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The AIH transcript for March 18, 2025

For more episodes of this podcast, please click this link.

NIL KÖKSAL: Hello, I'm Nil Köksal.

CHRIS HOWDEN: Good evening, I'm Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[theme]

CH: Tonight:

NK: A ceasefire, shattered. An American doctor volunteering in Gaza City describes her terror at being jolted awake by Israeli air strikes -- and the horrors that awaited her when she got to the Emergency Room to try help.

CH: Limited time offer. A call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin ends with an incremental step towards ending the war. A Member of Ukrainian Parliament tells us it's still not clear whether Russia really wants peace at all.

NK: You can't blindly trust in the blind trust. As Mark Carney begins his time as prime minister, critics say he's being anything but transparent about his financial holdings.

CH: Raising their invoices. In Alberta, oil and gas companies owe millions in unpaid taxes. The Reeve of the town of Vulcan says it's time for the province to get tough with bad corporate citizens.

NK: License to quill. A researcher tells us it's long been assumed that scribes were all men -- go figure. But her new study of Medieval manuscripts is re-writing that wrong.

CH: And...Fandom of the opera. Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan tells us about learning she'd won a Polar Music Prize -- otherwise known as the Nobel Prize of Music.

CH: As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that covers all the hot baton issues.

Part 1: Gaza Doctor, Carney Conflicts: Barrett, Polar Prize: Hannigan

Gaza Doctor

Guest: Razan al-Nahhas

CH: Israel has definitively ruptured its ceasefire with Hamas. Overnight, Israel pounded Gaza with airstrikes -- killing more than 400 Palestinians and injuring hundreds more, according to Palestinian health authorities. And today, the bombs continued to fall. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he ordered the strikes because Hamas rejected proposals to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, and the release of the hostages. Hamas accuses Israel of attacking defenceless civilians, and says it wants to move on to the scheduled second phase which would see all hostages released, a permanent end to the war, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Razan al-Nahhas is an American ER doctor who is volunteering at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City with the Texas-based charity, Humanity Auxilium. We reached her in Gaza City. And I'll warn you that this interview includes disturbing details, including details about children who were killed in the strikes.

NK: Doctor, we are reaching you at the end of, of what I know has been a very long and difficult day. How are you holding up?

RAZAN AL-NAHHAS: I'm okay. I think I still feel a little numb from everything that I've have experienced. So, I think as the night calms down and I, I think, start to settle, all the emotions will start to flood. But for now, you know, you, you, you experienced something so horrific. You barely have a few seconds to process what's happening before you're like, okay, gotta put scrubs on, gotta run down to the ER, let's get to work. So, you kind of have to hold it together.

NK: And what did you see at the hospital through the day?

RAN: Just, so they have to walk through a courtyard to get to the emergency department. I'm just kind of weaving, trying to make my way to the ER as soon as I get to the ER, I mean, there's just bodies everywhere. Children, children, screaming children everywhere. And a lot of times, these children are alone. You don't even know their name. You don't know their family member. There's people yelling names, you know, mom, mothers, fathers, siblings, just kind of, just trying to locate their family members. Most of the patients I saw were on the floor. There's no beds for the patients. The patients are on top of each other. You're trying to move. You know, they're trying to move one patient, or the patients are getting stepped on. I mean, it's just a horrific scene. There was one, one little girl who had a very obvious, you know, open fracture deformity to her left arm. And I had seen her, splinted her arm, listened to her lung sounds. She was very agitated, you know, questioned if maybe she had a brain injury. But we weren't able to get a CT at the time. But she was stable. She was okay. So I walked away. And then maybe 20 minutes later, she literally fell from the stretcher onto the ground. And, you know, it was just so chaotic. There's nobody with her. And maybe she's six, seven years old, and she's just walking around screaming in pain because her arm is just flopping around. I eventually found just a random person who was just there helping. And I said, can you please stay with this child until someone is able to locate her family? I gave her an injection, I gave her a quick injection of a medication just to kind of relax her a little bit. And I just had someone stand with her while I continued to take care of other patients. But it was for maybe at least six hours, I think, nonstop.

NK: You are volunteering there. You wanted to help.

RAN: Yes.

NK: Were you, could you have been prepared for what you're dealing with now?

RAN: So, I, this is my second time volunteering. The first time, I was here in November of 2024, and I was actually in the central area in Deir al-Balah at al-Aqsa Hospital. And while we did have many mass casualty incidents there, and I saw a lot of, you know, really terrible things, nothing could have prepared me to what I experienced last night. I'm still, definitely still in a state of shock. Like, there's nothing that could have ever, ever prepared me for what I saw. And especially just the bodies lined up. And there was a, a young gentleman holding a child, a dead child just holding him as he's sitting and caring for another family member who's also a young boy. It looked like he was 12 years old. And this child I saw from the very beginning, and I recognize, okay, this child is not living. But a few other people came to him like, hey, that child doesn't look okay. That child doesn't look, okay. And then ultimately, I went and I was like, hey, you, you realize that this child, he's not alive. And he's like, yeah, I know. He was just wanting to hold on to him. And, and I saw a few babies like this. I think this child was only six months old. I saw a few within that age range that actually had no signs of external, like, trauma. There's no injuries. But they came in just dead. And I think it's just the blunt trauma. Their bodies just couldn't have, probably, you know, massive hemorrhage inside. We're just not seeing the evidence of it externally.

NK: The IDF is saying once again that, that they are hitting terror targets, in their words. We've heard from Israel's defence minister saying that there's, there's going to be further hits if the remaining hostages are not released by Hamas. We know that there's, humanitarian aid into Gaza was cut off by Israel, I believe, on March 2nd. What do you feel that might mean for the state of the hospital and the people who will come to get treated there?

RAN: I mean, the state of the hospital is already, all hospitals in Gaza, is already so devastating. And, you know, just based off of the hospital I'm working at currently, we don't have a single ventilator in the ER. This is a very small hospital, but we have the only functioning CT scanner in all, in the entire area of Gaza north of Netzarim. Many patients last night actually ended up dying because we weren't able to provide them with care that they would have received elsewhere in any other circumstance. You know, these patients could have been saved, but we had to sit there and watch them die because there was nothing that we could offer them.

NK: This is, this is happening in the midst of what was supposed to be a ceasefire, as you've mentioned, but also during Ramadan. And I know you're observing the fast. We're reaching you after you broke your fast, after sundown. This is the time where families gather together, and lean into their, their faith and their beliefs. How are you handling all of that, given everything you've just described?

RAN: You know, you have people who have lost their entire families. You know, entire lineages just wiped out in just one, one airstrike. And then, then they continue to fast. You know, they did, they fasted today. And I think that if it weren't for their strong commitment to their faith, I think that we would just, I mean, I don't, I don't even know how to put this in words. I mean, I, I want to say they're strong, but what else can they do besides just keep hoping, right? And praying, like, they have no other alternative. Yeah, I don't know if I answered your question.

NK: But I understand. It's, it's a difficult one to answer in the midst of many difficulties. Dr, I appreciate your time. Please stay safe.

RAN: Thank you. Thank you, I appreciate you.

CH: We reached Dr. Razan al-Nahhas in Gaza City.

[lo-fi]

Carney Conflicts: Barrett

Guest: Michael Barrett

CH: He's just days into the job, but Mark Carney is already feeling the heat that comes with the office of prime minister of Canada. Yesterday, he faced tough questions from reporters about transparency when it comes to his personal finances. Among them was the CBC's chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, who said that it was, quote, "very difficult to believe" that there was no possible conflict of interest, given his history in the private sector finance world. Which Prompted this response from Mr. Carney.

SOUNDCLIP

MARK CARNEY: Look inside yourself, Rosemary. You start from a prior of conflict and ill will. I have served in the private sector. I have stood up for Canada. I have left my roles in the private sector at a time of crisis for our country. I'm complying with all the rules. Your line of questioning is trying to invent new rules. I'm complying with the rules that, that Parliament has laid out, and the responsibility of the ethics commissioner. And I will continue to comply with those rules.

CH: Mr. Carney says he is complying with the Conflict of Interest Act by placing his assets into a blind trust. But critics point to a reported $6.8 million stock holding in Brookfield Asset Management as being potentially problematic for a sitting PM. MP Michael Barrett is one of those critics. He serves as the shadow minister for ethics and accountable government for the Conservative opposition. We reached him in his riding of Leeds-Grenville, Ontario.

NK: Michael Barrett, Prime Minister Carney -- you heard there -- says he's complying with the rules. He went on to say in that same exchange that there's no possible conflict of interest. What do you say to that?

MICHAEL BARRETT: Well, Mr. Carney claimed on Monday that he had no conflicts. This was a week after he handed over what he called a robust conflict of interest management plan to the ethics commissioner, which, of course, raises the question, if you have no conflicts, what do you need to manage? This, this could all be cleared up very quickly if he would simply just be transparent with Canadians about what those potential conflicts are. Instead of simply relying on this line that he can wait 60 days to meet disclosure requirements. Meeting the disclosure requirements and not having conflicts of interest are two separate things.

NK: What is it about his finances that you believe could impact his ability to serve as prime minister?

MB: Well, some of the benefits that Mr. Kearney is set to receive come from payments based on the performance of funds that he set up when he was the chair of Brookfield Asset Management. These are things that involve sectors that are very reliant or interwoven with government, and the decisions that he takes, and the discussions that he has, has a, at a minimum, the potential to impact the earnings that he will see from these funds.

NK: But it's, it's in a blind trust. He has, he will not be able to touch it the entire time he's, he's prime minister.

MB: But in this case, these very specific funds, Mr. Carney set them up by getting investments from, from billionaires and, and large multinational companies. So, he's, he's intimately familiar with them. The trustee can't trade away his interest in these. But he will continue to, to benefit from.

NK: The Conflict of Interest Act, as you know, came into effect, was brought in, in Stephen Harper's time, during the Harper government. The leader of your party now,

Pierre Poilievre, says he wants to change that act if he were to be elected. Shortening the deadlines for candidates and public office holders to make their assets known. Why do you and your party believe that law needs to be changed now?

MB: Well, the Conservative Party brought that law in after the corruption that was seen under the Liberal government that preceded Mr. Harper's time in office. And at the time, these laws seemed sufficient. But what we have now is a situation where, where we have someone in Mr. Carney. They have the most seats in the House. That makes him the prime minister. But he hasn't met the disclosure requirements. So, we have the most senior person in government who is actually the least transparent public officeholder in history. It's, it's quite unprecedented.

NK: Does he, but he still has, he has up to 120 days to make that public disclosure. Is that not right?

MB: If we apply only the minimum standard to the head of government, then Mr. Carney could rely on that for meeting the disclosure standard. But that doesn't absolve him of the risks and the perception that comes from him being in a real conflict of interest, and standing to benefit monetarily from the decisions that he takes and the discussions that he has.

NK: Prime Minister Carney was saying yesterday, as you likely heard in that same news conference, that because Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, hasn't, you know, applied and received his security clearances, that he wouldn't be able to have the kinds of conversations that he's been having with with foreign leaders at this stage. So certainly, there's a back-and-forth here, and you're both leveling accusations on different fronts. But on this one issue, if I could say, a spokesperson for, for Mr. Carney told CBC News -- this is in their earlier coverage, our colleagues there -- that, that conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, is -- quote, this as a spokesperson for Mark Carney again -- desperate to misrepresent Mark's serious experience in business because he has no economic experience whatsoever. Is, is that what this is about?

MB: Now, the prime minister does not submit to a security clearance process. And for him to say that Mr. Poilievre, we he to be elected as prime minister, wouldn't be able to have the conversations that Mr. Carney has is, it is disingenuous at best, or it's a lie like we've heard from Mr. Carney when he said that he had no role in moving the Canadian headquarters of Brookfield Asset Management to New York City days after Donald Trump threatened Canada with tariffs. It was done, in his words, to increase the profit of himself, the board, and shareholders.

NK: And they've said since then that, that, that was formally endorsed at the January 27th virtual meeting after he left, he left the position. And after he declared that he was running. But just going back to the other question about their accusation that this is about Mark Carney's experience in business because they feel that the Conservative leader doesn't have economic experience.

MB: Mr. Carney was the one, as chairman of Brookfield Asset Management who, over his signature, sent a letter asking shareholders to endorse his board's vote and his vote on the unanimous decision to move their Canadian headquarters to the U.S. So, if we're talking about business decisions -- or business experience, excuse me -- and we want to compare Mr. Carney's experience of sending Canadian investment and jobs to the United States, and Mr. Poilievre not having sent Canadian investments and jobs to the United States and standing up for Canada. Well, of course, that's something that we're happy to contrast that, that comparison. We're having this discussion, though, not about business experience. We're having this because Mr. Carney is refusing to be transparent with Canadians. And as we've seen in the past, he's made decisions that put his profits over what's best for Canadians. And, and, look, just in his responses to, to a CBC journalist last night, he got angry, and he was quite rude when he was asked a very simple question about this issue. If he's got nothing to hide, why is he so upset? And why doesn't he just come clean?

NK: Michael Barrett, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

MB: Thanks so much.

CH: MP Michael Barrett is the shadow minister for ethics and accountable government for the Conservative opposition. We reached him in his riding of Leeds-Grenville, Ontario.

[pop]

Polar Prize: Hannigan

Guest: Barbara Hannigan

CH: If someone tells you they think the band Queen is great, you can be fairly confident that they have decent taste. If they add that Herbie Hancock is great, you start wanting them to make you a playlist. And if they conclude by saying that Barbara Hannigan is great -- that's total confirmation that they have superlative taste. And you know who did just tell us all of the above? The people who award the annual Polar Music Prize -- which is known as the "Nobel Prize of Music". Barbara Hannigan is, of course, a Canadian soprano and conductor, who was born in Waverly, Nova Scotia. In honouring her, alongside Queen and Herbie Hancock, the prize committee recognizes her, quote, "exceptional musicality and courage," and calls her one of the world's foremost interpreters of contemporary classical music. It also says, quote, "Whenever she conducts and sings at the same time, it is an experience no one forgets." Unquote. We reached Barbara Hannigan in London.

NK: Barbara, congratulations. [chuckle]

BARBARA HANNIGAN: Thank you so much, Nil.

NK: I mean, you're now only the second Canadian after Joni Mitchell, someone who I know you're a fan of as well. How does that feel?

BH: I know, yeah! It's a big honour, you know, to have my name coming after Joni Mitchell. And actually, all the laureates over the years since Paul McCartney first won it. So, there's quite a few people on the list who I know, who I've worked with, or who I know. And there's others who it's just kind of mind-boggling. I'm very excited to meet my fellow laureates this year at the ceremony -- Herbie Hancock and Queen. So, that's [both chuckle] --

NK: No big deal.

BH: Really exciting. Yeah, no big deal, Whatever. [laughing]

NK: When is that scheduled for?

BH: That's May 27th, in Sweden.

NK: Okay. So, that's, that's coming up. Did you ever imagine when you first started out on this path, that you would be breaking new ground in so many ways? I mean, you're focused on, you committed your much of your career to contemporary classical music, working with living composers, premiering new compositions, but also the, the way you perform. And we haven't even talked about conducting while you're performing yet, which we will. But did you, I mean, was there a point where you set out to break boundaries or change things?

BH: Well, actually, in a certain way, probably, yes. As a musician, I've always been passionate about contemporary classical music. So, I have been working with composers and giving world premieres since I was 17 years old. So in that way, I suppose I was, you know, breaking new ground. I've often given the analogy of, you know, we Canadians know this very well, what it's like to be the first person to put the, the footprints in the new snow. And so, that came very naturally to me. But so, it was about 13 years ago that I started putting footsteps on a new path, which was conducting. So, the first part of my career has been as a singer, and that continues. But then, I started conducting, and I made my debut in Paris about 13, 14 years ago. And sometimes, I sing and conduct at the same time. And I didn't do it to break new ground or to be different. I simply did it because it was something that felt, in a strange way, very organic to me. And something that could be done, and that I wanted to explore as a creative person. So, the things that I, that I do now actually feel very natural to me.

NK: You were saying in the video that the Polar Prize Committee put together to honour you that I think other conductors said to you, you, you perform like a conductor.

BH: [chuckling] Yeah, they said, I, you sing like a conductor. [laughing]

NK: Oh?! What do they mean by that?

BH: Oh wow! [laughing] Well, there are quite a few pieces that I love very much. I think it would be wonderful if you, if you played something from a composition called Let Me Tell You by Hans Abrahamsen. It's a piece that was written for me and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and it is with a text by Paul Griffiths, which is looking at Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet, retelling her story centuries in the future, looking back on her life.

NK: A pleasure, Barbara, and congratulations again.

BH: Thank you so much. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. I really, I'm happy that you had me on the show.

NK: I'm happy, to. Thank you.

CH: Canadian soprano, conductor and now Polar Music Prize laureate, Barbara Hannigan, in London.

[ambient]

Part 2: Putin/Trump Call, Medieval Women Scribes

Putin/Trump Call

Guest: Olekisy Goncharenko

CH: A 30-day ceasefire...on energy infrastructure targets only. That's what came out of a 90-minute call today between American President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin. According to a White House statement, more talks between the leaders are coming -- but there's still no word on whether Ukraine will be at the table. Oleksiy Goncharenko is a member of Ukrainian Parliament. We reached him in Odesa.

NK: Olekisy Goncharenko, after the leaders' call today, a spokesperson from Russia said, quote, the world is a safer place today, unquote. Do you feel that way? Are the world and Ukraine in particular safer today?

OLEKISY GONCHARENKO: I don't know. I don't think we can say it right now. I think it's too early, but I think that the first step towards peace has been made.

NK: A proposed 30-day pause on strikes on infrastructure sites. Prime Minister Zelenskyy responded favourably to that idea. But were you and others hoping for more?

OG: We want peace as soon as possible. And Ukraine was ready for complete end of hostilities starting right now. But I knew before, and we can now have a confirmation that Putin doesn't want peace. So, he tries to, to win some time. So, he agreed only on these partial first step, no attacks on energy infrastructure. Because the winter is over. So, his attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure is not effective anymore. And the Ukrainian attacks on his oil refineries is successful. And, and it's painful for him. So, he chose this one as a first de-escalation step because he realized that he should give something to President Trump.

NK: What else do you think today's call suggest to you about Russia and Vladimir Putin in particular, the willingness there to, to come to a full ceasefire agreement, and to end this war?

OG: They don't want to end the war, but they're afraid of the United States say that. So, they're trying to show some steps in order not to provoke fierce reaction from the United States.

NK: Why would, why would Vladimir Putin be afraid of the United States?

OG: Because he is very vulnerable. His economy is in ruins. And militarily, he's not so strong like he tries to show. And the United States has a lot of leverage, sanctions, more weapons to Ukraine, and all these Putin is afraid of.

NK: There was a lot of concern from supporters of Ukraine after Prime Minister Zelenskyy's meeting in the Oval Office that this was essentially not only a show for, for the world's media, but also that it was playing into perhaps Russia's hands here. And, and that it would weaken the negotiating position. How do you feel about that now?

OG: I think it was a very bad meeting. I think the only one person who was happy that day was Putin. That was bad for the United States, and that was very bad for Ukraine. President Zelenskyy called that meeting regrettable. I think it's the right thing to call it. That's what I think. It was bad, and it weakened us. But I hope that we already got off to this.

NK: The statement is also talking about improved bilateral relations between the U.S. and Russia. Economic deals. Geopolitical stability. What do you make of the business side of things that we're talking about normalizing or improving relations between the U.S. And Russia?

OG: I think that's what Russia is interested in. Because they need to get rid of at least part of sanctions. I think that's what is President Trump's big opportunity to have some deals. But I think that all this is impossible 'till the peace is achieved. I don't think that Putin wants peace. I think he will try to win time.

NK: That discussion of, of potentially, quote, enormous economic deals, as the statement was saying, between the U.S. and Russia. What would that mean for Ukraine? I mean, does that leave you concerned that if a deal were to be hammered out, it means that Ukraine will have to give up more and more land.

OG: It's not about the land. I mean, we, first, we need to to determine what does it mean to give up. If we're speaking about official recognition of occupied territories as Russian, this will never happen. This is a red line for us, and I hope for our allies, too. Because that's where all international order, and all, all international law is at stake. We're speaking about the fact that we can't liberate our territories today with this level of support from our allies, this is the fact. Putin will use the time to attack and to, to take more territories. That's also clear. So here, nothing has changed today.

NK: So, today doesn't feel any different than yesterday in terms of bringing an end to this war?

OG: No, there is a difference. This conversation first could maybe draw possibility that it will not happen at all. Also, it was possibility that Putin will not make any de-escalation steps. So, he made some. So, I think we see the trajectory which how it will move forward to the next weeks. So, Russia will try to, to win the time. The United States will try to put pressure on them. And after these, they will agree on some next step. And so, these will last for some time. I don't know for how long. I hope not too long. And then the end of this process, there is a real chance for a deal, which should be inside Ukrainian red lines, which are non-recognition of our territories, occupied territories being Russian. Second, sovereignty to, of Ukraine, meaning that Ukraine is a sovereign state making its own choices about what alliances to join,. what Military to have. And third thing is security guarantees.

NK: If, as you say, Vladimir Putin does not want peace there, what will the U.S. have to do and say to force his hand?

OG: United States knows it. More sanctions against Russia, more weapons to Ukraine. That will be completely enough to pressure Putin.

NK: But do you think this administration is going to do either of those things?

OG: I don't know. We will see. If Putin will continue to play games, then we will see is this administration ready to be tough on Putin?

NK: Olekisy, I thank you for your time. Please take care.

OG: Thank you.

CH: Olekisy Goncharenko is a member of Ukrainian Parliament. He's in Odesa.

[folk]

AB Unpaid Taxes

CH: If you don't pay your municipal taxes for years, you'll get letters, and phone calls, and eventually someone is going to come by and make you cough that money up, right? Well, not if you're an oil and gas company in Alberta. Some of those companies owe tens of millions of dollars. And the Rural Municipalities of Alberta want the province to do something about it. Jason Schneider is the reeve of Vulcan County. He's at the Rural Municipalities meeting in Edmonton. CBC Calgary host Loren McGinnis asked him why the tax avoidance has gone on for so long.

SOUNDCLIP

LOREN MCGINNIS: What happens when oil and gas companies don't pay?

JASON SCHNEIDER: Nothing. They're allowed to continue to keep operating, as long as they keep paying their royalties to the provincial government. And it's rural taxpayers that are picking up the bill because there's no consequences.

LM: So, what does it mean for, you know, your community -- the residents of a place like Vulcan County -- that there's these unpaid bills?

JS: Well, it's put a big burden onto the local municipality, our municipality. Not a lot of people -- 4,500 people -- but we are owed over $9 million from oil and gas companies who decided that they didn't need to pay the property taxes. So, we started adding up the numbers. It's a, it's a big number per person. We're, we're at $2,000 per Vulcan County resident that has subsidized the oil and gas industry for companies that choose not to pay their property taxes.

LM: So, you're gathered with other municipal leaders from around the province. What are the conversations you're having about this?

JS: It seems like a broken record. We, we started seeing this issue in our area in about 2015, and it's really started to migrate more north now. Municipal leaders are, you know, are asking, you know, what did you do? And, and, you know, it's, it was tough. We, we cut our service level 30 per cent. We cut 30 per cent of everything because we didn't want to pass that tax burden onto the, all the other tax payers in Vulcan County that, you know, faithfully pay their taxes. So, you know, in our situation, it was, it was rough. And we're, we're seeing a lot of other municipalities, particularly now in the north, that are faced with those same challenges of how do you continue to operate when you have a large segment of your tax base that just isn't paying their taxes?

LM: Okay. Well, let's get to consequences, or what you're advocating for as a solution to this.

JS: Yeah, I mean, from, from our perspective, it's pretty simple. I think property taxes should be treated the exact same way as royalties. If a oil and gas company in Alberta is profiting off Albertans' resources, in order to hold a valid operating license, your property taxes should be one of those considerations. We really think that that's the hammer that we're going to need to finally solve this problem once and for all. Because every solution that's been brought to us, these guys seem to find a way around it.

CH: Jason Schneider, the reeve of Vulcan County, Alberta talking to CBC Calgary host Loren McGinnis.

[hip-hop]

Antarctica Scientist

CH: A team of Canadian scientists are on a mission to one of the most remote and extreme environments on Earth: Antarctica. Last month, 15 scientists boarded a Royal Canadian Navy ship to map the ocean floor. Their aim is to better understand the effects of climate change on marine life and geological history as freshwater glaciers continue to melt. Sandy Steffen is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She's also a researcher with Environment and Climate Change Canada. She's on the military ship, and spoke to the CBC about what she's seen so far, 25 days into the mission.

SOUNDCLIP

SANDY STEFFEN: So, we're, we're now actually crossing the, the Drake Passage, which is a, quite a ride right now. It's very wavy, about 4.5-metre waves. It's getting worse. And yeah, so we're actually on our way home. So, it's been a wild ride. It's been fantastic. But I'm ready to come home. The weather sounds good up there.

DAVID COMMON: Let's talk about the work that you've been doing. I know you research mercury and microplastics, and have done so in, in Antarctica. What does it tell you that one of the most untouched parts of the planet has those pollutants?

SS: Well, it's not surprising to me at all, to be honest. I study not only microplastics and mercury, but we're also looking at persistent organic pollutants and some of the forever chemicals like PFAS. And a lot of these chemicals and pollutants transport through the atmosphere to long distances far away from source regions. So, you find them all over areas that you would never find. We find them in quite a lot of areas throughout the Arctic, so it doesn't surprise me as much we're finding them in the Antarctic.

DC: And how do you, what is the, what have you actually been doing on this scientific mission? You get off the ship, you collect from the ship. What are the things that you do?

SS: Well, all of the above. We have a pretty wide-spreading program because we're measuring these series of different contaminants, but we're trying to measure them in all the media we can. For instance, we've been measuring the mercury and microplastics in the air. We get off the ship into these ribbed boats and try and gather water samples from the different coves around the glaciers. We're trying to understand how the glaciers melting is going to impact what distributes these contaminants. We've been working with NRCan to collect sediments to see where these things are in the sediments. And then also, we've been collecting zooplankton, so the little critters that are living in the, in the ocean, we collect them on a big net, and we're going to analyze them for mercury and microplastics.

DC: Now, I know you're there for scientific reasons, but there's just the wondery of being in a part of the world that most humans will never have the opportunity to visit. You talk about zooplankton. There's things that eat them. What's it like to just see all the sea life, see the penguins, see the whales?

SS: It's been absolutely incredible. The penguins are delightful. Everyone wants to bring one home. We've been seeing a lot of seals. We, as you probably know, one of your reporters got chased by a seal recently. And the other day, we had the delight, we were going to the U.K. station -- the Rothera Station. And it's just enclosed in this beautiful, beautiful areas of glaciers galore, and icebergs all around. And then, we saw this beautiful pod of killer whales behind us that were following around the ship.

CH: That was Environment and Climate Change Canada Scientist Sandy Steffen, talking to David Common, host of Metro Morning, from a Royal Canadian Navy ship in Antarctica.

[pop rock]

Medieval Women Scribes

Guest: Åslaug Ommundsen

CH: Before I get behind this mic every evening, I spend my day typing at a computer. As does everyone else who writes anything for the show. The computer -- and its trusty comrade, the printer -- are our friends. If Nil and I had to write all these scripts by hand, in cursive, it would take forever. In part because I've totally forgotten how to do a capital G. But before the invention of the printer -- and the printing press before it -- every single text known to humans had to be written out by one. That's around 10 million manuscripts, penned by hand. And until recently, experts assumed that those millions of texts were written pretty much entirely by male scribes. But now, researchers believe women played a pivotal role in the age of medieval transcribing. In a new study, they estimate more that women wrote more than 110,000 of those manuscripts. Åslaug Ommundsen is one of the authors of the study. We reached her in Bergen, Norway.

NK: Professor, how would a woman have, have become a scribe at that time? What was the pathway for that?

ÅSLAUG OMMUNDSEN: Well, most of the female scribes that we found in this study, they were part of religious communities. So, that would be the common way -- to enter a religious community of some sort.

NK: Were there, were there barriers, more barriers for women at that time? I think we would assume that, that there might have been at the time.

ÅO: Well, there were not necessarily as many options for the women who were interested in, in books, and who wanted to, to write. There were many ways of writing that would not be open to women, like becoming notaries or, yeah, involved in the documentary world, so to speak. And also, in terms of the studies and the universities, these were also not as available for women as they were for men.

NK: So, given that, and given that, that experts generally assumed that texts from that time period were written almost exclusively by men, were you surprised by the findings?

ÅO: We, we knew that there was a contribution by female scribes. But in terms of, of the findings, we, we found it very interesting that there was such a steady contribution up until about 1400. And at that point, we could see a significant rise in the 1400s, a proper boom of female scribes at that time. So, it was really striking how many women were actively involved in literary culture in the, in this century leading up to the printing press.

NK: Your findings indicate just over one per cent of texts during this time period were written by women. So, it's still a small selection compared to, to, you know, the larger picture. But how were you able to determine if something was written by a man or a woman scribe at the time, unless they signed their name? Were there, were there tels or distinctive features you were able to, to, to look at?

ÅO: Well, it's very difficult to see. It's almost easier to see today if a text is, is written by a man or a woman. So, it looks very similar. Unless they have written their name, or they have written something in the colophon that reveals that they were women -- either calling themselves Sister, or scriptrix -- the, the feminine form for the word scribe -- it's really not easy to tell. What is very exciting is, of course, that we now know, we know that there are many manuscripts out there in various collections that are written by women. But it's really not easy to identify which ones, unless, unless they have helped us in some way by revealing who they are.

NK: There's one text you studied, it was signed by a woman, a scribe in Norway in the 15th century. The translation of her signature reads, quote, I, Birgitta Sigfus’s daughter, nun in the monastery Munkeliv at Bergen wrote this psalter with initials, although not as well as I ought. Pray for me, a sinner, unquote. What did you make of that when you read it? And why do you think she signed it, and signed it that way?

ÅO: Well, it's a wonderful example of the colophons that it's possible to find these short statements revealing something about the scribe behind the book.

NK: Revealing so many things in that one statement.

ÅO: Yeah. [chuckling]

NK: Yeah. Whose daughter she is. What she does, yeah.

ÅO: Exactly. And while she's claiming that she didn't do it quite as well as she ought to, there is also a certain, she's also quite confident. And the book that she wrote is actually one of the nicest, the most beautiful books that we have remaining from the Norwegian Middle Ages.

NK: Can you describe what it looks like?

ÅO: It's a book of psalms. It's the so-called Psalter, and it's a moderate size, but it's really neatly-written. And it's wonderfully illustrated with decorated initials that is the opening letters of, of some of the, of selected passages. And she has, yeah, it's the, the initials are decorated with scenes from the Bible. And it's a remarkable, beautiful book.

NK: Why do you think, Professor that, that this kind of information and detail hasn't, hasn't come out before? Is it just because of assumptions about women at that time?

ÅO: What we have done, which is new, is that we have set out to, to quantify, which we normally, that's an exercise that we normally don't do. We don't normally count, but it was out of curiosity to find out these females scriptoria that we know about. These female scribes that we know about. How remarkable are they? Is there some way that we can quantify, or see how unusual or common they are? And what we found was, of course, that they are, that these big females scriptoria, they are quite remarkable. And that for the rest of us, who are studying medieval manuscripts and the monastic studies, that we need to keep in mind that there are contributions from female scribes that are there. That we shouldn't, we should not forget about.

NK: They're owed their due.

ÅO: Yes, absolutely.

NK: Professor, I thank you for your time.

ÅO: Thank you very much.

CH: Åslaug Ommundsen is a professor of Medieval Latin philology at The University of Bergen. We reached her in Bergen, Norway. Her study is published in Nature Portfolio’s Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

[Latin flair]

Part 3: Russia/Ukraine: Kids, WFP: Myanmar Aid Cuts

SOUNDCLIP

LIBBY OSGOOD: I think it's really important to show that sisters are a lot of different places. Our ministry comes from a deep call from God. It's a vocation. For me, my vocation is to being an engineering professor with the sisters. And I think it's really important to know that there are people doing all kinds of different things. We have sisters at the UN who are fighting for social justice. We have sisters who are counselors helping people one-on-one. That teaching is much more broad. You know, educating is much more broad than it used to be 400 years ago. So, even though the numbers are fewer, I think what you're finding is deeply devotional people who are so keen on doing what they do with their whole hearts that it brings me hope, honestly. One other thing to mention is that because there are fewer of us than in the past, we connect differently over networks. So because of Zoom, because of all these different opportunities, I have a monthly meeting with our sisters in Cameroon, in Japan, and in Honduras. And we all get, in the U.S., and we all get together on Zoom with translators to discuss and share our hearts. And I have a bunch of sisters in the U.S. That are not Congregation of Notre Dame. They're other congregations, and they're all under 50. And we get together to be like, let's support each other. How do we do this together? So, I think it's taking creativity to be a younger sister today in terms of how to connect and where to find your community. As our numbers do get lower.

CH: Sister Libby Osgood of the Congregation of Notre Dame de Montreal speaking to the CBC's Taylor O'Brien.

[industrial]

Russia/Ukraine: Kids

Guest: Mykola Kuleba

CH: As you heard earlier in the show, the presidents of the United States and Russia talked about the future of Ukraine today. But whatever they decide, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said there can be no peace until the estimated 20,000 children taken by Russia are returned. The United Nations says those forced deportations are war crimes, and the ICC has issued arrest warrants for President Putin and the country's children's rights commissioner. Mykola Kuleba is the former children’s ombudsman of Ukraine, and founder of Save Ukraine -- a charity focused on repatriating and reuniting the children with their families. We reached him in Kyiv.

NK: Mykola, we've been talking today on the program about this call between the U.S. president and Vladimir Putin. Do you have any indication or reason to believe that, that the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children being held in Russia came up in that call?

MYKOLA KULEBA: Yeah, I think so. Because we have to have stolen children as a part of this negotiation, yeah. But, and we believe that the United States will help to, to have kids -- especially who have been stolen, kidnaped, indoctrinated. Because it's not only that the official number of 20,000, but it's many more kids who have been stolen from Ukraine.

NK: What do you hope the U.S. president may have said to, to his Russian counterpart?

MK: First of all, we want to know where is our stolen children? Who, who, who are they? How many unaccompanied? How many in Russian facilities, orphanages, Russian foster families, or adopted? And we ask, we beg the world, help Ukraine bring our kids back.

NK: Russia has said some of these children are taken to what they describe as summer camps, as a, as a break from the war. Other guests on our show have said that's not what's happening. That these are, in essence, reeducation camps. What is your sense of, of why Russia is doing this, and what they're doing with these children?

MK: You know, it's, for Ukrainians, it's really clear and obvious that Russia have forcibly indoctrinated and inoculated Ukrainian identity. Because the main, the main goal of Russia is turn Ukrainian children to Russians. Second thing is to instill hatred towards Ukraine, and then to turn then to, them to Russian soldiers. We brought back many kids from summer camps. Because summer camps is part, is reeduction camps. And we called these death camps for Ukrainian identity for children. Because through these camps, where dozens of thousand Ukrainian children had to be, they, they claim Ukrainian identity in that camps for, for our kids.

NK: How have you managed to get some of those children back?

MK: We found the a relatives, or they found us, or children themselves called to our hotline, and on our social media and ask us about escape. And we provided rescue missions, we provided, like, a special operation for every child, and just to return them. And what we heard from them, it was horrible. Because many kids told us that they've been forced to sing Russian anthem, to glorify Putin, Russia. It was forbidden speak Ukrainian. And they, they, many of them spent months before they've been taken back because our organization helped the relatives to take them back. But Russian, Russian caregivers in these camps told them they will never come back. You have to get used live Russia. We will send you to Russian orphanages, or Russian families. Your country no need you. And only in Russia you can have brilliant future. It's Russian narratives for our kids.

NK: What are the reunions like when those children do come home and see their families again?

MK: Oh, you know, it's the most emotional thing for me because I've seen many of these kids, hundreds of them, after being returned. And I've seen the, the tears, and the emotions. Really, many of them just, were, they're crying. Really, it was, it was hard to see. Because many of them couldn't believe that it happened that they again can see their relatives, the parents. Many of these kids lost their parents because they were killed, especially from Mariupol or in other occupied territories. We have kids whose parents were, were arrested and disappeared. And until now, we can't find the parents, and they live in our services. That's why we are asking Canadians, Americans who can listen this, our speech, and especially Canadians now, to who helping. First of all, we are so grateful that Canadians who support Save Ukraine activities for rescuing these kids, and to provide rehabilitation and reintegration, and help us to bring more kids home.

NK: I know you said you have some hope that, that the U.S. president would have raised this issue, and will raise this as any potential peace talk conversations continue. But we also know that the United States, according to the Washington Post reporting, is ending tracking of these mass abductions of Ukrainian children. What will that mean for the work that you do?

MK: We don't know yet. Because Yale Laboratory, our partner, and we brought back many kids through their research because they identify that kids, and we received that information from them. And maybe we know that 35,000 kids have been located and identified through the research. And it's really very sad story. But we, and for now, we are working with Canadians. And Canada helping us a lot because Canada is leading in bring kids back initiative. We have 41 countries united just with one idea to bring our kids back. That's why we believe that maybe Canada joined efforts with other countries and provide, will provide more support. We believe that President Trump and his administration will renovate a new program of this program. And we will, we hope, we hope this.

NK: Mykola, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

MK: Thank you so much.

CH: Mykola Kuleba is the founder of Save Ukraine. We reached him in Kyiv.

[newsy theme]

White Bear Chocolate

CH: For the last five years, Tammy Maki has been making chocolate. She's the owner and operator of Raven Rising-Global Indigenous Chocolates on White Bear First Nation in Saskatchewan. And she's built a good business making and selling artisan handcrafted chocolate. But now she's shutting it down. Raven Rising survived the pandemic, and a postal strike -- but she says she can't survive the ever-rising price of cocoa. And a tariff war with the U.S. doesn't help. Tammy Maki talked to the CBC shortly before she ultimately decided to close up shop.

SOUNDCLIP

TAMMY MAKI: There was absolutely no way to see that we were going to get hit with such a massive price change last year. Last year, chocolate pricing rose for us 90 per cent. And I don't think that consumers really understand how much we actually pay for the products that we bring in. Shipping was ridiculous last year with the Canada Post strike. Like, there's just all kinds of, you know, factors that, that we deal with. Chocolate pricing being, of course, the main one. But yeah, again, there's, there's no crystal ball. With the pricing structures the way that they are, I don't believe that, consumers consider what we do a luxury as it is. Chocolate is not a necessity, as much as I'd like to think that it is. At certain times it might be, but it is a luxury item. You're just kind of rolling the dice as a business person as to, you know, who's, who's purchasing from you. I'm lucky, I have a very, very good, you know, core consumer group. I adore them. They've supported me, but I can't expect them to, when they're facing their own challenges with the economy, I can't expect them to, to keep placing these orders. So, I don't personally source from the States. I very, very proudly source as much locally as possible and across Turtle Island. But what my suppliers get come from the States. So, you know, there's that, that chain of, of supply that's happening. So, if they're getting piping bags from the States, then that's going to be affected. It's, every single thing over $800 transactionally is going to be affected by a 25 per cent tariff. So, they're paying 25 per cent. They're not just going to pass 25 per cent onto us. There's going to be a profit margin on top of that. How can I run a business if I can't ensure that what I'm selling is going to be readily available to me?

CH: That's Tammy Maki speaking with the CBC's Ethan Williams.

[ambient]

WFP: Myanmar Aid Cuts

Guest: Michael Dunford

CH: For years, the World Food Programme has been providing vital food aid in Myanmar. Now, the UN agency says it's about to cut off assistance to a million of the country's most vulnerable people. They're families affected by conflict, poverty, and displacement. And unless the organization obtains new funding, it says they will be forced to fend for themselves. Michael Dunford is the World Food Programme's country director in Myanmar. We reached him today in Naypyidaw.

NK: Michael, can you describe what it is like on the ground doing the work you do in Myanmar day-to-day?

MICHAEL DUNFORD: The situation in Myanmar has been tough, and it gets increasingly tougher as this year progresses. Because the needs continue to grow. And unfortunately, at the moment, the World Food Programme and many other agencies are unable to meet those needs because of funding, because of a lack of humanitarian access, and because of the ongoing conflict impacting much of the country.

NK: So, when you hear of these, these impending cuts. If they go ahead -- and they appear, it appears that they will -- what will that look like for, for the people you're trying to help?

MD: So, at the beginning of the year, WFP was aiming to reach over a million people. Today, with the funding we have available for our humanitarian response for the second quarter from April through to June, we're only going to be reaching 35,000 people. This is dramatically down on our planning figures, and it's because of a lack of funding. And as a result, we went publicly last week asking for more funding from our donors.

NK: So, what will the 35,000 people get that hundreds of thousands of people will not?

MD: So, they will get what is a basic ration, a mixture of rice and other commodities. But the concern is that if we do not receive further funding, we will not be able to scale up, particularly as we come into what we describe as the lean season, which is the period before the harvest comes in, when the household stocks have been exhausted. We want to be able to reach 300,000 people. In fact, we need to reach many, many more. But this is the severity of our funding crisis. And this is because Myanmar, regrettably, is not getting the levels of attention that it deserves or needs, given that it is also competing with other crises elsewhere in the world at a time when needs continue to grow.

NK: What is it like for you and your team, Michael, to have to prepare people that, for that reality that you won't be able to help them, or when you have to actually turn people away?

MD: Yeah, it's extremely tough because we know the circumstances they're already in, and we know what it will mean to them if they're not receiving the WFP support. We've had women pleading with us, please give us additional support. How am I going to feed my children? What are my alternatives? We are seeing people actually going back to areas where the conflict is ongoing because they feel as though they have a better chance there than remaining where they have already moved through displacement because we are no longer able to meet their requirements.

NK: We've, we've also spoken on our program about the US government cuts to, to foreign aid packages. Does that factor into what is happening at the WFP?

MD: That is one of the factors. It's not the only one. In fact, what we are looking for is all of our donors to increase their funding at this stage. The U.S. government, of course, is our largest donor. We are in discussions with them. We are optimistic that in the foreseeable future, new funds will be released. But at this very moment, we don't have sufficient to meet the needs of the population, and this is where and why we are in the predicament we are at today.

NK: We know in other conflict zones, and we've talked about the impact on food and food systems, but, but in Myanmar in particular, what is happening to tear down those systems and, and deepen the desperation there?

MD: So, the country has been in a long standing conflict. The democratically elected government was overthrown back in 2021. Since then, conflict has increased across the country. We estimate that there are almost 19 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. We estimate that over 15 million people are now acutely food insecure. A further 3.5 million people have been displaced by the conflict. And when you have that combination of conflict, displacement, plus also the economic crisis that the country is going through, plus natural disasters, two which hit the country last year. That multitude of crises happening simultaneously has really brought the population to its knees.

NK: Farmland in particular has been impacted by the conflict as well.

MD: Absolutely. In fact, because of the conflict, because of unexploded ordnance, many people have been forced from their land. They're unable to plant and to harvest their crops. People have lost assets. They have lost their homesteads. It really is a very challenging situation in the country at present.

NK: In the conversations, and I heard a little bit of, you know, a sliver of hope in your voice about the conversations you're having with other partners, what are those discussions like, given that this is one crisis in the midst of many around the world? And given what, what the new U.S. administration has done in terms of foreign aid? What are you hearing in response?

MD: I think many governments are looking to see what more they can do at this stage. It's not that we have been abandoned. In fact, the challenge is that the needs globally continue to grow. We estimate now that globally, there are 343 million people who are acutely food insecure. This is significantly up on the period pre-COVID. And at the moment, with the likes of Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and many other crises, there simply is not enough funding to meet all of those requirements. The great irony, of course, is the global wealth has increased dramatically over this period. Unfortunately, it's not distributed where it is needed most in places like Myanmar.

NK: Michael, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

MD: It's a pleasure. Thanks very much.

CH: That was Michael Dunford, World Food Programme's country director in Myanmar. We reached him in the capital, Naypyidaw.

[ambient]

Player Not Dead

CH: On Sunday, before the match between the Bulgarian soccer teams Arda Khardzali and Levski Sofia, a solemn hush fell over the arena, as fans and players alike observed a moment of silence for the late, much-loved player Petko Ganchev.

SOUNDCLIP

[speaking in Bulgarian, a whistle, and silence]

CH: Soccer is a pretty nice game, but is it really "the beautiful game"? I mean what about pickleball? It's not beautiful just because it sounds so awful? And what about sparkler tennis? That’s beautiful! You know, where you play tennis while people throw sparklers at you? Wait…maybe that was just a dream I had. Well, I guess they had to call soccer something, and they couldn't call it "the exciting game"! I'm just kidding. I’m just, I’m just joking around. I guess you might be wondering why i'm joking around during this moment of silence, while all these people silently reminisce about the late soccer legend Petko Ganchev. "Petko Ganchev", they're all thinking mournfully. "Truly one of the greats." And at that exact moment, Petko Ganchev was thinking, "Nuts, I'm missing the game." [whistle and claps] I don't mean that he was thinking that from heaven. He was thinking it from his car. And when he arrived home, having missed the start of the game, his wife was in tears, having caught the start of the game. His former team, Arda Khardzali has apologized, saying that it "received incorrect information about his death". The incorrect information being that it had occurred. Which made for a very confusing few minutes probably for Mr. Ganchev, who burst in the door only to hear his crying wife explain that she'd just seen a moment of silence in his honour. But then, if Mr. Ganchev hadn't been late, he would have already known he was the late Mr. Ganchev.

The AIH Transcript For March 18

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