World Report - June 4: Wednesday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

Bank of Canada holds interest rate at 2.75%.Canadians in steel and aluminum industries are waking up to 50% tariffs from the United States.Wildfires are causing more damage to communities in northern Saskatchewan.No aid will be handed out in Gaza today as Gaza Humanitarian Foundation pauses distribution after violence. Sexual assault centres say the number of calls they are receiving are up, prompted by trial of 5 former junior hockey players.Ecologists concerned push to deep sea mine will disturbing delicate, unknown ecosystems of deep oceans.

Hi everybody, I'm Jamie Poisson and I host Frontburner. It's Canada's most listened to daily news podcast. Just the other day we were in a story meeting talking about how we can barely keep up with what's going on in Canada and the world right now. And like it's our job to do that. So if you are looking for a one-stop shop for the most important and interesting news stories of the day, we've got you. Stop doom scrolling. Follow Frontburner instead. got you. Stop doom scrolling. Follow Frontburner instead. This is a CBC Podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Marcia Young. The Bank of Canada is leaving interest rates unchanged this morning. The main overnight rate remains at 2.75%. Many economists had predicted the Central Bank

would hold steady. Our senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong joins me with more. And Peter, what is the bank's reasoning with this decision? You know, Marcy, it's really interesting. In a lot of ways, this release from the Bank of Canada feels like it could just be a straight-up reprint of its last decision in April, right? It's got the same tone. It's got the same message. In a lot of cases, it has the same language as to why it was holding. I'll just quote a few of them here. The US administration has continued to increase and decrease various tariffs.

Uncertainty remains high. And here I think is the main line through the whole release. It says, 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 with that is the last time we were here talking about this, the Bank of Canada was also saying it was hoping it would get more information on US trade policy and its impacts and here we are still wondering what that is. So to what extent is the bank pushing its decision to its next

announcement in July? Look I think the question at the heart of all of this is how and when the Bank of Canada can get the most bang for its buck as it were. If it's going to cut rates it obviously wants to see a clear impact and help Canadians and Canadian businesses. So yeah, it could have moved now. It decided it's not absolutely necessary, at least not yet, as it gets that more information. By the time we're back here in July, that choice for the Bank of Canada, for consumers, for businesses, might be a little bit more clear. All right. Thank thank you Peter. You bet.

Our senior business correspondent, Peter Armstrong in Toronto. Illegal and unjustified. That is how Prime Minister Mark Carney is describing new US tariffs on aluminum and steel that came into effect today. US President Donald Trump signing that order for an additional 25% late yesterday. That doubled the previous tariff, which now sits at 50%. Carney commented as he headed into today's caucus meeting. We will take some time, not much, some time, because we are in intensive discussions right

now with the Americans on the trading relationship. Those discussions are progressing. 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 before we move on. The Conservatives are also speaking out against the latest round of tariffs. Kevin Wah is an MP from Saskatchewan.

Oh, it's horrible. It's brutal. I mean, in my province, I got ever asked in Regina. So yeah, it's bad. We'll see. We'll see. Conservative leader Pierre Polyab has also reacted to the tariffs. In a social media post, he called for a strong stance to reach a deal with the US as soon as possible,

one that protects Canada and its workers. Wildfires are causing more damage to communities in northern Saskatchewan. Hundreds of homes and structures have burned and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate. Premier Scott Moe says thousands more need to be ready to do the same. Many of those who have already left are waiting to see what remains of their communities. Alexander Silberman has more. Wildfire tore into Laurent, Saskatchewan, mere hours after evacuees got out. The mayor says more than a dozen homes now destroyed.

Crews still battling to protect the remaining homes and businesses against unrelenting wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour. They just can't battle the flames with those kinds of winds just thrown it around. Mayor Joe Hordusky says firefighters from eight communities are continuing to fight to save buildings as some of the only people left in town. It's become a very, very dangerous situation.

Hundreds of kilometers to the northeast in Dener Beach, near the Manitoba border, fire tore into town. The last firefighters on the ground airlifted out with conditions too dangerous to keep up the fight. We all were just shocked. Brooke Kindle and her neighbors evacuated just in time, watching from doorbell cameras as flames devastated the community.

It took one house after another all the way up the street until it took ours. The Saskatchewan government says more than 400 homes and buildings have been destroyed so far. Thousands of evacuees are now on the move, waiting to see what lies ahead for their communities. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. A US-backed aid group says it is stopping distribution of food in Gaza today. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says the pause will last 24

hours. Dozens of people have been killed in recent days near its sites. The GHF says it is discussing ways to improve security. James Elder is a spokesperson with UNICEF in Gaza. He says more aid needs to get out. People are walking 15, 20 kilometers, 10, 15 miles. Every single person, again, I haven't been here for six months, every person hand to mouth showing you that hunger. Now teenage boys in tears at the car window

showing me their ribs. Elder says the GHF is operating just a handful of distribution sites. He says during the most recent ceasefire, 400 sites were giving out aid in Gaza. Sexual assault centers say the number of calls they're receiving are up and they say many of the people phoning in were prompted by the sexual assault trial of the five hockey players taking place in London, Ontario. The CBC's Kate Dabinski has

more. Hello, bonjour, London Abused Women's Centre. How may I help you? Jennifer Dunn says the number of calls often increases when there is a heightened awareness about issues of sexual violence. She heads the London Abused Women's Centre in London, Ontario, where the trial of five former Canadian World Junior Hockey players draws to a close. There have been current clients that have told us that the trial is impacting them,

whether it's addressing trauma that's being brought to the forefront based on what's going on, worries around what happens if they choose to report what has happened to them. The complainant in the case was in the witness box for more than a week, being questioned and cross-examined by five teams of defence lawyers. Julie Lalonde is a victims advocate based in Ottawa. She says she's heard from sexual assault centers across the country about a spike in demand for services. Women see themselves reflected in this experience and it's their worst nightmare played out really. At the sexual assault support center of Waterloo region in

Ontario there's been a 25% increase in calls to the 24-hour support line since the trial started. Carly Doucet works with the Centre. She says women say the trial has opened up questions about the reporting and court process. There are lots of survivors who are very hesitant about pursuing justice through our current legal system. Closing statements in the trial are scheduled for next week. Kate Dabinsky, CBC News, London, Ontario. Deep-sea mining is getting a lot of attention especially with US President Donald Trump pushing to fast-track mining approvals. Trump wants to counter China's pursuit of ocean minerals. Some of the most, some of those minerals are critical to producing current and new

technologies but there's growing opposition to disturbing the delicate and Some of those minerals are critical to producing current and new technologies. But there's growing opposition to disturbing the delicate and unknown ecosystems of the deep oceans. And Naya Singh has more. In Collingwood, Ontario, deep sea mining firm Impossible Metals is conducting tests for its mining technology in the waters of Georgian Bay. We're demonstrating our Eureka 2 which is our second generation underwater robot for deep sea mining. Oliver Gunasekara is the CEO of the

company which is seeking approval to mine the ocean floor off the coast of American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean. The robot has a bunch of mechanized claws a bit like the arcade crane games which will pick up rocks from the bottom of the ocean which contain valuable minerals like cobalt and nickel. We actually are going to need massive quantities of all of these metals and the ocean has the biggest source and we can access it for the lowest cost in the quickest time with the least environmental impact. But scientists have growing concerns over this new watery gold rush. Johann Rockstrom heads the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany.

There is no rational argument for why we need to have very expensive deep sea mining technologies that pose so large risks to ocean stability when rare earth metals for the green transition are available on land." Roxstrom has joined other leading oceans and climate researchers in a letter published in the scientific journal Nature Today, calling for a ban on exploiting the high seas at least until the full impacts are better understood. Countries will meet in France this week at a UN conference to discuss a new treaty to protect the oceans. Inayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto.

And that is the latest national and international news from World Report News Anytime, cbcnews.ca. I'm Marcia Young. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.