The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/21 at 09:00 EST

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/21 at 09:00 EST

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From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. We start in Washington where newly sworn in President Donald Trump has yet to formally sign off on his threat to take tariff action against Canada. But talking to reporters last night in the Oval Office, he's suggesting it may only be a matter of time. We're thinking in terms of 25 percent on Mexico and Canada

because they're allowing vast numbers of people, Canada's a very bad abuser also, vast numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in. When do you think you would enact those? I think February 1st. 25% on both, sir? On each. And the Trudeau government has been quick to comment.

Here is Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc. None of this should be surprising. The one thing we've learned is that President Trump at moments can be unpredictable. We have spent the last number of weeks preparing potential response scenarios for the government of Canada in partnership with provinces and Canadian business leaders and union leaders. So our country is absolutely ready to respond. Well, Blanc says that response includes a list of potential counter tariffs and a commitment to continue lobbying U.S. officials about how Americans will be affected by any Trump

tariffs. Also watching on with concern is the Alberta oil patch, which has a number of representatives in Washington this week. Kyle Back says more. Canada's largest export is oil and natural gas. At this point, it's not clear what the new U.S. administration is considering. Not sure how much thought has been given to this date and this deadline. Having said that, whether it's February 1st or March 1st, no tariff is good. In Washington for the inauguration, Calgary Chamber of Commerce President Debra Yedlin says Trump's latest comments are a dose of reality. You know, anybody who had sort of this notion that it was gone was also living in a world of magical thinking.

There is a reprieve for now, as the February 1st deadline seems fluid, but Yedlin says the tear of threat remains very real. Kyle Backs, CBC News, Washington. Still in Washington, included in the close to 200 executive orders President Trump signed yesterday is a blanket pardon for all those charged with crimes in the January 6th attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Trump has pardoned, commuted, or is dismissing the cases of more than 1,500 people charged or convicted in the riots.

That includes the release of those found guilty of violent attacks against police. Canada's inflation rate continues to fall. It dipped down to 1.8% last month from 1.9 in November. Statistics Canada says the biggest factor in the decline was the federal government's temporary GST break. Without it, Statscan says the inflation rate would have increased by close to half a percentage point. The Ontario-based company NordSpace is looking at the south coast of Newfoundland as a potential location to launch rockets and research satellites. Heather Gillis explains.

Municipalities get applications to build homes and businesses all the time, but one for a spaceport outside St. Lawrence, a town of 1200 people on Newfoundland's south coast, came as a surprise. Mayor Kevin Pittman has questions. What's the purpose? Why Newfoundland? NordSpace wants to launch rockets with tiny satellites from the outskirts of town. Satellites to be used for observing Earth and communication. At 16 meters, the rockets are nearly eight times smaller than SpaceX ones. Rahul Goyal is the CEO. They're not designed to go tremendously far.

About a thousand kilometers above Earth at most, in low Earth orbit. If they can get off the ground, NordSpace claims it would be the first commercial spaceport in Canada. We've never, ever actually launched anything to space from Canadian soil. If approved, the company expects to start commercial launches in two to three years' time. Heather Ullis, CBC News, St. John's. And that is A World This Hour. Remember, you can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts.

The World This Hour is updated every hour, seven days a week. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.