The Current for February 19, 2019
Today on The Current: The organizer of an Albertan convoy approaching Ottawa tells us why it's crossed the country to protest government policy; plus, a filmmaker recounts the danger he faced going deep uncover to make an Oscar-nominated documentary about a jihadist family in Syria; and former politician Monique Bégin looks back on her trailblazing career.
Today on The Current:
- A couple hundred vehicles are converging on Ottawa, carrying angry westerners demanding the government scrap the carbon tax and measures that they say will introduce oppressive regulation on the energy sector. We speak to one of the organizers about the protesters' message, and accusations that the movement has been hijacked by extremist, anti-immigrant elements.
- To make the Oscar-nominated documentary Of Fathers and Sons, filmmaker Talal Derki went undercover in Syria's Idlib province, posing as an extremist sympathizer to gain the trust of a jihadist named Abu Osama. Over two and a half years living with the jihadist and his family, he captures a rare glimpse of how hatred and extremism are passed down from generation to generation. He tells us about how the film was made, and the danger he faced.
- Monique Bégin was one of the first women in Canada to hold real political power, as minister of health and welfare in Pierre Trudeau's cabinet. She speaks to Anna Maria Tremonti about her trailblazing career, and the fights she thinks are still unfinished.