Redeye

In 1884, the Canadian government banned the Haida potlatch. But Haida elders kept the knowledge of the ceremony alive until the ban was lifted. In 1969, a potlatch was held to honour the raising of the first totem pole in 80 years, carved by Robert Davidson. Sara Florence Davidson co-wrote Potlatch as Pedagogy with her father to show how Haida traditions can be brought into present-day classrooms. She joins us in our studio to talk about the process of writing the book – and tells the story of how her father came to carve that first pole at the age of 22.

Salakshana, Jeeti, and Kira Pooni suffered years of sexual assault after their older cousin moved into their Williams Lake home almost four decades ago. Baljit Sangra’s new film Because We Are Girls accompanies the Pooni sisters in the final three years of their long fight to bring their abuser to justice. Because We Are Girls has its world premiere May 1 at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto. It opens the DOXA film festival in Vancouver on May 3. We talk with Baljit Sangra from Toronto.

Following the Christchurch massacre, many Canadians are questioning the commitment of some Canadian politicians to an inclusive, multicultural society. In particular, Jason Kenney of the Alberta United Conservative Party and Andrew Scheer of the federal Conservative Party have been called out for their weak response to the Christchurch killings and the far right in Canada. Bashir Mohamed is an independent journalist based in Edmonton who has been tracking the connections between Kenney, Scheer and the far right.