Your World Tonight - Auto tariffs, pitching to seniors, Signalgate, and more

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump announces a 25 per cent tariff on finished automobiles - starting next week. Canada sends more than 90 per cent of the cars and trucks it manufactures to the U.S. And the move could have a major impact – on an industry already struggling with uncertainty.The major parties are making their pitches to seniors – a demographic that is most likely to vote. Many seniors are now working into their 70s and 80s. The Conservatives are offering to let them earn up to $34,000 tax free, and keep their savings in RRSPs until the age of 73 (up from 71). The NDP is proposing to help those with lower incomes, which includes many seniors. One plan – eliminating GST on essentials such as energy, internet and mobile phone bills.And: Alberta premier Danielle Smith has thrown herself into the federal election campaign. She’s defending her approach to the U.S. tariff threats. The premier is heading to the U.S. to speak at a fundraiser with a right-wing podcaster who has been critical of Canada. Smith also lashed out at those who are criticizing her.Also: U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz says he initiated the group chat heard ‘round the world. The Atlantic magazine has now released what it says are full transcripts of a group chat about plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen. The White House is insisting none of the information was classified. Democrats are accusing them of lying to the country.Plus: Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, also known as Buffalo Woman, is identified, HBC workers denied severance while senior managers get bonuses, Liberal Leader Mark Carney has been under pressure for his past life, Palestinians in Gaza protest against Hamas and more.

Hey, it's me, Michael Buble. You hear that? That's the sound of the Junos, the biggest party in Canadian music. I'll be their hosting. Sum 41 will be rocking out on stage for the last time, plus a whole lineup of amazing performances. And guess what?

You're all invited. All bring the tux, you bring the snacks. Let's make it a night to remember. Don't miss the Junos, live from Vancouver, March 30th at 8 Eastern on CBC and CBC Jam. This is a CBC podcast. We were losing all of our plants that were being built in Mexico and Canada and other places. So we'll effectively be charging a 25% tariff. But if you build your car in the United States, there is no tariff.

Donald Trump moving one of his biggest trade threats into the fast lane. Trying to leverage the power of the American auto market. New tariffs on imported cars and trucks will come into effect next week, Canadian exports are worth billions and the White House says the only way out of the tariffs is to move assembly lines into the United States. Welcome to Your World Tonight. It is Wednesday, March 26th. I'm Susan Bonner, also on the podcast. Some of the seniors are on limited income. Cost of living is the big issue. Raise a little bit of a senior pension.

It's hard struggle every month. It's enough time for the politicians to get up there, make their stand, how they're going to do it, and stop the dilly dallying. They are experienced and engaged, and Canadian seniors are speaking up in an election for the ages. There's a senior's tax cut, changes to OAS and an income supplement all on the table as party leaders target a key demographic.

US President Donald Trump has abruptly announced 25% tariffs on all imported vehicles. Canada sends more than 90% of the cars and trucks it manufactures to the US and the move could have a major impact on an industry already struggling with uncertainty. Nisha Patel has been following this story for us. She's here in studio. Nisha, what is Trump targeting with this announcement? Susan, Trump has signed an executive order implementing a 25% tariff on auto imports. That's all cars and light trucks not made in the US. It's a big increase from the current tariff on foreign cars, which is two and a half percent, and it will be stacked on top of existing tariffs.

It seems to be on finished cars, not components for now, and the administration says this will result in $100 billion of new revenue for the United States. Now, the tariff will take effect April 2nd. It's not clear if there will be any exemptions for KUSMA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and Donald Trump also said, Susan, that these auto tariffs are permanent. So why is he doing this? Well, Trump claims that his trade policies will grow domestic manufacturing. He called the supply chain where cars are built across North America ridiculous, and he told companies that they can avoid tariffs if they just shift

production and jobs to the United States. But it would take years and billions of dollars to relocate those plants. This whole plan of his could very well backfire. The industry insists tariffs would add thousands of dollars to the price of a car, which would turn off buyers and force companies to cut production. Shares in automakers like GM are down 3% today as investors assess the impact of this. And this announcement is pretty fresh. What's the early reaction here in Canada? Well industry groups are scrambling to figure out how this could affect the cost of doing

business. Here's Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association. From our perspective, because when you look at the manufacturing footprint in Canada, the majority of the vehicles that we produce here are going into the US market. Our supply chain has been founded that way and there are no options to send these vehicles to other markets. This uncertainty will hit the auto sector hard. The industry is responsible for more than a hundred thousand jobs, most of which are in Ontario. Ontario Premier Doug Ford responding saying Canada needs to stand firm and prepare retaliatory tariffs.

President Trump's calling it Liberation Day. I call it Termination Day for American workers. I know President Trump likes telling telling people you're fired. I didn't think he meant auto workers in the US when he said that. So this is likely to get a lot of reaction in the hours and days ahead, Susan. It'll likely come up on the campaign trail. Earlier today, before Trump's announcement, leader of the Liberal Party, Mark Carney, unveiled a $2 billion proposal that he says will protect the auto sector, calling it a strategic response fund.

Thank you so much, Nisha. You're welcome. That's Nisha Patel here in Toronto. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith is defending herself against criticism of the way she's dealing with the U.S. tariff threat, and at the same time she's taking a swipe at federal liberals. Smith has been under pressure to explain comments she made to an American radio program. Now she's heading to the U.S. to speak at a fundraiser with a right-wing podcaster who has been critical of Canada. This afternoon in the Alberta legislature,

the premier lashed out at her critics. I am now off to the U.S. yet again to try and speak to Americans, this time through the second largest podcaster in the world whose audience is made up of exactly the people we need to persuade to convince their president to change course on tariffs against Canada. And what does Team Carney want me to do? They want me to abandon my post, remain in Alberta and do absolutely nothing to defend our province. Jason Markossoff is in Calgary. Jason, Danielle

Smith is defending her approach and lashing out at the new Liberal leader. Can you give us the context on how we got to this moment? Danielle Smith has started out this federal campaign igniting a firestorm based on comments she said March 8th to this right-wing organization Breitbart News. She said two things that really turned a lot of heads up here. One is that she had told US administration officials that the tariffs should maybe be paused during the election in part because they're helping liberal fortunes and she didn't want that. The other thing she said that's been quite damaging to the

conservative leader is that she suggested to this right-wing audience that Pierre Poliev is more in sync with the direction of Donald Trump, so they might like that. She's been chastised widely for saying some of these things, including accusations that she has been partaking in foreign interference by doing this. It's been quite damaging to a lot of the campaigns. She's really pushed back against that. In the statement that she made to the legislature, She didn't really talk about what she said. She was more defending her right to say

things, to right to speak to the US public, the US media, which a lot of other premiers, as she pointed out, have done. The issue is not so much who she's been speaking to, but what she has said. Now she was, as you point out, speaking in Alberta, but how much of her message was to the rest of Canada? So yes, she was, as you point out, speaking in Alberta, but how much of her message was to the rest of Canada? So, yes, she was speaking to the legislature kind of before question period, trying to talk to Albertans about two things that she loves to talk about. One, hitting against the opposition NDP led by Nahed Nanchi and fighting against the liberals

in Alberta. Of course, the liberals to her conservative base are the enemy, the enemy in Ottawa. But the problem is right now the whole country is watching. Voters in Ontario, voters in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada and Quebec have been paying attention to what she's been saying and is ruffling a lot of feathers. In fact, the liberals may not to her point want her to stop talking. In fact, they may like her to keep talking. In fact, they were using some of her comments about parapolyeth being in sync with Donald Trump in their own ads. So she doesn't make any apologies for taking part in this campaign and the way she's doing

it. No, she's going to go down to Florida as she said tomorrow. She claims that she's doing this big measure of speaking to the conservatives, speaking to top conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro, but she's not speaking on his podcast. She's speaking at a private fundraising gala, a $1,500 ticket event for this conservative outlet. Okay, Jason, thank you very much. My pleasure. The CBC's Jason Markossoff in Calgary. There are some core issues on the campaign

trail today including the trade war with the U.S. with the Liberals promising billions of dollars to help the auto sector. Both the Conservatives and the NDP spent part of the day on the senior vote, always a key demographic in federal politics. Katie Nicholson has more on what seniors are looking for. What do you have for lunch? I'm going to have an egg sandwich. It's lunchtime at the senior centre in St. Thomas, Ontario. On the menu, sandwiches and a side of election talk for 67-year-old Elizabeth Hudson. Actually the election is on my birthday.

Hudson's waiting to see what the parties's promised to deliver for seniors like her. We're on fixed incomes and we hurt, we hurt as and when we go to the store when we buy things we are hurting. She and 78 year old Linda Allen say others still have to work to make ends meet. I know one lady's got two part-time jobs to make her income come in and whether it's a Walmart greeter or whatever They say fresh produce and groceries donated to seniors at the center vanishes quickly I'm amazed at the number of seniors that are picking up the extra food that gets sad. It's very sad You've worked all your life and this is how it's ending It's it's very sad. No senior should ever be forced to work

But those who choose should not be punished. The Conservatives today promised to let working seniors earn $10,000 more a year tax-free, boosting the total amount to $34,000 a year. The Liberal platform pledges to boost old age security for seniors 75 and older by 10%. That's going to help a lot for seniors, 75 and older, by 10%. That's going to help a lot of seniors lift them out of poverty. And the NDP wants to lift all seniors out of poverty by raising the guaranteed income supplement.

Shimmy to the right and shimmy to the left. Sue McCallum steps in time with the other line-dancing seniors. Anything that's going to benefit seniors is obviously good. But she says that alone won't determine who gets her vote. I have four kids that all these tariff wars are going to affect directly. And so for me that's a concern because they're raising families. ...and he never bluffs, we know that. 76-year-old Paul Gangel rifles through his poker chips in the

games room, the stakes for this election so high he's still on the fence. Have you ever been on the fence before? Uh, not, not this much. Not this much. No way. Why? Why do you think you're so on the fence? I've always, I've always been on the conservative side, with the events down south that and and the

threat to Canada really irks me. Trump has threatened our sovereignty. It's also got Elizabeth and Linda's attention. I can say is this particular election for me is extremely important. Yes it is. This particular one. I think it's the most important in my lifetime. It is. This 51st state bit, it scares us.

Financial promise is clearly important, but not the only issue that could swing the senior vote. Come back after the election, we might be celebrating. We might have a few... I'm celebrating on my birthday. That's right. We'll have a couple of bottles of wine. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, St. Thomas, Ontario. Mark Carney is also in southwestern Ontario today. His focus has been on job security but he's being pressed on another issue that has been trailing him through the early days of this campaign, decisions he made in his corporate

life as an executive for global investment firm Brookfield. Olivia Stefanovich reports. He is the most conflicted and compromised prime minister in our country's history. It's a claim Conservative leader Pierre Poliev brings up often to chip away at Liberal leader Mark Carney's credibility as new questions surface. Just today we learned that his company under his watch put money in Bermuda to avoid paying Canadian taxes. During a Quebec campaign stop, Polyev unprompted referenced new reporting by Radio Canada. It says Kearney personally co-chaired two investment funds worth 25 billion dollars registered in Bermuda. The funds created

not for his personal company as Poliev insinuated but while Kearney worked for Brookfield Asset Management, one of Canada's largest publicly traded companies. The structure of these funds is designed to benefit the pension funds, the Canadian pension funds that invest in them. Standing before a group of auto workers in Windsor, Ontario, Kearney defended the move as a way to grow those pensions and denied any wrongdoing. Is it avoiding tax? It doesn't avoid tax because the tax is paid. But the questions don't end there. Carney continues to be asked about his time in the private sector.

The chair of the board is Mark Carney. The chair of the board has incredible power. Opponents tying Carney's record directly to Brookfield's record, with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh accusing Carney of jacking up the rent on buildings Brookfield renovated while also criticizing the Liberal leader for not disclosing his personal assets. He made millions of dollars as a chair of this company in stock options and we don't know how many more ways that he's made money. Just to be clear, I own nothing now. I came into public life at a time of crisis.

I put my hand up because of the crisis. For his part, Kearney says he's divested all his assets and put them into a blind trust. What I've done is put all my affairs in order, well in advance. I own nothing, I own nothing but cash and personal real estate. Economist Paul Pujolaz says it's healthy to ask political leaders questions. We see the problem of not being able to do that with our neighbors out of the border. Pujolaz says Carney's rivals aren't alleging anything illegal, but the claims shouldn't go unchecked. When there is nothing other than just an opinion about whether we like what they might have done or not, but's not illegal we have to stop there. There's no sign Poliev or Singh will back off as both seek to turn the CV Carney is campaigning on

into a liability. Olivia Stefanovic, CBC News, Ottawa. Coming right up, chat history. The fallout continues after US officials leaked military intelligence on a messaging app and rare anti-Hamas protests in the streets of Gaza for the second straight day as Palestinians demand an end to the war by taking aim at the regime. Later, we'll have this story. U.S. officials who were part of that group chat that leaked sensitive military plans faced more questions in Washington today as more details of the leak emerge. The White House is still denying that secrets were shared. Paul Hunter takes us through the events in Washington.

I take full responsibility. I built the group. First, it was Mike Waltz, Donald Trump's national security adviser. Then Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. director of national intelligence. It was a mistake that a reporter was inadvertently added to a signal chat with high-level national security principles. As the Trump administration tried to move on from what some are already dubbing Signalgate, the still erupting scandal over how it is that a prominent American journalist was mistakenly added to a Trump national security team text

messaging group chat, including Waltz, Gabbard, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others, exchanging sensitive information in the messaging app Signal regarding a then imminent U.S. military attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month. The reporter, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, reported on all of it Monday. Here are the facts. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt today slamming Goldberg as a Trump hater. And though the White House acknowledges the veracity of the text messages, it underlines...

We have said all along that no classified material was sent on this messaging thread. Nobody's texting war plans. In Hawaii, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the reporting a media hoax. There's no units, no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods, no classified information. And yet multiple military analysts say the chat had precisely the kind of information that should and normally would be classified. Meanwhile, more texts from that chat have now been made public by The Atlantic detailing

when the U.S. was, quote, go for mission launch, 31 minutes before jets took off, two hours and one minute before bombs would start falling. These disclosures are absolutely bone-chilling. Democrats remain dumbfounded and enraged by all of it. That's Senator Richard Blumenthal insisting U.S. military lives were put in danger. All could be highly valuable to our enemies in future missions. Democrats are demanding Hegseth resign, but the White House is maintaining full-throated support for Hegseth, Walz, Gabbard, indeed all of those invited in on that group chat,

except for Goldberg. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. Denmark's Prime Minister says she welcomes a decision by the U.S. to scale back a visit to Greenland by the Vice President and his wife. Second Lady Usha Vance had announced she would go to Greenland later this week to see a dog sled race and other things. After pushback from Denmark and Greenlanders, J.D. Vance announced he would go as well. But now they only plan to visit a U.S. military base.

President Donald Trump has talked about making Greenland part of the U.S. Polls suggest a vast majority of the population opposes the plan. It is a rare expression of public opposition in Gaza. For a second day, Palestinians took to the war-torn streets to protest against Hamas. The demonstrations called for the militant group that rules the territory to end the war with Israel. Senior international correspondent,

Margaret Evans, has more. On what's left of Gaza's ravaged streets, something different. Voices rarely raised in public, condemning Hamas for the second day in a row. Hundreds of people marching through the rubble out in the open. This is Beit Lahya in northern Gaza. The people demand the downfall of Hamas, they're chanting. Hamas is the source of all the problems we've seen in Gaza,

says Assad Warshiga. I just want someone to answer this question. What did we benefit from the war? Mahmoud Al-Hajj Ahmed, a doctor, says he has two messages. To the Israeli occupation, stop the bloodshed, he says. We can't tolerate any more. And to Hamas, brothers, we've had enough. There is no house to stay at, no food to eat, no family members remaining.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seized upon the development to justify his decision to resume the war 42 days into a truce. More and more Gazans understand that Hamas brings destruction and doom upon them, he told the Israeli Parliament. All this shows that our policy is working. Netanyahu has been under heavy domestic pressure over his conduct of the war, especially from the friends and families of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.

Israel resumed its bombing campaign there last week, after Hamas refused to modify the terms of the original phased truce agreement. Nearly 700 people, most women and children, have been killed since then, bringing the total since the war began to more than 50,000, according to Palestinian health officials. In the parliament, Netanyahu said, the more Hamas continues in its refusal to release the remaining hostages, the more powerful the repression Israel will exert. Hamas has governed the Strip since 2007,

but Israel and Egypt have maintained control over its border crossings. Dissent is rarely tolerated by Hamas which has both military and political wings. But anger and despair combined have a power of their own. What do we have left in this world? asked Muayyad Dahir at a Gaza City protest. We're not scared anymore. We have nothing left to be scared for. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. Sudan's army is one step closer to regaining full control of the nation's capital after nearly two years of war. Army officials say they've recaptured Khartoum's international airport and a key base of the Rapid Support Forces rebel group. Last week Sudan's military retook

the Republican palace home to the pre-war government. Liberating the capital does not other parts of the country. She was a daughter, sister and a mother and until today only known to the public as Buffalo Woman murdered by a notorious serial killer. Now police in Winnipeg have identified the victim as 30-year-old Ashley Christine Shingus from St. Teresa Point First Nation. Sam Sampson reports. That's the name. The community prayed about, asked the spirits to help us do that work. Elder Thelma Morisot helped give the unknown woman that name, which also means buffalo woman. It's one used by some who don't have a spirit name yet. But now the world will know this woman by another name. Ashley Shingoose, a 30-year-old from St.

Teresa Point Anishinu Nation, Winnipeg Deputy Police Chief Cam McKidd. We have never stopped in our efforts to identify Buffalo Woman. Shin Goose went missing in mid-March 2022. We now know days later she met Jeremy Skibitzky outside a homeless shelter in Winnipeg. He killed her and disposed of her remains in a city garbage bin. They are now, police believe, in a city-owned landfill. Skibitzky killed three other women that spring in May. Morgan Harris, Mercedes Myron, and Rebecca Contois.

Contois' remains were found first, partially in a dumpster and partially in a city-owned landfill. Harris and Myron's remains were found just weeks ago in another landfill. Yet Shingoose's identity remained unknown. For years, the only thing police had to go on was a description of her and a jacket with a possible DNA sample. Shingoose's DNA was also found in Skibitsky's apartment along with 11 other women, but police told the Shingoose family the DNA on the jacket didn't match their daughter. No more leads until last December.

On December 17, 2024, homicide detectives conducted a post-conviction interview with Mr. Skibicki. Police say Skibicki brought up new information, including noting a pair of pants, which they sent off for DNA testing and it matched shingus. The initial landfill search for remains, where crews eventually found those of Myron and Harris, was heavily debated. Police and the province said it wasn't safe nor feasible, but under new provincial leadership, the search started last December. New Winnipeg Police Chief Gene Bowers said today they will search for Shingoose's remains as soon as possible. While we cannot undo the past, we can learn from it. Today we know what needs to be done.

It's hard. It is hard. Chief Raymond Flett of St. Teresa Pointe Inishinu Nation relayed a message from Teresa and Albert Shingoose, Ashley's parents who couldn't be in Winnipeg for the news conference. She says please start the search as soon as possible. Start the search as soon as possible. It's been a long time waiting. I need to bring her home. I need that closure.

It's been too long. Enough. Search the landfill as soon as possible. Manitoba Premier Wap Kinew and Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham confirmed they will work with all levels of government to search for Shingoose's remains, launching this city into another complex and heartbreaking investigation. Sam Sampson, CBC News, Winnipeg. 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. The stores are being liquidated, the employees are losing their jobs, and the executives are getting big bonuses. As Hudson's Bay goes into creditor protection, thousands of workers are finding out they won't be getting severances as the company makes other payouts. Sophia Harris reports. It's overwhelming. I've even had nights where I wake up in the middle of the night with worry,

thinking what to do next, where to go. Kevin Grell is one of 9,300 Hudson's Bay workers worried about losing their jobs, as the iconic retailer liquidates most of its stores. Adding to the stress, the cash-strapped company is not paying laid-off workers severance. Instead, they must file a claim. But because workers are at the back

of the line when Hudson's Bay pays off its debts, they will likely wind up with pennies on the dollar. A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck and if they do not get that severance, that's a massive blow. So Grell was almost at a loss for words. When he learned from CBC News, Hudson's Bay will pay 121 managers and executives up to $3 million total in retention bonuses as the company winds down and tries to restructure. What do you think about these bonus payments?

Um, that's not good. I can't answer that, Sophia. Because my emotions are taking over right now, so if I was to answer, it wouldn't not good. I can't answer that Sophia. Because my emotions are taking over right now. So if I was to answer that, it wouldn't be good. Share it up. It's simple. Share. Give the workers a little something. Employment lawyer Adrian Ischak says insolvent companies often pay retention bonuses

to retain top staff as they wind down or restructure. You need to be able to retain your top people who are going to be designing and implementing the strategy and the plan to reorganize the business. Hudson's Bay didn't comment on the bonus payments but did say laid-off workers can apply for federal government financial assistance. However, that will likely cover just a portion of what they're owed. It is absolutely egregious. Bea Brusk is president of the Canadian Labour Congress.

We absolutely would like to see additional worker protections in the event of job loss due to a large employer like Hudson's Bay shutting down operations. Sears Canada also faced criticism after the retailer didn't pay its 1,200 workers severance after the company went bankrupt in 2017. Some also received only partial pensions. Actions are being taken to protect pensions. In 2023, the federal government introduced legislation improving protections for workers' pensions in bankruptcy cases.

People do deserve to get their severance when companies go bankrupt. Despite heated debate in the House of Commons, the legislation was not extended to include severance pay protections. It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating. Brusk says with what's happening at Hudson's Bay, she hopes workers' rights become an election issue. Sophia Harris, CBC News, Vancouver. We end tonight with a birth announcement in the Salish Sea off the coast of British Columbia. A newborn orca calf just weeks old with a long and important family history. Washington's Secretary of State Ralph Monroe witnessed an early killer whale capture at

Bud Inlet in March of 1976. It was really quite by accident. Several of us were out sailing one day and we came across a whale capture. There was no question that there were mothers inside the net with babies outside. American politician Ralph Monroe wasn't an assistant to the governor of Washington State at the time. Appalled by what he saw, it turned out to be a key moment in the effort to protect killer whales. Monroe successfully fought to have the animals released by the theme park Sea World, and it was the last capture of orcas anywhere in North America. One of the whales released was known as Wake.

Returned to the wild, she went on to thrive and was responsible for eight calves, 16 grand calves and six great grand calves, including the recently spotted newborn. Erin Glass is the executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch. It's more than 6% of the population was attributed just to that one matriarch.

So now this newest little one is the great grand calf. We almost didn't have this family. They were almost lost and luckily a twist of fate allowed them to go on to have all these babies. If they had not been released that day, none of these whales would be here. Thank you for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for Wednesday,

March 26th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.