The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/27 at 12:00 EST

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/27 at 12:00 EST

I'm Jeff Turner, host of the podcast On Drugs. Each episode I take a deep dive into a different aspect of drug culture. And this season we cover everything from the popularity of ketamine to the enduring allure of tobacco. We explore the age of ozempic and the magic and mystery of anesthesia. You can listen to episodes of On Drugs wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, it's the World This Hour.

I'm Joe Cummings. Manitoba has become the first province to sign on to the Trudeau government's universal pharma care initiative. Legislation for the program passed back in October, but it's up to each province to negotiate how it will administer the system. Here's federal health minister Mark Holland. And people will say and say it rightfully, you're not moving fast enough. You're not doing enough.

And I agree with you. But the only way the world has changed is one step at a time, a conveyor belt of progress." For Manitoba, the agreement will see the federal government pay more than $200 million over four years to cover a wide range of contraceptive and diabetes medications. Holland says a number of other provinces are close to finalizing pharmacare deals. Canada's Crown Indigenous Relations minister is apologizing today to Inuit families for the government's role in the Dundas Harbor relocations in the 1930s and 40s. The relocation was part of Canada's strategy at the time to maintain a national security

presence in the Arctic, and it led to dozens of Inuit families being separated from their ancestral lands. Voters in Ontario are casting their ballots today in a provincial election. A winter election call is actually rare in Canada, and as we hear now from John Northcott, the winter weather was definitely an issue over the course of the campaign. It's the first provincial election in the depths of winter in decades. Massive snowstorm after massive snowstorm, socked in air travel, frustrated commuters,

cancelled classes and made for some challenging door knocking for candidates. This, as more bad weather, is set to hit much of the province. Whether it's the snow and slush or voter apathy, Elections Ontario says advanced voting numbers are down, with just over 6% of those eligible making the early effort to make their choice.

That's the weather. Now, there's the weather. Whether or not US President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian products, the election was called by Doug Ford, ostensibly, to fight the potential tariffs. About 35% of Canadians live in Ontario, and many of them work in industries that would be hit hard. All of Ford's opponents oppose the possibility of tariffs, but argue that there are other important issues as well, healthcare, education, and housing. John Northcott, CBC News, Toronto. As of today, US President Donald Trump is saying a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods

will go into effect as of this coming Tuesday. But this latest update comes as Federal Public safety minister David McGinty is in Washington insisting that Canada's lobby campaign against the trade action is going well. This effort to reach out and engage our American counterparts will continue. Our work on the border will continue. Our efforts to cooperate will continue. They are yielding success. We are making progress. And his statement today, Trump again says the tariffs on Canada and Mexico are needed

to force the two countries to crack down on illicit drugs crossing the border into the United States. Self-described misogynist and accused human trafficker Andrew Tate has landed in Florida today along with his brother Tristan. The brothers arrived on a private jet after Romanian prosecutors lifted their travel ban. They're still under investigation in that country for human trafficking, sex with a minor, and money laundering. They're British citizens and outspoken supporters of Donald Trump. And their release comes after months of pressure from the Trump White House. Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman has died.

All right, Popeye's here. Get your hands on your heads. Get off the bar and get on the wall. Come on, move. That's Hackman in the 1971 film The French Connection. His role as Detective Popeye Doyle earned him his first of two Oscars and launched a career that made Hackman

one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. Police in New Mexico say Hackman and his wife were found dead yesterday in their home in Santa Fe. No cause of death has been established, but police have ruled out foul play. Gene Hackman was 95 years old. And that is The World This Hour. You can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts. The World This Hour is updated every hour, seven days a week.

And for news anytime, go to our website, cbcnews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.