Your World Tonight - Campaigns unveil costed platforms, U.S. sends asylum seekers to Panama, NHL playoffs begin and more

Episode Date: April 19, 2025

Mark Carney and Jagmeet Singh unveil the Liberal and NDP costed platforms, as Pierre Poilievre talks about tackling the fentanyl crisis. You'll hear about today's election campaign announcements as Canadians continue to head to advance polls to get their votes in early.Also: The crackdown on immigration in the U.S. has sent hundreds of asylum seekers to Panama - in a deal that has been widely criticized by human rights groups. We'll take you to Panama City, where those people - many from Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East - are struggling to figure out what to do next.And: The NHL playoffs start tonight with five Canadian teams in contention for the Stanley Cup. You'll hear why there's some hope one of those teams could bring it home this year.

Readers have been waiting for a new novel from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for 12 years. On my podcast Bookends, Chimamanda tells me what was happening behind the scenes, about the sudden loss of both of her parents and how her mother's spirit brought her back to fiction. Sometimes I do not even want to talk about my mother because I get ridiculously emotional. But she kind of helped me start writing because she realized that I might go mad if I wasn't. If the thoughts all had to stay inside. Search for bookends with Matea Roach to hear the rest of that conversation. This is a CBC Podcast. Hello, I'm Stephanie Scanderis. This is your World Tonight. We're not spending that amount of money. We're investing that amount of money. We're going after the cost of living and the profiteers behind it.

This policy is not about punishment. It's about redemption. Mark Carney and Jagmeet Singh unveiled the liberal and NDP-costed platforms as Pierre Poliev talks about tackling the fentanyl crisis. You'll hear about today's election campaign announcements as Canadians continue to head to advance polls to get their votes in early. Also on the podcast, Russian President Vladimir Putin

announces a 30-hour Easter truce on Ukraine as Donald Trump expresses frustration with the slow pace of negotiations, while Ukraine's president says there's no trust in words coming from Moscow. Plus... There is a tremendous amount of excitement in this country for the first round of the playoffs, which is the most exciting two weeks in sports. Hockey fans know it's NHL playoff time.

Why there's hope a Canadian team could win this year's Stanley Cup. The Liberals are forecasting deficits for the next four years. Leader Mark Carney unveiled his costed election platform in Ontario. It proposes billions of dollars in new spending, but also billions of dollars in cuts, with little detail on where they will come from. Carney says his platform is a plan that meets the moment. Carina Roman has the details. Liberal leader Mark Carney says it is possible to spend and also save. We're in an enormous crisis so we have to be able to do two things.

Overall there are $130 billion dollars over four years worth of new measures with a deficit projected downwards from nearly $62 billion this year to $47 billion in 2029. We're not spending that amount of money, we're investing that amount of money. So we're using very limited government resources to catalyze enormous private sector investment and that's what drives this economy forward. The biggest expenditures in the Liberal platform are the previously announced income tax cut, the scrapping of the capital gains tax changes, and the Build Canada Homes plan for affordable housing.

There's new defence spending of $18 billion that the Liberals say would get Canada to the 2% of GDP spending target before 2030. That is how you meet the moment. That is how you meet a crisis. And that's what we can do. There are a slew of new promises in the costed platform, ones that had not been made on the campaign trail so far, including a comprehensive review of government programs estimated to save the government 28 billion dollars, a cap but not a cut to public service employment, the crafting of a new full

foreign policy, and a specific list of ideas of potential nation-building projects across the country that could be agreed upon by provinces, territories and indigenous peoples. And while we're putting forth the most ambitious economic plan in decades to do more than just get our economy back on track but to build the strongest economy in the G7. Pierre Poliev's mind is focused elsewhere. His priority for Canadians is to bring back plastic straws. Thank God. That'll show Trump. That'll show the Americans. We got our straws. Today's platform also promises money for a new doctor practice fund, a new tax credit for personal care workers,

and funding for one round of in vitro fertilization. On the revenue side, the Liberals account for counter-tariff revenues only for this year, signaling their hope that the trade war with the U.S. will somehow get settled sooner rather than later. Karina Roman, CBC News, Peterborough, Ontario. If polls are to be believed, the NDP will struggle on election night. Jagmeet Singh is trying to change that. The party's leader pitched its new platform to voters on the West Coast. Singh promised tens of billions in new spending and vowed to pay for that partly by asking the wealthy to pay more. David Thurton

reports. That's why today I'm proud to share our campaign commitments. Jagmeet Singh delivered his party's election platform in the heart of his Burnaby Central riding. It's an expansive platform that promises protections for workers in the face of Donald Trump's tariffs and increased ambition tackling climate change. It's clear, it's bold and it's focused on the people who build this country. But what stands out are the NDP's massive commitments to public health care. The party would spend $46 billion over four years to guarantee access to a family doctor, expand pharmacare and improve mental

health coverage. We'll make mental health care part of public health care. No more waiting, no more choosing between your well-being and your bank account. The platform also touches on people's wallets. It reaffirms the NDP commitment to slash taxes for low and middle-income Canadians and eliminating the GST on cell phone bills and some food items, along with price caps on grocery staples. We're going after the cost of living and the profiteers behind it. The NDP estimates their new spending commitments would add 48 billion dollars to the existing projected deficit over four years.

The party plans to offset that by ending oil and gas subsidies, cracking down on tax havens, plus taxing extremely wealthy people and corporations. The NDP estimates their new spending commitments would add 48 billion dollars to the existing projected deficit over four years. But Canadians are only hearing about it after many voters have already made up their minds. Elections Canada says some two million votes were cast on the first day of advance polling on Friday. We're certainly seeing long lineups of the polls. Veteran BCNP Peter Julian was at today's platform drop. He hopes today's message

reaches those voting in advance. People I think are concerned that in the face of what we're experiencing as a country, that they will be forgotten. And Jagmeet Singh's message today was very much, you're not forgotten, we're standing up for you. And I think that's something that resonates certainly in my community and I think in communities right across the country. But, with a record number of Canadians having cast their ballots,

today's announcement may have been too late for a large section of the electorate. David Thornton, CBC News, Burnaby. The Conservatives have yet to release their fully-costed platform. Their leader was in B.C.'s Lower Mainland on Saturday. Pierre Poliev is pitching mandatory drug treatment for convicted criminals and saying some drug offenders should go to rehab, not jail. JP Tasker brings us that story. This policy is not about punishment, it's about redemption. Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev says too many drug abusers are left to languish on

the streets. The court should step in and force people to get the help they need, even if they don't want it. We will give judges the power, we will take action, and we will save lives. It's the latest in a string of conservative tough on crime policy proposals. Poliev has also promised to invoke the notwithstanding clause to keep some murderers in jail for longer. He's making the pitch here because the Vancouver area is ground zero for the drug overdose crisis. And while the overall crime rate in B.C. is drifting lower after a post-pandemic spike, the crime that does occur is often more violent, according to provincial data.

People in B.C. are terrorized and afraid to go outside. Critics say Poliev is pushing a cruel, American-style agenda that just doesn't work. UBC professor Benjamin Perrin used to serve as a legal adviser to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He's had a change of heart on crime policies and he's endorsing Poliev's liberal opponent, Mark Carney, as a result. Mr. Poliev is proposing to bring this failed policy from the United States, hoping that we won't look south of the border and see how devastating it's been there. Still, the Tories say a crime crackdown is worth it to make people feel safer. JP Tasker, CBC News, Richmond, B.C.

The Bloc Québécois says the Liberals and Conservatives are putting their heads in the sand on climate change. Yves-François Blanchet was speaking in Quebec's eastern townships Saturday. Blanchet is staunchly opposed to expanding pipelines despite growing public support. He says he favors a clean energy corridor into the U.S. even with relations breaking down. Blanchet says Donald Trump will come to the table to talk trade. And before the end of 2026, Mr. Trump will have to face midterm elections in the United States and he will have to show something to the population so there will be a trade agreement in 2026.

Blanchet says expanding pipelines east from Alberta is a bad idea and adds Canada must reduce its dependence on oil and gas. Canada must reduce its dependence on oil and gas. Still ahead, video meetings and chats seem to be a permanent part of life these days, and you don't just have to worry about what you look like, but what you sound like too. New research shows bad audio quality makes people seem less trustworthy, even less hireable. Take a listen to that story later on your world tonight. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine.

The truce would only last until midnight local time Sunday. Putin says he expects Ukraine to follow suit, but also ordered Russian troops to be ready for any violations. But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russian drone attacks and artillery fire on the front lines are still happening, and air raid sirens are still ringing out in the capital, Kiev. Zelensky also called out Russia for ignoring a U.S. brokered ceasefire deal

and says Putin needs to respond if he's serious about peace. The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered a temporary halt to the Trump administration's planned deportation of a group of Venezuelans. The migrants were at risk of being sent to El Salvador as early as today under the Alien Enemies Act. But the American Civil Liberties Union

made an emergency appeal to the court Friday night, arguing there had been no due process. The majority of justices agreed and ordered them not to be removed, quote, until further order of this court. While the US crackdown on immigration has also sent hundreds of asylum seekers to Panama, the deal allowing those deportations

has been widely criticized by human rights groups. Most people came from Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Now stuck in Panama, many aren't sure where they can go next and fear a return to civil war or religious persecution. Freelance reporter Manuel Rueda has the story. 49 people wanted a new life in the U.S. Instead, they're staying in an old-school gym in Panama

City. They're not from Panama, but they were sent to the Central American country after being deported from the U.S. Not knowing what will happen next, they sleep on mattresses and take Spanish lessons in the afternoons. Nikita Gapunov comes from Russia. He says he fled from his country because he was beaten by police and threatened with imprisonment for being a gay man. I do not know what to do. Every day I have stress, problems. Gapunov says that he crossed the U.S. border in February, turned himself into authorities

and asked to be considered for asylum. But he was not allowed to make his case. Instead, he was held in a detention center for one night and put on a plane to Panama the following day. We wanted to have a chance to request asylum. Maybe we will lose our cases, maybe, but the USA do not give us a chance and I think it's very bad. Gapanov and the rest of the asylum seekers now in Panama were removed from the US under 212F, a section of the US Immigration and Nationality Act that was written in 1952.

Which basically says that the president can, by proclamation, deny entry to categories of people. Bill Frelic directs the Refugees Division at Human Rights Watch. He says that the migrants who were deported to Panama were denied due process because the latest additions to U.S. law require officials to give asylum seekers a chance to have their cases heard. And in these cases, that didn't happen. What we're looking at is really an effort on the part of the U.S. to deflect its own responsibilities to countries that have far less capacity than it does, it's really disruptive to what would be called the international refugee regime.

After they were deported to Panama, the migrants were locked up in a hotel where they were offered repatriation flights. Those who refused to go back home were moved to an isolated camp near the remote Darien jungle. Ortemis Assemzadeh from Iran says it felt like a prison. The situation of the jungle was really bad. No privacy, no good food, everywhere fence. The migrants were released from detention early last month and were given a maximum of 90 days to stay in Panama.

Some of them have said they will try to apply for asylum here, but others are still hoping that the United Nations will refer them to wealthier countries like the UK or Canada, which have better programs for asylum seekers. Manuel Rueda for CBC News, Panama City. An out of control grass fire forced some households to evacuate last night near Edmonton and destroyed buildings at the Ukrainian cultural heritage village. Sam Sampson went out to the historical site and tells us more. So Sam, take us through what's happened. Well, we've been watching grass fires all week. It's really dry conditions pretty much

across Alberta, and this is one of the most serious yet. So this fire closed Highway 16 for hours yesterday. If you're familiar with the area, that's the road you'll probably take if you're heading out of Edmonton going toward Lloyd Minster and eventually Saskatoon. So RCMP say the grass fire started east of Elk Island National Park on the south side of the highway behind the Ukrainian cultural heritage village. And that was around 5.30 in the afternoon on Friday. The fire then jumped the highway. And that's when RCMP advised five households to evacuate. Everyone else in the area was told to be households to evacuate. Everyone else in the area was told to be ready to leave. Then a half hour later that evacuation alert was removed

and the fire was contained. It did go through that heritage village though and we do know that the fire destroyed the visitor buildings in that museum and those buildings contained really priceless artifacts. But the local county fire department says all historic buildings were saved, which is great news to Carol Sleutkinski. She's an active member of the Ukrainian community in Alberta who has helped settle many newcomers and refugees from the war. She's also performed as a Ukrainian dancer at the village and has visited several times with her family.

It is definitely a relief to me. And as I drove up here, I was already calling friends that have buildings that have been restored in memory of their grandparents and great grandparents. And it was a sigh of relief when I drove down the highway to see that a lot of those buildings have been saved. Okay. So a sigh of relief, as she's saying, but what is the significance of this village? This open-air museum includes dozens of historic buildings that also include original family settlement homes that have been restored, basically so people can walk through and just

see how Ukrainian settlers lived. That included artifacts and it depicts early life. Arisia Boychuk is the president of the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council. This is a focal and a gathering point for our Ukrainian community and for people, travelers, visitors. Many people have come and experienced the Ukrainian village. So we're very preoccupied about the damage that has been done here.

And I have to say, it's not just people who are really active in the Ukrainian community. So we're very preoccupied about the damage that has been done here. And I have to say, it's not just people who are really active in the Ukrainian community. While we were there earlier today, there were probably a dozen vehicles that just stopped by and asked us if things were okay. It's unclear when it could open to the public. The season was supposed to start May long weekend, but the word from the Alberta province is that it will open when it is safe to do so, but the word from the Alberta province is that it will open when it is safe to do so, but that's unclear when. Now as for fire season, it's already

really busy here in Alberta. When we were driving back, we were actually notified of another grass fire near Edmonton, this one near the refineries in the city. It's really windy here. It's really dry. And actually Stephanie, almost every county in this province has some sort of fire ban. Wow okay Sam thanks so much. You're welcome. Sam Sampson in Edmonton. Experts like the International Energy Agency say the world's electricity consumption is rising fast so there's growing interest in harnessing different kinds of power like geothermal. It's a hardly used clean energy source that the government says Canada has lots of and it could be used as a clean source of power but more data is needed.

Paula Duhatschek tells us about one Canadian company that's trying to make geothermal energy happen but had to leave the country to get its first major project off the ground. In Gerritsried is one of the most complex drilling projects in the world. Newfoundlander Steve Nao has spent most of his career in oil and gas, chasing drilling projects across nearly 50 different countries. His latest gig has plunked him down in the middle of a Bavarian forest near the small community of Gerretts Reed. But he isn't drilling for fossil fuels.

Instead, he's on the hunt for heat. We have two rigs that are about 400 meters apart. The two rigs are drilling deep underground to find heat. Most of that heat will go to warm the homes of the nearby town. The rest will pump clean power onto the German grid. The tech was developed by Calgary-based Ever. John Redfern is their

CEO. Ideally, he says, they would be doing this in Canada. But in the short term, the incentives the Germans have and other European countries have really makes it better to start there. Germany wants this type of technology badly. They're looking for clean sources of heat and power, both for environmental reasons but also because their main source of natural gas came from Russia and was disrupted by the invasion of Ukraine. We have no oil, we have no gas, but we have geothermal energy. Jan Doering is head of the Gerrit's Rea Municipal Utility.

He says geothermal was an easy choice. It's a very, very good solution to get affordable energy, secure energy, domestic energy and environmental friendly energy. The project could cost as much as $540 million Canadian, but it will provide clean, sustainable heat to about 5,000 homes and at the same time is part of an effort to help Germany wean itself off a foreign supply of fossil fuels. Shoppers in the local town square say they're on board. We need more and more energy and oil and gas is not good for the climate.

I think it's a good idea because you have a new opportunity to get energy. Generally I think it's a good idea. It could be an uphill battle to see this particular tech used in North America. Maurice Dussault is a professor emeritus of engineering geology at the University of Waterloo. He says Canada is swimming in natural gas and hydro. So geothermal energy always has to compete with other energy sources. And that's a tough competition in Canada because we have very cheap energy. Evers says its next few projects

will likely also be in Germany, but the company hopes over time it can drive costs down and bring the technology back home to Canada. Paula Duhaczek, CBC News, Gerritsry, Germany. Working in radio and podcasts, we really appreciate good audio quality. Turns out, it's also incredibly important when it comes to video calls. In just a few short years they've become an often annoying mainstay of modern

life. More and more people rely on apps like Zoom for work meetings and job interviews. New research shows how we sound on those calls matters as much as how we look. Anand Ram explains why you might need a better mic. After eight years in sales I'm currently seeking a new challenge which will utilize my meticulous attention to detail and friendly professional manner. Okay boss you're hearing this. He wants to work for you but he sounds like he's in a tin can so how likely are you to hire him? After eight years in sales I'm currently seeking a new challenge, which will utilize my meticulous attention to detail and friendly...

Well now, that's a change, isn't it? And even if you didn't get to compare it to that hollow-sounding first version, new research says you're more likely to hire... ...my tenacious and proactive approach resulting... ...a candidate that sounds like this. And it has to do with fluency. Basically, how easy is it to process what you're hearing? And whether it's an accent you're not used to hearing, or a sound that's just harder

to hear, it affects that ease. They can influence our impressions without us knowing that that is what's influencing our impressions. Brian Scholl is a psychology professor at Yale University. He led the new research, asking participants to make judgments about two different kinds of audio clips. The tinny... Through this experience, I've improved and developed my networking skills. And the tonally richer, let's say. Through this experience, I've improved and developed my networking skills.

And what we found across many different judgments is that people were less likely to hire someone when they were speaking in that familiar tinny quality. Less hireable, but people also rated the bad audio voices less trustworthy, less intelligent, even less likely to want to go on a date with them. People don't like that, right? They like fluency, easy, like I'm interacting with you, I'm not doing extra work. Anytime you have to do kind of an extra work or pay attention to it, people are penalized for that. Sonia Kang is a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Toronto.

She says people infer a lot from what they hear, making snap judgments about age, race, and gender. We hear voices a lot, right? And so we're kind of evolved to be able to get this information just from voices. And it has a bigger impact on first time interactions, says Jessica Grahn, neuroscience professor at Western University. These sorts of effects of irrelevant things like sound quality tend to be much bigger in a vacuum. So when we don't have a lot of other information that's actually relevant to make this decision, first impressions do matter, unfortunately. So what's the solution here? Well, getting a better microphone could help, though it

may not always be affordable for everyone. But another powerfully simple option, experts say, is to remind interviewers of how audio quality can affect their biases before the interview starts. Anand Ram, CBC News, Toronto. The NHL playoffs start Saturday night with five Canadian teams in contention for the league's top prize. Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal all made it to the first round, hoping to be the first Canadian team in 32 years to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Philipp Lee Shanok reports. Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre will be where the first of Canada's teams takes to the ice for this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. Jets fan 13-year-old Madden Atkinson has some notes for the players. I would tell them to go out there, play hard, play off hockey, play some hits, lots of shots, pepper the goalie and let's get the win. Fans took over downtown streets on Saturday for the so-called White Out Party before the first game against the St. Louis Blues. Atkinson says having finished with the league's best regular season record, the Jets have a chance to make history. I think it would be good for the city, first Canadian team to do it in a while, so I think that would be good for the Wimpet culture, yeah. The Oilers, Jets, Maple Leafs Senators and Canadians are all in the running.

There is a tremendous amount of excitement in this country for the first round of the playoffs, which is the most exciting two weeks in sports. Ottawa historian Liam Maguire is Canada's unofficial hockey trivia expert. First time since 2017 that we've had five so that's that's a positive thing and with Edmonton going to the final last year I think there's certainly a buzz around them. The Oilers are gearing up to face the LA Kings, a team that they faced in the first round and bested in the past three post-seasons. In the East, one of the biggest hockey rivalries is about to heat up. The Battle of Ontario kicks off in Toronto tomorrow between the Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators.

Lease captain Austin Matthews says he's ready. The Battle of Ontario I think kind of speaks for itself. It's been a long time and you know two very proud cities, proud franchises so um I think we know what we're in for. It's going to be a tough series. McGuire says Ottawa has not been in the playoffs since 2017 when they lost in the semi-finals to Pittsburgh. This is probably the deepest Toronto team in the Matthews era,

and they've drawn a first-round opponent that are licking their lips to play them, and that's scary. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe raised the Sens flag at City Hall this week and threw down the gauntlet. I believe we have a team that is built for the playoffs and if that means we have to deny the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup for the 58th consecutive year, I'm good with that. The last Canadian team to win the cup were the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.

They clinched a playoff spot this week for the first time in four years. They'll face off against the Washington Capitals on Monday. Philip Lee Shanok, CBC News, Toronto. Charlie XCX with Apple, one of the hits off last summer's Brat album, and part of a huge TikTok dance trend from around that time. You might have seen tons of regular folks and celebrities taking part, everyone from Brooke Shields to Stephen Colbert to Kerry Washington to Charli herself. It's a few seconds of choreography, specifically to this part of the song.

You might think of a TikTok dance as just a harmless bit of fun, easy as apple pie. And it is. Except when a big company wants to make money off it. That's what Roblox apparently did. The super popular online gaming platform reportedly reached out to the choreographer to license the Apple dance for use in its game. But that choreographer, Kelly Heyer, says Roblox then went ahead and used it without her permission.

That left her with a sour taste. But she's not letting one bad apple spoil the bunch. She'd already filed a copyright a few months after releasing the dance and now she's suing. Roblox has said in the statement that it takes intellectual property very seriously and doesn't believe it's done anything wrong because it has a deal with Charli XCX. But it doesn't yet have one with Kelly Haier. Her legal team says she's an independent creator, and they remain willing to settle.

So, how do you like them apples? You knew that was coming. This has been Your World Tonight for Saturday, April 19th. I'm Stephanie Scanderis. Thank you for listening.