The Current

Negotiating CUSMA – what’s at stake?

We hear from two members of the Prime Minister’s advisory council chosen to help on CUSMA negotiations in July. Former conservative cabinet member Lisa Raitt and the president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Denis Darby take us through what’s at stake for Canadians.

Could mRNA vaccines cure cancer?

Six years ago, Donna Gustafson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer one of the deadliest cancers. Today, she's cancer-free. She’'s one of 16 patients in an early clinical trial testing a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine  designed to train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer.We hear from Donna and from the doctor leading the research, Dr. Vinod Balachandran, about what these early — but encouraging — results could mean. And we speak to Dr. Ramy Saleh, Associate Professor at McGill University, on how similar research is taking shape in Canada.

Got an idea for a new emoji? What it takes to make the cut

Unicode is taking pitches for emojis. Graphic designer Jennifer Daniel helps decide which ones make it. She says a successful emoji should have multiple meanings. Sorry aerial tramway ;)

Testimony of residential school survivors is about to be destroyed

The most comprehensive archive of what happened at Canadian residential schools is about to be destroyed after a 2017 Supreme Court ruling to protect survivors privacy. Now  Pulitzer and Peabody-winning journalist Connie Walker is creating a new public archive to preserve survivor accounts.

Should high school students get a grade for attendance?

With absenteeism rates on the rise, Ontario is trying to get kids back to class -- but making it count toward their final grade in high school. But which students will this help? And who will be left behind?