Show Segments

8:30 – The conservative premiers of Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories co-signed a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau this week saying national unity is at stake if Bills C-69 and C-48 should become law. Trudeau responded by saying “It’s absolutely irresponsible for conservative premiers to be threatening our national unity if they don’t get their way.” Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley says Trudeau seems to have forgotten his own record on national unity, having previously said he’d support Quebec separatism in a 2012 interview if Canada ever became “the Canada of Stephen Harper.” Lilley joins John now to discuss Trudeau’s record on national unity and his comments in response to Tuesday’s letter.

LIVE: Brian Lilley, Political columnist for the Toronto Sun.

9:00 – The Hour of the Big Stories… Open Session

10:00 – Zealous animal rights activists are harassing farmers online and it’s reached the point that it’s potentially damaging to the farmers’ mental health, according to a recent parliamentary report. Andrew Campbell, an Ontario-based grain and dairy farmer who Tweets to almost 22,000 followers using @FreshAirFarmer, says it’s a growing problem. Campbell testified before the committee preparing the report, and described being called a “murderer” and much more by online activist trolls. Campbell says he’s started dialing back his own online presence after the cyber-harassers began threatening to come to his farm, and he joins John now to discuss the online hate many producers face when they share their work on social media.

LIVE: Andrew Campbell, Ontario-based grain and dairy farmer and active social media user.

11:00 – It’s time for Saskatchewan’s Smartest Radio Listener! Powered by Urban Cellars. Your chance for fame, acclaim and to prove just how smart you are. Not only do you get bragging rights, you’ll win a $50 gift card for Urban Cellars.

12:00 – The man who stabbed 17 schoolgirls and two adults in Kawasaki, Japan last month before killing himself was a “hikikomori,” one of Japan’s extreme recluses. The hikikomori often live in a single room without leaving for weeks or months, and have little or no interaction with the outside world. The group are often stigmatized – a trend which is increasing due to the involvement of hikikomori in recent attacks – but there is also a stigma around mental illness in Japan which might make reclusion a more attractive option than treatment. Sam Louie, a psychotherapist and author of “Asian Shame & Addiction,” has written about the hikikomori and says the phenomenon is rooted in the “shame culture” present in some parts of Asia. Louie joins John now to discuss the hikikomori and why so many young Japanese men embrace total isolation.

LIVE: Sam Louie, psychotherapist, speaker, and author of “Asian Shame & Addiction.”