The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/03/20 at 22:00 EDT

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/03/20 at 22:00 EDT

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 Claude Fague. The government needs a strong and clear mandate. CBC News has confirmed Mark Carney will seek that mandate by calling a federal election on Sunday and it may be held as soon as April 28th. Carney declined to give details during a trip to

Edmonton. The Prime Minister was there announcing help for Canadians trying to buy their first home. My new government will eliminate the GST for first- time home buyers on all new and substantially renovated homes under a million dollars. Now this is a big deal. This can provide up to $50,000 in savings for families entering the housing market. Carney also pledged to use new technology like modular homes. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith presented demands to Carney during their first meeting this morning. Some of them included guaranteeing Alberta full access to unfettered oil and gas corridors

to the north, east and west, ending the prohibition on single-use plastics and more. Rinali Anchan reports. In a public statement, Smith says she brought forward concerns about wildfire management and oil sales. She says, I made it clear that Albertans will no longer tolerate the way we've been treated by the federal liberals over the past 10 years. Carney also addressed the list of demands Smith brought to him. It's about building out the energy infrastructure more broadly here in Alberta, which I would

add would include projects such as the pathways. It's about building energy corridors and trade corridors, including potentially up from here through to Nunavut. So we have additional deep water ports and opportunities there. Renali Unchian, CBC News, Edmonton. Tariffs are making waves across Canada again today. China has slapped tariffs on $3.7 billion worth of Canadian goods, including 100% tariffs on some canola products.

Aaron Collins brings us reaction from farmers. On the still frozen prairie east of Airdrie, Alberta, seeding time is just a spring thaw away. That fact has farmers like Ian Chitwood prepping for another season of tight margins. This year, foreign policy is top of mind too. So that's the second biggest market. That Chinese tariff, a response to Canada following the US's lead on trade last fall, slapping tariffs on Chinese EVs, steel and aluminum. It's not getting the attention it deserves.

The canola industry, I mean it's as big as the auto industry. China imports about five billion dollars in canola products from Canada every year. Most of that is seed, for now not impacted by today's tariffs. For its part, the federal government says in a statement to CBC that it's committed to protecting Canadian workers and supporting farmers. Canada's canola farms the front line of a trade war on two fronts. Aaron Collins, CBC News, near Airdrie, Alberta. President Donald Trump is taking the first step to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education,

signing an executive order earlier today. And as Richard Madden tells us, not all lawmakers are happy with the move. In his latest move to dramatically reduce the size of government, President Donald Trump has authorized the gutting of the Federal Department of Education and moving that responsibility to the state level. We're going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs and this is a very popular thing to do but much more importantly it's a common sense thing to do.

The agency was established by former president Jimmy Carter back in the 70s, designed to help low income and disabled students and provide school lunch programs. Critics warn those programs are now at risk, but Trump insists they'll be protected. Still, the White House may have miscalculated. Closing federal agencies needs congressional approval with 60 yes votes in the Senate. So the slim Republican majority would need Democrats on side, which appears unlikely. Richard Madden, CBC News, Washington. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Claude Fague.