Your World Tonight - Carbon pricing deal, Alberta petition quashed, fentanyl pushback, and more

Episode Date: May 13, 2026

CBC News has learned Ottawa and Alberta are close to a deal on industrial carbon pricing. Alberta's effective carbon price would increase to $130 a tonne by 2040. That doesn’t match the national carbon price that was meant to apply to all provinces and territories.And: An Alberta judge rules the separation petition in Alberta should never have been issued.Also: Ottawa pushes back on claims Canada is a significant source of fentanyl in the U.S. The head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told senators yesterday the northern border is a concern for trafficking. But statistics suggest the movement of the illicit drug from Canada to the U.S. has slowed to a crawl.Plus: A retired Mountie in B.C. found not guilty of foreign interference on behalf of China, the crew of the Artemis II mission visits Ottawa, and more.

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Politically, this shows Canada can work. Actual cost of this industrial carbon price for oil producers is pennies per barrel. Waiting a decade doesn't seem reasonable. The federal and Alberta governments agree to a carbon price for that province, but some say it's a big loss for the environment. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Tanja Fletcher. It is Wednesday, May 13th coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern. also on the podcast.

The Canadians with the Mexican cartels in country has started producing and manufacturing fentanyl. The numbers actually do not confirm the assertions made by certain American politicians. The U.S. and Canada are once again disputing the facts around the multi-billion dollar effort against illegal drugs as the fentanyl fight suddenly roars back to life. It is a deal that could bring off. Ottawa and Alberta a little closer, politically at least.

CBC News has learned the two governments have agreed to a carbon price reset. Energy experts say the bargain may clear the path for a new pipeline. As David Thurton explains, there are some worries, though, that this new pact turns back the clock on climate policies. I think it's significant on a number of levels, and not the least of which is a political level, but also an economic level. Doug Horner, Alberta's former finance minister, laying out what's at stake as news emerges that both his province and the Kearney liberals are nearing a deal. Politically, this shows Canada can work and the Federation can work and we can do things together. Both Ottawa and Alberta are attempting to follow through with commitments outlined in the November Energy Accord or MOU. CBC News has learned the two governments have reached a breakthrough on carbon pricing.

Both sides have settled on the actual carbon price reaching $130 per ton by 2040. $130 per ton might not mean a whole lot to some, but in the world of energy and climate politics, it's everything. Actually, it's the most important climate change policy in the country. Rick Smith is the president of the Canadian Climate Institute. His researchers have been modeling how changes to that price would impact both Alberta and the nation's ambitions to cut emissions. A carbon price of $130 per ton by 2040 is lower and further away than the federal government's original target of $170 per ton by 2030. Clearly 2040 is too late to achieve a $130 a ton effective carbon price. Urgency to reduce planet warming emissions is one thing, quelling separatism sentiments in Alberta is another.

How much this new breakthrough negotiation does for that remains to be seen. but new cracks are appearing in the federation. And it seems as though there's a possibility that this policy is being adjusted for a single province. BC Premier David Eby weighed in on the latest negotiations. We are in direct competition with Alberta on certain projects. We will not be in a competitive position if Alberta has a special federal carbon price that the rest of us don't have access to and the rest of Canada. Officials on both sides are yet to publicly confirm what CBC and other outlets are reversed.

reporting. One source stress, two or three outstanding issues still need to be resolved. But the Prime Minister is tentatively scheduled to travel to Alberta to make the announcement with the Alberta Premier on Friday. David Thornton, CBC News, Ottawa. To another developing story in Alberta, a judge has quashed a separatist petition. That petition was to put the question of a referendum on separation from Canada to Albertans. The judge now says it should never have been issued. The CBC Sam Samson has been following this. So Sam, what reason did the judge give?

Well, the decision says elections Alberta should not have given the separatist movement the OK to start a petition in January for a separation referendum question. And that's because the judge writes there was not proper consultation with First Nations. And the idea of going ahead with secession without consulting First Nations has the potential to affect treaty rights. So now the separation petition has been scrapped. Looking ahead, what does this mean for the potential separation question in Alberta's fall referendums? Yeah, so Albertans will be asked a series of referendum questions this October, mainly about immigration policies. The independence movement was trying to get a question about separation onto the ballot. So theoretically, the province could try to do proper consultation with First Nations,

but a policy expert CBC spoke with says it's unlikely that could happen. before October's referendum. Another avenue is for the province to put this question on the ballot itself. Now, Premier Daniel Smith has already said she doesn't intend to do that because she believes Alberta should stay in Canada, but that doesn't shut the door completely. Different leaders of the separatist movement have encouraged supporters to buy up United Conservative Party memberships in hopes the governing party will pressure the government to add a separation question.

So, despite the separation movement handing in thousands of signatures earlier this month for validation to try and get the question on the ballot. Today's decision acts as all of that. And it's a big blow to the separation movement in Alberta right now. Yeah, no doubt. We understand some pretty significant reaction already coming in. What are we hearing? Yes. So the lawyer for the named defendant in the case, one of the separatist leaders, says the group fundamentally disagrees with the decision, which, quote, appears on its face to violate principles of natural justice and contain numerous errors of law, end quote. He adds, they will likely appear. the decision. We also just heard from the Premier, who says her government plans on appealing

this decision as well. She calls the judge's ruling incorrect in law and anti-democratic. Sam, thank you for the update. Thank you. That's Sam Samson in Edmonton. Ottawa is pushing back on claims that Canada is a significant source of fentanyl to the United States. The head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told senators the northern border is a concern for trafficking. But statistics suggest less than 1% of fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from Canada. Mike Crawley has more from Washington. On Capitol Hill, at a powerful Senate committee, U.S. law enforcement agencies make their pitch for funding.

2027 budget request for the Department of Justice's... Not a venue where you'd expect to hear much about Canada until the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration brings it up without prompting. The Canadians, with the Mexican cartels in country, has started producing and manufacturing fentanyl in Canada. DEA administrator Terence Cole tells the senators how fentanyl trafficked into the U.S. begins as shipments of raw chemicals. We see more precursors coming into the port of Vancouver, and then they transition through Canada to the different source locations

for manufacturing production, and then it comes across our northern border. Cole says the DEA intends to add two new offices in Canada to the two already, located in Ottawa and Vancouver next year. In the last two months, there's been significant seizures of fentanyl in Canada. It's something that everybody at this table is worried about. But is that worry truly warranted? Not according to Canada's public safety minister, Gary Ananda Sanghari. The scourge of fentanyl, the fentanyl going to the U.S. is not from Canada, but from other sources.

The latest drug seizure figures from U.S. customs and border protection measure from October to March. Over that six-month period, U.S. law enforcement seized 2.7 kilograms of fentanyl along the Canadian border. Along the Mexican border, seizures totaled more than 2,600 kilograms, nearly 1,000 times more. Figures in Andesangery is quick to point out. The numbers actually do not confirm the assertions made by certain American politicians. Jared Sedulski is a criminologist at American Military University. He has a background in law enforcement and warns against downplaying the extent of trafficking from Canada.

Just because they're not seizing it doesn't mean that it's not moving across the border. He says the vast length of the boundary between the U.S. and Canada makes smuggling easier and enforcement more difficult. The areas that drugs are coming in, fentanyl is coming in through the northern border, is often through Indian reservations. They're coming through trails and woods. They're coming through legal ports of entry, and they're also coming by water.

Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump declared cross-border fentanyl trafficking a national emergency. That was his justification for the first set of tariffs he slapped on imports from both Canada and Mexico. But of late, Trump has barely mentioned in public

any concern about fentanyl from Canada, perhaps because the U.S. Supreme Court struck down that set of tariffs as illegal. Mike Crowley, CBC News, Washington. Coming right up, more Canadian patients are isolating as a precaution after last month's hanta virus outbreak on board that cruise ship. In France, a former passenger is now in critical condition. And new measures to save lives.

Quebec tables a bill that could provide crucial information to help protect potential victims from intimate partner violence. Later, we'll have this story. From outer space to Canadian soil, the Artemis 2 astronauts are here for the first time. since their historic mission to the moon. And they say in the darkness of space, they felt Canada's warmth.

The moment we went behind the moon and lost communication with the Earth. And one of the things that we decided to do was have a maple cookie. I don't know if I can give maple cookies a better endorsement. I'm Marina von Stackleberg in Ottawa. Coming up on your world tonight,

the astronauts visit the nation's capital to talk about their mission and the future of Canada's SpaceX. exploration. In Ontario, a total of 10 people are now isolating after potential exposure to hantavirus. It's in connection with that deadly outbreak on board a cruise ship that's now on route to the Netherlands. Health officials worldwide maintain the risk is low. But concerns about the global outbreak spreading continue to reverberate. Jennifer Lagrasa has the latest, and the pressing questions still unanswered. The potential contacts have been identified.

Five, great. They're in isolation. That's exactly what we'd want. Infectious disease Dr. Isaac Bogosh says Canada is taking the right precautions after seven more Ontario residents were told to self-isolate for 45 days. There's not a lot of room for error. You don't want to have someone who's infected with this virus and incubating this virus not identified and then unintentionally spreading the virus to others. Ontario's Ministry of Health says the residents are considered low risk. After possibly coming into contact, with high-risk cases. There are few details, but a person is considered high-risk if they were in direct contact with a confirmed hantavirus case. We'll probably see more cases.

It's got a long incubation period. While there are still no confirmed cases in Canada, the total number of Canadians now monitoring for symptoms is up to 16. There are 11 cases worldwide, including three who have died, connected to the hantavirus outbreak on board luxury cruise ship M.V. Hondias. The most recent confirmed case is in Spain. Their Ministry of Health said Tuesday the person is in quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid. Another confirmed case, a woman in Paris, is in critical condition. French health officials say she is on life support. Around the world, countries are on high alert, knowing it often takes

four to five weeks for symptoms to appear after being exposed to hantavirus. The Netherlands is taking extra precautions after finding out that 12 hospital workers mishandled bodily fluids from a hantavirus patient. They are now all in quarantine. There are no indications that this virus is acting any different from the non-virus circulating in some regions of the world. Microbiology and molecular surveillance expert Dr. Andreas offer with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control says the broader risk remains low. Pamela Rendi Wagner is the European CDC's director.

The experts will now focus their investigations on two main questions. First, how and where were the passengers infected. More than a week into this outbreak, she says the answers to those questions, might take weeks more. Jennifer Lagrasa, CBC News, Windsor, Ontario. Quebec is pledging action to address a rise in femicides shaking the province. That government has introduced legislation now to allow women to see if their partner has a history of violence. But while advocates are applauding a new law, they say there's still a lack of resources for women who need help.

Alexander Silberman reports. When my sister died, I told myself that she wouldn't. be dead for nothing. For Rashad Renaud, her sister Gabby's murder, a presumed femicide, was an unimaginable nightmare. And she hopes a new Quebec bill she fought for helps better protect other women from intimate partner violence. I know I couldn't help her, but if I could help others, I think she would be very promising. The Quebec government is promising action following a series of alleged femicides that have

horrified the public. 10 suspected killings this year have taken place in all regions of the province, with victims of all ages and backgrounds. There were believed to be 14 famicides in all of 2025. We're just providing tools. Quebec Public Security Minister Yan Nefreniar says the plan allows provincial police to review requests from concerned partners and share relevant information about any history of violence through a support organization. The bill is modeled on Claire's law in the UK, named for a woman killed by a former partner who police knew to be dangerous.

And this is important because it's going to give the intimate partner the opportunity to take a right decision. Several Canadian provinces already have similar laws, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and as of March, Manitoba. Krista Barron is Executive Director of the Provincial Association of Transition House. Saskatchewan. The province has the highest rate of police reported intimate partner violence in Canada with nearly 10,000 victims last year. Saskatchewan was the first province to enact Claire's law in 2020. Some of the comments in the report speak to individuals saying, you know, this saved my life. While advocates say the legislation is a positive step, they're also calling

for stronger penalties, including adding famicide to the Criminal Code of Canada. Barron says there's also a lack of supports for victims. Disclosure laws like this and legislation like this really only work if we also have all of the tools and resources in place to support those individuals in leaving. Elise Breyen is with Quebec's Association of Shelters for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. She says half of the women who call the province's helpline

are told there's currently no space for them. We need urgent investment in shelters. Advocates say more funding is desktable. desperately needed to give women fleeing violence the opportunity to find safety. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Montreal. A B.C. Supreme Court judge has found a former Mountie not guilty of foreign interference. William Micr was accused of working on behalf of Chinese authorities to coerce a Vancouver-based real estate mogul to return to China.

Beijing alleges that man committed fraud worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The judge says the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Micah committed any of the alleged acts. Micr spoke outside court afterwards. What's going through my mind right now? Obviously very relieved. Appreciate that the smartest person in the room was a judge. She got to hear the entirety of the evidence and came up with the proper decision. So I'm very grateful.

Micer now says nearly three years after he returned to Canada to fill. face the allegations, he'll be happy to go home to Hong Kong. There is a new twist in one of the most followed murder cases in recent U.S. history. Three years ago, South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdoch was found guilty of killing his wife and son. Tonight, those convictions are tossed, and the 57-year-olds is getting a new trial. Katie Simpson brings us the details and the reaction. I respect this court, but I'm innocent. Alex Murdaugh has always maintained he did not kill his wife Maggie or his youngest son, Paul.

From the moment he was arrested in 2022, through his sensational double murder trial, and even after he was found guilty by a jury of his peers. I would never, under any circumstances, hurt my wife, Maggie, and I would never under any circumstances hurt my son, Paul. Now Murdaugh, the once prominent South Carolina attorney, will be getting a new trial. After the state's Supreme Court found that the jury in his case was tainted, accusing a court clerk of egregiously attacking Murdoz's credibility. Jurors say that during the trial, the clerk had suggested Murdoch was untrustworthy. The defense has decided that they're

going to put Alex on the stand, and she said, now I don't want you to be fooled by what they say, play close attention to his body language, his movements. Colin Miller, a professor of law at South Carolina University says the state Supreme Court found the clerk's statements inappropriate. And here the fact that an officer of the court of all people was telling them things that might have influenced their verdict, that was enough for them to reverse the convictions. On top of that, the state Supreme Court also took issue with the trial judge, saying evidence related to financial crimes should not have been included in the murder trial. Guilty. Alex Murdole was convicted of killing his 53-year-old wife and 22-year-old son in

2023. The case, drawing international attention, spawning documentaries for Netflix and HBO. The murder investigation exposed the disturbing past of the Murdof family that had for generations accumulated wealth, power, and significant control over their small southern community. It is this idea of the big fish in a little pond. The revelations led to additional charges against Alex Murdoch, related to fraud, theft, and drug abuse. While he denied the murders, he admitted to those crimes. I am happy to be pleading guilty to these charges for no more reasons. Murdaugh will remain in jail since he is serving a 40-year sentence related to the financial crimes.

A sentence that is so significant, it's unlikely he'll ever be. be released no matter what happens in the double murder retrial. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you want to make sure you 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. They captured the world's imagination with their journey to the far side of the moon. And now the Artemis II astronauts are showing. sharing their historic lunar journey firsthand with Canadians. Their two-day visit will include stops in Ottawa and Montreal

to celebrate their success and explore what can still be achieved in the future of space travel. Marina von Stackleberg takes a look. This is the first time we've actually had a conversation on Earth, actually. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomes the Artemis 2 astronauts to Canadian soil for the first time since last month's historic mission to the moon. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. For us to be here, our first return to the country, a warm embrace of Canada that we felt from the extremes of the moon

is just a real treat for us. Looster ignition and lift off. Those extremes involved traveling farther from Earth than anyone in human history. It was the first step in NASA's plan to return to the surface of the moon and eventually send people to Mars. If you guys are interested in space, There are so many ways to get involved.

Another Canadian might be on one of those future missions. Moon rocks in hand astronaut Jenny Gibbons took questions from Ottawa school children. Gibbons was Jeremy Hanson's backup on the mission, ready to go into space if he wasn't able to. And how many months do you have to train to be an astronaut and go to space? Yeah, I can take this one. I've not been to space yet, so I'll let you know when that happens. Instead, Gibbons had a vital role at mission control. communicating directly with the crew in space.

I just want to say the joy that I felt in observing this mission and following it. I was so proud as a Canadian to see Jeremy fly. The astronauts will head to Montreal, where they'll continue to hear directly from Canadians what the space mission has meant to them. I was completely in awe by both your competence, but your humanity in this mission, so thank you. Today we all feel like you brought us some wound dust,

so we feel elevated in this space. Thank you for inspiring so many. I'm going to get emotional saying this, but it's just been a great privilege to watch you. These astronauts have given many the hope to look beyond our earth in a time where the world has never seemed more complicated. Marina von Stackleberg, CBC News, Ottawa. The PWHL is growing, again, adding two more teams. After breaking records by gaining more than a million fans in its third season, the league says it is expanding to reach new hockey hungry markets.

Jimmy Strassan with that story. Just as the professional women's hockey league championship series gets underway, the PWHL announced it's growing again. Last week, an expansion team was awarded to Detroit. Today, Hamilton and Las Vegas were added to the growing league. Amy Shear is the PWHL. Vice President of Business Operations. Everyone wants to be here.

There's not a league or a team that does not want to be in Vegas. And now we get to call Vegas home. Can you hear the roar from the hammer? The PWHL has never played a game in Las Vegas, but as part of its takeover tour, it played a game in Hamilton in front of more than 16,000 fans. This video teasing what today became a reality. Fans who were there welcomed today's news.

It was just so great seeing everybody from young, old, all different walks of life coming together and supporting girls' sports. According to the league, 15% of PWHL players come from the Hamilton area. Not surprising, says Emma McLeod, a member of the Hamilton Hawks, a local rep team. It's insane to me because, like, if you told me this five years ago, I would have not believed to you. People didn't really know much about girls hockey like a few years ago, but now it's, it's literally exploded. When the PWHL launched in 2024, it had six teams. When the puck drops next year, there will be 12,

including one that will be announced in the coming days. The league employs a unique ownership model. A single group led by billionaire Mark Walters, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, controls every team. I think if tomorrow they announced we're putting teams up for sale, they would have a bidding to be many, many millions of dollars.

You know, interesting, three years, ago, they would have been worth almost nothing. Kerry Kaplan, the CEO of Cosmo Sports and Entertainment, says that while the league may not yet be profitable, its success building a brand has come through patience and a different approach to marketing women's hockey. The one thing in the past with women's hockey is a lot of people involved viewed it as a charity. What the PWHL has done is saying it's great hockey, it's a good investment. So if you're a sponsor and you want to get involved, you're going to get a return on investment.

Kaplan predicts this is just the beginning. He says one day the growing PWHL could closely mirror the NHL, expanding to as many as 30 teams. Jamie Strash in CBC News, Toronto. Finally tonight, a Montreal Canadiens fan all the way from Australia has traveled 15,000 kilometers to see his team play in person during the playoffs. His name is Perry Clinton, and this trip happened by the strangest of coincidence. You see, his passion for the team was sparked by his Canadian girlfriend. They now live together in Australia. It wasn't until I met my beautiful girl, Ellie,

who taught me all about the habs and the passion behind it. Everything about the players, the game, the rules, the history. So he started watching every game too, and always with his trusty Cole Caulfield jersey on. Well, he featured that jersey in a recent Instagram post and it caught the eye of the Canadian's goal scorer himself, I was called. Caulfield actually commented on the post and said,

are you packing for playoffs? I looked at my phone and I was like, surely this cannot be true. So I showed Ellie and she, her mind was blown. We just honestly couldn't believe it. That post wound up with 14 million views. The Montreal Canadians offered them up tickets. Air Canada tossed in the airfare

and Clinton and his girlfriend were whisked to Montreal. They got to meet Caulfield and were in the stance for his goal in game three. Montreal won game three. Buffalo took game four, but no worries, mate. Clinton will be cheering on the habs once again in his Coffield jersey, of course, for game five tomorrow night. Thank you for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Wednesday, May 13th. I'm Tanya Fletcher. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.