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John Ibbitson, bestselling author and Globe and Mail writer-at-large, discusses his new book on the political careers of Diefenbaker and Pearson, their differing loyalties, and how they reacted to the changing landscape of Canada. The podcast explores the motivation behind writing the book, the unreliable nature of some individuals' storytelling, the genuine populism of Diefenbaker, the myths surrounding the cancellation of the Avro era, and the recent controversy surrounding interest rates in Canada.

The comedian and educator Nick Marino discusses his debut memoir East Side Story: Growing Up at the PNE (Robin’s Egg, 2023), with Joseph Planta. East Side Story: Growing Up at the PNE by Nick Marino (Robin’s Egg, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: East Side Story Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. A fascinating book came out this past summer, East Side Story: Growing Up at the PNE. It’s a fun memoir about the comedian and educator Nick Marino’s experience working at, and now as a father, attending the Pacific National Exhibition. He joins me to talk about his own experiences at the fair, as well as why it matters to a lot of Vancouverites, not to mention British Columbians. I’ll ask him about the unique people he’s encountered over the years there, as well as the sort of kids like Nick that work the rides and concessions, not to mention the folks who work the fair circuit, either selling products or travelling with exhibits, animals, and the various amusements that have beguiled PNE attendees for over a century. I’ll ask Nick about the good times, as well as the dark history of the fairgrounds, especially the period during the Second World War when Japanese Canadians were interned. Nick’s also interviewed a lot of people who share their experiences at the PNE. Nick Marino is a writer, comedian, and elementary school teacher. He has performed at Just for Laughs Northwest, and curated a series of comedy and music shows called Bite of the Underground. This new book is published by Robin’s Egg, which is an imprint of Arsenal Pulp Press. We taped this interview just over a month ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nick Marino; Mr. Marino, good morning. The post Nick Marino first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The artistic director of the Vancouver Writers Fest Leslie Hurtig previews this year’s festival which begins Monday, 16 October 2023 (and runs until Sunday, 22 October 2023), with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. It’s always good to have Leslie Hurtig on the program. The artistic director of the Vancouver Writers Fest is back to preview this year’s festival, which starts Monday, 16 October 2023. There are all sorts of events for all sorts of readers, and I’ll get Leslie to tell us some of the things she’s looking forward to. And I’ll do the same, what with all the authors who’ve come through the podcast over the year, who’ll also find themselves in Vancouver between Monday and Sunday, 22 October 2023. And as ever, there are some events that are sold out, but always call the box office because tickets usually come up for sale. I’ll ask Leslie now about the role of artistic director, and the part the guest curator has in the programming of a festival. This year, Elamin Abdelmahmoud is on board, while Jillian Christmas is back curating the spoken word programming. We’ll talk about the digital component to the festival and more. Visit www.writersfest.bc.ca for tickets and information. We taped this interview a week and a half ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Leslie Hurtig; Ms. Hurtig, good morning. The post Leslie Hurtig first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer, community worker and mentor Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio discusses her debut novel Reuniting with Strangers (Douglas & McIntyre, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Reuniting with Strangers by Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio (Douglas & McIntyre, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Reuniting with Strangers Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio joins me now. She has just published her debut novel, Reuniting with Strangers. It’s an engaging book that follows the reunification of Filipino families in Canada. The book is a series of stories, that link together surrounding a mysterious child, Monolith, who appears and disappears in the lives of the characters in each story. The book is particular in not telling the stories of Filipino caregivers and immigrants from the lens of Canadian employers or those, say born in Canada. These are stories of people who are separated by distance, physically or psychologically, with say, a parent leaving the Philippines to make a living in a place like Canada, and their child or children coming to Canada later on. These are often complicated reunions, and the stories that Ms. Austria-Bonifacio bring to life reveal the complexities surrounding forced emigration, colonial mentality, labour export culture, misogyny, and emotional abuse in the diaspora. Jenilee also illuminates the isolation of a lot of places that Filipinos find themselves in with the places themselves like Sarnia’s Chemical Valley, Osoyoos, as well as Toronto’s Little Manila, and places in Manitoba and Nunavut. It’s refreshing to see the spread of Filipinos, and not just in the main cities in the country. Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio founded Filipino Talks, and holds a Masters in Immigration and Settlement Studies, as well as a post-graduate certificate from the Humber School for Writers. She also completed a writing residency at the Banff Centre. She is a Toronto-based community worker, youth mentor, and Little Manila tour guide. She will also appear in the forthcoming Magdaragat: An Anthology of Filipino-Canadian Writing. Visit www.jennileeaustriabonifacio.com for more. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. There is an event this Thursday, 12 October 2023 at the Massy Arts Centre, 23 East Pender Street. That’s at 6.00 pm with Jennilee and other guests. We taped this interview nearly one month ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio; Ms. Austria-Bonifacio, good morning. The post Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The artist David Wilson discusses his new exhibition The Ground Beneath My Feet at VisualSpace Gallery (3352 Dunbar Street), with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. David Wilson joins me again. The artist has a new exhibition in town, his first in three years: The Ground Beneath My Feet. It opens Thursday, 12 October 2023 at VisualSpace Gallery, 3352 Dunbar Street. It runs until October 28th, and I’ll ask David about the breathtaking natural landscapes and the manmade structures that he depicts in his often breathtaking, exciting work. I’ll get David to tell us about the pieces in this exhibition, the art that he commits, and what the city and the various neighbourhoods that he paints mean to him, and his mind’s eye. At once the images are warm and familiar, and at another it can look cold, foreboding. The city feels like that sometimes, and all at once too. I’m a fan of the way David sees this city, so it’ll be good to catch up on how the city’s changed since the last time he was on the program. Visit www.davidwilson.ca, and www.visualspace.ca for more. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, David Wilson; Mr. Wilson, good morning. The post David Wilson first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The Biting School’s Aryo Khakpour discusses the world premiere of their production Suddenly Slaughter, Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at The Cinematheque, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. The Biting School’s Aryo Khakpour joins me again. He and his brother Arash Khakpour have a new production that will have its world premiere at The Cinematheque, Tuesday, 10 October 2023. I’ll ask Aryo about Suddenly Slaughter, a cinematic response to their 2019 interdisciplinary stage performance of the same name. It’s based on a prominent Iranian play written in 1971 by the noted playwright Abbas Nalbandian, Suddenly, This God Lover Died in the Love of God. Aryo performs in the piece, and he also co-wrote it, and directed it. We’ll talk about the themes in Suddenly Slaughter, like interpreting and reinterpreting art, how art that is considered foreign is received by an equally foreign audience. Visit www.bitingschool.com for tickets and information. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Aryo Khakpour; Mr. Khakpour, good morning. The post Aryo Khakpour first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The filmmaker Baljit Sangra discusses the documentary she’s co-directed (with Nilesh Patel) Mareya Shot, Keetha Goal: Make the Shot, which screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival (Saturday, 06 October 2023), with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Baljit Sangra joins me again. The filmmaker has co-directed a new documentary, Mareya Shot, Keetha Goal: Make the Shot. It’s a compelling film that has one more screening this Saturday afternoon at 4:15 pm at the International Village, as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival. The movie follows several junior hockey players of South Asian descent through the 2021-2022 season as they seek getting drafted into the NHL. We see Arjun Bawa and Kayden Sadhra-Kang follow in their father Robin Bawa’s footsteps, who was the first South Asian to play in the NHL in 1989. We see the defenseman Arvin Atwal make his way to Slovakia after playing in the American Hockey League. Also followed is Arshdeep Bains, a fellow AHLer, who signs with the Vancouver Canucks. The film also features Ronin Sharma, a promising young player, who during the filming is tragically killed in a car accident. As well, we meet Harbs Bains, the owner of the Lake Cowichan Kraken, and a great champion of junior hockey in the community, and the broadcasters Harnarayan Singh and Randip Janda. It’s a great Canadian story that Baljit and her co-director Nilesh Patel have brought to the screen. It’s one about family, especially the many, many people that it takes to support a player who wants to make it in professional sports. Baljit Sangra was on the podcast previously for her documentary Because We Are Girls, which was released in the spring of 2019. Her handle on Twitter is @baljitsangra604. We taped this interview one week ago. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Baljit Sangra; Ms. Sangra, good morning. The post Baljit Sangra first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The filmmaker David Redmon discusses the documentary he directed with Ashley Sabin, Kim’s Video, which screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival this weekend, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. Another film screening at the Vancouver International Film Festival is Kim’s Video. It is described as part investigative documentary, part film essay, and part cinephile experiment. For two decades, New York City movie buffs had access to unique, rare films through Kim’s Video, run by Yongman Kim, who started in the dry-cleaning business. He amasses a collection some 55,000 titles, and when the rental shops close in 2008, Mr. Kim offered to give away the collection provided it stayed intact and be available to Kim’s Video members. The filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin decide to try and access this collection that they’re entitled to, but seemingly unavailable. Well, what happens is David tries to find it, and I’ll get him to tell us what is depicted in the film of the journey to Sicily, where the films ended up. This film at this time is opportunity to look at our habits when watching movies. Though films are readily available via streaming, a unique place that attracts unique staff and customers alike are few and far between, so the heritage of film appreciation has been lost. Not to mention the corporate structures are such that films aren’t as available as they should be, with streaming services taking things down at their will. The film screens Friday night (October 6th) at 9.00 pm at The Cinematheque, and Sunday, October 8th at 6.30 pm at the Vancity Theatre. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. And visit www.carnivalesquefilms.com for more on David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, and their previous films which include Girl Model, Intimidad, Kamp Katrina, and Mardi Gras: Made in China, among others. David Redmon received his PhD in sociology from the University of Albany SUNY. He joined me from Strasbourg, France this past weekend. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, David Redmon; Mr. Redmon, good morning. The post David Redmon first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The writer and director of the documentary Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe Robert McCallum discusses the life of Ernie Combs, his new film, and more, with Joseph Planta. Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. One of the most anticipated films of the fall is the documentary Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe. It screened to great acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival, and there’s a screening for the Vancouver International Film Festival, Thursday night, 6.15pm at Park Theatre. The film’s writer and director Robert McCallum joins me now to talk about this terrific movie. It’s a marvelous look at the life and times of Ernie Coombs, the beloved Mr. Dressup, as well as the people that were closest to him personally and professionally. Coombs’s children are featured in the film, as well as many of the talented collaborators on the long running children’s television favourite. We see the importance of the imagination in Coombs’s early life, and how he moved into television production, and a collaboration with Fred Rogers. They both left the United States to work on programming for young people here at the CBC, with Rogers starring, and Coombs working as a puppeteer. Later when Rogers goes back to the United States, he recommends Coombs stay and develop his own program, and for over thirty years he was a fixture on Canadian television and a friend to generations of children. As we see in the film, it’s a who’s who of Canadian popular culture and society that speak to Mr. McCallum’s cameras about what Ernie Coombs meant to them and why. Everybody from the Barenaked Ladies, Peter Mansbridge, Eric McCormack, Michael J. Fox, Bif Naked, Scott Thompson and many more are in the film, as well as terrific archival footage and interviews with Coombs himself. And featured throughout the film is Judith Lawrence a legendary performer in her own right, who voiced and portrayed Casey and Finnigan. The film has already played to other festivals, and will be available on Prime Video next Tuesday, October 10th 2023. The film is produced by marblemedia in association with Hawkeye Pictures and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Rob McCallum is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning filmmaker, who joined me from London, Ontario one week ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Robert McCallum; Mr. McCallum, good morning. The post Robert McCallum first appeared on thecommentary.ca.

The author and legal scholar Benjamin Perrin, professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, talks about his new book Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial (Aevo UTP, 2023), with Joseph Planta. Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial by Benjamin Perrin (Aevo UTP, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Indictment Text of introduction by Joseph Planta: I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca. The criminal justice system in Canada is facing an existential crisis. Press reports tell us there are a lot of people seemingly saying it’s too lenient, and not doing enough to keep people safe. The debate then gets into drugs, whether they should be criminalised further, despite the decriminalisation we’ve seen. Then there’s whether harm reduction is the way to go or treatment, and forced if need be. And there’s the ongoing debate as to whether we need more cops or if we should defund the police altogether. A new book takes the system on. Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial has first-hand interviews with survivors, people who have committed offences, prosecutors, defense lawyers, corrections officers, public health experts, victim’s rights advocates, criminologists, trauma experts, psychologists, as well as victims of crime, all offering their stories and solutions. Benjamin Perrin, the book’s author, joins me now. I’ll ask him about the captivating and moving, sometimes harrowing stories he’s gathered, and the case he makes for a new vision of transformative justice. There are new ideas, as well as old ones, that just might work, that might solve the toxic drug crisis, and alleviate the homelessness, poverty, and trauma around us. It’s a compelling case that Mr. Perrin makes, as he dismantles a lot of the colonial, settler thinking that’s inherent in the justice system. And it’s convincing what he offers up as solutions in creating a new justice system from scratch. Benjamin Perrin is a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. He has served the Prime Minister’s Office as in-house legal counsel, and lead policy advisor on criminal justice and public safety. He was also a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada. His last book, which he was on the program with in 2020 was Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis. This new book is published by Aevo UTP, which is an imprint of University of Toronto Press. Visit www.benjaminperrin.ca for more, including a podcast. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Benjamin Perrin; Professor Perrin, good morning. The post Benjamin Perrin first appeared on thecommentary.ca.