Your World Tonight - Canadian expedition to Antarctica, English language debate for Liberals, measles cases spike, and more

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

It’s the furthest south the Canadian navy has ever gone. HMCS Margaret Brooke is taking part in a research expedition to Antarctica. The icy continent is warming at an accelerating rate and 15 scientists from across Canada will be measuring the extent of the changes. And CBC’s international climate correspondent Susan Ormiston is on board. Contenders for the federal Liberal leadership are still in Montreal… this time for the English language debate. Yesterday’s French debate highlighted who was more comfortable in the language, and candidates spent more time targeting U.S. president Donald Trump than directly attacking each other. It’s been considered eliminated in Canada since 1998, but cases of measles still surface every year – mostly connected to international travel. This year, there have already been about 80 cases detected in this country, causing some concern in public health circles about dipping vaccination rates. Plus: Newfoundland premier Andrew Furey steps down, access to primary care, Canadian officials in Washington promoting Canada, Alberta minister steps down over health procurement, measles spike, and more.

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But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Donate at lovescarborough.ca. This is a CBC podcast. It's going to let us learn about environmental changes that are occurring in Antarctica, and it's also going to let us learn about environmental changes that are occurring in Antarctica and it's also going to let us compare those changes to what we observe in our own Arctic.

Heading south for the winter and making history. For the first time the Canadian Navy is heading to Antarctica, but this deployment is all about science. CBC News is on board with an all-Canadian research team learning lessons about climate change to bring back to the North. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Tuesday, February 25th coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. Canada's Prime Minister should be able to speak clearly,

not just to Canadians in both official languages, but to our allies and to our partners around the world. Liberal leadership hopefuls in a second debate, this time in their first language. Coming off a mostly friendly affair in French, it's one last face-off for the four contenders trying to replace Justin Trudeau. But we begin in Washington. There's word tonight Ukraine and the U.S. have reached a deal that could be an important step to ending the tension between the two countries.

Trump had been seeking access to Ukraine's critical minerals as compensation for aid from the US. The CBC's Richard Madness following this story from Washington. Richard, what do we know about this deal? Yeah, according to multiple reports, it does appear that Ukraine and the US have agreed on a major critical minerals deal that would guarantee Ukraine's security in exchange for the US to get access to Ukraine's valuable trove of critical minerals. Now this fits in with President Donald Trump's push to end the war with negotiators from the US and Russia holding high-level talks that excludes Europe and Ukraine. And Trump being the transactional president he is, looks at

the value of Ukraine's critical mineral deposits estimated to be roughly half a trillion dollars with a T, and he views those valuable minerals as repayment for American assistance. Take a listen to the president in the Oval Office today. It's a very big deal. It could be a trillion dollar deal, it could be whatever, but it's rare earths and other things. And look, we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars on Ukraine and Russia fighting a war that should have never ever happened.

So the question is, what are those other things the president alluded to in the Oval Office? Now Ukraine is believed to have several million tons of lithium and graphite. Those are used to make batteries for electric vehicles. It also has troves of titanium. That's a lightweight metal used to make military equipment. Now, Zelensky is reportedly heading to Washington later this week, as early as Friday, to sign the deal, which could be the first major step leading to a ceasefire or a pause in fighting. The bigger question though is if Ukraine is willing to give up its valuable minerals, what is Russia willing to give up? Or is the White House giving the Kremlin a pass?

Can you put that into context for us? Why could this be a step in the broader push toward ending the war between Russia and Ukraine? Yeah, I think part of it is our signals coming from the White House. There's growing alarms among Western allies and in Europe how Trump has upended decades of US foreign policy by blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion and undermining the credibility of Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelensky, by calling him a dictator. It's also concerning these allies how Trump talks about easing sanctions, bringing in

Russia from isolation while showing no sympathy to Ukraine. But in the end, the US still holds all the cards. That fact was acknowledged yesterday by French President Emmanuel Macron who visited the White House on a diplomatic counter-offensive. He said a US minerals deal with Ukraine would be one of the best ways to ensure a security commitment from Washington. Trump believes the war could end within weeks and it appears he's looking for Ukraine to make concessions and we'll see what Trump's pitch is on the Russian side.

But Trump would love nothing more than to have part of his legacy being the dealmaker who helped end the conflict, in part, by getting Ukraine to give the U.S. its critical minerals. Thank you, Richard. You bet, thanks. The CBC's Richard Madden in Washington. Starting today, I can announce this government will begin the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War. Pressure from Trump has also contributed to an announcement by the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, defense spending will go up to 2.5% of his country's GDP by 2027.

Starmor made the announcement two days before meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. Trump has been pressing Europe to spend more, especially in light of the war in Ukraine. Starmor says European allies have to step up and do more for their own defence. We must change our national security posture because a generational challenge requires a generational response. That will demand some extremely difficult and painful choices. And through those choices, as hard as they are, we must also seek unity, a whole society effort

that will reach into the lives, the industries and the homes of the British people. Sturmer says the increase in defence spending will be paid for by a 40% cut in international aid. It is an unprecedented expedition south to help protect our northern climate. Tonight a Canadian Navy frigate is sailing towards Antarctica carrying Canadian scientists and our own CBC News team for several weeks of polar research.

Tonight, our exclusive coverage of the voyage begins with international climate correspondent, Susan Ormiston. Jet slow, head both engines. On the bridge of HMCS Margaret Brook heading to Antarctica. This mission for the Royal Canadian Navy will be the first of any Royal Canadian naval ship to be heading as far south as we are right now. Commanding Officer Terry Schaer describes an unprecedented four-week mission

to assist an all-Canadian polar science team. We're really spreading our wings seeing how we can help support polar science as a whole, not just Antarctic, but Arctic. Two days ahead lies the White Continent, the coldest place on Earth covered by the largest ice sheet. But Antarctica is also warming at an accelerated pace. So increased temperatures due to climate change, and it's a high latitude region,

so it provides this polar anal analog to the Canadian Arctic. Thomas James, the mission's chief scientist, is leading a group of 15 researchers who'll try to uncover climate clues like the scale of glacier retreat and how much carbon dioxide is being absorbed by the ocean. This is unique for Canada. This is the first all-Canadian scientific expedition to Antarctic treaty waters. Antarctica acts like a huge air conditioner for the planet, the white ice reflecting the sun's radiation. But as the ice mass declines, the oceans absorb more heat, says David Hick

with Polar Knowledge Canada. As the Arctic and Antarctic melt in different ways, we are seeing a darkening of the surface of the planet over very large areas and that changes the heat budget of the entire planet. Buenos dias, good morning. This is an exciting day. In Punta Arena, Chile, Hick signed a memorandum of understanding between Canada and Chile. It's a true polar collaboration, so we are very excited in starting. Signalling Canadian ambitions to share more research and knowledge between the poles. Antarctica is governed by an international treaty which bans military engagement.

So HMCS Margaret Brooke is pushing science diplomacy rather than gunboat. We've done everything possible basically short of painting the ship white and red before we left Punta Arenas to really make sure that we're seen as wanting to be collaborative and helping to support the science piece and we're not at all down there as a quote-unquote warship. But choppy waters lie ahead. Crossing the Drake Passage, one of the roughest in the world. Beyond that is where the gritty, freezing science work begins. Susan Ormiston, CBC News, on board HMCS Margaret Brook, off the southern tip of Chile.

Coming up on the podcast, take two, liberal leadership hopefuls debate tonight in English. The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador calls it quits and has some choice words for the U.S. president. And an Alberta minister quits over the way the government hands out lucrative contracts. After a relatively understated opening round, the four remaining Liberal leadership contenders should be more comfortable when they meet for their second and final debate tonight in Montreal. Less than 24 hours after squaring off in French, tonight they'll do it in English.

Tom Perry reports. I agree with Karina and Christian. For a debate, there wasn't much disagreement. I want to start by thanking Frank. The four Liberal leadership candidates, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, former Deputy Prime Minister Christia Freeland, former Government House Leader Karina Gould, and businessman and former MP Frank Baylis all holding back on any sharp jabs against each other, saving their toughest language for conservative leader

Pierre Paliève and US President Donald Trump. In a plus unilateralist plus isolationist plus ag... Of the four, it was Carney who struggled the most in French, at one point fumbling a question about the Middle East. We agree with Hamas. We agree with all of them. We don't agree with Hamas. Carney mistakenly stating he agreed with Hamas,

with Freeland, his main rival, gently correcting him. After the debate, Freeland was asked about that, and the evening's subdued tone. This is a race inside the family, inside our party. The opposition was less charitable. Conservative MP Michael Barrett, who has been hammering Carney, the perceived front runner in this race, today seized on his rusty French. Canada's Prime Minister should be able to speak clearly,

not just to Canadians in both official languages, but to our allies and to our partners around the world. Sebastien Dallaire with Léger Polling says if Carney wins the Liberal leadership, he'll likely have little time to improve his language skills before an election, when he'll be debating experienced and far less forgiving opponents. Quebec voters can forgive some challenges in French if they feel that there's a genuine effort, if they feel that there's a genuine interest in connecting with them, paying attention to what they want to hear about, how they feel. That goes a long way. But the challenge is when you're not comfortable

enough in French to really get those messages across, that's when you really can get hurt. For now, Dallaire says he'll be watching tonight's debate to see how Carney and the other candidates fare in English. To him, their goal must be to persuade liberals they're the best choice to lead their party and persuade Canadians they're the best choice to lead their party and persuade Canadians they're the best choice to take on Donald Trump. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. Now the time has come for me to return to my family and to the job that I love in the operating room where I will continue to serve the people of this province in a different way. As a result, I've asked the party to begin a leadership race to replace me. That's Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey announcing he's stepping down as leader

of his province and the Provincial Liberal Party. A resignation that caught pretty much everyone by surprise coming just two months after renegotiating the multi-billion dollar Churchill Falls energy deal. Joining me with more on the story is the host of CBC's Power and Politics, David Cochran. David, Premier Fury is still popular in the province. An election is scheduled to take place later this year, so why is he stepping down now? Well I think it's the timing of that election that's playing a big role in this because Newfoundland and Labrador has something that I think unique in Canada that there's a law passed by former Premier Danny Williams that says if a premier steps down

before their third year of their mandate their replacement must have an election within a year. I think Andrew Fury was willing to stick around and run in the next election and maybe stick around for a year to get the Churchill Falls Deal with Quebec over the finish line, but he wasn't willing to stay around much longer than that. Just where he is in his life, with his family, with his career as an orthopedic surgeon, the idea of signing up for another four and a half to five years in elected life just didn't work. So I think they were getting ready around now, the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador was, to decide whether they would have the election even earlier than October to sort of like go on the Churchill Falls deal and seek a mandate maybe in the

spring. So it's in those conversations they have a way of focusing the mind and, you know, his kids are getting to an age now where they're soon going to be leaving home and moving away. And I think it really was the calendar that played a big role in this, that he didn't want to stick around for four more years. So it's better to bow out early rather than too late. Interesting. Also interesting are some of the remarks he made about the threat of US tariffs and about

President Donald Trump himself. Let's listen to some of that. One thing is certain is the uncertainty with President Trump. David, what do you think? Well cracked is an expression we use in Newfoundland and Labrador to say someone is either funny or daring, like you're cracked by, or you cause some distress, like you're cracked. And I think that's what he's saying there about Donald Trump. Look, this is, Donald Trump has become the main character in American politics, Canadian politics, global politics, and presumably in Newfoundland and Labrador politics. He's going to be the number one issue for the foreseeable

future for world leaders and provincial leaders to deal with. I don't think that was necessarily the deciding reason for Andrew Fury to leave. People really close to him insist it's the calendar, it's the family, it's the medical career. But that is something whoever succeeds him is going to have to deal with. And that in itself is a full-time job. Appreciate your time today David, thank you.

Thank you. The host of CBC's Power and Politics, David Cochrane in Ottawa. A high-level political scandal is deepening in Alberta. The province's Minister of Infrastructure has resigned from cabinet. Peter Guthrie made the move amid allegations of favoritism and concern about the way the Daniel Smith government handled multi-million dollar health care contracts. Aaron Collins has details. Absolutely I have outright confidence in this government. Alberta's Agriculture Minister R.J. Sigurdsson

bullish on Alberta's UCP government as the spring sitting of the legislature launches. That despite news, a colleague had lost confidence in that government. Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie resigning from cabinet today, upset about accusations his own government meddled in private surgical contracts. People quit jobs every day. Today is just the day that ends in Y. One of those days when people quit a job.

Municipal Affairs Minister Rick McIver unfazed by his colleagues' resignation. The scandal behind Guthrie's resignation explosive and expanding. Allegations of bloated deals that overpaid connected insiders for providing private surgeries. When the head of the province's health authority sounded the alarm, she was fired. Too much for Guthrie, the now former infrastructure minister, raising concerns today about procurement inside every government department. This is big and it's not good news for Danielle Smith.

A political scientist Lisa Young says Alberta's premier faces a stiff challenge. It is extraordinarily rare for a cabinet minister in a Canadian government to decide to step down on a matter of principle. And I think this really does suggest that there is dissent inside the United Conservative Party caucus. For her part, Premier Danielle Smith remains defiant. In a statement today, she acknowledged her minister's resignation, denying any wrongdoing, standing firm on a position she's held since the scandal broke. I was not involved in these procurement decisions.

I had nothing to do with the process decisions or the implementation. Not good enough for the leader of Alberta's NDP. Nahed Nenshi wants the Premier and the Health Minister to step down. Either we have a Premier who doesn't tell Albertans the truth, or we have a Premier who has no idea what it means to be the Premier and has no idea what her own government is doing. Both of those are bad. Nenshi says he would like a judicial review into the allegations. Alberta's Auditor General is looking into the surgical contracts now, but that report

isn't expected anytime soon. Erin Collins, CBC News, Calgary. Canadian health officials are raising concern about measles. Three provinces have had active cases already this year of a disease that was considered eradicated in this country in the late 90s. And one province is dealing with its biggest outbreak since that time. Allison Northcott has more. It is very dramatic to see the large number of cases and to see how quickly they're accumulating.

Dr. Sarah Wilson with Public Health Ontario has been watching cases climb. This measles outbreak represents the largest number of measles cases that we've experienced in Ontario since measles was declared eliminated from Canada in 1998. This outbreak, she says, is concentrated in southwestern Ontario, mainly among people who are unvaccinated. If we look at the characteristics of the cases, it really speaks to, you know, how quickly measles can be set off in in communities where there's lots of susceptible people. Dr. Malcolm Locke, acting medical officer of health for Grand Erie Public Health, says the outbreak in his region began after a group from Ontario traveled to a

gathering in New Brunswick where an infected person had picked up the virus abroad. It's not a disease which we can consider is very mild. In some cases there are nasty complications, particularly in children, of upper respiratory problems, pneumonia, and in some cases meningitis and encephalitis. The Public Health Agency of Canada says the country is seeing an increase in measles cases with ongoing outbreaks in Ontario and Quebec. So we are the region with the hardest hit right now. Dr. Eric Goyer is the Public Health Director for the Laurentians region in Quebec, north of Montreal.

There too, he says the virus first brought into the area through travel is now spreading among people who are unvaccinated. Goyer says the region's vaccination rate has been declining since the COVID-19 pandemic. Probably some fatigue about vaccination, probably some misinformation about the security of the measles vaccine. So we did in the last couple of years you know try to get right information about the vaccination and the importance of the vaccination. 21 of the 28 cases in Quebec are in Goyer's region where public health officials have been bringing vaccine campaigns to affected schools and daycares.

It's not restricted to Canada certainly not. Dr. Earl Rubin, director of pediatric infectious diseases at the Montreal Children's Hospital, says there are measles outbreaks in other parts of the world too including the U.S. and Europe. Why are we seeing these outbreaks is likely related to poor vaccine uptake more than anything else. Rubin says while Canada's measles vaccination rate is relatively high it's not quite enough to stop the virus from circulating. He and other officials are urging people who haven't had a measles shot to get one to help

protect themselves and others. Alison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal. The pope remains in critical condition in hospital in Vatican City. The Vatican says he has pneumonia in both lungs but his blood parameters are stable. The 88-year-old has undergone a CAT scan but the results are not back yet. He's working from the hospital including appointing Richard Smith the next Archbishop of Vancouver. Francis has been in hospital for more than 10 days. It is his longest day in the 12 years he's been Pope.

This is Your World Tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. Well we know from our calendars and our parkas it's not July 1st but in Washington DC today they were calling it Canada Day on the Hill. Yet another push by Canadian officials trying to charm their American counterparts with Donald Trump's tariff threat getting closer. Katie Simpson has that story.

The lineup snaked through the foyer of a large office building on Capitol Hill. Staffers and even a few US lawmakers stopping in to pick up some free Canada swag. Some mittens, maple syrup, tumblers. Think of it as the carrot before Canadian diplomats swoop in with a stick. At this lunch hour advocacy event they bombard any and all Americans with an aggressive anti-tariff message. There's a lot that is being achieved and we are getting positive feedback on that. That is what I'm hearing. Canada's ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman says this is just one of several

engagement events this week for diplomats, cabinet ministers and MPs. There are dozens of meetings planned including presentations to Congress. All of it part of a final push to convince President Donald Trump to abandon border security related tariffs against Canada starting March 4th. Highlighting the $1.4 billion in commitments Canada is making in order to please the President.

You know, and I get the ask the question, will it be enough? There's one person who can answer that question. But what I do believe we are, Canadians can feel confident, is that we are taking these requests very seriously. Some Republican lawmakers at this event appeared confident Canada's message is getting through to the White House. We've got a couple little differences, but it's a sheet with a few wrinkles.

So we're going to iron those out. Pat Fallon is a congressman representing Texas. Tariffs are good for anyone, and we just want to make sure that we have, really, the North American continent as secure as we can. There's a similar message of support from Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican from California. We are forces against the evil around the world. As Congressman Issa cited the importance of the cross-border alliance,

he volunteered a joke about Trump annexing Canada. First thing you do is tell President Trump that as a 51st state, Montreal wants to be a 52nd state. Issa didn't appear to know these cracks are widely seen as offensive in Canada. The thing is those Canada jokes, they land real flat in Canada right now. Well, and that's why I was dead serious. The fact that you speak two languages isn't missed by somebody who's been to Canada many times. I had factories in Quebec. Issa eventually circled around to recognize Canada as a country, but his statement offers a glimpse

into some of what Team Canada hears when pushing its anti-tariff message. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. Finally tonight, Annie Lennox is part of a major musical collaboration, a new project that features more than a thousand artists from across the UK. Members of Blurr, The Clash, Radiohead and hundreds more have pooled their musical might for a new album. And it sounds like this. The new release is titled, Is This What We Want? And it consists of no music at all, 47 minutes of empty recording studios, what the creators say the music industry will sound like without more

regulation on artificial intelligence. The album was accompanied by a letter in British newspapers today and signed by the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John and Andrew Lloyd Webber. AI, properly controlled, could be a very great help. But unregulated, with the work of all of the writers and creators thrown away for nothing, that is monstrously unfair. The campaign is in response to changes the UK government is proposing to copyright laws. If approved it could make it easier for AI companies to use copyrighted music without a license.

The government says current rules are holding back innovation. And it says it is consulting with AI developers and artists to make sure both can thrive. Thank you for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for Tuesday, February 25th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.