Open Sources Guelph - July 2, 2020

This week on Open Sources Guelph, the Canada Day long weekend is five days long, and we've got to work! On the plus side (?) there's so much work to do, and so many stories to cover. Considering the holiday, we will look at the issue of our beloved prime ministerial statues, and how the current PM is making it rain for his friends. After the break, we'll look at the latest foreign policy controversy for the White House and the political question of mandatory masks.

This Thursday, July 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

John A Neurotic. The new wave of Black Lives Matter demonstrations has included Indigenous people and the some 500 years of colonialism they've endured. Cut to Baden, ON, where a statue of Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada's first prime minister, has been vandalized with red paint three times in the last week for his role in creating residential schools. What should the fate of the statue be, and how do we present our history in the context of systemic racism?

WE Don't Need No Consultation! It's only millions of dollars in taxpayer money, so how did it all end up in the hands of a charity that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken such a pretty big part in? WE Charities received $900 million from the Federal government for youth volunteer programs, and given Trudeau's past involvement in WE, it's raised a lot of serious questions about why and how WE got the money? Is the PM using COVID to give hand outs to good friends?

Bounty Punter. A shocking report initially delivered by the New York Times, and now confirmed by various other media outlets, describes a program by the Russians to pay a bounty to the Taliban and other Afghan insurgents for killing American soldiers. Even more shocking still is the report that the Trump Administration has known about for over a year and done nothing, which adds to suspicions about inappropriate ties between Trump and Vladimir Putin. We'll talk about the latest developments.

Behind the Mask Debate. Aside from washing your hands regularly, the number one recommendation to stop the spread of COVID-19 is now to wear a mask or face covering while you're out in public. To most people this is common sense, but to a small group of very loud dissenters, the importance of wearing masks has become an issue of cultural identity and eroding freedoms. How have masks become a wedge issue, and what will it take for people to universally embrace the recommendation?

Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.