Your World Tonight - Book bans in Alberta, hate-motivated stabbing in Ottawa, proposed social media ban and more

Episode Date: August 29, 2025

From classics to contemporary works, more than 200 books are being removed from libraries and classrooms by the Edmonton Public School Board. It follows a provincial directive targeting literature with sexual content.And: A stabbing at an Ottawa grocery store is being investigated as a hate-motivated crime that targeted a Jewish woman. Politicians have been condemning the attack that has left the Jewish community shaken.  Also: Parents and government officials are grappling with the impact of social media on young minds. Opposition politicians in Nova Scotia plan to introduce legislation that will ban access for kids under the age of 16. Will it work?Plus: Canadian rocket launch, settler violence in the occupied West Bank, Ukraine talks and more.

Art has power to inspire us, to unite us, to give us solace and courage when we need it most, to create important stories, lasting memories, a sense of belonging. Your National Art Center serves as a catalyst and communities across Canada, empowering artists, inspiring audiences, and bringing us closer together. Learn more at nac.c.c.c.a slash create in Canada. This is a CBC podcast. So this kind of literary censorship doesn't work, but it does teach children that, you know, when you encounter an idea that that you find difficult or challenging or offensive,

that the correct solution is to ban it. From Margaret Atwood to Stephen King, Maya Angelou to Aldous Huxley, some of the most popular names in literature. But this is no bestsellers list. Their books are being banned from Edmonton Public Schools, along with dozens more, in the latest chapter of the Alberta government's rewrite of education policy. This is your world tonight.

I'm Stephanie Scandaris. It's Friday, August 29th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. I know that this violent act has understandably caused significant distress in the Jewish community, and I feel great empathy for them. Unprovoked and unacceptable. A Jewish woman is recovering and a man is in custody after a stabbing in an Ottawa grocery store,

being called a hate crime and being condemned by politicians across the country. From classics to contemporary works, the list includes titles like The Handmaid's Tale, Brave New World, even Jod. More than 200 books being removed from libraries and classrooms by the Edmonton Public School Board. It follows a provincial directive targeting literature with sexual content. But as Sam Samson reports, the school board's move isn't getting a positive review from the Alberta government.

The list is long. Edmonton Public School Libraries will pull the likes of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and... You will bear children for them. The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian story by Canadian author Margaret Atwood that was made into an award-winning TV series. In response to the ban, Atwood tweeted, Hi, Kids, Handmaid's Tale has just been banned in Edmonton.

Don't read it. Your hair will catch on fire. Get one now before they have public book burnings of it. Do you object to the books that are on that list? So I'll be having some more conversations with Edmonton Public Schools. The list comes after Alberta's Education Minister, Demetrios Nicolides signed off on a new provincial policy earlier this summer. It lays out rules for school boards to ensure only age-appropriate books are available for students. The list from Edmonton Public is the first to detail which titles should be pulled from shelves.

You have six titles on this band book list. Is that all? Ellen Hopkins has been here before. The American is one of the most banned authors in the United States. She's best known for Crank, a free-form novel about her daughter's struggle with meth addiction. That book isn't on this list, but many of hers are. All the things I write about are things that happen to young people every single day. I've always felt that reading about other kids putting themselves in those bad situations

could help kids make better decisions, and that has always been my goal. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith says Edmonton Public's list misses the mark. And Edmonton Public is clearly doing a little vicious complaint. compliance over what the direction is. And so if they need us to hold their hand through the process, we will more than happily work with them to work through their list one by one so we can be super clear about what it is we're trying to do. We are trying to take sexually explicit content out of elementary schools. The book policy started when a group of parents contacted the education minister. Parents for choice in education raised concerns about four coming-of-age graphic novels

that depict sexual 2S-LGBQ plus content. All four novels are on the banned list. Ira Wells is the president of Penn Canada, a non-partisan organization that fights literary censorship. Children find that information online, they see it elsewhere. So this kind of literary censorship doesn't work, but it does teach children that when you encounter an idea that you find difficult or challenging or offensive,

that the correct solution is to ban it. Other Alberta school boards say they're still choosing which books they'll pull from libraries. They have until October to make the call. But school starts with or without these titles in just a few days. Sam Sampson, CBC News, Edmonton. A stabbing at an Ottawa grocery store is being investigated as a hate-motivated crime targeting a Jewish woman. The victim is recovering in hospital after being attacked Wednesday afternoon, while the 71-year-old suspect is facing charges, including aggravated assault. As Philip Lyshenock reports, the incident has left the city's Jewish community shaken. I normally think of this as a very safe neighborhood.

A stabbing inside a Lobla's grocery store has people in Ottawa's West End on edge, like Norma Jean Armitage. I have young children. We shop here often. And she's angry now that police have deemed it a hate-motivated crime. Anti-Semitism has no place in our city. Police say a Jewish woman in her 70s was stabbed in the kosher food section of the store. Ottawa Police Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson says a victim did not know her attacker who was arrested at the scene. He stayed and it seemed waited for officers to arrive. And he was arrested without incidents.

There was no struggle, no fight. Ottawa's mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, says this kind of violence is not common in the city, but he says he's reached out to Jewish and Muslim communities in light of recent hate-related crimes. She thankfully is okay. She sounded very well on the phone. It could have been much worse. Sutcliffe says he's reached out to the victim in hospital who remains in stable condition.

She felt loved and supported by the community, and I was glad to hear that. My heart goes out to her and the Jewish community because I know whenever this happens, there are people who are going to be feeling anxious and afraid. Sutcliffe says people should be able to go to the grocery store, take the bus, or go to their place of worship, without feeling intimidated or at risk of violence.

On a number of occasions, this grocery store has been the subject to protests. Noah Shaq is CEO of the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs. He says pro-Palestinian protests have targeted the same store because of its large kosher section. A grocery store where people are going to pick up kosher food stuffs to feed their families, being targeted with protests, and now we see this. act of violence, where a community member was stabbed. Shaq also said a person with the same name as the individual charged has, quote, proudly and publicly posted virulent anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content online.

Canadian politicians have also weighed in. Conservative leader Pierre Poliev said on acts that he was outraged by yet another vile anti-Semitic attack and called on the government to deport non-Canadians who spread hate. Prime Minister Mark Carney posted that Canada stands with the Jewish community and will act to confront anti-Semitism wherever it appears. Seventy-year-old Joseph Rook of Cornwall, Ontario is charged with aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon. He'll be back in court next week. Philip Lyshanock, CBC News, Toronto. Meanwhile, conservative leader Pierre Pauliev is vowing to change Canada's criminal code.

He wants to make it easier for people to protect their homes, even if that means. using violent force. His comments come during a renewed debate about self-defense after an Ontario man was charged with assaulting a man who allegedly broke into his home. Catherine Tunney reports. Your home is your castle, and you have the right to defend your family.

Conservative leader Pierre Pollyab is jumping feet first into the frenzied debate about self-defense. A discussion that moved to the forefront last week when police charged a man with aggravated assault in Lindsay, Ontario, after an alleged intruder broke into his home. Little is known about the case. The court documents suggest tenant, Jeremy McDonald, used a knife to attack the accused intruder, Michael Breen, who is allegedly carrying a crossbow.

Both men face charges, with McDonald accused of endangering Breen's life. Public outcry has spread from the cottage community across the country. The system treats victims like criminals and criminals like victims. Speaking Friday from a Brampton backyard, would probably have called on the liberals to amend the criminal code, so that use of force is presumed reasonable in home invasions. As it stands, the law allows for use of force when it's reasonable and proportionate. Courts are asked to consider nine factors,

including the physical capabilities of those involved and whether weapons were used. Baleyev says it's time to simplify that. The two conditions. If someone enters your home illegally and uninvited, and two, you reasonably believe they are a threat to your family, then it is assumed that all the force you use against that person

is reasonable and legal. Criminal justice watchers warn the presumption of reasonableness is a slippery slope. I think it opens up the public to potential dangerous situations. Kim Schofield is a criminal defense lawyer based in Toronto who says not all cases are black and white. What happens if someone makes a mistake and if the home invader is not truly an invader.

So we have no idea what happened behind that wall. Dan Jones is a veteran police officer who now heads the Justice Studies Program at Norquest College, who cautions against crafting laws based on what he calls a need-jerk reaction. The conservative leader is looking at making it basically Americanized where we have stand-your-ground laws where if someone enters your home, basically you're not responsible for what you do to them. Justice Minister Sean Frazier dismissed the proposal and accused Pollyev of attacking police and chasing photo ops.

The conservative says his party will introduce a bill anyways, meaning this debate, like the Lindsay Court case. It's far from closed. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Ottawa. Weighed down by the impact of U.S. tariffs, Canada's GDP shrank in the second quarter by 2.6%. Exports were the big reason for the decline, falling 7.5%. It's the steepest quarterly decline since early 2020.

But higher spending here at home helped offset some of that. Domestic spending grew 3.5% in the second quarter. Still ahead on the podcast, European leaders are stepping up pressure on the United States and reminding Donald Trump of his promise to negotiate an end to Russia's war with Ukraine. Plus, lawmakers in Nova Scotia want to ban social media access for kids under 16. That move has a lot of people talking, and it's all coming up on your world tonight. Prime Minister Mark Carney has named the first CEO of the Major Projects office. Don Farrell has nearly four decades' experience in the energy sector. She's worked for the Trans Mountain Corporation, TransAlta Corporation, and BC Hydro. Farrell will oversee the office based in Calgary.

It's part of the federal government's plan to rapidly approach. approve and build major projects. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, violence by ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers has risen sharply since the Hamas attack in October 2023. The UN says there's been an average of four settler attacks every day, with allegations of widespread intimidation and destruction of property. CBC's senior international correspondent, Margaret Evans, visited one Palestinian village where residents are worried about their land and their livelihoods. The call to prayer, drifting down from the village of Almohyar, towards neat lines of olive trees

that come to an abrupt end, replaced by the tracks of bulldozers in the red earth. Land tended to by Palestinian farmers here for generations, now barren patches. The Israeli military helped by hardline. Jewish settlers digging up more than 3,000 trees just over a week ago. A thousand of them belonged to Saeed Abu Alia and his family. We are about 50 lives with growing this land. And when they cut the trees, our life has become miserable. They haven't been able to freely harvest the olive crop since October 7, 2023.

Israeli-only roads and settler violence prohibiting them. The Israeli military said it cut the trees for security reasons, claiming Palestinians used them as cover to throw stones at settler vehicles. The head of the Israeli Army's Central Command, Avi Bluth, said it was a response to an alleged shooting attack by a Palestinian against a settler. Every village and every enemy, he says, needs to know that if they carry out an attack against the residents, they will pay a heavy price. The villagers, including Abu Alia, call it collective punishment. If somebody shot, they took them to the prison and they punish him and punish his family, not punish all the village.

El Makhair faces regular violent attacks by settlers. Alon-Kohen-Livschitz is with Bimcom, an Israeli NGO that monitors land rights in the occupied West Bank. He says settlers act with impunity. There is no response by the police or even worse. Sometimes when they are coming, they will arrest the Palestinians, even though they were attacked by settlers. The people of El Makhair are still in shock. Palestinian officials arriving from Rommala to survey the sea. The village was locked down for three days when the trees were taken.

Houses searched, property destroyed, and the mayor arrested. Across the road, the Palestinians aren't allowed to use. A mechanical digger is at work on another outpost. Margaret Evans, CBC News, in the occupied territories. The U.S. is refusing to grant visas to members of the Palestinian U.S. Authority, they had been hoping to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The U.S. State Department says the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority have been undermining the prospects for peace.

The Palestinian Authority called on the U.S. to reverse the decision. The U.N. General Assembly is scheduled to open September 9th. There is political upheaval in Thailand tonight after the country's prime minister was forced to step down by Thailand's constitutional court. It follows allegations of an ethics violation. And as Salima Shivji explains, this isn't the first time the court has removed a Thai leader from office. The nine judges on Thailand's constitutional court sat in a row and read their ruling for 45 minutes. At the end of it, Haytung-Tang-Tan-Shinawat, the country's prime minister for the country's prime minister for the country's prime minister

for the last year was out for good, removed from office for what the judges called a grave and careless violation of ethical standards that went against national interests. It came after a leaked phone call from earlier this year between the rookie Thai Prime Minister and veteran Cambodian leader Hansen. As tensions seethed that the border the two countries share,

Peyton Tarn on the line sounding conciliatory, calling San Ankle, even criticizing one of Thailand's army commanders in a country where the military has massive influence. The tensions later exploded into violence. The ousted prime minister says she accepts the court's verdict. But Pe Tung Tarn maintains her intentions were pure. She was trying to avoid a war, she says. It's a blow for the long dominant Shinawatra family

that's had a hand in Thai politics for more than two decades. Not just Pei Tongtarn but her father, Taksin, another former prime minister, deposed in a military coup in 2006. But for many in Thailand, the ruling is not surprising. Six men can overthrow an elective government. From a court notorious for intervening in the country's politics, says political scientist Titianang Ponsu Tiraq with Bangkok's Chulalakong University.

The ruling means instability, uncertainty, volatility. This is the fifth time a sitting prime minister has been ousted by the constitutional court in 17 years, and it's left the country's economy reeling Ponsu Tiraq says. You have no stability here in Thailand. You cannot invest in Thailand because you don't know who's going to be prime minister. At this Bangkok market, there's relief mixed with uncertainty. Pei Tong got what she deserved. It was the right decision, this woman says.

Who knows if things will be better after this, says this shop owner. Thailand now has a caretaker government in charge, and Parliament will choose the next leader of a country plunged into political turmoil yet again. Salima Shivji, CBC News, London. Calls for the Trump administration to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine are getting louder. European leaders are reminding the U.S. president of his pledges to end the war, and they're demanding a Russia-Ukraine meeting immediately. Ashley Burke reports.

A day in morning in Kiev. Ukrainians placing flowers and stuffed animals outside a building destroyed by one of the biggest Russian aerial attacks this war. At least 23 people killed, including four children, dozens others injured. At a military cemetery in the capital, Ukraine's president laying soldiers to rest after reminding the world of Donald Trump's self-imposed deadline for potential consequences against Moscow. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Trump said he would give Russia's president a couple of weeks to meet with Zelensky in hopes of ending the war. It means two, three weeks, just to remind to everybody through your camps that two weeks will be on Monday.

EU defense ministers meeting in Copenhagen appear to be stepping up pressure on the U.S. to get Vladimir Putin to the table. EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas. These attacks show that Putin is just mocking any kind of peace efforts that I'm in. Putin is not to be trusted. Lithuania's defense minister, Dovilla Shokalina, says Putin made himself clear he doesn't want peace, and to think he'll sit down with Zelensky is naive. All Putin is doing is really stalling,

actually cheaply buying time to kill more people and to imitate sort of willingness to maybe stop his own murderous actions. There's no deal until there's a deal. Trump met with Putin two weeks ago in Alaska. We've had a lot of good discussions. Then hosted Zelensky. at the White House. Trump urged the two leaders to sit down one-on-one, but so far Moscow's

refused. French President Emmanuel Macron says if a meeting isn't set by Monday, it will mean Putin has played Trump. Is that true? Is President Trump being played by President Putin at the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, facing that very question. Such an absurd question. No president in history has done more to advance the Khazibis, and he's working steadfastly to end the killing, and that's something that everyone in the world should celebrate. White House Special Envoy Steve Wickoff met with Ukrainian officials in New York City today.

In a statement, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff wrote, his country is ready to sit down with Putin, but says Russia is failing to fulfill anything necessary to end the war. Ashley Burke, CBC News, Washington. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you want to make sure you 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.

From parents to politicians around the world, people are grappling with the impact social media is having on young minds. and how to handle it. Now, officials in Nova Scotia are introducing legislation that'll ban access for kids under the age of 16. As Deanna Suminac Johnson reports, that move has people talking and taking action. We're seeing higher rates of anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation among kids who spend too much time on these platforms. Nova Scotia liberals say there are good reasons to legislate limits on social media use by kids. If Ian Rankin, the party's provincial leader is successful, his province would be the first in Canada

to have a law of this kind. This legislation would set a minimum age of 16 to access social media accounts in Nova Scotia. In the last provincial election, the liberals were reduced to just two seats, so they would need the support of the governing PC party to pass the bill. Still, the move is significant, says tech analyst and journalist Carmi Levy. It is politically savvy for a party that isn't in power to at least raise it right as everyone is going back to school to make sure that it's front and center on the public agenda. In December last year, Australia became the first country to approve a social media ban for people under 16.

It kicks in later this year. But implementation is proving difficult. You are talking millions of kids across Australia, vast geographic expanse. Kids who are technologically savvy know how to work their way around age verification systems. Carmi Levy says Canada should look carefully at Australia's example if it wants to take on an endeavor of this scale. You're talking about the government now needing to have a process to collect huge amounts of identification information, thus presenting other issues and risks, for example, around cybersecurity and privacy. Still, some Canadians believe political support is key in a battle of many parents are fighting privately. Robin Shirk is a mom of four who started getting nervous about the impact of social media

as her two-old as daughters approach their tweened years. The group, she's a volunteer member of Unplugged Canada, recently called on the federal government to implement a social media law like Australia's. The kids can't just walk into an R-rated movie or can't just buy harmful, addictive products like cigarettes. The online world is still the Wild West. The group is also working on persuading interested parents

to pledge they will delay giving their kids' smartphones. The Nova Scotia bill is expected to be tabled in the fall. Deanna Sumanak Johnson, CBC News, Toronto. We end tonight in New Orleans and an anniversary of both struggle and strength. It was 20 years ago today when Hurricane Katrina hit the city. One of the most powerful storms to ever hit the United States, leaving more than a thousand people dead and more than a hundred billion dollars in damage. Devastating damage expected.

Hurricane Katrina, persons, pets, and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death. Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards. The Civil Emergency Bulletin issued by the National Weather Service before the storm made landfall on August 29, 2005. Uniquely detailed and dire, the bulletin remains a powerful reminder, and a recording of it is now in the National Museum of American History. but it is not the only sound of Katrina's legacy.

A performance of the song weighed in the water at a memorial earlier today in New Orleans 9th Ward. It was followed by a brass band parade through city streets known as a second line. A parade has been staged on every Katrina anniversary since 2006, as local musicians worked to revive the city and heal its residents. Post-Katrina, music has been central in the effort to rebuild. Geneva Seals is one of today's organizers.

We lost homes, loved ones, but in the middle of the destruction, we've discovered something stronger. Today, we honor those we lost, celebrate the courage we found, and remind the world. There's no stone, no matter how great, can break the soul of New Orleans. Thank you. This has been your world tonight for Friday, August 29th. Thank you for being with us. I'm Stephanie Skanderas.

Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to CBC.ca.com slash podcasts.