Your World Tonight - Air Canada deal, what’s behind food price increases, Poilievre byelection victory, and more

Episode Date: August 19, 2025

Air Canada says operations will resume, now that it has reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants. Thousands of flights were disrupted when the strike started on Saturday. We have details on how quickly things will get back to normal.And: If you’re wondering why prices are up at the grocery store, the culprit may not be what you suspect. Don’t think trade, think climate.Also: Pierre Poilievre has decisively won the byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot. He has a seat in the House of Commons. He still has to face a leadership review in January, but until then he can resume his role as leader of the opposition.Plus: The Canadian Army is dealing with another incident of alleged hateful conduct. Five Quebec-based soldiers have been suspended after a video surfaced of people making Nazi salutes at a party; assessing the damage of East Coast wildfires, Ukraine negotiations, and more.

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Upsetting, you know, it's high anxiety. I'm traveling with my 11-year-old grandson here. We want to get to Calgary. We had family meeting us in Calgary, and we had plans in Calgary, and we still want to get to Calgary.

From fight to flight, Air Canada and its flight attendants talked overnight and reached a tentative deal with some planes back in the air. But after days of job action and cancelled flights, getting people where they want to go, where many have already paid to go, will take days. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Tuesday, August 19th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. I'm still worried. It's not over till it's finally out. And that's a worry that everybody around here has on their mind. When is this going to be?

over. It's raining over parts of Newfoundland today, finally, giving firefighters some hope as they make some gains on the province's east coast. Still, the Kingston fire alone has now destroyed more than 200 structures, and it's still burning, sending thick smoke over St. John's. Air Canada's planes are once again in the air, the airline and its cabin crew. crews have ended their dispute after a three-day strike. Both sides say the tentative agreement resolves the issue of unpaid work. We have full coverage on this story for you, including the problems still faced by some passengers. But we begin with Jennifer Lagrasa and what we know about the deal. On the tarmac at Toronto's Pearson Airport, Air Canada planes are getting ready for takeoff. We're just so happy that we're able to come to a deal. Mark Nassar is Air Canada's

operations officer. The deal between the airline and its flight attendants comes after the two sides met with a mediator, following a tense few days that saw staff defy back to work orders from the federal government. Air Canada flight attendants achieved a historic win through this new agreement, and they will be compensated for their time on the ground. That was a key issue in this dispute. Experts say it's common for airlines to only pay flight attendants while in the air. But Kupi, the union for the flight attendants, wanted members to be paid for work they do before and after flights. In a statement, Kupi said unpaid work is over. It declined to do an interview. But the devil's in the detail. Sandeep Goklay is a labor lawyer. He says

compensating unpaid work was always on the table. The offer prior to strike from Air Canada included, I'll say, partial payment for work prior to and after a flight arrives. Union sources tell CBC News that the new deal will initially pay flight attendants half of their hourly rate for groundwork. By the end of the four-year contract, that will increase to 70%. I think it is a great move for flight attendants right across because it will set a precedent. Smaller Canadian airlines like Porter and Pascahn Aviation do offer some form of ground pay. But some experts think that this deal could transform the sector. To include pay for unpaid time is something that flight attendant.

have wanted for a long, long time. Stephen Tufts is a labor professor in Toronto. I think we should all recognize the contribution that these workers have made, not just to for their own collective agreement, but to weigh labor relationships and labor relations are going to be carried out in the federally regulated sectors going forward. And this comes as Canada's other major airline, WestJet, gets ready to negotiate its flight attendant contracts,

which expire in the coming months. In a statement, Kupi's Westjet component said it's watching this deal with Air Canada closely as it could represent a needed shift in the industry. Air Canada, flight attendants still need to vote on the deal. There's no confirmed date for that right now. Jennifer Lagrasa, CBC News, Toronto. Air Canada says operations won't return to normal for at least a week, leaving many customers in the lurch.

The airline has offered refunds and help rebooking. But some travellers say that compensation lands short of covering the true costs. Ithelmusa reports. I've been to hell. Yeah, it's that bad. James Noonfor and his family are trying to get back to Regina. The family of nine traveled to Cameroon in Central Africa for a funeral. But they've been stuck in Toronto Pearson Airport since the weekend, waiting for a flight home. We found something on Westgate that was supposed to fly in between.

Noomfor says he got no help from Air Canada in securing seats on that flight. So his family is preparing to sleep another night at the airport. We've got 5,000 Air Canada co-workers mobilized to re-book our customers. Air Canada's Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Mark Nassar says his airline is trying to get passengers to their destinations. We're offering re-bookings both now in Air Canada that we're back in the air. well as 120 other airlines, including our competitors. We're offering customers the ability to change their travel dates with no change fee for up to a year from now. And for those where it's appropriate, we're also offering refunds. But one thing the carrier makes clear on its website is

that under Canada's air passenger protection regulations, customers in Canada are not eligible for compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, meals, hotels, or other incidental expenses for situations outside the carrier's control, including labor disruptions. If you want to get back your money for the flights, yes, they will refund your money by. If I take the money, where am I going to go with money? I cannot fly with money. I need a plane, not money. Jeff White is with the Public Interest Advocacy Center. What needs to be done? This isn't a new question. Reforms have been proposed over the years. More recently, the Competition Bureau has put out a report advocating for more competition in the

Canadian airline industry. More competition, back. by better rules when these things happen is where we need to start. Dana Olmsted, who owns a travel agency in Caledin, Ontario, says purchasing travel insurance can help protect passengers in these types of situations. Going forward for people, it's always a good thing to know. You can't buy house insurance when your house is on fire. Experts say consumers need to double check their travel insurance policies, including ones that come with a credit card because not all of them cover labor disputes. It'll move

The CBC News, Toronto. Pierre Pollyev is heading back to Ottawa. The federal conservative leader cruised to victory last night in a by-election in a rural Alberta riding. The victory once again gives him a seat in the House of Commons. David Thurton has more on what's next.

Inflation is up, elbows are down, no resource projects are underway. That's why us conservatives have our work cut out for us. No rest this summer for Pierre Paulyev. it seems going forward for the conservative leader. Less than four months after losing his Ottawa seat in the federal election, he'll be heading back to Parliament Hill.

Some might have thought it was a burden for me to come right off the campaign trail in a national campaign and go straight to knocking on doors, to traveling throughout a region of 56,000 square kilometers. But I'll tell you something, it was not a burden at all. According to projections, Paul Yev is expected to win more than 80% of the vote. And I think this is really the first step

toward getting back in the saddle. Ginny Roth is a partner at Crestfew Strategy and the former director of communications for Pauliev's leadership campaign. Roth says Pollyev needs to adjust his tone. I think it's more about picking the right fights, picking the big, meaningful fights. On occasion, politicians will get sort of like

gratuitously oppositional, and I think that's where it's just not worth taking the bait. Roth also says Pauliyev needs to be more prime ministerial But others say that's not enough. Conservatives will make the case that, yeah, we grew the base, and they did. We got more votes, and they did. They returned more MPs, and they did.

But it wasn't enough to form a parliamentary majority. Satchie Curl is the president of the Angus Reed Institute, a not-for-profit public opinion firm. Based on the data that I've seen, is that, if anything, the time he spent on the campaign trail where they tried to put him out there as a more accessible, more likable leader, didn't necessarily get the job done. If anything, more Canadians today than two years ago are likely to see him as insincere or likely to see him as someone

that they would be ashamed to call Prime Minister. Pollyup has already started outlining his next steps, including plans to defend Canadian sovereignty, getting tough on crime, and opposing the liberal government's 2035 electric vehicle sales mandate. We will not only oppose out of control, liberal inflation, crime, immigration, cost of living, and housing prices. But we will propose.

But he faces another test. At January's Conservative Convention, he's up for a mandatory leadership review, where party members get to decide whether or not he should stay on. David Thornton, CBC News, Ottawa. Coming right up, Canadian soldiers at a party where someone made national Salutes. A disturbing video leads to an investigation. Fires in Newfoundland have been burning for weeks, but the weather may be helping in the fight against them. We'll also have some details on U.S.-led attempts to broker a deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine and the double-double-sided coin on Canadian inflation, where overall it has slowed, but the costs of coffee and other goods are on the rise. The Canadian Army is dealing with another incident of alleged hateful conduct. Five Quebec-based soldiers have been suspended

after a video surfaced of people making Nazi salutes at a party. The CBC's senior defense reporter Murray Brewster joins us with more on this story. Murray, what do we know about this latest incident? Susan, we have to start off by saying that we have not seen the video, But it was apparently shot in 2023. The commander of the Canadian Army put out a statement late this afternoon telling us that five soldiers have been suspended from duty while an investigation is taking place. Now, this video apparently shows a soldier drinking in front of the Royal 22nd Regiment flag. Now, the Royal 22nd Regiment is the Van Dues.

There have been several people in this video and some of them are giving the Nazi salute. But at the moment, we don't know whether any of the soldiers, were doing that or if it was others at the event. Lieutenant General Mike Wright says that he's launched an internal investigation to determine the breadth and the scope of the incident, but military police are also involved. And as far as we know right now, no charges have been laid under the military justice system. There are a number of other incidents that are under investigation. Murray, tell us about them.

All there have been. And earlier this summer, a terrorism case emerged in Quebec where RCMP have charged two serving soldiers, a former member, and a civilian who happens to be a former cadet instructor, they were all accused of an extremist plot that was allegedly aimed at taking over a parcel of land near Quebec City. Now, the men are accused of stockpiling an arsenal of highly restricted weapons and military equipment. Separately, though, military police are investigating a reserve unit in Ottawa where a private Facebook group contained racist and derogatory remarks. Now, there have been no charges related to that incident with the Cameron Highlanders,

but the commanding officer has been temporarily removed from his post. And the military's been struggling to deal with this for years, Murray. What are top commanders saying? Well, Susan, you might recall back in 2020, I mean, the Army was dealing with similar incidents, and it introduced a series of policies basically trying to stamp out right-wing extremism. They introduced, among other things, a hateful conduct registry to track the number of incidents. Now, what we've seen in that data is that there's been a steady decline in the number of reported hateful conduct incidents up until last year when the numbers began to surge again. General Jenny Carey Nan was on CBC Radio's The House this past Saturday when I was hosting, and I asked her about the turnaround in those numbers and whether they're actually losing the battle against hateful conduct. CAF members know what the expectations are, and should they act trying to hide their behavior, it is only.

a question of time before we can find them. So absolutely no room for that type of behavior as part of our ranks. Now, Karen Ann says they're doing additional screening on recruits who are coming through the door looking for these kinds of beliefs and behaviors, but she says that swift action has to be taken whenever hateful conduct is uncovered within the ranks. Thank you, Murray. You're welcome. That's the CBC's Murray Brewster in our Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa.

There is hope in Atlantic Canada that cooler weather and some rain may help tame wildfires threatening the region. Some are still classified out of control. But as Katie Nicholson reports, community leaders are cautiously looking toward return and recovery. A welcome sound, rain, falling onto the parched barons where the Kingston fire, Newfoundland's largest, Burroughs. For me, like hell. 77-year-old Lester Bud has been out of his Salmon Cove home for two weeks. He drove an hour to this lookout to get a better view of the fire. It seems like it's knocked down a lot since it was yesterday,

but still a fair bit of smoke and smoldering there. A drop in temperature and wet weather have helped firefighters. Evacquees are increasingly anxious to get home or see what's left of their home. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan. I know people are taking the last two days as positive news, and it is positive news. We're still not in a place where we can remove any evacuation alerts or evacuation orders. Hogan confirmed more than 200 structures have been consumed by fire. More than 34 of them were in Small Point Adams Cove.

Mayor Curtis Delaney drove through his community. I mean, there's more in our town that has burned than is left, really. Like Newfoundland, Nova Scotia benefited from rain but is bracing for hotter temperatures to kick up fire behavior later in the week. In Miramishina-Brunswick, where a two-week-old fire has been contained, wildfire scientist Danny Goddard is still processing what has been a busy season. I've never seen conditions this dry in the East Coast. This summer, the mercury at the St. John's airport broke 30 degrees five times. The previous record was two, says Memorial University Climateology. psychologist Joel Finnis.

We haven't just broken a record. We've really demolished it, right? Smashed right through that barrier, which is always a reminder that climate change brings new extremes and real surprises. It's not just a gradual uptick. Newfoundland has long been able to count on the cold ocean to keep its temperatures lower. But Finnis says as the ocean has warmed with climate change, that effect has been muted. We've been seeing the air that's crossing those colder oceans being warmer as well from their starting points, which means that there's less chance to cool them before they get to us. So all of that allows us a greater chance to get to those higher temperatures.

And with those higher temperatures, as the Atlantic provinces are learning, a greater risk of fire. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Victoria, Newfoundland. The White House says it's working to arrange a meeting between Russia and Ukraine's presidents after separate meetings with both by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has also promised security guarantees for Ukraine, but without much detail. As Cameron McIntosh explains, the negotiations might be ongoing, but so are Russian attacks. Ukrainian firefighters again dowsing another apartment building after Russia's largest aerial strike in weeks.

270 drones, 10 missiles slipping through Ukrainian defenses. rescuers finding several dead and dozens more injured over 24 hours. If Russia wants peace, this is how it's showing it. We're setting up a meeting. I sort of set it up with Putin and Zelensky. Still, U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking on Fox TV, insists he's on the verge of getting the presidents of Russia and Ukraine together. You know, they're the ones that have to call the shots. Monday evening, Trump spoke with Putin for 40 minutes by phone.

The White House says Putin agreed to meet Ukrainian press. President Vlodemir Zelensky. The details still being worked out. Today, Russia's foreign minister says Russia is open to bilateral talks with Zelensky alone or trilateral talks, including Trump. We will come to a resolution today, I think, on almost everything. Yesterday, on maps in the Oval Office, Trump outlined Russian demands for land to Zelensky and European leaders, working out their positions, broadly discussing security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine

to be led by Europe and supported by the U.S. Alexander Stubb is president of Finland. In diplomacy, what happens in the Oval Office stays in the Oval Office. The White House offering a little more detail. The U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help

in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees. Leaders of the so-called coalition of the willing, which includes Canada, met virtually today, French President Emmanuel Macron, hosting talks on what each country could provide. There are questions over what Moscow will accept. Macron has his own doubts.

When I look at the situation and the fact, I don't see President Putin really willing to get peace now. Those security guarantees would be negotiated against Russian demands for land. There is already disagreement. Ukraine wants a ceasefire. Putin refused in his meeting with Trump last week. Trump is also again appearing to blame Ukraine for the war. You don't take on a nation that's 10 times your size. Trump also faces disagreement within his mega

base on whether the U.S. should remain involved in Ukraine. Casting himself a peacemaker who can deal with Putin, Trump did concede this. It's possible that he doesn't want to make a deal. Trump saying he hopes Putin is, quote, good. Otherwise, it will be a rough

situation. Cameron McIntosh, CBC News, Washington. The United Nations says violence and intimidation of Palestinians by Israeli extremist settlers is surging. They say settlers carried out more than 750 attacks on Palestinians and their property during the first half of this year. An average of nearly 130 assaults a month in the West Bank. Susan Ormiston has more. So this is the case. I always lock it. Come on, please.

Hadi al-Kam built his summer home in the hills near Tumarsaya, a refuge until now. All the flames came from this window. They throw the burning material from here inside. He accuses extremist Israeli settlers of cutting through the wire fence and throwing a torch through a back window. Al-Qam and his wife weren't there that night. When they did arrive outside, they saw a spray-painted message in Hebrew, saying revenge, price tag, a tag often used by settlers. Now I think we can go inside. And inside, they're blackened living room. When you walked in here, what did you think?

I was shot, you know, my wife, she started crying. I'm sure. I love this place. Across the Israeli-occupied West Bank violence is spiking. According to the UN, attacks have reached a 20-year high. Cars and homes torched with threats to Palestinian farmers and herders. In July, a Christian church in Taipei was burned. The U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee promised consequences.

Those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taiba are anywhere. Be found, be prosecuted. Canada has sanctioned some individual settlers and settler groups, but often the violence goes unpunished, say agencies covering the West. Bank. They're taking over land in order to then build settlements and outposts, removing the Palestinian residents, and then not having to face any consequences. Sarit Mikhaili with an Israeli human rights group, Detsalem, says the war in Gaza has in part overshadowed escalating tensions here. I think it's crystal clear that Israeli settlers who are backed by all branches of the government

understand that for them this is a golden opportunity. Last week, the Israeli Foreign Minister announced plans to build another 3,000 homes in E1, a controversial area in the occupied West Bank. From his terrace, Wadi Al-Kam points out a settler's outpost a kilometer away. He says the IDF and police came to inspect the damage, but so far no arrests. Al-Qam says he'll clean up, add more security,

but he won't leave. This is our land. We have to stay in our land and to stick in our land. We will not leave it for them. How will this end? I have no idea. What he is certain of

are more battles here. Susan Ormiston, CBC News, near Turmosiah in the Occupied West Bank. This is Your World Tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, Follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in.

Canada's inflation rate is cooling a bit. Statistics Canada says the country's inflation rate fell slightly from 1.9% in June to 1.7% last month. But as Colin Butler tells us, while overall inflation may be easing, it's still straining budgets in key areas like housing and food. Paying for coffee is becoming a grind. Prices are up 28% according to Statistics Canada's latest numbers. It means cafes and coffee roasters need to rethink their menus and in some cases raise prices.

All the cheap coffee's been used up. Russ Prefontein is the co-owner and president for telecoffee roasters in Calgary. So in grocery stores, what you see are those lower-priced brands. having to increase their prices to the point where it's almost the same as local specialty coffee roasters. Weather disasters, speculation, a perfect storm of factors, all acting together to make that cup of Joe more expensive, and that's not all that's getting pricier. So are groceries.

Yeah, no, it's absurd. It's ridiculous. Dan Shribnick is, like many Canadians, while the grocery bills are gaining weight, his wallet is on a crash diet. I mean, I just spent $170.70. I didn't buy any meat, just vegetables and some bread and stuff, and that'll last maybe a week. The price of groceries are rising faster than inflation, up 3.4% in July. And it's not just coffee causing anxiety at the checkout aisle. The price of chocolate is up 12%. Grapes up 30. Overall, Canadians are paying 27% more for groceries than they were five years ago. And it's not just food. Housing costs are not far above. behind up 3% last year. The only good news, the price of gas. Thanks to the feds ditching the

carbon tax, it's down 16%. Despite those pressures, economists say the bigger picture is what comes next for interest rates. Bemo's Shelley Koschik says cuts are still on the horizon. Overall, we do think that the Bank of Canada is going to resume cutting rates later this year. It's just a question of timing. And so for that, we look into the details of these inflation data as they come. words, with so much uncertainty in the economy and the world, exactly when and by how much, is too tough to call. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario. Finally tonight, a shaggy dog story about a hot dog named Buster.

Michelle Berkowski is Buster's owner. One day, she smelled smoke coming from her kitchen and realized she'd left a book on top of her brand new stove. The book was actually on fire at the time, so I came in, I saw the fire, I, I, saw the fire, I brought the book outside and put the fire out. When I came back inside, that element was still on. So when I left, I knew I didn't leave the element on or I had no intention of using the stove that day.

So he was the only one in the kitchen. Yep, Buster had figured out how to turn on the stove top. There is a serious side to this story. Berkowski started doing some research and the manufacturer, Samsung, and Health Canada issued safety warnings last year for the model Buster had figured out how to work. The company issued replacement knobs that lock,

which she ordered, but then the delivery package was stolen, so Berkowski simply took off the knobs and figured problem solved. After all, the digital display for the oven was surely dogproof. A few weeks later, she was at work when she got a call from the fire department. Yeah, I was completely shocked. I'd never thought in a million years that a dog would be able to turn the oven on. Um, he's also like, he's, I love Buster. He's a great dog, but like, he's not the smartest dog. He's not like the littlest hobo type dog. So in my head, he shouldn't be able to turn an oven on.

Now Bercowski admits she also made a mistake. She'd hidden some cereal and crackers inside the oven to keep it from Buster. And that's what caught fire. She's warning other pet owners to be aware of how easy it was for Buster to turn on the oven. hers is now toast. So Berkowski says she's taken to hiding some of the dry food in the microwave. Thanks for joining us. This has been your world tonight for Tuesday, August 19th.

I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. Podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.