The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/17 at 20:00 EST

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/17 at 20:00 EST

This ascent isn't for everyone. You need grit to climb this high this often. You've got to be an underdog that always over-delivers. You've got to be 6,500 hospital staff, 1,000 doctors, all doing so much with so little. You've got to be Scarborough. Defined by our uphill battle and always striving towards new heights. And you can help us keep climbing.

Donate at lovescarbro.cairbo. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Kate McGilfrey. Just six months after winning the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party, sources tell CBC that Pablo Rodriguez told his caucus today he's stepping down. His party has been plunged into turmoil after allegations of a cash-for-vote scheme during the leadership race. Melissa Francois reports. Bit by bit, stories started to emerge in the French language.

media, allegations of questionable practices surrounding Rodriguez's leadership campaign, he denied knowledge of any wrongdoing and ordered an investigation. But former MNA Robert Libman believes resignation was the only way out. Even if he hasn't done anything wrong or even if he didn't know about it, the suspicion and doubt is so strong now and it's hurt the Liberal Party brand. There's already a lot of movement inside the ranks to find a replacement. Federal Minister Melanie Jolie confirmed she's not running, as did her colleague François-Ferlip Champagne.

We have a strong team to defend the interests of Quebec, and this is our way of contributing. Rodriguez is expected to hold a news conference tomorrow morning, which could mark the start of that process. Melissa Francois, CBC News, Montreal. A ferocious winter storm is hitting the prairies and parts of northern Ontario, making travel dangerous. The Alberta Clipper is bringing strong winds and snow. Mounties say safe travel will be impossible in much of the region.

In Alberta, as many as 100 vehicles were caught on the highway in blizzard-like conditions after multiple collisions north of Calgary. The winds are especially bad in southwestern Alberta. Environment Canada put an orange wind warning in place, with gusts up to 130 kilometers an hour possible. Blizzards have also led to weather and travel alerts for much of Saskatchewan. Canada's legally binding climate target seems to be out of reach, according to new data, released by Environment Canada. That new data was quietly posted today with a report showing that Canada will fall well short of its 2030 goal. It aims to get Canada to a 40 or 45% reduction below 2005 emissions levels.

With the government's current climate measures, Canada's on track to reduce its emissions just 21% by the end of the decade. The country's population is going down. Canada lost tens of thousands of people in the third quarter of this year, many of them non-permanent residents. Catherine Tunney tells us more. Statistics Canada is reporting a change Canada hasn't seen in years, a drop in its population. New data out Wednesday shows a loss of about 76,000 people. The decrease is mainly due to a reduction in the number of non-permanent residents, which Staskan attributes to shifting government policy. In 2024, the federal government announced it would be slashing the number of non-permanent residents

and lowering the cap on international students. The new numbers show every province and territory had fewer non-permanent residents on October 1st than on Canada Day, with Ontario seeing the largest decrease. The recent liberal budget promises to continue slashing the number of temporary residents allowed into Canada over the next few years, and the opposition conservatives are calling for the temporary foreign worker program to be dismantled. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Ottawa. Nick Reiner appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom for the first time three days after he allegedly killed his parents.

He's the son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer-Riner. Reiner is facing two murder charges but did not enter a plea today. Multiple Canadian cities and provinces are vying for the chance to be the headquarters of a new global bank for defense spending. The premiers of Ontario, Quebec and BC are all making bids. Toronto and Ontario have everything the bank needs to succeed. That's Ontario Premier Doug Ford making his pitch today. The Defense Security and Resilience Bank is expected to employ as many as 3,500 people.

It's a multilateral initiative by dozens of countries to support investments in national and international security. The process to choose which country it will be in begins in the new year. And that is the world this hour. Get the latest headlines anytime on our website. For CBC News, I'm Kate McGilvery.