Your World Tonight - A multi-billion-dollar plan to double LNG exports from BC port

Episode Date: September 29, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the expansion of the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat will create thousands of jobs and strengthen Canada’s trade ties with Asia.Also: A B.C. judge stays drug trafficking charges against two harm reduction activists, saying parts of Canada’s drug laws are unconstitutional.And: U.S. President Donald Trump and AI executives sign a voluntary accord on artificial intelligence standards and protections.Plus: How Canada’s economy is coping with economic headwinds; cancer-causing infections; and the P.E.I. oyster fishery looks for ways to deal with a devastating disease.

Mr. President, my company formed me of the explosion on our rig. On October 2nd. Causing massive water displacement and triggering the tsunami. They all heap to blame on me. Tom Cruise is. Digger got us into this mess. And Digger's gonna dig us out. From the director of Birdman and the Revenant.

What would happen if I stop doing? You starve. You freeze to death. That's what? With great power comes great deniability. I'm not the first, Danny. Digger. See the trail online. Only here's October 2nd.

This is a CBC podcast. Because we're moving fast, because our partners need this energy, construction will begin immediately. A multi-billion dollar announcement from the Prime Minister, LNG Canada's phase two expansion will move forward in BC, only a year after it was submitted to the new major project's office. The company says it could double the amount of natural gas it delivers to overseas markets, but critics say it will also increase this country's greenhouse gas emissions.

This is Your World Tonight. It's Tuesday, September 29th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. I'm Salima Shivji, also on the podcast. It affects about $1 billion worth of trade between Canada and the U.S. So certain industries will be impacted more than others. It'll be $150,000, for a small winery like us, that's a big hit. I hope it blows over. The new U.S. import ban is now in effect. on certain Canadian products.

And while analysts say its impact will be minor, there are growing concerns about what the broader trade war could mean for Canada's long-term growth. A year after the Prime Minister named the first batch of major projects on the federal government's fast track list, LNG Canada is now going ahead with expansion plans in Kittamat, BC. The project is supposed to double the export capacity of liquefied natural gas to Asian markets.

generating billions of dollars of revenue, but criticism too. Olivia Stefanovic has more. What a project. What a partnership. What a great day for Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney celebrating what his government says is the second largest single private investment in the country's history. A $33 billion announcement by LNG Canada to move forward with its phase two expansion in Kittamat, British Columbia.

Canada is working. Canada is building big again. Carney says the project will be built with indigenous people, expected to create up to 4,000 jobs, and double Canada's liquefied natural gas exports to Asian and European markets. But since it's the only large-scale LNG export facility in the country, the opposition isn't exactly rejoicing. We should have 18 LNG terminals right now. That's how many we're seeking applications when this liberal government took office. Conservative leader Pierre Pollyev says LNG Canada phase two should have happened a decade ago. So my message to the liberals is a little less conversation, a little more action, please. But the project isn't the only reason Carney is in BC. The Prime Minister is also

highlighting new protections for oceans. That's more than 50 times the size of our Lake Ontario. While facing increasing scrutiny for fast-tracking projects at the expense of nature, and wildlife. They're completely gutting environmental protections that are in place. Alex Walker is an energy analytics program manager with environmental defense. Concerned about a controversial new bill, Carney is trying to speed through Parliament, a proposal to create a one-year review timeline for projects. I think everyone can agree that investment in Canada right now is really important and it's important that we grow the economy and build sectors that are future-proof. the issue is a lot of the sectors that Prime Minister Mark Carney is investing in right now

are the exact opposite of that. LNG Canada Phase 2 is a fossil fuel project, but it includes the type of investment that the Prime Minister says Canada needs to become stronger. To not have another country, a trade partner, you can guess which one, that dictates what we watch on our streaming, what language we speak, what environmental rules we have in our country. Carney just referred to high-speed rail plan

connecting Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton to the major projects office. The province's proposed new oil pipeline to the West Coast is already under review. And Alberta Premier Daniel Smith says she expects it to move ahead quickly. I think that there's an imperative on the part of the country and imperative on the part of the federal government

to get that one built. The prime minister's decision to designate the proposed oil pipeline as a project of national interest is expected by tomorrow. Olivia Estevenovich, CBC News, Ottawa. Defiance from Dominique LeBlanc today, the minister responsible for Canada-US trade. He says Canada has no intention of apologizing for its trade practices. US President Donald Trump predicted earlier this week that Canadian leaders would soon go to him asking for a deal and saying they're sorry. I'm not thinking that the government of Canada is going to apologize

for standing up for Canadian workers, Canadian businesses, defending our economy. The American government decided to apply a series of tariffs that violated the free trade agreement that this particular administration signed six years ago. So we're going to continue to do what's necessary to support the Canadian economy, Canadian workers. reporters in New Brunswick. LeBlanc confirmed his team remains in contact with their American counterparts, but stressed they are not negotiating. Instead, Ottawa is focusing entirely on domestic

economic stability. New data shows Canada's economy withstood initial tariff headwinds, but the escalating trade war is beginning to test its resilience. Philippe de Montigny has the details. A molasses company in St. John New Brunswick acted quickly before the U.S. US imports bans came into a fact. What we did ahead of the ban is we actually shipped more product down to our warehouse down in the U.S. to avoid the ban. So we're still just navigating this uncertainty. Crosby Foods marketing manager Peter Davis says roughly 3% of the company's sales come from

American customers. It's a market they would have liked to grow. I hope it blows over. I mean, it does allow us to refocus on our Canadian market. Crosby is one of many Canadian businesses caught in the crosshairs of this latest escalation in the trade war, which is having a scattered impact on Canada's economy. Construction and several other sectors across the country actually saw increases in output in July, but that was offset by declines in retail and wholesale. Statistics Canada says real GDP as a result

flatlined coming in at 0% after three months of growth. Deloitte even cut its forecast for Canada's economy in 2007. still looking for growth of about 1 and a half percent, but that's down from about 2%, which we previously expected. Chief economist Don Desjardin says that slower growth largely comes from these trade tensions. The pressures we're seeing from tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, really taking a toll on the economy's momentum. We've seen business confidence and consumer confidence waiver during this recent round. But experts say the impact on the economy's momentum.

GDP from import bans will be less. These measures can still create a logistical nightmare for many Canadian producers. Robert Glasgow is a lawyer with KPMG, specializing in international trade. With a ban, then your goods just can't get into the market. And if you had, say, customers that you had that relationship with, and then once they find alternative suppliers, if the ban goes away and, say, six months, well, now you have to reestablish all those relationships. and that makes it more difficult.

Deloitte's Don Desjardin expects Canada's central bank to remain on the sidelines for the rest of the year. But there is some chance that they will raise the policy rate. In its newest report, Deloitte says with slowing growth and inflation inching up, four interest rate hikes could be in store for next year. Philippe de Montseignee, CBC News, Toronto. Americans too are trying to adapt to the uncertainty of this latest wave in the trade war, as the flow of some Canadian products dries up. Katie Simpson is in Wisconsin for us,

where business owners are trying to figure out what all of this means for their bottom line. We get the Canadian club, which is very affordable. Jamal Chawar shows off the last of the Canadian whiskey for sale inside his small liquor store in downtown Milwaukee. It's like, you know, nice stuff and people know it. They are used to it.

It's very popular. And it enhances business, you know. Once these bottles are gone, that's it, he says. Which he argues is a shame. The result of the Trump administration's trade war with Canada. Canadian alcohol exports are banned, along with other goods, including way products. American farmers are trying to figure out what that means for them. including Jody News, who runs a small dairy operation in Iowa.

I don't know if it's going to help the weigh price in the United States. I don't know if it's going to hurt the weight price in the United States. Uncertainty is a hallmark of President Donald Trump's global trade agenda, and it's top of mind for the farming community at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. I don't know the right word to put it. It's nonsense, basically. Paula Lauer brought a group of high school students from a small farmer, in Indiana to The Dairy Show. She identifies as a conservative, but says Trump's America First agenda is disappointing,

and she doesn't want to vote for anyone who supports trade wars. There is no lowering of grocery prices, no lowering of gas prices. I mean, obviously, it's all going higher, so, and it makes me struggle as a single mom. The White House is concerned. American voters are connecting the higher cost of living to the tariff and trade agenda, and that it could hurt Republicans in the state. the upcoming midterm elections, prompting a warning that Canada shouldn't draw attention to it or lobby against it.

Memo to Canada, you cannot do that. Peter Navarro, one of Trump's trade advisors with a blunt threat for Canada to back off. And if you interfere in our elections in Maine or Michigan, you will pay even more dearly. The White House insists Trump's plan is working and that it will create new jobs in the U.S., but that it will take time. But time is not on their side with the midterm elections coming. up in November. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Coming up, new research shows some forms of cancer are caused by viruses, about 12% of cases worldwide,

but Canadian experts say this country is faring better. Plus, a summit on artificial intelligence brings together top tech billionaires at the White House with promises of self-regulation amid growing warnings about the dangers of AI. Later, we'll have this story. I'm Kayla Hounsel on Prince Edward Island, where disease has nearly wiped out oysters and fishermen are selling their licenses back to the federal government. It's heartbreaking is what it is. How the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is trying to help, and the tiny seed, some say, might be the hope to saving the industry. So this is some of the first stuff that we got from the U.S. That's coming up on your world tonight.

A British Columbia judge has ruled parts of Canada's drug laws are uncommon. constitutional. The judge threw out drug trafficking convictions against two activists who admitted to distributing illegal substances. She determined they were selling to others to reduce the harm caused by toxic drugs. Michelle Gassoub has more. It took enormous courage to do what they did. Two activists previously found guilty of drug trafficking had their convictions thrown out in BC Supreme Court today. The judge found they acted selflessly and in the public interest. by distributing illegal but tested drugs to vulnerable drug users. Tim Dixon represented them in court.

They followed the evidence and they ran that program for no personal benefit whatsoever. Aris Nix and Jeremy Calicum founded the drug users liberation front in 2022. It operated as a Compassion Club, providing tested drugs to people already using substances on Vancouver's downtown east side. In 2023, their homes and offices were raided and the pair arrested. The convictions they faced have now been stayed. That program was from start to finish only aimed at reducing the risk of death and injury for their members. The pair's actions and the judge's decisions aren't being lauded by everyone. Eleanor Sterko is a former MLA currently running for re-election in BC.

She's been critical of the level of public drug use. The assertion that Dolf didn't cause any harm, I think the fact that taxpayer funds were possibly diverted to the dark web, and we have money going into the hands of the very murderous gangs, the cartels and drug dealers that our law enforcement officers and government are trying to dismantle. I think that that's very harmful. DJ Larkin is with the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.

She was in court for the decision. There are those rare moments when you have to challenge the status quo. And a lot of the health care and rights we have today come out of things like this. Reproductive rights. HIV health treatments. These things went through the court because the law needed to be challenged. The judge in the case wrote parts of Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act are unconstitutional. She said a safer supply program is urgently needed to save lives and that Nix and Calicum were reduced.

the harms associated with the toxic drug crisis. Larkin says the existing law isn't enough to protect them. That puts the liberty rights of those two individuals at risk because they could go to jail for doing something that was a public service and that was a public good. That decision has been suspended for six months to give time for the government to consider changing the law. Michelle Gassube, CBC News, Vancouver.

For many people, an infection may not be the first thing that comes to mind regarding cancer risk factors. But new research shows one in eight cancers worldwide are attributed to them. Canada is faring better than most countries. But as Tashana Reid reports, that advantage may not last much longer. It was just a lot of pain, hip pain, back pain, that pelvic pain area. And for someone who was so in tune with her body, she knew something was wrong. Rob Whitmill lost his wife, Carla Van Kassel.

to cervical cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. The mom of two fought to raise awareness about the disease until the end. Whitmill continues to advocate. What are the things that we can do to make sure that people don't lose people unnecessarily? I'll continue to talk about it very openly with anyone who asks. And I think it's an important message. Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus, an infection. Now, a new report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer suggests infections like HPV cause one in eight cancers.

Researchers estimate in 2024 that added up to 2.3 million new cancer cases worldwide, and most are preventable. Gary Clifford is an epidemiologist and co-author of the study. We can vaccinate against them. We can test and treat for them quite easily. the top two infections were the bacteria H. Pylori, which can lead to stomach cancer if not screened for and treated by antibiotics. And HPV, which causes cervical cancer, genital and some head and neck cancers, but can be prevented by vaccines. And researchers have now made new links between cancers and infections. The types of viruses that cause cancer that we already knew about in the past, We are learning that they can cause an expanded number of other cancers.

Notably, Epstein-Barr virus, which has no treatment or vaccine, can lead to gastric cancers. Here in Canada, research suggests infections cause roughly 4% of total cancer cases. Elizabeth Holmes is the Director of Health Policy at the Canadian Cancer Society. HPV is certainly an infection that we're keeping an eye on. She says after years of declines in cervical cancer rates, last year, rates in Canada plateaued. An HPV vaccination is lagging behind. Only about five provinces are above 80%, and I think at least one is as low as 66%. A national action plan to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 requires vaccination and screening rates to be at 90%.

Realistically, the vaccinations are, they're the big thing that we need to do. Rob Whitmill hopes to see a day when cervical cancer is no longer a threat. Toshana Reid, CBC News, Toronto. The U.S. president and more than a dozen tech executives have signed a document on artificial intelligence. Donald Trump calls it a form of protection and says the paper is morally binding. But there are no details. The document came out of a meeting at the White House convened as the industry is forced to issue more apologies for rogue hacking incidents. and as a major company scraps the release of a new AI model over safety concerns.

Katie Nicholson reports. Surrounded by 20 of the world's top tech titans, U.S. President Donald Trump confident the world shouldn't fear AI. We have people that love our country and love the world a lot. And touted an accord signed by the leaders. They came together and they did something that few people really, It's almost like a constitution in a way. And the biggest people in the world signed that.

Is this accord that everybody signed? Is it binding in any way? I think it's morally binding, yeah. A copy of the accord has yet to be made public, and it isn't clear if it has any real teeth and appears to rely on industry self-regulation. What I think we all signed today, which is the White House accord,

on developing this technology safely. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the basic idea was to make Americans feel confident in AI. We drafted a set of principles and commitments around building robust internal controls and detecting if there are any issues with the technology, coupled with multiple layers of auditing and controls, starting with internal risk review, external auditors and evaluators. Put people over profit. For months now, a steady drumbeat of anger, and anxiety about artificial intelligence.

Today, spilling over outside a tech giant's San Francisco summit. We need to shut this stuff down. Period. Pass the protesters and security barriers. Developers filled Open AI's annual conference, where CEO Sam Altman sold his company's latest AI products. Good morning and welcome to Dev Day. It is great to have everyone here. The sunny and upbeat presentation mere hours after the company

scrapped the release of its new Astra Model, over safety concerns. And on the heels of the company apologizing to Australia after one of its AI agents hacked into its Medicare website, just the latest in a series of incursions, as more whistleblowers come forward, accusing companies of not taking safety seriously. Whether this accord addresses those fears remains to be seen.

Trump, when asked who should be accountable when AI agents commit crimes, pivoted to another of his pet issues, rebranding the technology. That's the other thing. We've changed the name officially today to SI, okay? Sci like SI, SI, instead of AI. You know what that means? Superintelligence. Though it's unlikely, the name change will alleviate any fears or quiet, growing calls,

pushing for independent government oversight. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. British police say no explosives have been found in vehicles, searched near a military base in Fairford. Five British nationals were arrested on Sunday after a local resident reported suspicious activity involving three vans. Lawrence Taylor is head of the UK's counter-terrorism unit.

Those vehicles, as I explained yesterday, have been subject to extensive examination with the support of military assets and forensic experts, and we can confirm that no improvised explosive devices have been found. The five men arrested, on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act were released on bail yesterday and remain under investigation. The government of Manitoba is buying a campground on land that contains a burial site

connected to the former Brandon Indian residential school. Children who died at the school were buried on the land between 1895 and 1912. The land was taken over by the city in the 1920s and the grave markers were removed. It was later sold. Premier Wobb, canoe will dedicate a memorial at the site tomorrow, Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. After disease nearly wiped out PEI's oyster population, Ottawa says there's strong early interest in its program to buy back fishing licenses on the island. The goal is to give stocks a chance to recover and support local fishers financially. As Kayla Hounsel tells us, some say there is hope and it's coming from the U.S.

One by one, and with daylight just breaking through, they push their boats into the water. For decades, these PEI fishermen have been harvesting those world-renowned Malpec oysters. Now, some of them are selling their licenses back to the federal government, seeing no other choice after disease nearly wiped out the species here. It's heartbreaking, is what it is, yeah. Albert Milligan is standing over the edge of a dory using long tongs to scoop oysters out of the bay. An average dip of oysters could be two oysters. At 62, he's made the difficult decision to apply to permanently give up his license in exchange for $40,000. I would be retiring for sure,

but finding a different career path. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says there is strong early interest in its license buyback program. It comes after two parasitic diseases which don't harm humans killed almost all of the oysters in Western PEI. Many fishers are now traveling to the other end of the island to fish unaffective waters. The federal program is intended to help those losing their livelihoods and alleviate extra pressure on the oyster stocks. And you overfish the river more. You try to make a living. Bob McLeod is president of the PEI Shellfish Association. He says while the buyback

program has opened for applications, it didn't come fast enough and no one has actually received the federal cash. The pressure's on, the rivers are getting fished and it still hasn't rolled out. The federal government has allocated $6 million for the program. It's also allowing the import of oyster seed from the U.S. They're not actual seeds, but juvenile oysters, just a couple of millimeters, and they're supposed to be resistant to disease. So in this insert, there's about 40 to 50,000 oysters in here. Tim Rayner says the tiny specks are the symbol of hope. He doesn't fish oysters. He farms them. Once they're big enough, he moves them from his nursery out to his farm, row after row of cages sticking out of the water. So this is some of the first stuff that we got from

the U.S. He hauls one of the cages up over the side of his boat to show a batch he's been growing since June. I took a lot of effort and time to get it here, but all signs point that it's It's going to do extremely well. But it will take three years to grow the oysters big enough to sell. In the meantime, he has no income and says he and others will need continued government support as they try to rebuild the industry that is the backbone of their island home. Kayla Hounsel, CBC News on Malpec Bay, Prince Edward Island. And finally, you might be tempted right now to run for an oil can,

but that's not a squeaky wheel. It's the call of the northern Sawet Owl. Apparently named that because it sounds like a saw being sharpened on a wetstone. Now, if you live in northern B.C., you're probably already very familiar with that call, because this month a record-breaking migration is underway, as the birds fly to warmer climates. Janin Randall is a bird biologist who bans these little owls to track them. The owls are typically brown and white and about the size of a pop can. We normally catch about 100 owls in a season.

We banned owls for the month of September, and we've caught 266, with two weeks still left to go in the season. In fact, there are so many owls the McKenzie Nature Observatory is running out of tracking bans. Why the influx? Probably last year's mild winter. The main thing that's likely driving this is an abundance of small rodents this year. That's their main prey is mice, the things like deer mice, and voles. And there's pretty good evidence that we're having an eruption year for rodents, which is going to lead to higher nesting success and survival of the young for the solid owls. Despite the current boom, Birds Canada says overall the number of owls is decreasing.

Banding projects like Randalls provide crucial data needed to monitor populations and migration routes. And that helps with decisions on how to protect the species. This has been your world tonight for 20. Tuesday, September 29th. I'm Salima Shivji. Gine. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.

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