The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/05/20 at 10:00 EDT

Episode Date: May 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/05/20 at 10:00 EDT

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From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. Canada's inflation rate took a big dip last month. Statistics Canada says it fell to 1.7% from 2.3 in March and the agency says it's due mainly to the removal of the consumer carbon tax. Scott Peterson has more. So this is the lowest inflation rate in the country since September. Across Canada we saw gas prices down about 18% year over year, natural gas prices down about 14%.

Now some of that is attributable to more production from OPEC, but nonetheless that helped consumer prices come down. Now excluding energy prices, inflation would have been about 2.9% and that shows you how much weight energy pricing has on the basket of goods tracked by Statistics Canada. Food prices up 3.8% year over year. That's higher than it was in March. We buy a lot of our produce, a lot of our food from the US and so we saw fresh vegetables, beef, coffee, tea, all leading the way to the upside. And watching all of this is the Bank of Canada. They're set to make their next interest rate decision on June the 4th.

And market makers are now split 50-50 on whether we're going to see another rate reduction as was thought before this hotter-than-expected inflation report. Scott Peterson, CBC News, Toronto. Canada Post is on the verge of facing its second strike in six months. The union representing the country's postal workers has issued a strike warning, which calls for picket lines to go up as of Friday morning. Canada Post says a second walkout would deepen the Crown Corporation's grave financial situation at a time when it needs to adjust its delivery model. A 32-day strike that started in November was brought to an end when the federal government

stepped in and ordered a pause to the job action. Contract talks have since resumed, but no deal has been reached. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a joint statement issued by Canada, Britain, and France is, quote, a huge prize for Hamas. The statement, one of two signed by Canada over the weekend, warns there will be a response if Israel continues with its military offensive in Gaza. Janice McGregor has more. Canada's latest positions on this came in the form of two joint statements with other allies.

First, the statement from the leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom, and France that strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza. Separately, foreign ministers from 22 countries were also condemning Israel's new model for delivering aid into Gaza, noting that the UN doesn't believe it's going to move the food at the speed and scale required. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, that's a Canadian group supportive of Israel, said the fact that Hamas had applauded the joint statement spoke volumes about its misguided premise.

When Mark Carney met Israel's president on the sidelines of the Pope's inaugural mass at the Vatican on Sunday, the readout from that meeting was clear that Carney had reiterated the need for Hamas to release all hostages and lay down all its weapons. Janice McGregor, CBC News, Ottawa. JANICE MCGREGOR, CBC NEWS, OTTAWA. J.D. MEGREGOR, CBC NEWS, OTTAWA. J.D. MEGREGOR, CBC NEWS, OTTAWA.

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J.D. J.D. J.D. J.D 50 Hamas targets over the past week. Israel says it's an ongoing operation aimed at eliminating Hamas' military capabilities. Local media workers, medical workers rather, are saying more than 500 people have been killed over the past eight days. Now to Trafalgar Square. Your Majesties, welcome back to Canada House. That is Ralph Goodale, Canada's High Commissioner to Britain, welcoming King Charles and Queen

Camilla to Canada House this morning. The red carpet visit is part of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Canada House. It also comes a week ahead of Charles' trip to Ottawa. He'll deliver the speech from the throne next Tuesday, opening the new session of Parliament. It'll be his 20th visit to Canada, but his first as king. And that is The World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.