Your World Tonight - Canada retaliates in trade war, Dolly Parton dies, new NFL brain injury research, and more

Episode Date: August 25, 2026

Dollar-for-dollar retaliation. Ottawa says it will match U.S. tariffs on Canada exactly. That means tariffs on $27 billion of U.S. goods. There’s also support for Canadian businesses as they brace for the impact of tariffs from both countries. And the insults and threats continue — including the U.S. president threatening to rename one of the Great Lakes, and to stop doing business with Ontario.Plus: Legendary country singer, actor and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died.Also: Every tackle takes a toll, and for some football players, the effects can last a lifetime. New research suggests at least one in four NFL players will develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and the true number is likely much higher.And more.

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But Canada will meet the moment. Canadians will meet the moment. We will meet the moment together. That moment filled with uncertainty and economic risk. To meet it, counter-tariffs on a slew of American goods and financial support for industries in this country expected to be hit especially hard. The manufacturer is on the front line of this commercial war, so we're going to need help as long as it's needed, as long as there are tariffs and counter-tires. Otherwise, we're going to see factories and businesses close.

And American officials lob more insults and threats across the border, including one from the U.S. president to rename Lake Ontario. This is Your World Tonight. It's Tuesday, August 25th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. I'm Selima Shivji, also on the podcast. As a songwriter, she was as great as it gets, as brilliant as it gets. American country musician, icon, and unifying force. Dali Parton dies at the age of 80. We'll look back at her success as a songwriter, as a performer, and her passion for philanthropy. Tens of billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs, billions more in support for workers and business.

Federal ministers today laid out the Canadian Plan of Attack in the Escobiles. trade war with America. Kate McKenna has the details. When the United States of America has too much and offered too little, we made a choice. We chose Canada. Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced the details of nearly $28 billion in counter tariffs aimed at the U.S. A necessary move, he says, after talks with the U.S., broke down. Canada will match the United States tariffs, dollar for dollar, rate for rate.

effective September 8, Canada will impose counter-tariffs of up to 15, 25 or 50%. Champagne says the retaliation is proportionate, targeted, and strategic. In a list released by Ottawa some 700 items, the U.S. exports to Canada will soon face counter-tariffs. US steel and aluminum products will be tariffed at 50%. Other American products facing 50% tariffs include perfumes and makeup, smartphones, and milk products. Meanwhile, other sectors, including seafood, pulp and paper, and electronics, are being hit at lower rates. So I think you will see a fair political impact of this to the president.

Tyler Meredith is the former head of fiscal and economic policy for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He says if the situation gets worse, Canada has some fiscal room to up the ante. We have a slightly lower initially tariff rate on the U.S. than their tariff rate on us. But that's actually not something that's, I think, problematic because it gives us room to ratchet that up over time, because we know, as the president has indicated, they intend to retaliate further. The federal government also announced $7.5 billion

in supports for workers and businesses. We're not taking these attacks on our economy lying down. Patty Heidu is the Minister of Jobs. And so we're making sure that the tools that we need to pivot to new markets, to change products or services and come out stronger than ever, are there now and for as long as it takes to weather this storm. Canada will extend some temporary programs that make it easier to collect employment insurance,

including a measure that provides an extra 20 weeks of EI benefits for long-tenured workers, as well, workers who voluntarily leave jobs are no longer penalized when they want to access EI. Industry Minister Melanie Jolie announced the federal government is also offering grants and loans to businesses that need them. And there will be no repayment, no capital actually to pay back to the BDC for the next 36 months. So after the Trump administration. The suite of measures announced today all suggest Canada is digging in for a long-term fight. But already we're hearing mixed reaction about what's on the table. Cameron McIntosh has that story.

In a packed warehouse in Guelph, Ontario, Jim Astell, owner of Danby Appliances, is clear. Well, Canada had to do something and doing counterterrorists as reasonable as anything. Still, some of the U.S. made parts used in his company's products, small appliances, and snow. snow plows will face 25% tariffs. Costs he says he can swallow. Optimistic Canadian tariffs will drive up prices for his American competitors. I believe we will pick up some market share in Canada due to patriotism. A different take at this agricultural equipment plant in southern Manitoba, where workers are putting finishing touches on farm chemical trailers.

There's going to be some awkward conversations coming. Derek Friesen is CEO of Fiber. Half his customers are American. The specialized U.S. built base for his trailer is hard to replicate and will soon be subject to a 25% Canadian tariff for each one he imports, adding at least $15,000 to final production costs. Ask him if that's viable. Not really, no. The egg sector is in such rough shape as it is.

Then there's seafood. Largely ignored by American tariffs, the counter tariffs target dozens of raw. American products, including lobster, tuna, and trout processed in Canada. Chris Vasado of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance says the industry was caught off guard. I'm surprised, and we're all just trying to grapple with what the actual implications are going to be about this on a larger term. Along with tariffs on about $27.6 billion worth of U.S. imports, the federal government is promising Canadian businesses and workers billions in aid, including increased access to employment insurance. Simone Godreau of the Canadian Federation of Independent,

businesses, that likely won't go far enough. Any business that will benefit from these countermeasures, you will have probably five or ten that will be actually hurt. At fiber, Friesen sees no good in laying off employees. That's not aid. EI is not aid. And in the Danby warehouse, Estel is optimistic Canadians will shop Canadian, but does see pain in the longer term if the U.S. and Canadian markets split further. Uncertainty, the only certainty for now. Cameron McIntosh, CBC News, Toronto. Loblaw is restoring country of origin labeling on fresh produce in most provinces.

Shoppers started noticing the information was removed earlier this month, but now the company is reversing course. Lobla tells CBC it wants to help shoppers buy Canadian products amid trade uncertainty with the U.S. Country of origin labeling on produce is required in Ontario and Quebec by law. Coming right up, Canadian trade on the minds of Americans, how some officials are pointing to actions by Canada to justify US tariffs. Plus, a giant of American country music, Dolly Parton dies after a more than six-decade career.

And later, we'll have this story. Mounting evidence of the impact of CTE has been growing for years, but a new study is highlighting how prevalent the neurodegenerative disease may be among NFL players, and it's sparking new calls about the importance of protecting athletes in contact sports. And we were unfortunately both surprised but saddened to see that the minimum rate was so alarmingly high. I'm Tashana Reid, and I'll have that story coming up on Your World Tonight. reaction in the United States to Canada's trade positions has been blunt, particularly from President Donald Trump,

who let loose again with a series of social media tirades, threatening, among other things, to unilaterally rename Lake Ontario. Catherine Tunney has that story from Washington. With regards to Canada, the president has been very clear for the last year and a half that the way they treat our dairy farmers in America is just not, it is not going to continue any longer. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins defending the president, just as American farmers, businesses, and industries brace for new Canadian counterteriffs.

There's no doubt that it causes concern amongst our farmers and ranchers as it is a lot of unknown out there. Canadians say their primary focus was on mirroring the sectors the Trump administration attacked first, and not on states vulnerable in the upcoming November midterms. Regardless, the incoming Canadian tariffs are expected to inflict harm on U.S. industries already suffering from the trade war, two months before Americans vote, like Wisconsin Derry, Ohio Steel, and Michigan autos. The Ontario Premier Doug Ford is joining us right now. The escalating trade war has garnered prime coverage and scrutiny in U.S. media. In an official statement, the White House says Canada has a record of clear and deliberate abuse and accused Canadian leadership of choosing retaliation. over partnership. Canada is top of mind again for U.S. President Donald Trump, who in multiple true social posts says he's considering changing the name of Lake Ontario

to Lake America, adding to another bad day in Canada-U.S. relations. American businesses are not happy about this, but they have to be careful. They also don't want to invoke the wrath of the administration. Scotty Greenwood is a former U.S. diplomat and founder of Ottawa Street Strategy. The countermeasures, it's going to take time to sink in. I mean, I know you're studying it. We're studying it. But everyday farmers, ranches, and businesses have to look at it.

And they have to evaluate, do we think this is real? Do we think it's really happening? Do we think it's going to be, we're going to avert the crisis? Do we think it's going to be jacked up even more? Like, it's too soon to tell, actually. While the true impacts are still being sorted out, tariff-battered businesses in border states already anticipating more below. Close. Echo May runs a textile store in Washington State.

To be frank, we've already seen a 20% drop in business due to Canadians no longer coming down to the U.S. to shop. And that's just with tariffs the way they've been over the past year, year and a half or so. In Vermont, which relies on both trade and Canadian tourism, the concern runs even deeper. Austin Davis is with the Lake Champlain's Chamber of Commerce. Supply chains, tariffs, all these things can change very quickly. the underpinning emotional context, that's going to take a lot more work. The trust, like the fidelity, the fraternity, like that's difficult. With no end in sight to the tarifford.

It's unclear when that cross-border trust will heal. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Washington. While Trump is threatening to rename a Great Lake, Ontario Premier Doug Ford appeared to be looking to calm the waters. Ford took to U.S. network airways to speak to Americans directly. And as Colin Butler tells us, it's a shift in tone from the fiery insults the Premier was lobbying just yesterday. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, Doug Ford was trading barbs with Donald Trump.

Today, Ford wasn't talking, at least not to Canadian reporters. I think so. Wolf things got a little heated. It got a little personal yesterday between the president and myself. Today, speaking to Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Ontario's Premier, traded the trash talk for a sales pitch aimed squarely at Americans. We're the two greatest countries in the world where each other is number one customer, and it's time to get back to the table. For Ontario, this isn't just a spat with a neighbor.

It's a fight over the border its economy was built to cross. Almost 80% of all exported manufactured goods and two-thirds of all exported services. All told, $220 billion, almost a third of Canada's international trade. Premier is well known for expressing himself quite candidly. Andrea Lawler is an associate professor of political science at McMaster University. She says Doug Ford risks becoming the story if the war of words goes too far. So the idea of bringing the message directly to Americans is to give them the idea that Ontario is still a very willing partner and a very valuable partner in terms of trade, exports.

His audience was a very different one today. Lawler says Ford's blunt words yesterday gave voice to the Anteastern. A lot of Canadians are feeling. Donald Trump's threats to rename Lake Ontario are making waves of their own on the streets of Toronto. Well, there's something wrong with that, gentlemen, for sure. There's a little bit of levity, and it's a little bit fun, but you can't take this guy seriously, so...

What else can you say, right? Of all the silly, silly things. As silly as it might sound, experts say it's no joke. I think we should take it seriously. Mary Baxter is a Ph.D. candidate in Western University's history program. She studies the history of the Great Lakes and says Trump has done this before with the Gulf of Mexico. Often when he announces these things, he actually does follow through in some way, shape, or form. I do think logistically that there's going to be challenges if we do see a lake with two names. Two names is complicated enough, rebranding one that's indigenous and nearly four centuries old is harder still.

This was at a point when there was no Canada and there was no United States. It's also what makes the name Lake America more than just a rebrand. It replaces a name rooted in shared history with one that looks at the lake from only one shore. Colin Butler, CBC News, Toronto. Amid the retaliations and the heated rhetoric, it's hard to see an endgame in this escalating trade war. Catherine Cullen, senior reporter and host of the House is here to help us explore what all of this means beyond the rising tensions and the tirades. So, Catherine, let's get into the political strategy behind the Canadian government's response today. to Donald Trump's latest tariffs.

Well, the federal government is clearly trying to get across the idea that they are being pragmatic. The cross-border tone has been pretty wildly heated in the last day or so. But the message today is not that the Canadian government is spoiling for a fight. It's more resolute. The response on tariffs is dollar for dollar. They're trying to match products. The U.S. is already targeted with tariffs. And there was a lot of talk about simply leveling the playing field for Canadian businesses.

Okay. but how do we square that with some of the other things that we have heard from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has suggested this is a trade war and we've been attacked? It's interesting, Salima, because it's a tricky balance, clearly. The ministers today were pretty explicit. They didn't want to get drawn into the back and forth between Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Donald Trump. At one point, industry minister Melanie Jolie did say that these counterteriffs were designed to put political pressure on certain US states, as well as defend Canadian businesses.

but that is not what other government officials are saying about those U.S. states. So she may feel the urge to exert a bit of extrapartisan pressure, but that does not seem to be the tone that the Canadian government wants overall. So we also know that there are other cards that Canada could play to put pressure on the United States, right? Like export tariffs on oil or hydro, as Doug Ford has suggested. How likely do you think that is that we'll see those kinds of measures? Well, clearly that would not calm things down at all. Ford did try a similar move in March about hydro export tariffs.

He backed off within about 24 hours, and it did seem to elicit a lot of alarm from Americans. With oil exports, you would get the same kind of dramatic pushback, surely, maybe even more. And of course, that's only further complicated by the fact that Alberta's Premier has essentially said, no way, no how. Plus, there's that Alberta referendum on the horizon. You might be handing the separatists an argument, making it harder for the oil second, in an effort to help other parts of the Canadian economy. So Ottawa is trying for calm in all of this.

How hard will it be to get there? Salima, it's incredible how quickly the Canada-U.S. relationship has taken a nosedive. It was just a week ago that Donald Trump was saying there was a deal, there was optimism from the Canadian side. Now we have name calling. We have Doug Ford inviting the U.S. president to kiss his backside. Now it seems Canadian officials are trying to calm things down. but it is not clear that Donald Trump is ready to do that. Right.

CBC's Catherine Cullen. Thanks so much for this. Thank you. The U.S. has recorded the first confirmed deaths from measles this year. Health officials say two people have died of the disease in Pennsylvania. That state is seeing the highest number of cases in three decades, with nearly 400 reported this year, just as its vaccination rates are declining.

The deaths are the first confirmed fatalities of measles in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania in 35 years. Officials in the state say both people were unvaccinated. It's long been known that repeated hits to the head carry risks for football players. Now, a major new study is showing just how risky those hits can be. The research found at least one in four NFL players had a degenerative brain disease, CTE at the time of their death. And DeShonna Reed explains why the rate is likely much higher.

That's the moment 23-year-old New York Giants quarterback Jackson Dart took a big hit in an NFL preseason game aired on NBC. He takes a big shot. He was assessed for a concussion, then given the OK to play. It's now regular protocol in the NFL. The risk of CTE or chronic traumatic encephalopathy well established. The neurodegenerative disease is associated with. repeated hits to the head and can lead to mood disorders, suicidal thoughts, and dementia. Now new research is highlighting just how prevalent it is among football players. And we were

unfortunately both surprised but saddened to see that the minimum rate was so alarmingly high. Dr. Dan Dineshvar led a team of researchers at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School. They identified nearly 900 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021. Of that group, scientists examined 235 donated brains. The vast majority had CTE, meaning overall at least 25% of all players had the disease. So for the minimum being 1 in 4 compared to 1 in 100 in the general population

means that these guys are getting CTE at a very high rate. Dr. Charles Tatter, a leading neuroscientist and researchers, at the Cremble Brain Institute in Toronto says it's another wake-up call and it's not just football. The number of sports that could be implicated is huge. CTE can only be confirmed after death. Scientists are working to develop tools to diagnose CTE

and people still alive. But until then... Well, I think this paper does ratchet up the importance of CTE, the importance of preventing it, because we don't. have treatment for it. Tim Fleiser is a former CFL player and executive director of Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada. He says the findings highlight the urgent need to protect young athletes in all sports. And one of the things that we should be doing is not exposing children to repetitive non-concussive

impacts, which are associated with CTE risk. He says while there's been some progress, more can be done. Biggest bang for the buck would be taking heading out of soccer for young children. In 2022, the NFL introduced guardian caps for helmets to help cushion high impact hits to the head, but wearing it is optional. In a statement, the NFL said it continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts. Tashana Reid, CBC News, Toronto. A man sweeps up debris in Poma, France.

The village in the southwestern part of the country bore the brunt of a tornado late Monday. It left a trail of destruction and injured dozens. About a thousand people live in the village. On average, France sees a few dozen tornadoes a year, according to the country's national weather service. This same region has already dealt with repeated heat waves and nearby wildfires this summer. Country music, legend, actor and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died. Parton sang about heartbreak, wrote anthems of hope, and built an empire based on charm and fierce independence. She spread that legacy to the world of philanthropy, donating millions to various causes.

And now millions of fans around the world are mourning the loss of her distinctive talent and style. Magta Gabrasalasa looks back on Parton's life. She was a songbird with a sunny personality and sky-high hair. the right chords with legendary lyrics. Join, Joanie, Joanie, Joanie, Joie. And lighting up screens, Dolly Parton did it all with flair. It takes some effort to look like this. Growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee,

Parton was from a family of 14, living in a cabin with no electricity. Music was a source of light. When people would come to our house, mom would say, run and get your guitar. and then she'd say to them, I want you to hear this song, this little thing wrote. By 13, she had performed at the Grand Ole Opry. After high school, she moved to Nashville, met and married her husband Carl Dean,

and had a top 40 hit with this cheeky song. Parton sang about tough topics like poverty and complicated love. I can see you're disappointed by the way you look at me. She sparkled in movies like Steel Magnolias, reached new heights with a theme park. You're welcome to Dalywood. But it's music that made her an icon. She's in multiple musical Hall of Fame. And that day has now come.

Recently, Parton spoke about a series of health struggles, but was also still planning new projects than today. But sadness lies with us. Her nephew, Brian Siever, announcing via video, that Parton passed away, honoring all that she did for her family, her fans, and the world. She never saw a door she couldn't open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. Parton was known for speaking up for marginalized communities. She provided kids with free books through her imagination library, and she was a musical mentor to many.

Today, fans honored her showing up at her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I mean, I'm a DJ, so I'm a big music fan over music, so I grew up. listening to her. When I first heard the news, it was, no, no, it's like a family member. You go, this can't be true. Music stars like Casey Musgraves and Elton John sharing their shock online too. But Parton's family is reminding people that she believed in more than this world. When her husband died in 2025, she wrote then he was in God's arms. And now her family says she is too. Dolly Parton was 80 years old. Makta Geberra Salas is CBC News, Toronto.

And finally, Great Blue Heron Provincial Park, about two hours north of Saskatoon, is a popular summertime destination for hikers, canoists, and campers. It's got great views, a relaxing atmosphere, but lately it's seen a surge in shoe thefts. The prime suspects believed to be working together to outfox unsuspecting campers.

We had one story where people were walking down, the street and they saw one fox sitting on the road and the other one kind of on the edge of the campsite and it was almost like the one fox was on lookout and the other one went into the campsite stole a shoe and then they both took off running. Park manager Sonnet McGuire says a group of five foxes known collectively as a skulk are thought to be behind the shoe snatchings, skulking about to find their targets before striking. She estimates about 100 pairs of recovered footwear have been put in bins that have been set up outside the park office this summer, waiting for their owners to come retrieve them. For camper Linda McDonald, finding the stolen shoes has become a big part of her day.

It's not unusual to find seven shoes on one of my walks. I walk through the park almost daily, so you almost need a shopping bag. Another visitor, Brenda Andres, saw one of the furry outlaws making a quick getaway. A little fox ran across the road, and sure enough, he had a little shoe in his mouth. A lot of the shoes have ended up at one cottage belonging to Rochelle Kelm. She even took to posting photos of the staff shoes online so that people could come pick them up. It seems that the foxes really like depositing the shoes at our place. Exasperated park officials are telling campers and cottagers to keep their footwear inside, away from the reach of foxy criminals who for now remain at large. Here's park visitor Lisa

First I thought it was a garage sale, actually, selling shoes movie from a lost and found. But yeah, I didn't know that that was behavior of foxes. They're actually my favorite animal. So I find that it's funny. It's kind of endearing, too. Clearly, she's not been one of the victims of the Foxy Thieves. Thanks so much for being with us. This has been your will tonight for Tuesday, August 25th.

I'm Salima Shivji. Have a good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc. slash podcasts.