The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/11 at 19:00 EST

Episode Date: February 12, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/11 at 19:00 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 Tom Harrington. CBC News has learned Trump's tariff on steel and aluminum could be twice as high as previously reported.

If the 25% tariff on all goods goes into effect on March 4th, the steel and aluminum charge would stack on top of that, meaning a rate of 50% on those products. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry spoke to CBC today. Francois-Philippe Champagne recalled his conversation with the CEO of Ford Motor Company, who described the impact.

Chaos in terms of the well-estab chain that exists because I always say the Americans don't buy from Canada because they want to be nice. They buy from Canada what they need and they need the steel from Canada, they need the aluminum from Canada and at the same time you say cost because we've been saying all along, there cannot be tariff without impact, there cannot be tariff without consequences and it cannot be tariff without impact, there cannot be tariff without consequences, and it cannot be tariff without cost. Meantime, Doug Ford is in Washington taking an anti-tariff message to an American audience, and he's not alone.

All the premiers are there, hoping to persuade U.S. officials to step back from the tariff brink. Mike Crawley reports. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted Doug Ford's lunch hour event at a Washington hotel, but the audience of 100-plus was dominated by Canadians and Canadian businesses. Still, Ford makes his pitch against tariffs. Let's stick together and please get the message

to President Trump. This is not a good idea for both countries. It's far from clear that anyone in the audience has Trump's ear, and even if they did, that they could change his mind. Eric Miller listened to Ford's speech. He's American and runs a Washington-based consultancy focused on cross-border trade. But I'm not sure much can change Donald Trump's mind at this point. What would it take? You're going to have to see paint. When you start seeing vehicle plants close, when you start seeing the price of energy go up,

that is what we'll get through to President Trump. Mike Crawley, CBC News, Washington. Bell Canada is offering buyouts to more than 1,000 employees. The company says it's a cost-cutting necessity. Business reporter Nisha Patel explains what's behind the move and how the union is responding. Bell Canada is offering voluntary severance packages to 1,200 union employees. The company says it's making changes to its business, like moving customers to new fiber networks, and that requires fewer positions. Unifor President Lana Payne represents the workers.

There's a lot of worry and anxiety, and it's constant because people working for BCE right now are just waiting for the axe to drop every day. If not enough employees take the biots voluntarily, she expects layoffs. Positions across the country from technicians to call center operators will be affected. Payne called the move short-sighted. They need to save money on labor costs in order to make sure that they've got money to turn over to shareholders. Bell maintains the telecom industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Less than a year ago, the company laid off 4,800 employees.

Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. Donald Trump is still pushing his controversial plan for the U.S. to seize control and redevelop Gaza. And he did it today in the Oval Office before a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah. We're going to take it. We're going to hold it. We're going to cherish it. We're going to get it going eventually where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East. Trump's been pressuring both Jordan and Egypt to take in some of the two million Palestinians who would be forced to leave. In a statement after the meeting, the King rejected the idea of displacing the Palestinians from Gaza. The Public Health Agency of Canada says flu cases

are on a sharp rise. Positive tests for the virus are up 17% from the previous week. In the US, cases are peaking for a second time this season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says doctors' office visits driven by flu-like symptoms are way up, hitting a higher level than any flu season in the last 15 years. The CDC estimates at least 24 million illnesses and 13,000 deaths. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Tom Harrington. Thanks for listening.