News moves fast. Here’s a look back at some of the news that caught your attention this week, so you can get a head start in time for your weekend dinners.
Are Americans ready to elect a black woman?
PHOTO TONY GUTIERREZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vice President Kamala Harris at a partisan event in Houston on Thursday.
Are Americans ready to elect a black woman president? The arrival of Kamala Harris as the likely Democratic presidential candidate poses this delicate but crucial question, and Alexandre Sirois interviewed Gina Miranda Samuels, from the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, who expresses doubts, despite the past election of Barack Obama. She emphasizes that the acceptance of non-white leadership at the highest levels remains an obstacle to overcome. Mary Hayashi, a former California congresswoman, sees progress in the acceptance of diversity in politics in the United States, but recognizes the persistent barriers, at the intersection of sexism and racism. Still, the columnist recalls that in 2008, many people thought that Barack Obama could never be elected to the White House. And yet…
Read the column “We asked the question for you: are Americans ready to elect a black woman?”
The labor market is in turmoil
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Over the past fifteen months, the unemployment rate has risen from 5% to 6.4% in the country.
It’s no longer time to quit. Finding a new job has become “extremely difficult,” explains Marie-Eve Fournier in a text published Wednesday. For about fifteen months, the unemployment rate has been climbing steadily. Little by little, it has gone from 5% to 6.4% in the country. This increase is not due to massive job losses, but rather to insufficient growth to absorb the influx of newcomers to Canada. This phenomenon does not only affect immigrants, but also recent graduates. Faced with this flow, jobs would have to be created at a faster pace so that the proportion of unemployed remains stable, according to the columnist. The reasons behind this increase do not, however, point to an imminent recession, she specifies.
Read the column “Immigrant unemployment rate explodes”
Nuclear Anxiety, from Outaouais to Montreal
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The proposed nuclear dump at Chalk River is causing concern in surrounding communities.
A nuclear dump one kilometre from the source of drinking water for millions of people? This very real project is causing great concern in the surrounding communities and as far away as Ottawa and Montreal, according to a report by journalist Fannie Arcand. The facility, which is planned near the Ottawa River, could represent “a nightmare for future generations,” warns citizen Lynn Jones, who has owned a cottage nearby for 40 years. Opponents, including residents, 140 municipalities and 9 Algonquin First Nations, fear risks of water contamination and criticize the choice of the site, which is also on the traditional territory of the Algonquin nation, for whom the Ottawa River is a sacred place. Despite the approval of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, these voices are rising to oppose the project.
Read the article “Nuclear anxiety flows to Montreal”
Our athletes in Paris
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Sprinter Audrey Leduc, as she won the qualifications to participate in the Olympic Games, last month in Montreal
Olympic madness has finally taken over Paris, where the opening ceremony of the Games is taking place this Friday. Among the thousands of athletes who will be trying to win a medal there, there are more than 300 Canadians, including a good fifty Quebecers. For several weeks now, the team of sports journalists at The Press has prepared portraits of two dozen of them, including Audrey Leduc, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Summer McIntosh and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot. To get to know them better – and introduce them to your loved ones – visit the web page that brings together all these texts rich in anecdotes and emotions.
Read the article “Local athletes to watch in Paris”
Gildor Roy becomes Jean Dumas
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The cast of the new series Dumaswritten by Luc Dionne
After playing Commander Chiasson in District 31Gildor Roy is back in front of the camera for the title role of Dumasthe new series written by Luc Dionne that will be broadcast on Radio-Canada starting this fall and which will immerse us in the world of private investigation firms. Journalist Marc-André Lemieux visited the set of the series. Gildor Roy upped the ante in an interview: “I’ve read some cases in my life. I’m sure, during the first episode, the world will scream. I swear!” Attention fans of District 31Gildor Roy this time embodies a very different character. “Jean Dumas has nothing to do with Chiasson,” said Luc Dionne. Dumas has a silly air, he’s a smart step. He’s too brilliant, too fast for everyone.”
Read the article “After District 31place to Dumas »