The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/03/05 at 00:00 EST

Episode Date: March 5, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/03/05 at 00:00 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 Neil Herland. U.S. President Donald Trump defended his tariffs tonight in a speech to the U.S. Congress.

On Tuesday, the United States imposed 25% tariffs President Donald Trump defended his tariffs tonight in a speech to the U.S. Congress. On Tuesday, the United States imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods entering the U.S. and a 10 percent tariff on Canadian oil. And tonight, Trump vowed to escalate the trade war by imposing extra levies on any country that responds with counter tariffs. April 2nd, reciprocal tariffs kick in and whatever they tariff us, other countries, we will tariff them. That's reciprocal back and forth. Whatever they tax us, we will tax them. Trump also reiterated his assertion that America's neighbors are responsible for the flow of drugs into the states blaming Canada and Mexico for fentanyl

that's crossing the border. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the US president directly during a news conference in Ottawa Tuesday. Canada will levy tariffs on 30 billion dollars of US goods that will rise to cover another 120 billion in American imports in 21 days. Now it's not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you're a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do. Prime Minister Trudeau also spoke with Canada's premiers on Tuesday

about the tariffs and Trudeau told them he's hoping to speak with President Trump on Wednesday but things are fluid and could change. The CBC's Katie Simpson spoke with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lotnick tonight on Capitol Hill. So I asked him number one is there any sort of wiggle room for the tariff rate to be lower on canada or what sort of going on behind the scenes right now uh... and he said to me that that's going to be a conversation for tomorrow he thinks that there is some room he made the suggestion that canada keeps offering more things to the united states hoping to get to some sort of

agreement to get out of these tears i asked him for some specifics on that what what do you mean is, the details are being discussed. He's like, uh, more to make the border better. And so I asked him, you know, what is it specifically you are looking for? The president himself has said all of these different things about what it is he's irritated about with Canada when it comes to the trading relationship, when it comes to defence spending, when it comes to all kinds of things. He's made a whole range of complaints. And so I asked Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary, you know, what is it exactly that you want?

And then he went to make his point about fentanyl, which is the official line of the Trump administration. That's the legal justification they're using to impose these tariffs. And so he stuck to that very closely, making claims about the Canadian border, the Northern border and the Southern border. There's no distinction from the Trump administration about any sort of difference in the sort of like the size of the issue, the size of the problem. The CBC's Katie Simpson in Washington tonight. The federal government isn't alone in taking action against the U.S. tariffs. Provincial and territorial leaders are also piling their own retribution against neighbors south of the border. Rafi Boujikhanian has more on their plan.

We must not rule out anything for the future. It includes what we can do or withdo with electricity. Previously, Quebec Premier François Le Gaud was not willing to go there. Also, previously at odds with Ottawa, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says in a social media post today she fully supports the response by Prime Minister Trudeau, and she wants to tear down provincial trade barriers and fast-track the construction of dozens of natural resources projects. Meanwhile, in Manitoba, its government draped a giant Canadian flag

over the legislature in Winnipeg and in British Columbia Premier David Eby had this to say. Whether it's Crown corporations, health authorities, court government will be buying Canadian first. BC is also stopping sales of American liquor specifically only bottles from Republican states. Rafi Mujikani on CBC News, Ottawa. And that is Your World This Hour. I'm Neal Herland.