The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/05/30 at 12:00 EDT

Episode Date: May 30, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/05/30 at 12:00 EDT

So lately, I've been really blown away by how locked in Canadians are to political news. I'm Jamie Poisson, host of the daily news podcast Frontburner. And while the election's over, that does not mean that people are done with politics. Quite the opposite, really. So if you're curious about how our country will navigate this divided and crucial moment in our history, listen to Frontburner. We've got you covered on that and a wide range of other top-of-mind stories as well. Follow Frontburner wherever you get your podcasts.

From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. Analysts are calling it the calm before the storm. Statistics Canada is reporting today that the economy grew by 2.2 percent over the first quarter of 2025. But we're being told that this level of growth will not last. Peter Armstrong has more. The first quarter, January, February and March of this year, saw the very first, earliest impacts of the trade war.

But the real war but the real damage and the real uncertainty didn't really start to bite until April so economists expected to see a bit of a surge in activity as exporters tried to get ahead of those tariffs and get products out the door before tariffs kicked in and we saw that in spades. The economy expanded in March and SatCan says the preliminary figures show it expanded again in April. But the forecast for the rest of the spring and the rest of the summer show Canada is likely now to slip into a recession from here.

The Bank of Canada meets next week to decide its path on interest rates. And after this report, markets assume about a 75% chance that the bank will leave those rates unchanged at 2.75%. Peter Armstrong, CBC News, Toronto. Emergency crews battling out of control wildfires across Saskatchewan and Manitoba aren't expected to get any help today from the weather. Mostly hot and dry conditions are in the forecast heading into the weekend,

with evacuation efforts continuing for thousands of people at risk. And in Manitoba, the military is now involved on that front. Here's Janice McGregor. So far, Manitoba is the only jurisdiction that's requested federal help. Emergency Preparedness Minister Eleonora Oshchefsky approved that request specifically to assist with the mandatory evacuations of two Indigenous communities in northern Manitoba where the wildfires are now alarmingly close, Pimichikamak Cree Nation and the Mathias Colombe Cree Nation. The minister told reporters that the Canadian Armed Forces has already mobilized. That deployment included four CC-130 Hercules aircraft in their first three flights. A total of 247 people were evacuated from Norway House to

Winnipeg. Neighbouring Saskatchewan has also declared a state of emergency. Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media that he's spoken with Premier Scott Moe and federal assistance is ready to mobilize. The province has the federal government's full support. Janice McGregor, CBC News, Ottawa. Meanwhile, earlier today, the mayor of Flintlawn, Manitoba reported that shifting winds are now threatening to drive a nearby wildfire directly into the city. In total, six provinces now dealing with wildfire emergencies. That's as far west as the Peace River District in northeastern British Columbia and as far east as the Churchill Falls area in Labrador.

And anticipating a wave of wildfire smoke, the U.S. National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts today for parts of Minnesota. As well, forecasts are calling for air quality to be affected in the coming days in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and Washington. Frustrated with Moscow, the United States is today threatening to walk away from its efforts to get peace talks started to end the war in Ukraine. Anna Cunningham has more. If Russia makes the wrong decision to continue this catastrophic war, the United States will have to consider stepping back from our negotiation efforts.

The acting deputy U.S. ambassador John Kelly speaking at the UN Security Council. Not for the first time the U.S. expressing its deep level of frustration at this ongoing war. Moscow and Kiev delegations are due to meet again in Istanbul Monday for direct talks. Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky accuses Russia of deception by failing to hand over its peace settlement proposal ahead of the meeting. US President Donald Trump said this was promised by Russian President Vladimir Putin when they spoke last week. If talks proceed, Turkey says it's ready to host a leaders summit which could see Zelensky, Putin and Trump meet.

Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. And that is the World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.