sunwing repatriation
A free ride and maybe some free publicity too. Sunwing Airlines has a message for stranded Canadians: if there are extra seats on our flights, we'll fly you home for free.
Archive: laughing champ
We love to laugh. You love to laugh. But can you make it to the bigs? We reach into the As It Happens archive to find our interview with a woman who is serious about competitive laughing.
Part Two
Senators investments
While one Republican Senator was calming Americans about the economic impact of the coming pandemic, it seems he was also selling his own investments before the market crash. Now he's got some explaining to do.
Periodic table dress
After a provincial Chief Medical Officer wears a dress adorned with the periodic table, during a televised coronavirus update, a designer is inundated with orders. And that's helping to keep her staff working.
Stair climbing fundraiser
With galas and charity runs cancelled, fundraising is facing its own COVID-19 challenges. But one thing you can still do is climb 42 flights of stairs 55 times. Our guest takes a brief break from doing just that to try to explain why you'd want to.
Part Three
Encore: Omar El Akkad
American War is the first novel by Canadian journalist Omar El Akkad. Set in a pretty near-feeling near-future, the book examines a United States at war with itself — battered by both climate change and a pandemic. An encore presentation of our interview with Omar El Akkad.
As It Happens was produced this week by:
Jeanne Armstrong
Kevin Ball
Tayo Bero
Kate Cornick
Katie Geleff
Sheena Goodyear
Sarah Jackson
Morgan Passi
Kevin Robertson
Chloe Shantz-Hilkes
Kate Swoger
and Lindsay Tsuji.
Our technicians this week are Reynold Gonsalves and AnnMarie Karugonjo. The show director this week is John McGill.
The writer this week is Lisa Bryn Rundle. Chris Harbord is our senior producer this week. And the Executive Producer of As It Happens is Robin Smythe.
We'd also like to thank some other people who helped us out this week:
Garret Barry in St. John's
Taryn Grant and Mary-Catherine MacIntosh in Halifax
Amanda Klang in Montreal
Adrian Harewood, Paul MacInnis and Judy Trinh in Ottawa
Adam Jacobson, Erin Balser, Sylvene Gilchrist, Varad Mehta, Eric Van and Luke Williams — all in Toronto
Suzanne Dufresne in Winnipeg
Jennifer Keene in Calgary
and Anne Penman in Vancouver.
As It Happens will be back again on Monday. Good night, and good weekend.