The Current for July 7, 2021
Today on The Current:
Masks are no longer mandatory in some Canadian provinces, but some fear it's too soon to relax rules, with vaccination campaigns ongoing and concerns about the spread of variants. We talk to Edmonton business owner Katy Ingraham, who says she'll still ask customers to mask up; Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, an intensive and palliative care physician at the Montfort and Ottawa hospitals; and Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease physician at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.
Plus, longtime Inuk leader and former ambassador to Denmark Mary Simon will be the first Indigenous person to serve as Canada's governor general. We discuss what that means for reconciliation with Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe writer and professor, and columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press; and Rebecca Kudloo, president of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, the national representative organization for Inuit women.
Then, B.C.'s coroner reported that the province's recent heat wave likely contributed to 719 sudden deaths, prompting urgent questions about how to prevent it from happening during the next inevitable hot spell. We speak with B.C.'s seniors advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, about how to protect the most vulnerable.
And in a conversation first aired in March, we talk to former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard about ways to tackle gender bias and sexism in leadership. Gillard spoke with eight current and former leaders for her book Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, co-authored with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Nigerian finance minister who is now head of the World Trade Organization.