Your World Tonight - Alberta’s Referendum, Ottawa’s sovereignty stress, rising beef costs, and more

Episode Date: May 22, 2026

Separation anxiety. Premier Danielle Smith says she is putting the question of separation to Albertans in a fall vote. The measure is drawing criticism from all sides, from the NDP’s Naheed Nenshi, who is the provincial opposition leader, to the leader of Alberta’s independence movement.Ottawa is also looking West, and keeping a close eye on the situation in Alberta. Prime Minister Mark Carney says the energy-rich province plays a key role in Canada’s future, while the federal Conservative Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre promises his party will campaign for a united country over the coming months.And: High ‘steaks.’ Why the price of beef is getting harder to swallow, just in time for the summer grilling season.Plus: Health Canada addresses Ebola concerns, Kitchener, Ontario encampment battle, Canadian Gaza flotilla activists start to return home, and more.

Have you ever wondered how clean the seats on the TTC are? I found, like, chicken bones or, like, bed bogs. Or why so many Toronto restaurant bathrooms are in dank basements? Sometimes it's the most sketchy things. Like, when you go down, it's like, what is this? I'm Hayden Waters, a reporter and producer on the podcast, This is Toronto. From breaking down Doug Ford's obsession with the island airport.

We have to bring jets in. To being inside an iconic Toronto strip club in its final hours. We go beyond the headlines of the day and get to know Toronto and all its big, beautiful, frustrating, wardy, fascinating glory. So find and follow us. This is Toronto, wherever you get your podcast. This is a CBC podcast. We cannot kick this can down the road. We need to get direction from all Albertans on this matter now. It will cause untold economic strife and it will cause untold emotional strife for a question that will have zero results. It is a plan that is polarizing

people and politicians of all stripes. Alberta's fall. referendum that will put the question of secession to provincial voters. This is Your World Tonight. I'm Tashana Reid. It's Friday, May 22nd, nearing 6 p.m. Eastern. From pro-independence activists to federalists and First Nations, the decision is triggering anger, disappointment, and a potential summer of stress. I don't agree with it. I don't even think that should be a question. I love it. I'm so glad that there's that opportunity. I do not agree with it at all. I think they are trampling over the native rights.

The move by Premier Danielle Smith is also causing some separation anxiety in Ottawa as federal leaders look west and for a way to navigate a bubbling national unity crisis. We're renovating the country as we go. And Alberta, being at the center of that, is essential. Conservatives love Canada. I love Canada. We're going to fight for a United Canada every day and every way. We have all the angles covered for you tonight on this important story, beginning in Calgary with Josh McLean. On the streets of Camrose, Alberta, mixed feelings as the province prepares for a referendum on its future in Canada. I don't agree with it. I don't even think that should be a question. I love it. I'm so glad that there's that opportunity. I do not agree with it at all. I think they are trampling over the native rights.

Albertans will choose between two options, stay in Canada, or have the government push forward with a second binding referendum on separation. Within hours of the government's announcement, efforts to organize voters were underway. Dozens of people turned up at an impromptu rally organized by the Alberta NDP. Leader Nahed Nenchi threw his party's support firmly on the pro-Canada side. This battle was thrust upon us, but it is the battle of our lives. We will do everything we can. We will use every ounce of energy we have and every blood cells in every one of our bodies, saying we are Canadian and we will always be Canadian. Conservatives in the province are mobilizing too.

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Harper-era Cabinet Minister Monty Solberg are behind vote to stay. We don't want to gamble the future of our children and grandchildren. And we think there's a constructive way for Alberta to continue to contribute to. Canada. The referendum plan provoked anger among separatist proponents who are calling for a more definitive question. Here's Jeffrey Rath from Stay Free Alberta. We know that she's treacherous. We know that she's underhanded. We know that she doesn't care one bit about screwing her party members and screwing people that support her. And that's effectively what she did yesterday. Rath called Smith a backstabber and said she should resign or be chased out of office by her party

like former Premier Jason Kenney. Under attack from all sides, Danielle Sassad. Smith deflecting blame at a news conference this afternoon. The crisis, she said, was not of her making. I think it's people like Abby Lewis, who continues to campaign to keep our fossil fuels in the ground. I think it's leadership in British Columbia who continues to try to put barriers in the way of us getting our product to market. That is the reason we are having this crisis right now.

First Nations leaders also weighed in. It was a legal challenge about indigenous consultation that quashed the original pro-separation petition and Treaty 8 chiefs are sounding the alarm that the provinces once again forging ahead without proper consultation, saying they will ask Parliament to review the referendum under the Clarity Act. Back in Camrose, some residents are eager to participate in the fall referendum. I would definitely go vote. Yeah, I think it's important that we use our right to vote. And I definitely think that Alberta has some big decisions to make.

In the meantime, Albertans are facing a long summer of heat. debates over the province's grievances and its place in the Canadian Federation. Josh McLean, CBC News, Calgary. The Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition were quick to make the case for a united Canada. Tom Perry is in Ottawa with federal reaction. Canada's working. We're working in a spirit of cooperative federalism to make the country better. With a low-key, dispassionate tone, Prime Minister Mark Carney offered his defense of Canadian federalism in the face of simmering anger from some in Alberta.

Canada is the greatest country in the world, but it can be better, and we're working on making it better. We're working with Alberta on making it better. Carney was in Calgary last week, meeting with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to address a long-standing demand from the province, announcing a deal that could pave the way for a new pipeline to the west coast with construction starting as early as next year. We are turning the tide on the last 10 years of disastrous policy from Ottawa that held our province back. Smith's message today is that while Alberta has resolved many of its issues with Ottawa, now is still the time for Albertans to decide whether to stay Canadian.

Smith says it's all about democracy, though Ontario Premier Doug Ford sees politics at work. I've never do it. Premier Smith knows how I feel. She wants to, you know, I guess, protect her 30% base. Recent polling suggests, while less than 30% of Alberta voters support separation, support among backers of Smith's United Conservative Party is far higher at over 50%. Smith's critics say her goal is to placate her base and save her own political skin. The Alberta Premier says she will campaign to keep her province in Canada. Federal opposition leader Pierre Polyev says he will too, while at the same time taking shots at Mark Carney. We really should look at the situation in both Quebec and

ask ourselves how the Prime Minister is doing when it comes to national unity. Alberta pollster Janet Brown sees it differently. To her, Carney is well positioned to make the case for Canada. Albertans do feel very differently towards Mark Carney than they did towards Trudeau. So Carney just has to continue with that positive vibe. and he's got to continue to show Albertans that he's making progress on the files that they care most about. Brown says Carney and others need to avoid what she calls a potential Brexit situation, giving the impression elites are talking down to people and belittling supporters of Alberta independence.

To her, it's better to stay positive and keep showing Canada works. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. The CBC's Kathleen Petty hosts the podcast West. of Center and the call-in show Alberta at noon. She is in Calgary. Kathleen, you spent 90 minutes on air hearing what Albertans have to say. How would you sum that up? I will say to Sean, I could have used another night. I mean, normally we're a 60-minute show, but people had a lot to say. Generally speaking, they are not happy that this kind of question is going to a referendum on October 19th. And I would say that was, with the odd exception,

kind of a universal sentiment that we heard from people. They also find the question very confusing. They're not really sure what they're voting on because it's not a yes or no question. And generally speaking, a referendum question is an up and down kind of decision, whereas this is essentially choose A, option A or option B. It's a little bit like Monte Hall and let's make a deal

for those of a certain vintage. They'll remember what I'm talking about. So it's, you know, do you remain or do you want to have a referendum on separation? And inevitably, this is going to lead to a lot of tension. And I think people are actually really nervous about that as well. And what does the reaction you've heard tell you about the significance of Danielle Smith's decision to push ahead with the referendum issue? Well, I think fundamentally she was hoping to make everyone happy.

But based on the reaction we're seeing so far, she made close to precisely nobody happy. because the separatists, generally speaking, are not thrilled about this. I mean, some are a little more sanguine than others because they see an opportunity with this question about a referendum on a referendum as an opportunity to build support because let's not forget, the polling shows that, you know, it's roughly around 27 percent according to our polling. So they probably suspected they were going to get defeated in a straight-up question gives them more time to sort of make their case for Albertans.

So, you know, there's that aspect of it. Some of them are trying to look at it glass half full, but some of them are downright angry and even talking about, you know, pushing people to buy UCP memberships and become involved in an effort to basically push Daniel Smith out of office and out of the leadership of the UCP. And it should be noted for those who paid attention to Alberta that over the last 20 years, conservative premiers don't last. They don't get to contest second elections as leaders of their party because they get pushed out by their party. This is a very activist base. That's one of the reasons why she responded to that activism and that desire to be able to have a say about Alberta's Place in Canada, but that can also come back to bite you. And that's what we're going to be watching for because I can tell you at that news conference she had today. There was tension in her face and tension in her voice that I've not seen before. so you can really clearly see the pressure is on for her.

Well, Kathleen, thank you so much for your insight today. My pleasure, to Shauna. Thanks for chatting with me. The CBC's Kathleen Petty in Calgary. Coming up, new Canadian measures and increased global warnings has health officials around the world work to manage the Ebola outbreak. Also, the effect of a court ruling over one Ontario city's homeless encampment and why the decision has the premier hopping mad. And a little later, we'll have this.

Sticker shock at meat counters across Canada. Beef prices are soaring just as barbecue season heats up. It's gone skyrocketing. It's terrible at the price of beef. Why are we paying about 60% more than five years ago? From drought to demand, we look at the cost crunch hitting your wallet. I'm Ina Sadiou in Calgary. I'll have this story later on your world. The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is getting worse, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 175 deaths linked to the strain. Here in Canada, officials maintain the risk is still low. But as Philip LeShanock reports, that's not stopping them from putting new screening measures into place.

For Weima Faraha, the Ebola outbreak. is not just a health threat. Authorities have closed the border crossing between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to contain the spread, so she cannot make a living transporting goods between the two countries. I know that Ebola is a very dangerous disease.

I know that surviving it is a blessing, she says, but the last epidemic we crossed the border without any problems. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly. The World Health Organization, now says there are nearly 750 suspected cases prompting Chief Tedros at Adam Gabriasis to update its risk assessment.

To very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level. Here in Canada, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Joss Reimer confirms one traveler was isolated out of caution. One individual in Ontario underwent precautionary testing. This individual recently returned from Ethiopia and reported symptoms that were consistent with a range of illnesses. Confirmatory testing at the National Microbiology laboratory were negative. As well, a traveler diverted to Montreal from a U.S.-bound flight was found

not to have any symptoms and has since returned to their point of origin. Still, Andrew Lawrence from the Canadian Border Services Agency says that all border crossings, travelers who have symptoms and have been to the region must self-identify. The enhanced questioning at the ports of entry kicked in on May 20th. On top of that, more staff, including quarantine officers, will be stationed at crossings. Dr. Shrinivas Murthy, who worked with the WHO during an Ebola outbreak in Liberia, urges Canadians to be empathetic.

There is going to be many more cases over the coming days and weeks. But he agrees the appropriate border screening procedures should be in place. The likelihood of it coming over here geographically is going to be small. There will be more attention. various parts of border screenings and so on to make sure that appropriate travel histories are maintained. Health officials say that the enhanced screening will be in place during the FIFA World Cup, and they're prepared to respond rapidly in the event in evidence-based investigation

detects a public health threat due to an imported infectious disease. Volpe Shannock, CBC News, Toronto. Homelessness across Canada is surging. It is sending more and more people. into encampments while creating major challenges for municipalities. Like many Ontario cities and towns, Kitchener is feeling those issues firsthand. The CBC's Joe Pavia has more on the concerns there and the struggles with balancing the needs of a community with the decisions of the courts.

It's the most ridiculous ruling of ever seen. Premier Doug Ford says the decision by an Ontario Superior Court Justice will hold up a provincial transit project for millions. millions of riders in favor of 40 people living at an encampment. The Premier called it a crazy decision. So guess what, folks? Anyone can show up in your backyard? I wish they'd show up in this judge's backyard and set up camp. The region of Waterloo has been fighting to clear the lot in order to begin work on a massive new transit hub. In his 88-page ruling, Justice M.R. Gibson said that while the planned construction of a transit hub constitutes a genuine public interest, the region

could still complete the project while respecting the rights of encampment residents. Vanessa Haynes is one of 40 people who has been living at the encampment for the last two years. She says she's there because she's addicted to drugs and adds she's happy with the ruling because the encampment has been a big support. They also just still need a lot more help from the community. I don't think a lot of people understand addiction and how hard it is to overcome. The region of Waterloo is one of a number of municipalities in the province dealing with encampments. All have taken different approaches.

They include Barry, Ontario, where council approved stricter bylaw provisions to make it easier for authorities to remove tents and make-shift shelters and prevent new ones from being set up. Meantime, in Thunder Bay and London, Ontario, City Council's approved alternative legal encampment sites and tenting protocols close to where essential services would be provided. We have a crisis of homelessness, which is continuing to grow and the numbers are continuing to expand. Ashley Skidema is ecstatic about the justice's decision. She's a lawyer who has been representing encampment members. Skidema says it's validating to see the court recognize the arguments they made. So we need to be realistic about the fact that there will be people who have nowhere to sleep overnight. And why would we criminalize them and punish them and push them?

I try to sweep it under the rug. For its part, the region of Waterloo says it would review the decision and determine next steps in the coming days. For now, the ad hoc community is staying together, but the future still remains uncertain. Joe Pavia, CBC News, Kitchener, Ontario. The U.S. Secretary of State is trying to reassure NATO allies over confusion about shifting U.S. troop deployments in Europe. Last week, President Donald Trump canceled a plan deployment. of 4,000 soldiers. But yesterday, Trump reversed course, announcing 5,000 troops are going to Poland.

At a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden, Marco Rubio said the U.S. is constantly re-evaluating its international commitments. At the end of the day, I think it's well understood in the alliance that the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted. That work was already ongoing. And it's been done in coordination with our allies. I'm not saying they're going to be thrilled about it, but they certainly are aware of it. You know, we have obligations in the Indo-Pacific.

We have obligations in the Middle East. We have obligations in the Western Hemisphere. Earlier this month, the U.S. announced it was pulling thousands of troops from Germany after its chancellor criticized the war in Iran. Activists on that Gaza-bound flotilla are now speaking out about their detention in Israel. They've all been released, and some allege they were tortured and assaulted. The situation has drawn international backlash, with Ottawa demanding. accountability from Israel's government.

Rafi Bujiccanion spoke with one of the 12 Canadians in the group. He brings us his account. An airport in the northeast of Paris. Loved ones of flotilla activists greet them as they land. Meriam Hajal says her group was brought against their will onto an Israeli vessel. I was subjected to sexual violence, she alleges. I was hit, slapped. Not everyone's made the journey.

home yet. I was really thinking that I might have lifelong injuries. Ihab Lothayev is one of 12 Canadians who were detained. CBC News reached him at his hotel in Istanbul where he says he is presently recovering after he was beaten on one of the Israeli military vessels. You're being kicked by military boots from all directions. And even he says had a soldier stab him as he was trying to hand out bottled water to other prisoners. All of a sudden he gets a knife out and he cuts my hand between the index and the middle finger. Latif alleges he got no medic to look at the wound until the detainees were transferred to a prison

in the port city of Ashdod. I just really kept remembering the faces of my granddaughters and that's what got me through it. An Israeli lawyers group Adala says it spoke to hundreds of detainees and gathered testimony of widespread physical and psychological abuse. None of the allegations have been proven and the Israeli prison service says all of them are false and entirely without factual basis.

saying prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law and with full regard for their basic rights, including medical care. They should demand an apology from the ambassador, from the highest ranks of the Israeli government. John Allen is a former Canadian ambassador to Israel. He says Ottawa should be stepping up its actions. There are tools and I think our government should be looking at them carefully. In a letter, he and 189 other former Canadian

diplomats have been calling for the federal government to enact more sanctions against the Israeli government. Canada has previously sanctioned Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose conduct this week, taunting the detainees as he waved an Israeli flag over them while their zip-tied and shoved to the floor drew more condemnation. And on Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in a statement she is looking for accountability over what happened, while Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a joint statement with leaders of other countries like France, New Zealand and Australia, that Israel should stop its expansions on the occupied West Bank and called on businesses to refrain from any related dealings. Rafi Bji Kahn. UNFSIBC News, Orwa.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is leaving President Donald Trump's cabinet. Gabbard says she's stepping away to care for her husband. In her resignation letter, she shared he has been diagnosed. with a rare form of bone cancer. Gabbard represented Hawaii in Congress for several terms as a Democrat. She ran for the party's nomination for president in 2020, but left the party two years later and became a Republican in 2024. Gabbard is the fourth cabinet official to leave in Trump's second term. Chinese fast fashion brand Sheehan has agreed to purchase U.S. retailer Everlane.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. but the sustainable fashion brand has been struggling with tens of millions in debt. Everlane branded itself as a champion of transparency and being eco-friendly, while Sheehan churns out thousands of cheaply made new products daily. A 2021 CBC Marketplace investigation found she enclosed contained high levels of toxic chemicals. This year's grilling season could be a little more high stakes than Canadians are hoping for. Beef prices are spiking to record levels. While those rising costs may put a dent in wallets, experts say they aren't doing much to stop the sizzling demand.

Aynas to do explains. It's gone skyrocketing. It's terrible at the price of beef. At a busy butcher shop in Calgary, some shoppers are thinking twice about what's on the menu for dinner. I usually just buy a hamburger. And the odd time I'll, you know, buy a steak, but it still hurts. to buy steak. It's so darn expensive. Beef prices are up more than 12% compared to a year ago, according to Statistics Canada.

But they've jumped to nearly 63% in five years. Far outpacing increases for chicken or pork. There are multiple factors involved, but this is a story with some history. Brenna Grant is the executive director of beef statistics firm CanFax. She says years of drought drove up feed prices, forcing ranchers to shrink. cattle herds. Despite the tight supply, demand is only growing. One possible factor, the rising popularity of protein-heavy diets. We have a protein moment happening not only in North America, but around the world that's really being supportive, not just to beef, but to all proteins.

Greg Keller also knows a thing or two about meat. Our number one selling product always has been and still is, our rivising. He's owned Bontan meat market for 30 years, and says even with high prices, customers keep coming back. We're still 45% of our sales are beef. However, you are seeing people that they're buying a little less, maybe not as big a steak, maybe a little cheaper cut of meat. Now Canada's cattle herd is beginning to expand for the first time in years. Prices have rebounded to the point where, yeah, it's looking good to put cattle back into your cowherd. But Central Alberta Cattle Renter Kent Hollowath says there are other issues. We're like every other industry and household in the province where our costs have gone up.

Our diesel fuel for spring seeding has gone up over 50, 60 percent. Same with feeding cattle. Hollowath says while some producers are rebuilding herds, others are cashing out while the market is profitable. Either way, consumers shouldn't expect bargain beef anytime soon, as experts say more supply is still years away. It's too bad that it's so expensive. But, you know, if we like beef, you'll eat it.

Ina Sadiou, CBC News, Calgary. Finally, tonight we take you for a journey with Moncton, New Brunswick's Quinn Strang. It's just amazing. I just show them my sign and I say, you know, heading to Vancouver, they take me as far as they can. And yeah. Quinn is 20 years old and is on the trip of a lifetime, hitchhiking across Canada, with a smile, of course, and a multicolored propelled. color hat to appear more friendly. There's high highs and low lows.

I've been waiting. My longest wait is probably about three hours in the cold with my thumb up, you know. Many people aren't keen on picking up hitchhikers these days, which makes sense. You know, it's not the brightest idea. Quinn says he was inspired by his uncle who hitchhiked from BC to the East Coast after graduating university. But this adventure is about more than just going from point A to point B. His true aim is to follow Terry Fox's path along the 1980 Marathon of Hope

and raise $100,000 for cancer research. So that's $1 from everybody in Moncton, New Brunswick, that's the city I'm from. I figure that's a reasonable goal. I'm no Terry Fox, but my hope is that this kind of snowballs forward and I get more than that. You see, Quinn is no stranger to cancer himself. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease in 2015. It nearly killed him. After a grueling battle, Quinn is now in remission

and completed his first week, tracing the trail of a Canadian icon. I'm just incredibly honored to be following his footsteps in a sort of way. It's just the audacity of someone to lose your leg and then decide you're going to run across Canada. I don't think anybody will ever unite a country again in the way he did. Quinn says drivers who've pulled over so far have been pretty friendly and helpful. He knows the trip will be tough. but he's just taking things one day and one pickup at a time.

My last message is if you see a feller with the propeller, give him a lift, please. Good luck, Quinn. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, May 22nd. I'm Tashauna Reid. Thanks for being with us. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.