The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/04/23 at 05:00 EDT

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/04/23 at 05:00 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 Neil Herland. The body of Pope Francis is now lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica. This morning the Pope's coffin arrived as the bells of St. Peter's rang out. A simple wooden coffin was escorted by a procession of Cardinals and Swiss guards. Francis died Monday at the age of 88. The funeral will be held Saturday morning. A jury has been selected in the case of five members of Canada's 2018 World Junior Hockey Team charged with sexual assault. Today it's expected we'll start

hearing from the prosecutor and possibly some evidence. Karen Pauls reports. It took all day but 11 women and 3 men will hear this case. 14 jurors were chosen, plus 2 alternates, so there will be enough jurors by the time deliberations begin in the trial, which is expected to last 8 weeks. Nick Cake is a former Crown attorney, now a defence lawyer in London. I think it's an important case for everyone in this country because it shows that no matter who you are, the law applies.

Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Dylan Dubay, Carter Hart and Alex Formonton are charged with one count each of sexual assault. McLeod faces an additional count of being party to the offence. They all pleaded not guilty. The presumption of innocence obviously applies, so the Crown has the burden to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. There is a publication ban on the identity of the complainant and some of the witnesses. The Crown's opening statement is expected Wednesday morning. Karen Pauls, CBC News, London, Ontario.

Well there's just five days left until Election Day. All of the major parties have released their platforms and that includes their vision for national defense in the era of Donald Trump. Murray Brewster reports. The Liberals and the Conservatives, even the NDP, are promising greater presence in the Arctic and the parties all agree Canada must spend 2% of its GDP on defense. The upcoming NATO summit will likely see the benchmark raise to 3 or more percent of GDP. In terms of specifics, the Liberals and Conservatives appear to be trying to outdo each other on points they agree on. Michael Byers,

a geopolitics expert at UBC, says the parties are debating details while missing the bigger picture. The question instead is, what does Canada need to defend itself, especially in the absence of a reliable ally to the South? Defense expert Rob Hubert says federal leaders spent almost no time addressing that important question. Neither of the parties really want to address it in any serious context. Each of the experts say political will is needed to turn the promises into reality, and how much of that there will be in the midst of a trade war remains to be seen.

Marie Brewster, CBC News, Ottawa. Scientists and environmental organizations are marking a grim anniversary that just passed. It's been one year since a global coral bleaching event was declared. Anand Ram has more. We weren't seeing the species that used to be super common. Valeria Pizarro knows what's missing. The coral scientist with the Perry Institute for Marine Science has seen up close

the effects of a global heat stress event as it hits San Andres in the Caribbean Sea. Between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius for corals that is a lot. That heat bleaches them a ghostly white, driving away the species that depend on corals for food and shelter. The Australians call it living dead. Melanie McField is the director of the NGO Healthy Reefs for Healthy People. She says even if the structures still stand, they're too weak against storm surges. The current bleaching event started in 2023, hitting different parts of the world's oceans

at different times. Nicola Smith, who studies coral reefs at Concordia University, is scared of what her students will see this summer. This is the type of world we're leaving for you. Another worrying sign, the temperature and bleaching alerts that scientists would get in late August are starting to show up right now. Anand Ram, CBC News, Toronto. And that is your World This Hour.

For CBC News, I'm Neil Herland.