The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/04/09 at 08:00 EDT

Episode Date: April 9, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/04/09 at 08:00 EDT

Whose take do you trust during this election cycle? I'm Rosemary Barton, CBC's chief political correspondent. At Issue is also where I listen and learn from the very best. Chantelle Bair, Andrew Coyne and Althea Raj. They are political heavyweights. They write and talk about politics for Canada's biggest publications and broadcasters, and they help shape the national conversation. So if you're looking for people who can connect the dots, cut through the spin, check out

the At Issue podcast every week, wherever you listen. From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. As of midnight Eastern time, the Trump administration's latest round of trade tariffs officially went into effect. The rate varies country by country, with China being at the very top and their levy at this point is more than 100%. Katie Simpson has more from Washington. And I'm proud to be an American.

Donald Trump greeted with a standing ovation at a black tie gala dinner for Republicans. Cheered as he defended his tariff policy despite growing bipartisan blowback. It's a good situation, not a bad. It's great. It's going to be legendary. You watch? Over the course of his speech, the president bragged about forcing world leaders into trade negotiations. They're giving us everything. They don't want tariffs on themselves. And it's very simple. We're making deals and people are paying tariffs. And then he suggested he might not actually be open to reaching agreements.

We don't necessarily want to make a deal with them. Goods from dozens of countries are now being taxed at a wide range of rates, including the 104 percent tariff now in place on China. The White House is not offering up any sort of timeline as to when they hope to start signing deals. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. And China is now responding to the Trump trade action. The Chinese Finance Ministry has announced today that an 84% tariff is being imposed on all U.S. goods.

That's effective tomorrow. As well as putting 12 U.S. owned entities operating in China on a tight export control list. And no surprise, the futures market is suggesting that North American investors are in for another rough ride today. The Asian markets all closed in the red in Europe, London, Frankfurt, and Paris all are sliding today amid concerns that today's tariff news is pushing economies a step closer now to a global recession. Canada isn't facing any new American tariffs today, but the Canadian government is hitting

the US with a specific retaliatory trade measure. Rafi Bouchakian has the details. Canada's counterpunch started just after midnight in response to US President Donald Trump's auto tariffs last week of 25% on all vehicles made outside the US. So now Canada is responding in kind and fully assembled vehicles that are not compliant with the Canada-US-Mexico Free Trade Agreement or KUSMA will be tariffed 25% when they are imported into this country. There will also be 25% tariffs on the non-Canadian or non-Mexican components of KUSMA compliant

vehicles. Proceeds of the tariffs are supposed to go towards supporting the Canadian auto industry as well as affected workers. The finance department has yet to reveal exactly how that would work. Rafi B. Jekani on CBC News, Ottawa. Now to the federal election campaign and an allegation that the war between Israel and Hamas is being purposely avoided by the leaders out on the campaign trail.

Nicole Williams reports. We've got a humanitarian crisis. There's many things on the mind of Aisha Shirazi this election. More than 100 Muslim and Arab organizations have signed a letter calling for a clear commitment from party leaders to support Palestinians in Gaza and stand against Islamophobia. But any mention of the issue of the conflict by party leaders on the campaign trail has been few and far between. Ruby Dacher is professor of international development at the University of Ottawa. She

says that's because the war as a campaign issue is downright risky because of how divided voters are on the conflict. What we can see is that the Arabs are, I wouldn't say spread equally among the parties, but I would say spread enough for there not to be a huge backlash. Even still Shirazi says voters like her want to know where Canada's political leaders stand on the war in Gaza. Nicole Williams, CBC News, Ottawa. And that is The World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.