Your World Tonight - Canada Post strike, cybersecurity VPN attack, Trump hints more indictments coming, and more

Episode Date: September 26, 2025

They’re walking picket lines instead of delivery routes. Canada Post employees are off the job. They’re angry about not having a contract, and about changes to the crown corporation – announced yesterday by the federal government. And: “Serious and urgent” – Canada’s cybersecurity agency is warning companies to take immediate action to defend against a malicious attack on virtual private networks (VPNs). Also: U.S. President Donald Trump says he doesn’t have a list, but more indictments are likely coming. Yesterday, the Department of Justice issued an indictment against former FBI director James Comey – a man Trump had been threatening for years. Plus: Prime Minister Carney travels to London, Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN as many countries walk out of the assembly,  fall Covid -19 shots, and more.

Hey, how's it going? Amazing. I just finished paying off all my debt with the help of the credit counseling society. Whoa, seriously? I could really use their help. It was easy. I called and spoke with a credit counselor right away. They asked me about my debt, salary, and regular expenses. Gave me a few options and helped me along the way. You had a ton of debt and you're saying credit counseling society helped with all of it? Yep, and now I can sleep better at night. Right on! When debt's got you, you've got us. Give credit counseling society a

call today. Visit no more debts.org. This is a CBC podcast. We're looking for decent jobs for Canadians for not only current postal workers but future postal workers. We're only in the middle class and we want reasonable a cost of inflation increases in our pay and we just want to survive. Not signed, not sealed and so no delivery. Still without a contract postal workers walk off the job for the second time in a year. After news, the federal government will allow sweeping changes to how Canada Post operates. And with no official talks planned, Canadians are bracing for another long wait for letters to arrive. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Onondrom. It is Friday, September 26th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern.

Also on the podcast. They weaponized the Justice Department like nobody in his. What they've done is terrible. And so I hope there are, frankly, I hope there are this case. You can't let this happen to a country. Donald Trump has said he hates the people who oppose him. His own former FBI chief, James Comey, has been a target for the president's anger for years. Comey has now been indicted on two charges accused of lying to Congress.

And Trump suggests he's just the first. All over Canada, postal workers have hit the picket lines. The union representing 55,000 people, has launched a nationwide strike over the changes Ottawa's making to the way Canada Post does business. The government says the goal is to get the Crown Corporation back in the black, but the reform seemed to be causing workers to see red. Nicole Williams reports. Across the country, Canada Post workers are back on the picket line,

for the second time this year. We want a contract. Mike Brown is in Halifax, but works for Canada Post out of St. John's. Employees like him have been in contract talks for nearly two years over many issues, including wages and part-time work. I want to retire. I have eight years left.

I want to actually retire, right? But for the future of the post office, the way this is going, it's not a good future. The federal government proposed major changes Thursday, including an end to home delivery and the closure of post offices in some rural areas. In response, the union representing those workers called a surprise strike. You know, the world has changed, so I don't know if post has to be delivered to your house. Some customers agree that it's time to make changes.

Only a quarter of Canadians still get mail delivered to their door. The rest have already transitioned to community or rural mailboxes over the past few decades. It's a good thing to God to cut down on things. I'm retired, so it doesn't really matter. Everything's online. Lori Hodnott says that isn't the reality where she lives. She's the mayor of the township of McNabb-Brayside, west of Ottawa. It's a rural area with a lot of dirt roads and a lot of seniors.

We don't have a newspaper service, and sometimes it's spotty on connectivity geographically here. People want their mail. But Canada Post has a big problem on it. hands, losing approximately $10 million a day. Earlier this year, the Crown Corporation was given a $1 billion bailout to keep it operational. John Hamilton is VP of Communications for Canada Post. And the problem is the union cannot come to agreement that we are actually in a financial crisis, and that has not provided any basis for us to provide a service. But Union President of the Toronto chapter, Mark Lubinsky, says the blame is entirely Canada Post, saying the service, saying the

has lost customers because of the ongoing labor disruptions. Would they set down, negotiated seriously, and if we had a contract in place right now, we would not be in this scenario right now. In the House of Commons, former Labor Minister Steve McKinnon fended off accusations that the federal government caused the strike, saying we have put Canada Post on a lasting path, and I hope both parties will reach an agreement. Nicole Williams, CBC News, Ottawa. Medesins-Saint-Frontier says it is suspending its work in Gaza City.

MSF says the security is deteriorating, putting their staff at too high a risk. Meanwhile, speaking at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to defend the war in Gaza and vowed that Israel will finish the job there. Our senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has more on that speech and the reaction. Please order in hold. Israel's growing isolation on the world stage reflected at the UN General Assembly. Dozens of delegations walking out ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech. It came with defiance.

Much of the world no longer remembers October 7th, but we remember. Israel remembers October 7th. He hit out at countries, including Canada, for recognizing a Palestinian. state earlier in the week. Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere. It will be a mark of shame on all of you.

And there were theatrics. Netanyahu holding up a map of the Middle East and ticking off enemies eliminated by Israel. And he addressed Israeli hostages in Gaza directly. Through loudspeakers, he said were broadcasting his speech along the border. Our brave heroes, this is Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking to you live from the United Nations.

We have not forgotten you, not even for a second. Families of the hostages, dead and alive, demonstrated outside the UN, many long accusing Netanyahu of blocking a deal to end the war. Nadav Rudayev lost his father on October 7th. The only thing we're trying to do now is convince all world leaders that this is what needs to happen now. The war needs to end. In Washington, in an almost throwaway remark, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters a deal is close.

It's going to be a deal with, it's going to be peace. I think we have a deal. Netanyahu gave no indication of that. And there was little mention of the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza beyond. denying Israel was deliberately targeting or starving civilians. In Gaza City this morning, yet another airstrike and chaos as people pull survivors and bodies from the wreckage, including that of a little girl.

Few here would have heard Netanyahu's speech which he claimed Israeli intelligence was live streaming to Gazan's mobile phones. I didn't hear anything, says Um-Mohamed Wadi. We didn't get voice notes, and God willing, we won't, she says. She's counting on the international community to end the war. But with the world's leaders gathered in New York and all the pleas for peace, Gaza looks set to bleed a while longer. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. Coming right up, Canada's Prime Minister is in England, looking to strengthen economic ties with the UK, as relations with the U.S. stay shaky.

Speaking of which, fewer Canadians are crossing the border into the U.S., which has the U.S. ambassador to Canada wondering if they should make changes that could make crossing that border harder. And later, health experts recommend the COVID vaccine be available for free, especially for the most vulnerable. but Alberta and Quebec say they will be limiting who gets the free version, leaving some people with a difficult choice. $5, $700 to immunize the whole family. They're going to have to take their chances and that may end up being worse for them and may compromise their health. Christine Birak on the charges and challenges to getting vaccinated. That's all coming up on your world tonight. One day after a day, after a year,

a grand jury indicted former FBI director James Comey, U.S. President Donald Trump is hinting that more indictments could follow. Trump has long urged the Justice Department to go after his perceived enemies. As Katie Nicholson reports, critics say this could signal a turning point for the rule of law. From the White House law, U.S. President Donald Trump insisted James Comey's indictment isn't about retribution. It's about justice. really. It's not revenge. But he said he hoped others might soon join the former FBI director. It's not a list, but I think there'll be others. I mean, they're corrupt. Trump has urged the FBI and the Department of Justice to go after his perceived enemies many times over the years.

In the eight months, he's been back in the Oval Office. There have been investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, Trump's own former national security advisor, John Bolton, and former Obama-era CIA chief, John Brennan, to name a few, all subjects of the president's ire. My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump. Comey, defiant in a Thursday video message. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn't either. Comey faces two charges, both stemming from allegations he lied under oath before Congress when asked about FBI media leaks.

The case was brought forward by an. acting U.S. attorney appointed by Trump just days ago after the previous lead attorney refused and resigned. It's what they call a bare bones indictment. Okay. And this indictment, you know, you want a little meat on the bones, but this indictment doesn't even have any bones. That's how bare it is. Jane Rossi is a former federal prosecutor. He says the rule of law is being ignored. There is no crime. But President Trump is on a retribution tour. He's got a sledgehammer that's chisling away at that wall between his White House and the Justice Department. And it's the wild, wild west. It is a sad, dark, really scary day for America. Senator Richard Blumenthal is among the many Democrats speaking out. Vengeance and vanity are the reasons for these charges.

But even on Trump-friendly Fox News, a sense the case against Comey may be weak. First, give us your reaction to the indictment. Well, I don't think there's a case. And a wariness, the wall between the once independent DOJ and the White House is eroding. This was completely and totally orchestrated by President Trump. He says he's leaving into justice, but he's very much out in the open. Comey will be arraigned on October 9th. By then, he may have company.

Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Toronto. Sinclair Broadcasting and Next Star Media say Jimmy Kimmel will be allowed back on their airwaves. Between them, the two companies control nearly 70 ABC affiliates. Kimmel's late-night program was suspended, then reinstated a week later, after comments he made about the reaction to the murder of Charlie Kirk. Canada's cybersecurity agency is joining others around the world to warn about a widespread attack. One, it calls serious and urgent. The critical warnings are about a month's long attack on virtual private networks, systems that are used by government and businesses to keep information safe.

Catherine, Taney has been looking to this. Catherine, how serious is this attack? It's a critical hit on Cisco, a security technology company that offers a very popular VPN service. So it's the firewall that allows workers, including government workers in Canada, to do their job securely and safely. Well, now we're learning of an advanced and sophisticated attack on Cisco going back to May. The company says the hackers were able to exploit vulnerabilities in their system and can potentially steal data from compromised devices. I spoke to Mike Grop, a senior cybersecurity advisor with Roger's cybersecurity catalyst out of the Toronto Metropolitan University. He described it as breaking down the front door of the very devices.

that guard corporate and government networks, the critical infrastructure used in critical infrastructure. So you have banks, hospitals, utilities, public agencies, they depend on these firewalls. So a successful attack can expose things like patient records, financial data, or even government communications, and even disrupt essential services. Canada's cyber intelligence agency calls the threat serious and urgent. The communication security establishment joined its counterparts in the U.S. and the U.K. It's showing a red alert saying basically, take this seriously.

And if you're in charge of your company's IT, follow our advice and patch those known vulnerabilities. So there is a fix. But do we have any sense of who's behind this attack? So Cisco says it believes the attackers are the same state-sponsored actors who ran a previous espionage-focused campaign against its systems. It is not named that suspected actor, and the cyber agency here in Canada would not say who they think is behind the global attack. The techniques used in this attack do match the MO of government-backed attackers versus, you know, cybercriminals who are looking to make some money in a ransomware hit. The Cisco hackers are described as stealthy, advanced, and highly skilled. Grop says state-sponsored actors like China and Russia are looking for government communications or information on new technologies or infiltrating a system to play the long game.

Gathering credentials, gathering information, seeing how, once they're in the network, how it's architected, how it's secured, what's software is in use, what people are there, and potentially at a critical point, maybe in the time of war, in trade talks, things like that, they would want to then disrupt those services to have some additional leverage in those strategic situations. And finally, the Pash of Canada and its allies are recommending was described to me as relatively straightforward to fix the holes in the system, but it's still not clear whether any private or sensitive information has already been stolen. All right. Thanks, Catherine. The CBC's Catherine Tunney in Ottawa. A judge in London, England, has thrown out a terrorism charge against a member of the Irish rap group, Kneecap. Liam Ogahani, also known as Makara, was accused of waving a Hezbollah flag during a London concert last year. The group has said the flag had been thrown onto the stage and that the charge was an attempt to silence them for their support of Palestinians in Gaza. Makara spoke to supporters outside the court,

after the ruling. This entire process was never about me. Never about any threat to the public, never about terrorism. A word used by your government to discredit people you oppress. It was always about Gaza. About what happens if you dare to speak up.

Your attempts to silence us have failed because we're right and you're wrong. The judge ruled the case null and unlawful because the charge was issued outside of a six-month limit. Last week, Ottawa banned the group from entering Canada, citing publicly displayed support for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

There's no word yet on whether or not this news will affect that decision. Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, meanwhile, is in the United Kingdom, meeting with the UK Prime Minister and other world leaders. Carney is hoping to diversify Canada's trade relationships and reduce its reliance on the U.S. Carney is also showcasing Canada's defense commitments. As Olivia Stefanovic reports, he's making the case for Canada as a trusted economic and security partner.

Prime Minister Mark Carney arriving at 10 Downing Street for a reception with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Kier-Starmer, after the two reconnected earlier on the sidelines of a summit in London for progressive leaders. And obviously, we've got Ukraine to discuss, we've got for the least to discuss, and thank you for the way we've been able to work together on both those issues. The two well-established allies now pushing each other ahead on uncharted priorities. I'm grateful that the relationship is so strong because I'm now going to test the relationship. We're going to test each other.

That may have been a friendly joke between two rugby rivals, but senior government officials say, Carney is in the UK to explore how Canada can contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine and the Middle East. This, after the Prime Minister signaled, the possibility of participation by Canadian troops in both conflicts. Those things are going to take time to transpire. Right now, I don't think he's got a lot of options other than to shift around some of the existing troop deployments that we have right now. David Perry is the president and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He says Canada is limited in what it can offer its allies in terms of its defense capabilities and readiness.

But there's still a meaningful role it can play, one that Perry says will benefit the federal government's other priorities. If we want to be more engaged in a number of different ways, including economically and from a trading relationship, but I think Canada has to increase its relevance and visibility with some of our other potential key partners. And so part of that would be taking on a bigger ability to help shape constructively some of the world's key challenges. If Canada can prove it's carrying its weight, Perry says more countries might be more willing to open their markets.

We're partners in the Arctic with Australian technology over the horizon radar. Carney spent the day meeting with like-minded counterparts, many for the first time in person in an official capacity, including the prime ministers of Iceland, Spain, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. But we're also countries that trust each other when it comes to security issues. While Carney strengthens ties abroad, the Conservatives continue to question what the Prime Minister is coming home with and whether his trips are worth it. Olivia Estefanovich, CBC News, London. Well, we know Canadians have been taking fewer trips to the U.S. since Donald Trump started this train. war, and the U.S. Ambassador has noticed. Pete Hoekstra recently suggested Canadians are being

anti-American. Now, he's saying Washington might want to reconsider its customs pre-clearance for Canadian travelers because of that drop in tourism. Kate McKenna has more. I think Canadians like the pre-clearance process. At a business forum in BAMP on Thursday night, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra once again said something provocative, this time floating the idea of ending preclearance at major Canadian airports. That allows Canadians to clear customs before boarding a flight to the U.S., speeding up time spent traveling. Hoekstra says with fewer Canadians traveling south, it might become too expensive. Preclearance is something that is done at the expense of the U.S. government. We pay for it, which, you know, if you can't make the numbers work

anymore, you're all business people. You know what that means. You've got to take a look at some of these things. Moderator Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat, challenged the ambassador. We're your biggest source of tourism. If you end preclearance, doesn't that cut off your nose despite your face? Nobody said we were ending preclearance. Don't put words in my mouth. No, and I'm just asking because I heard you say we have to look at it. These are all business people. My immediate reaction was that this is kind of like someone who feels jilted in a relationship, but you know, why don't you love me anymore? And in this case, you know, a recognition. that Canadians are not traveling to the United States as much.

Benjamin Mueller is an expert in borders and sovereignty and a professor at King's University College in London, Ontario. He questions the ambassador's reference to costs, saying preclearance has become cheaper to administer. The U.S., and they're not alone in this, many countries have done this, have moved to reliance on apps on our phones, so the mobile passport control or MPC app that the United States uses, along with electronic kiosks.

And these all enable pretty substantial reduction in personnel costs. But he says preclearance does make a difference in Canadian's travel time. Yeah, I mean, my flight here last week was completely empty. Jeremy Cote is a dual citizen who travels between both countries often. He spends winters in Canada and summers in the U.S. He says the end of preclearance could add a lot of hassle. Yeah, that does sound very annoying. actually. Sounds like longer waits for everyone for, I don't know what the point is.

Hooxtra's time as ambassador falls in an era of historic turbulence. He's been a fervent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, saying as recently as last week, Hoekstra was disappointed he came to Canada, accusing the Mark Carney government of running an anti-American elbows-up campaign. But whether preclearance is actually in jeopardy remains to be seen. Neither the White House nor the American embassy indicated that there's a plan to push forward with. this for now. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across Canada, starting with high-risk groups. But this year, provinces aren't all on the same page. Quebec and Alberta are now charging some people for the

shots. Christine Birak reports. Inside a senior center in Edmonton, a friendly game of badminton turns glum when we ask about COVID-19 vaccines and Alberta's decision not to cover them for everyone over 65. We are one of the most susceptible groups. I think it's cruel. I will pay for it because I need it. I don't want to get COVID again. Now made in Canada, Moderna's COVID-19 shots, along with others, are going into arms. So we asked an expert, do we still need one? By far, COVID-19 is not a thing of the past. It is an ongoing problem with ebbs and flows, but right now we're on the uptick. Donald Vinn is an infectious disease doctor at McGill. He agrees with Canada's independent vaccine panel that is recommending COVID-19 shots for high-risk groups, including

anyone over 65 or pregnant, along with those over six months with underlying medical conditions, living in long-term care or in underserved communities. Dr. Vinn says updated COVID-19 vaccines offer everyone's strong protection. You actually will get nice fourfold increase in the antibody levels compared to if you didn't get this vaccine. For most Canadians, COVID vaccines will be free, except in Alberta and Quebec, which plan to charge residents up to $180. Sante Quebec has been talking about

is let's go preventative, preventative, preventative, which I think is laudable. And yet now we're going backwards with COVID. Darren Bass Middijan is a pharmacist in Montreal. He says offering free flu and COVID shots was a logical way to protect people. Now some families will have to make tough choices. Their families simply cannot afford $5, $600 to immunize the whole family. They're going to have to take their chances and that may end up being worse for them and may compromise their health.

While Quebec plans to cover all high-risk groups, Alberta isn't and shots won't be offered in pharmacies, citing waste and cost. It's just looking at that cost of the vaccine itself, but ignoring those long. long-term costs. And it just doesn't make sense from that perspective. Jeff Johnson is a public health researcher at the University of Alberta. He says the average cost estimate of a COVID-19 hospital stay is over $24,000. COVID-ICU admissions are over 50,000. Back at the badminton game, Donna Tachuck says she won't pay. No, I will not. I will go to Saskatchewan to visit family or BC to visit friends and I will get the shot there. For her, it's a simple step to stay out of hospital and on the court.

Christine Beirak, CBC News, Toronto. Finally, for Milestone Saskatchewan's Jim Hadfield, it all started with a post on Facebook. And about six years ago, I thought, I wonder if anybody eats fruitcake anymore. So I threw it on there. And I got, I believe, orders for 28. Hadfield had taken up baking after he retired.

But nothing prepared him for what he'd now started. That original 28 orders turned into more than 200 the following year. 500 last year. And this year, more than 700. His living room is filled with storage containers. Hadfield had to cut off orders on June 15th and started baking the day after. He finished on Wednesday. Well, I'm going to be 75 next year.

And I'm thinking that that's probably the limit. I have two ovens, and I do 20 a day. I can do five at a time in each oven, but they take three and a half hours to bake. So to do 724 Christmas cakes, that's how long it took me. That's a lot of math. So 724 cakes, most of which he is now basting with syrup or alcohol and prepping to send out in November.

If that sounds like some sort of record, Hadfield says it might be. People have told me on my Facebook page that they don't know anybody else who does what I do, given the fact that I do everything myself. I have no help. I do it all myself. All the purchasing, all the taking the orders, the baking, the basting, the shipping, everything. Hadfield's list of ingredients is also impressive. 600 meters of foil for wrapping.

150 kilos of butter, nearly 2,000 eggs. and more than 1,000 kilos of fruit and nuts. Hadfield says he's watching the Canada Post strike closely and is looking at other ways to ship out the fruit cakes. And he says he'll start taking orders for 2026 around April or May. Thanks for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Friday, September 26th. I'm Onondrum. Good night.

For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.