The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/22 at 16:00 EST

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/22 at 16:00 EST

Okay, so there's this new play about the Rogers family and their battle for control over the gigantic telecom empire, and I cannot stop thinking about it. I'm Alameen Abdul-Mahmoud. I host a pop culture show called Commotion. This week, we're talking about Rogers v. Rogers, and on the show, we'll get into what this corporate story actually tells us about our national mythology and why Canadian theater audiences are craving more and more homegrown stories. Find and follow Commotion on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Martina Fitzgerald. Prime Minister Mark Carney has chosen business executive Mark Wiseman to serve as Canada's next ambassador to the United States. The appointment comes amid a trade war between our two countries and ahead of a formal review of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Evan Dyer has more. Mark Weissman comes from the world of finance and is a friend of the Prime Minister. He's a political appointee, unlike the outgoing Kirsten. Hillman, a career civil servant who served for over six years in the role. Wiseman has worked for some of Canada's biggest pension funds. Gitanda Silva was Alberta's special representative in Washington and Canadian Consul General in Chicago. She says Wiseman will need to draw on all his connections.

You're going to need to be a very good and savvy negotiator, a very strong communicator, and you're going to have to have really strong relationships not only in Ottawa, but all across Canada with primers in the business community and then across the U.S. as well, because sometimes Canada is more effective when Americans carry our message. One area where Wiseman's communication skills may be needed is assuaging concerns about his appointment in Quebec. The Parti Quebecois has already said his appointment is unacceptable to the province because of past comments in which he appeared to criticize the dairy supply management system.

Evan Dyer, CBC News, Ottawa. Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal workers have reached tentative agreements for mail carriers in both urban and rural areas. The five-year collective agreements include wage increases, enhanced benefits, and a new model to support weekend parcel delivery. KEPW members will vote on the deals early in the new year. Both parties have agreed not to engage in any strike or lockout activity during that process. Ottawa is making a new offer to reform the on-reserve child welfare system.

The federal government now says it's willing to spend more than $35 billion. As Olivia Stefanovic reports, that is less than what was previously on the table. This is what's going to address the discrimination that First Nations are dealing with. A long-awaited announcement by Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gullmasty. On the day, the federal government

is due to submit a proposal to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal explaining how it will reform the on-reserved child welfare system. I believe that the community needs to drive the decision-making. Ottawa is looking to strike regional deals with First Nations,

so they can decide how to spend more than $35 billion on child and family services over the next decade. The money is substantially less than the $47.8 billion put forward by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. But Galmasti says there's a key difference. Her government is offering more than $4 billion of funding after the initial $35.5 billion runs out in 2034. Olivia Stefanovic, CBC News, Ottawa. You might need a little extra patience if you're flying. New data shows air passengers are the most likely to become unruly while traveling during the holidays.

CBC News analyzed more than 340,000 aviation events going back 25 years. We found the highest level of reports of disruptive passengers during December. The report details a wide range of incidents, including passengers failing to put up their seat during landing, smoking in the washroom, and people yelling on planes. Denmark is denouncing the appointment of a special envoy to Greenland by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Arctic Island is a self-governing territory of Denmark.

Yesterday, when Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry, was named the new envoy, he said it would be an honor to make Greenland part of the U.S. Danish foreign minister Lars Rasmussen says it is, it is unacceptable for anyone to challenge the island's sovereignty. In a statement, Greenland's Prime Minister says the territory belongs to Greenlanders. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated he wants to annex the island for its mineral resources and American security. And that is your world this hour.

For CBC News, I'm Martina Fitzgerald. Thank you.