The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/08/17 at 22:00 EDT

Episode Date: August 18, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/08/17 at 22:00 EDT

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I'm Neil Kumar. Defiant Air Canada flight attendants say they will not obey the federal government's back-to-work order. QPie says Ottawa's rapid interference is a violation of their charter right to collective bargaining. Meantime, the airline says it hopes to restart flights by Monday evening. Jamie Strasson has more. At a rally at Toronto's Pearson Airport, Air Canada's flight attendants said they will defy a back-to-work order. Wesley Lysoski is the president of the Air Canada component of Kupi.

We go back with respect when we go back. Air Canada had said flights would resume this evening after the federal government intervened, ordering an end to the strike and lockout and binding arbitration. The one-day work stoppage caused about 700 flights to be suspended and stranded more than 100,000 passengers. The flight attendants were ordered to return to work by 2 p.m. Eastern today, angering QB members like Lillian Speedy. I'm sorry, snowstorms have shut down Air Canada for longer than we were allowed to strike.

Neither the government or Air Canada has responded to the flight attendants announcement that they plan to defy the back-to-work order. Jamie Strash and CBC News, Toronto. Federal by-elections rarely garner national tension, but the one in Alberta on Monday is. voters will decide if conservative leader Pierre Poliyev gets to return to the House of Commons. But as Emily Fitzpatrick tells us, this by-election is unlike any before. It all started in June when a by-election was called in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River Crowfoot. The winner, Conservative Damien Currick, who handedly won his seat in the April general election, stepped down so conservative leader Pierre Polyev could run.

The odds are in Polyev's favor, but political scientist Lori Willis, William says not only does he have to win, it needs to be a clean sweep. He's got to win decisively. Nobody has won this riding by less than 70%. In the last election, it was almost 83%. He definitely needs to be closer to 83 if he's going to avoid questions about his leadership. Some locals like grain farmer Humphrey Bannock wonder how Pollyev's lack of connection to the area will affect them. Say that we're going to be on a pedestal and our issues are going to be held at a much higher level. I'm torn by it.

Emily Fitzpatrick, CBC News, Edmonton. Ukraine's president will head to Washington on Monday for what could be a pivotal meeting with the U.S. President. Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, says the Russian president agreed to allow the U.S. and other countries to provide Ukraine with security guarantees. Putin has said that a red flag is NATO admission. Assuming that the Ukrainians could agree to that, we were able to win the following concession, that the United States could offer Article 5-like protection.

NATO's Article 5 states an attack on any NATO member is considered an attack on all NATO members. Residents in Quebec's Lackmagantique area say a promised railway project has been stalled for far too long. 47 people died when a runaway train derailed and smashed into the downtown core and exploded back in 2013. However, plans for the new rail line have been stuck for the past two years. Shudy Lee reports. We're outraged, says Robert Berthleur, a spokesperson for a citizens' rail safety group. Different levels of government committed to fund a rail bypass to send trains around Lackmagantics downtown. That was seven years ago.

What seems to be holding up construction is an incomplete authorization request by the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway to the CTA, Canadian Transportation Agency. Belfleur says it's a running business. joke. The rail company made the initial request for authorization four years ago, but the CTA said information was missing. The railway points the finger at Transport Canada. It says it's waiting on outstanding requirements to complete its request. In a statement to Radio Canada, Transport Canada didn't provide details on those requirements. It says the federal government is working with the rail company to start construction as soon as possible while respecting regulatory approvals. Shue Yili, CBC News, Montreal.

And that is your world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Neil Kumar.