The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/06/04 at 12:00 EDT

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/06/04 at 12:00 EDT

Hi, I'm Gavin Crawford, the host of Because News, Canada's funniest news quiz. Every week we make jokes out of the headlines with help from a panel of brilliant comedians like Alice Moran. Hi there, I'm a sweet little Alberta dirtbag with very gentle takes. They call me light, sweet, and crude. Half your job is making jokes, but the other half is scoring points. What subjects do you net the most points in? Sports, but also space, because I went to space camp so much as a kid, not to brag.

That's the exact amount of knowledge you need for this show. Stay vaguely informed while in good company. With me. Listen to Because News, available wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. First to Parliament Hill. I would note that the American action is a global action. It's not one targeted at Canada.

So we will take some time, but not more. There's Prime Minister Mark Carney today saying that, at least for the time being, Canada will not be responding to the Trump administration's tariff increase on Canadian steel and aluminum. As of today, the tariffs go from 25 to 50 percent. And Carney says he's taking a wait-and-see approach because his government is currently holding talks with the White House about the tariffs and other trade issues. In the midst of all this trade uncertainty, the Bank of Canada has decided to hold the

line on interest rates. The Central Bank is out today with its June setting, and it's keeping its influential rate where it is, at 2.75%. Peter Armstrong has more. In a lot of ways, this release from the Bank of Canada feels like it could be a reprint of its last decision from April. Just listen to some of the greatest hits in the lines from the actual bank itself.

It says the US administration has continued to increase and decrease various tariffs, that uncertainty remains high. And this is the key line, I think, explaining where the bank sort of sees the landscape. It says, quote, with uncertainty about US tariffs still high, the Canadian economy softer, but not sharply weaker, and some unexpected firmness in recent inflation data, governing council decided to hold the policy rate

as we gain more information on US trade policy and its impact. The problem is we waited the last time to gain more information about US trade policy and frankly didn't get it. So all eyes now turn to the next bank's decision We waited the last time to gain more information about US trade policy and frankly didn't get it. So all eyes now turn to the next bank's decision on July 30th, where now we expect to see whether the bank will have enough information to act.

Peter Armstrong, CBC News, Toronto. Emergency officials in Manitoba and Saskatchewan say the immediate weather forecast is not expected to bring any significant relief to the areas being hardest hit by wildfires. More than 30,000 people in those two provinces have been forced to flee their homes, with thousands more being told to be ready to flee at a moment's notice. Here's Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Many families are leaving their home and they don't know if they're going to see it, they don't know if they're going to have the opportunity to go back there.

They aren't just buildings. These are places where they have raised their family. The Saskatchewan government says as of today, more than 400 homes or buildings have been destroyed in the province. A six-year-old from Nova Scotia has been admitted to one of the world's most exclusive clubs. Elijah Moti is now one of the world's most exclusive clubs. Elijah Moti is now one of the youngest members of Mensa International. Preston Mulligan has the story. Like a lot of six-year-old boys, Elijah Moti likes to play some soccer with his dad.

What's different about Elijah though is that when he was just a toddler, he taught himself to read and write. He would be doing, you know, three times tables, three, six, nine, twelve, and he was two years old. Elijah's mom, Mercy Mutali-Modi, says she and his dad wanted to find a way to support their gifted child. So they turned to Mensa, an international society for people who score in the top 2% of standardized intelligence tests. The organization only tests people who are 14 and older, so Elijah's parents had him tested by a psychologist with the results certified by Mensa. What do you like the most about school there?

Math, by solving questions, gym by running around, and the library with reading. Elijah's mom says it's important for all parents to advocate for their children no matter their skill level. Preston Mulligan, CBC News, Bedford. This year's Stanley Cup final gets underway tonight in Edmonton. It's game one, the Oilers against the Florida Panthers, which is of course a repeat of last year's final that ended with Florida winning the cup in seven games. So Edmonton gets another chance to win Canada's long Stanley Cup drought. The last Canadian team to win the cup was Montreal.

That was back in 1993. And that is The World This Hour. For news anytime, go to our website cbcnews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.