The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/04/17 at 07:00 EDT

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/04/17 at 07:00 EDT

When they predict we'll fall, we rise to the challenge. When they say we're not a country, we stand on guard. This land taught us to be brave and caring, to protect our values, to leave no one behind. Canada is on the line, and it's time to vote as though our country depends on it, because like never before, it does. I'm Jonathan Pedneau, co-leader of the Green Party of Canada.

This election, each vote makes a difference. Authorized by the Registeredleader of the Green Party of Canada. This election, each vote, makes a difference. Authorized by the registered agent of the Green Party of Canada. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Claude Fay. Federal party leaders are gearing up for their second major showdown of this election campaign. They're going toe-to-toe tonight in the English debate prior to the April 28 election. Last night, French-speaking Canadians had their opportunity as the leaders debated for two hours en français. Janice McGregor reports.

The format really allowed all four leaders to lay out stark differences between them and also reveal their personalities too. It was Yves-François Blanchet standing to Carney's left that got in the first early shot at the Liberal frontrunner, saying there's no proof actually that he's a master negotiator and the best to take on Trump. And it was Jagmeet Singh who had the podium closest to Poliev that was most frequently tearing down what the Conservative leader had to say, questioning early on the Harper government's actual track record for building housing. And later during the exchanges on immigration and foreign affairs, we also had Singh say it was disgusting and hateful to hear Poliev call the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, a terrorist organization, and say he'd cut it because it was a waste of money.

That led to another uncomfortable moment when Singh asked Carney why he wouldn't call what's happening there a genocide. Carney said it's horrible, but he didn't want to politicize the conflict. Janice McGregor, CBC News, Ottawa. Susan Bonner and Pia Chatopay will bring you full coverage of the federal leader's English language debate tonight. Then it's your chance to weigh in with a special debate edition of cross-country checkup. It all begins at 7 Eastern on CBC Radio One and the CBC Listen app. There's still more than a week until election day in Canada, but yesterday

inmates at prisons and jails across the country had their chance to cast a ballot. Dan Tacoma reports. Believe it or not it takes you out of prison. Rick Sauve knows the power of casting a ballot behind bars. People are talking about politics. They're talking about the platform. A former inmate, he appeared before the Supreme Court twice helping prisoners win the right to vote regardless of their sentence roughly 23 years later, Sauvy's fight has inspired Ontario Senator Bernadette Clément,

who's visited nine prisons to learn about barriers to elections inside. They cannot vote from the writing where the prison is located. They can't vote in the writing where they will spend many many many years of their lives. Elections Canada says more than 34,000 incarcerated electors about 41 percent of those who are eligible voted in the last federal election. The senator is preparing a report she plans to share with the correctional service and election officials after the votes are tallied. Dan Tacoma, CBC News, Kingston, Ontario. In Paris today, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

and U.S. Envoy Steve Whitkoff will be there to meet with European officials and security experts. This as the U.S. and Europe search for common ground on ending the Ukraine War. Anna Cunningham has the details. It's the first time since February that the US has directly engaged with Europe on peace in Ukraine. The talks come days after one of the biggest attacks of this war by Moscow on civilians in Ukraine. The Sumy attacks shows that Russia is not willing to cease fire, says Eleanor Caro,

an MP with the French president Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble Alliance party. The very fact that these talks are happening, Kaur believes, demonstrates that the US is struggling to bring Russia onside. It shows the failure of Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts. Rubio will meet with Macron. Talks will then be held with French, British and German foreign affairs ministers along with EU national security advisors. Ukraine's foreign and defense ministers are in Paris for the talks. European diplomats say they will urge the US to put more pressure

on Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. And that is your World This Hour. Remember, you can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts, updated every hour, seven days a week. For CBC News, I'm Claude Figg.