Your World Tonight - Canada weighs its trade options, Alberta referendum concerns Treaty 6 First Nations, Monarch population grows in the Prairies, and more

Episode Date: August 23, 2026

Political pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Mark Carney as sweeping U.S. tariffs take hold on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods. Trade talks broke down on Friday, and now Ottawa must weigh how best to cushion the economic blow - and how to retaliate strategically against Washington. We'll have full coverage of the renewed Canada/U.S. trade tensions - with reaction from U.S. officials, business leaders, and Canadians across the country.Also: Today marks 150 years of Treaty 6. Its an agreement signed between the British Crown and more than 50 First Nations. It gave those First Nations rights to health, education, and use of the land in portions of what is now Saskatchewan and Alberta. But there is growing concern that the threat of Alberta separation -- could put the Treaty at risk. And: Twice a year, millions of monarch butterflies make the long voyage between Canada, the U-S and Mexico. Habitat loss has led to fewer and fewer monarchs taking part in that semi-yearly migration. But the endangered species has seen a population rebound on the Praries. You'll hear what's causing it.Plus: Mental health challenges among Indigenous boys and young men, and more.

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What am I going to do with my bank? How do I make payroll? Amid the impassioned calls for elbows up, Canadian businesses and individuals face a new reality, worried about their economic survival as new U.S. tariffs take hold. The Prime Minister has promised relief his support. coming for affected industries, but will it be enough? This is your world tonight. I'm Helen Mann. Also on the podcast?

Reaction to the renewed trade war from the other side of the border, where Democrats and even some Republicans say both countries will pay a big price for failing to reach a deal. And word on the street. Canadians weigh in. It's a really slippery slope. You're not dealing with someone who is making traditional, rational decisions. We're kind of in a tough situation.

I think both of us are going to lose. Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing serious political pressure as sweeping US tariffs take hold on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods. Trade talks broke down on Friday and now Ottawa must weigh how best to cushion the economic blow and how to retaliate strategically against Washington. Olivia Stefanovic reports.

It's disappointing. We were hoping to have an interim agreement and looked like we are going to. With trade talks between Canada and the United States called off, Michael Harvey warns the trade war between the two countries might not have hit a crescendo just yet. Harvey is the executive director of the Canadian Agrafood Trade Alliance. He's also a member of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee

on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations. But yeah, we're concerned that there could be an escalatory spiral and that would be bad for everybody. Canada will match Washington's new tariffs. Dollar for dollar. Prime Minister Mark Carney says the federal government is preparing retaliation against the Trump administration's new 50% levy, hitting almost $30 billion worth of Canadian exports. A move Carney says he makes reluctantly, since it will raise costs for Canadians and hurt American businesses. But at the same time, we take this step confident that it is in the best interest of Canada.

and that by rejecting a bad deal, by standing up for Canada, by focusing on what we can control, we will build Canada strong for all. Carney says he walked away from the negotiating table because the U.S. demanded last-minute changes, compromising Canada's culture, auto industry, ability to trade with other countries, and even its very sovereignty. It's a solemn moment for the country. Shuviloi Majumter is the Conservative Party's critic for Canada-U.S. relations. He's asking Ottawa to release the full details of the proposed agreement.

The Canadian public deserves to see the deal for what it is and judge for themselves whether the decision was right for the pain they're about to endure. New Democrats are glad that the Prime Minister walked away. Federal NDP leader Avi Lewis says no deal is better than a bad one. But like the conservatives, new Democrats also want to see the full text. This is a national moment. It's a moment of crisis and it's a moment of great consequence. and Canadians deserve to know what we walked away from.

I don't think the government of Canada should negotiate in public. Former Quebec Premier Jean Chiré sits on the Prime Minister's advisory committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations. He doubts the government will release the tentative deal. But based on what he's been briefed on, Choray says the prime minister made the right call. Because we need to defend our interests. So it is not going to be easy. And this is going to be a page. episode in our economic relationship with the United States. But frankly, we're left with no other choice. And this is a defining moment for us as a country where we need to stand up for ourselves and

protect the future. In the coming days, the federal government is expected to unveil new support for businesses and outline its new counter-tariff actions. The retaliation set to take effect the Tuesday after Labor Day. Olivia Estevanovich, CBC News. Ottawa. Meanwhile, Donald Trump doesn't appear to be backing down, taking another jab at Canada on social media today, and reviving old rhetoric about annexation. But as Catherine Tunney reports from Washington, his handling of the trade fight is drawing a divided response south of the border. With an enthusiastic wave of a green flag, U.S. President Donald Trump kicked off the main event of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.

A spectacle celebrating America's 250th birthday that has turned Washington's national mall into an IndyCar race course. Trump has also given the go-ahead to an escalated trade dispute with Canada, slapping 50% tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of Canadian goods, threatening to send retaliation round and round. For the first time since talks disintegrated, the president weighed in, writing on social media that Canada wants the benefits of being in state without being one. And they've always had the best deal and they still would have an even better deal, but they didn't want that. Trump's top official on the file, United States trade representative James and Greer,

adamant on Fox News, that Canada turned down a good deal. But Prime Minister Mark Carney says his team walked away because Washington's proposals were unfair, saying Canada has been attacked. And so to think that they're going to go to war with Donald Trump and actually win that war with the U.S., I think it's foolish on their part. staunched Trump supporter and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy doubling down today on Fox. And the fact that we provide their security for them and they take advantage of us, I think President Trump was the first one to go, you know what, that's not the kind of relationship that friends should have.

And so the president's calling them out. This comes as Trump faces mounting domestic pressures, including an unpopular war in Iran and affordability frustrations with voters. Across the U.S., Democrats condemned the administration's latest tariff salvo, linking to rising prices. Also against the move, Trump's former vice president turned critic, Mike Pence. I think the last thing we need right now, as our economy is getting back on its feet, is a trade war with Canada. Maine, Senator Susan Collins, is a Republican facing a tough re-election battle. She warned in a statement that businesses will pass costs onto American customers. Spectators who gathered to catch a glimpse of the Speedway Sunday also divided.

It's about time we reverse the financial situation and let the world pay us back. We can do so much commerce with each other. And just to forego that or to raise the tariffs, it's just a huge mistake on all fronts. Sorry to Canada, first and foremost. We're definitely going to feel it in our pockets. We're feeling it now. Now the question here is whether Trump will further retaliate when Canada's dollar-for-dollar tariffs come into effect next month, risking a further shock to the U.S. economy, just ahead of November.

midterms. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Washington. Still ahead. Some first nations in Alberta and Saskatchewan are marking the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6, a pact with the crown that gave them health and education rights and sovereignty to live off the area's lands. But today's celebration is overshadowed for many by concerns over Alberta's separatism and how that might impact their treaty rights in the future. That's later on your world tonight. Canadian exporters are crunching the numbers, taking stock of the damage to come from Donald Trump's tariffs, while also bracing for the effects of Canada's retaliation.

Philip Lees-Shanock reports. It was inevitable that we would eventually get here. Kathleen Chapman's Bowman-Vill-Ontero Company of Venko makes parchment paper for baking. About a third of her products are usually shipped south. But even before the latest tariffs, she saw the writing on the wall. We actually made the strategic shift quite sometimes. ago when the uncertainty started to develop around us. We made a very quick pivot to the Canadian

market. She sees this as an opportunity for Canada to strengthen its domestic market. She says selling to millions of consumers here makes her less vulnerable to uncertainty beyond our borders. The response we have been seeing from the Canadian consumers has been nothing less than phenomenal. Uncertainty is one of those enemies that you can't really see. Dennis Darby of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association says these tariffs impact a diverse range of his members, some $28 billion worth of exports. That's about 5% of all products sent south of the border and could make Canada less attractive to investors. They want certainty in trade and they want access to their biggest customer. Wendy Wagner is head of international trade at Gowling WLG,

a Toronto-based multinational business law firm. She says some business owners pivoting to domestic customers could benefit from planned counter-tariffs. When our exporters lose those market in the United States, to the extent the Canadian market is protected, they may gain a market in Canada. Ron Kubik is owner of Lightning Rock Winer in Summerland, BC. He says after wildfires and now these tariffs, he's looking at cutting back production. And so we're just worried also about the retaliatory tariffs that the Prime Minister puts on because that'll affect the cost of winemaking.

Bottles, boxes, and other things he imports from the U.S. could get more expensive. But Kubik says the domestic market holds promise if interprovincial trade barriers come down. The majority of provinces dropped sales restrictions on direct personal shipments of alcoholic beverages. And we have restaurants in Toronto that would love to have our wine. I know restaurants out here that would love to have Ontario wine. Economists estimate eliminating those barriers could mean $200 billion. billion dollars in growth, which could bolster the domestic market, while companies also look to Asia and Europe for new investment and customers. Philip Lyshanock, CBC News, Toronto.

The premiers are rallying around the flag in response to U.S. tariffs, regardless of party affiliation. But when it comes to Ottawa's proposed counterattacks, cracks are already starting to show. Alexander Silberman explains. I know emotionally it feels good to retaliate. I get that. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reacting to Canada's dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on her radio show. A move, Smith wants the country to avoid entirely by resuming negotiations. When retaliation happens, it means that everybody who is buying products from the United States are now going to face upwards of 50%, upwards to 50% tariffs.

As most premiers stand strongly behind the decision to walk away from the negotiating table, Many like Manitoba Premier Wob Canoe say they're backing the federal government's counter response. I can tell you right now that Team Canada is 100% united behind what the Prime Minister announced. But amid the messages the whole country is on the same page, there are also signs of division around the best approach to counter U.S. tariffs. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has long pushed for electricity, critical minerals, and energy to be used as leverage. We have to make sure that we look at every single asset that we have.

Everything's on the table. But Smith has repeatedly made it clear. Using Alberta oil as a bargaining chip is a non-starter for her province. Peter Donolo is a former director of communications for Prime Minister Jacques Gretzien. He argues Alberta's response is counterproductive. Danielle Smith on just about every issue, Canada, US, separatism in Alberta. likes to play both sides of the game. Canadians are fed up with that nonsense.

And in Quebec... It is important to unite ourselves. Premier Kristen Frischette, underlining the importance of collaboration with Ottawa and appreciative that the federal government drew the line on protecting the French language in the trade talks, but also cautious about how counter tariffs could impact her province's economy.

It is essential also to identify the best way to retaliate, because sometimes the retaliation measure are worse than the tariffs themselves. And we need not to go there. BC Premier David Eby says no matter the approach. There will be economic pain associated with this. There already is. But it is necessary to stand up to a bully. And so I am fully supportive of the Prime Minister's approach here.

Economic pain, an inevitable reality, even before any counter-tariffs take effect. A challenge the premiers. whether they fully back Team Canada or not, will have to address. Alexander Silverman, CBC News, Montreal. So there seems to be broad support from political circles, business and industry for the Prime Minister's decision

to end trade talks with the U.S. But how do Canadians across the country feel about the move? Caroline Bargut has more on that. As Canada braces for a trade war with the United States, Canadians are standing behind the Prime Minister. At the CNE in Toronto, that was clear. Mark Parnney's doing the right things and he's just got to stay strong. Keep staying strong. Keep fighting for us. We need to stand up to the President of the United States and the only way we can do that is through our dollars.

So there's no way we should be cowtailing to the things that he wants. We should play just the same kind of hardball as he's trying to play with us. According to an Angus Reed survey, 76% of Canadians say it was right to walk away from the trade talks. It polled just under 1,500 people living in each of the 343 federal ridings. The margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points. In Vancouver, people on the street say it's elbows up. With a bully, you can't back down, right? You just got to put our elbows up and we'll see how it goes.

But we're kind of a tough situation, right? You know, you're not dealing with someone who is making traditional rational decisions. So you kind of have to meet their energy or they're just going to bully you, right? What it seems like is that Trump has always been in this position? position of power and nobody's willing to oppose them because America has so many of these goods and trades that we rely on to keep our country going. I think what we're doing is fair and just. David Coletto is the founder and CEO of Abacus Data. He says recent polling suggests Canadians no longer trust the U.S. The majority of Canadians at least have decided that deeper integration with the

United States, continuing to be reliant on them, is not going to do Canada well in the long term. and so maybe we need to take some pain in the short term. So we'll see if that, how long that hold, but right now I think that's what most people are feeling. In Ottawa, this dual citizen says it's time for Canada to focus on Canada. We haven't put money into our country, who haven't put money into our military, we haven't been taken care of our own people.

We've been more worried about what the Americans do. Trump's going to do what Trump wants to do, and we just have to figure out what we need to do for this country and not worry about the United States. For now, Canadians seem to be behind the Prime Minister's decision to walk away from talks with the U.S., but it remains to be seen if they'll still be supportive once the pain of the tariffs set in.

Caroline Bargut, CBC News, Vancouver. Turning to other news, in Guinea, at least 30 people are dead after a landslide in the country's capital, Conakry. Heavy rainfall overnight Saturday caused the city's largest landfill to collapse, pushing out debris and burying nearby homes. At least six other people were severely injured.

It happened just hours before the site was set to be closed permanently, according to local officials. Search and rescue efforts are now underway to find survivors. Tunisia's Coast Guard has recovered the bodies of 11 people that were on board a boat that sank just off the country's coast on Thursday. The boat was carrying 15 people, all Tunisian migrants, who were en route to Italy. Only one man from the group has been rescued alive. He was a drift at sea for 48 hours before being pulled out of the water by a commercial ship. The remaining three people are still unaccounted for. Today marks 150 years of Treaty 6, an agreement signed between the British Crown and more than 50

First Nations. It gave those First Nations, in portions of what is now Saskatchewan and Alberta, rights to health, education, and use of the land. But as Stephanie Cramm reports, there's concern that the threat of Alberta separation could put the treaty at risk. What we see, I think, with this separation movement is a desire to ignore sovereignty, of a desire to ignore that people have been living well in this river valley for thousands of years. Dwayne Donald, a Cree professor at the University of Alberta, standing on the shores of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton. It's an area his ancestors, the Papist Chase First Nation, once called home. My ancestors and the suffering that they had and that they were chased away from this area.

Originally known as Beaver Hills, Edmonton is where chiefs would sign on to Treaty 6, a year after it was originally signed in Port Carlton, Saskatchewan 150 years ago today. Under the treaty, a guarantee from the federal government to rights for health and education and to freely hunt and live off the land. Now, with a push for separation in Alberta, the worry is those rights will be tossed aside. This treaty, Treaty 6, was signed 150 years ago. It was signed before Alberta was a province. Keith Wilson with the separatist group let Alberta decide.

He says if Alberta decides to go it alone, the treaty will remain untouched. The only way there can be a change to a treaty is if the First Nations ask for it. Wilson says in an independent Alberta, First Nations could sign modern treaties, an idea that doesn't sit well with Ki-Hiwin Cree Nation chief Vernon Watchmaker. We're not in support of creating division. We're in support of creating unity. I wouldn't entertain that notion. Grand Chief Joey Pete of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations,

a body representing communities in Alberta, says a modern treaty would go against the sanctity of what was originally signed and essentially open the door for separatists to misinterpret who owns the land. If we signed a modern-day treaty today, it's going to totally infringe on everything that our ancestors signed.

And if we go that way, it's going to prove we did seat and surrender, which we never did. In May, the province added a question to the fall referendum, asking Albertans if the province should remain in Canada or hold a binding referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate. The Grand Chief says First Nations in Alberta opposed the referendum, saying despite the push for separation, their treaty has nothing to do with the province. You know, we're ready and we will stand tall. will continue to fight against the provincial government because their laws, they ain't our laws, and they are Crown Representatives. The First Nations next hurdle is to get people to the ballot box in October.

Well, we're going to be talking here, discussing amongst us, how we can get our people to vote to rock the vote. The Grand Chief says it's important that First Nations be part of that process, even if he believes the question itself is an affront to their rights. Stephanie Cram, CBC News, Edmonton. Indigenous boys and young men in Canada face profound mental health challenges. But there are still major barriers in asking for help. That's why kids' help phone is partnering with indigenous social media influencers

in an effort to help end the stigma. Kate Kyle reports. It's time to talk about indigenous guys' mental health. The video messages are personal. A lot of us were raised to be tough. To push through pain. Keep moving. Not talk about what's going on inside.

Indigenous influencers talking directly to boys and young men. When you need help, it's okay to cry as a man. The videos are part of a kids' help phone campaign called End the Silence. It's really about reducing that stigma among indigenous boys and young men who are seeing have the highest suicide rates and are reaching out the least. Deanna Dunham is the director of Indigenous initiatives for Kids Help Phone. Fewer than one in five indigenous people who reached out to kids' help phone last year identified as male. We're looking at different ways that we can support indigenous youth to meet them in the moment.

It's time for a change, man. I want to come on and talk about something very serious, something very real. More than a dozen indigenous social media influencers are involved, including artists Dakota Bear, who is part of the Wichican Lake First Nation. Some of us were taught that holding it all in is what makes us stronger, which is the opposite. I think that colonialism and residential schools played a really big part in taking away the teachings that we did have that helped us stay balanced in our mental health. In Arctic Bay, Nunavut, Richard Belinder runs programming for Inuit men. the hardships and the relocation settlements. So we're dealing with a lot of generational trauma amongst ourselves. I could see that it's still here.

It's still there. I'm still dealing with that. He says making traditional tools with men in his community helps, but says more in-person mental health programming is needed. When you're working on something from start to finish in between, You can talk. You can talk to that one guy or one person, whoever, that's mental health. Sometimes the strongest thing you could do is say, I'm not doing good right now.

Kids help phone agrees, along with encouraging indigenous boys and young men to start talking. The campaign is calling for more research and more culturally informed resources and programming. Kate Kyle, CBC News, Yellowknife. Twice a year. Millions of monarch butterflies make the long voyage between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Habitat loss has led to fewer and fewer monarchs taking part in that semi-yearly migration. But the endangered species has seen a population rebound on the prairies. As Bryce Hoy explains, it's thanks to a wet, hot Canadian summer.

They're big, they're vibrant. People can see them in their habitat. We're watching them fly around right now. Right now, monarchs, the showoffs of the butterfly world, are booming on the prehist. All stages of the magical metamorphosis on display at the Living Prairie Museum in Winnipeg. Marika Alinic is curator of the native grassland preserve. We're seeing lots and lots of monarchs this year in Winnipeg, tons. Set across the dark backdrop of years-long declines, the showy black and orange, endangered species, a flutter with the most activity in years.

There's sort of been a steady amount of caterpillars, chrysalises, and butterflies almost all summer long. Heavy summer rains on parts of the prairies produced a bounty of flowers, pollinators love. There's a lot of food. The habitat is good and safe for them right now. So we're seeing, I think, a high number for that reason. Monarch butterflies have a broad palate, but they're very picky at the caterpillar stage. They only eat milkweed, something traditionally plentiful in what's now one of the most threatened habitats on the planet. So habitat loss is probably the biggest issue that monarchs are facing. And because they migrate, they need habitat in a whole bunch of different places. Monarchs face threats beyond the loss of native grassland habitat. There's pesticides, climate change, but they're not alone in the fight for survival.

I can go on for a while about butterflies. Laura Burns is conservation program manager at Asiniboine Park Zoo. The Winnipeg Zoo works to conserve monarchs and a less flamboyant species facing even more extreme odds. We have species that maybe don't lead themselves quite as well to being on posters or on Instagram, like the Powashik Skipperling. The comparatively plain Powashik Skipperling is teetering on the brink of extinction. The zoo breeds and releases them to help. And after nearly a decade, this summer, a glimmer of hope. We saw more Powysheek than we've ever seen before. And it seems like we're taking those first steps towards recovery and that our releases are actually making a great

impact on the population. The zoo will be helping monarchs more this fall, placing tiny radio transmitters on adults, part of a Canadian Wildlife Service project to track their perilous journey south to Mexico. In the meantime, this is chrysalis number two. I just found the second one. I'm so excited. An army of backyard monarch enthusiasts like Marianne Lep remain committed to ensuring the caterpillars and chrysalises in backyard milkweed gardens across Canada get a fighting chance to grow wings and fly away. It's really about saving our planet. It's about creating community with nature. Bryce Hoyt. CBC News, Winnipeg. And finally, as we wind up this momentous weekend, a short recap. We cannot accept what they've

offered and we will not give what they've asked. Canada will match Washington's new tariffs, dollar for dollar, in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses. The Prime Minister addresses the nation about Friday night's breakdown in trade talks with the United States. He says those Canadian counterteriffs on certain American goods will be announced soon to take effect September 8th. My message to all the premiers, we need to stick together. Sometimes the retaliation measure are worse than the tariff. I support the Prime Minister 100% on this. I support the negotiating team.

British Columbians will stand strong with Canada. Premier's call for Team Canada Unity, most announcing support for Ottawa's decision to walk away from the trade table. But Alberta's Danielle Smith says she opposes counter tariffs and urges the federal government to get back to bargaining. And across the country, Canadians are weighing in, many calling for a renewed elbows-up approach to the U.S. We have to stand up because Trump is really bullying us.

Giving into him isn't going to make things get cheaper. Maybe this will force a resolution. With a bully, you can't back down. You just got to put our elbows up and we'll see how it goes. Trump's going to do what Trump wants to do, and we just have to figure out what we need to do for this country. But some businesses affected by the new 50% American tariffs say they can't see how they will survive going forward. This has been your world tonight for August 23, 2026. I'm Helen Mann.

We leave you tonight with a little bit of rush. Good night. reality closer to the heart closer to the heart for more cbc podcasts go to cbc.ca.ca.ca.