The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/08 at 05:00 EST

Episode Date: February 8, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/08 at 05:00 EST

In Scarborough, there's this fire behind our eyes. A passion in our bellies. It's in the hearts of our neighbors. The eyes of our nurses. And the hands of our doctors. It's what makes Scarborough, Scarborough. In our hospitals, we do more than anyone thought possible. We've less than anyone could imagine.

But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Donate at lovescarborough.ca. From CBC News, The World This Hour, I'm Gina Louise Phillips. Tears of Joy in Tel Aviv as onlookers watch three Israeli men being released from captivity following a handover by Hamas in central Gaza this morning.

They are now in the custody of the Red Cross. Israel is expected to release dozens of Palestinian detainees and prisoners. The swap of the captives is the fifth exchange under the Gaza ceasefire deal aimed at ending the 15-month war. And here in Canada, well, we're seeing different reactions coming from the federal government to the US president's talk of Canada as a 51st state. One high-profile cabinet member says Donald Trump's rhetoric about absorbing Canada isn't serious.

But it comes a day after the Prime Minister was recorded telling business leaders that Trump's intent is, quote, a real thing. Host of CBC Radio's The House, Catherine Cullen, has more. We have an obligation to take it seriously. But on behalf of Canadians, I think it's fair to say that's just not serious. Public safety minister David McGinty is not alarmed by Donald Trump's intentions. Even though on Friday the Prime Minister privately told business leaders that the US president wants Canada's critical minerals. The remarks were accidentally being broadcast outside the room. Though the recording is fuzzy, the Prime

Minister says that Trump believes the easiest way to get the minerals is absorbing our country and it is a real thing. Still, McGinty argues the situation is not particularly shocking. I don't think it's news that there are folks interested all over the world in what Canada has. The Public Safety Minister says he doesn't believe that Trump is a threat to Canada's sovereignty. He says the $1.3 billion border plan he's currently working on is part of helping keep Canada sovereign.

Catherine Cullen, CBC News, Ottawa. And you can hear more about this with Catherine on the House right after the 9 o'clock edition of World Report, 9.30 in Newfoundland. The federal government is promising to take action on illegal fentanyl. This vow played a role in getting a month-long reprieve from the tariffs. Nisha Patel reports on Canada's challenges with money laundering and how a complete clampdown would change how drug gangs move their money. The fentanyl coming through Canada is massive.

Donald Trump says if Canada doesn't crack down on drugs at the border, he'll invoke tariffs on imports crippling the economy. So Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to act. We will and have committed to jointly tackling the scourge that is fentanyl. According to a Canadian police intelligence service, nearly 100 organized crime groups are producing fentanyl within the country. All these organizations generate huge amounts of money that ultimately need to be laundered. That could account for $113 billion in dirty money in Canada each year, says Christian Loeuprecht,

a Queen's University professor who has written a book on financial crime. That legislation has simply not kept up. Llewprecht says criminals may be drawn to Canada where they can more easily hide their illicit cash because oversight here is more lax than the U.S. Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. China has been linked to a malicious WeChat campaign against Liberal leadership candidate Christia Freeland. This, according to the Canadian group, mandated to monitor election interference. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force says WeChat news articles disparaged Freeland. And an estimated 2 to 3 million WeChat users saw the campaign globally. In

a statement, Freeland said she will not be intimidated. Folk singer Buffy St. Marie has been stripped of her Order of Canada. A two-line statement on the Government of Canada website says the Governor-General approved the removal on January 3rd. No reason is given. But a CBC News investigation in 2023 raised questions about St. Marie's claim to Indigenous ancestry. That's it for your World This Hour.

For CBC News, I'm Gina Louise Phillips.