CBC Radio’s The House — Ukraine war is risk to whole world, Governor General says

Testimony begins at Emergencies Act inquiry

A historic inquiry started this week, looking into the federal government’s first use of the Emergencies Act, to quell the Freedom Convoy protests.

The House highlights the key moments from the first two days of the inquiry, and then, journalists Susan Delacourt of the Toronto Star and Matt Gurney of the Line break down what’s at stake for the government and the country. 

Governor General weighs in on Russian aggression and criticisms of her travel spending

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put a spotlight on the Arctic, with even the head of NATO remarking that the shortest path to North America for Russian missiles would be over the North Pole. This week, Governor General Mary Simon spoke about the impacts of the invasion of Ukraine at the Arctic Circle Assembly, an annual international gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Simon — who has spent years reflecting on the importance of the North — both as an Inuit leader and as a diplomat — sits down with host Catherine Cullen to discuss the challenges facing the Arctic and explains why her travel to international gatherings is an essential part of her job.

Ukrainian MP reflects on another dark turn in the war

In the weeks since a successful counteroffensive saw Ukraine recapture territory in its south and east, Russia has responded with a barrage of missile attacks, which killed dozens of civilians. It’s a stark reminder of Ukraine’s vulnerability, and recalls the chaos and destruction of the invasion’s earliest stages.

To talk about the recent developments and their impact on both Ukraine and her own family, The House reconnects with Inna Sovsun, a member of the Ukrainian parliament.

The difficulty of tracking human rights abuses in Ukraine

The recent strikes on civilians in Ukraine add to a tragic toll that has already accumulated after more than seven months of war. Some civilians were killed in the fighting and some, the UN says, were subject to torture and other human rights abuses.

Matilda Bogner, the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, joins the program to talk about the scale of human rights abuses in the conflict and the challenges her organization faces documenting the atrocities.