Front Burner

France is in the midst of a weeks-long, nationwide protest that began with high school students lamenting the conditions of their public schools and issues like overcrowding, teacher shortages, and deteriorating facilities.

But these protests quickly became a national uprising, the largest the country has seen in decades — drawing in trade unions, public sector workers, and others frustrated with the conditions of life in the country.

France is a country where street protest is part of the political culture, and for many around the world France has become a nation synonymous with uprising.

Emile Chabal is an author, historian of Europe's political history, and professor at the University of Edinburgh. He joins the show to talk about how a student protest became a national demonstration of anger at the French state, and how France came to be viewed by many as "the land of protest."

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

For more than a year, the Biden administration said it wanted to limit the destruction in Gaza, increase humanitarian aid and bring the war to an end. But as the humanitarian crisis accelerated, the U.S. continued to supply Israel with weapons and diplomatic protection.

In his book 'Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza' journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed draws on nearly 175 interviews to reconstruct the internal debates, political calculations and decisions that shaped the administration’s response.

Akbar Shahid Ahmed is the diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Sun. He's our guest today.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

After a historic referendum, Albertans have voted to remain in Canada. When we recorded this episode, just over a third of the votes had been counted, and 76 per cent of them were in favour of staying.

CBC Alberta reporter Jason Markusoff joins Jayme to break down what the result means for the future of the independence movement and for the country.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Jayme Poisson travels to Edmonton to take you inside two rallies where campaigners for a united Canada – and campaigners for Alberta independence – make their last pitch to voters before Monday's referendum.

Plus, what we know about the deadly fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta that left four service members dead and at least 19 in critical condition.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Alberta this week, making a final pitch for unity in the lead-up to the province's referendum on potential separation. Meanwhile, the government is threatening legal action against steel company Stelco over layoffs related to the trade war. And the U.S. Ambassador to Canada has raised concerns about potential election interference by Canadian government officials in the U.S. midterms.

Aaron Wherry, senior writer for CBC's parliamentary bureau, joins us to break it all down.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts