Your World Tonight - Carney launches leadership bid, Team Canada tariff tiff, ceasefire delay, and more

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

Mark Carney has launched his bid to be leader of the Liberal Party, and the next prime minister of Canada. He’s painting himself as an outsider – because he has never held elected office. Carney says his main goal will be fixing the economy.And: A family fight is brewing in Canadian leadership, as the prime minister calls out Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for refusing to sign on to the federal plan on dealing with Donald Trump's tariff threat. Smith says a real Team Canada approach shouldn’t threaten export taxes on energy. She says the deal needs to show “respect” for Alberta taxpayers who've paid equalization transfers for decades.Also: A ceasefire seems tantalizingly close in the Middle East. But hasn’t been fully approved. U.S. officials call the delay a loose end, while Israel's prime minister calls it a last-minute crisis.Plus: Some evacuees of the Los Angeles wildfires return home to survey their damage, and loss; the efforts to get new medications to Canadians more quickly; the ticking clock in the U.S. on TikTok’s fate, and more.

This is a perfect storm of conspiracy theories. On December 15, 2017, Canadian billionaires Honey and Barry Sherman were found dead in their mansion. To this day, the case remains unsolved. Counterfeit and copied pharmaceuticals was much more lucrative than heroin, cocaine, and the rest of it. If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Listen to the no-good, terribly kind, wonderful lives and tragic deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast.

And I'm coming into this match, coming into this game, knowing that we are well behind. But we're getting warmed up. We're going to head out in that third period and we're going to win. Mark Carney has made it official. He's running to lead the Liberal Party and become Prime Minister. But lacing up for the other team, the captain of the official opposition says it's already game over Welcome to your world tonight. It's Thursday January 16th. Just before 6 p.m. Eastern. I'm Susan Bonner Also on the podcast we have seen so many disappointments Over these past 15 months if this saying were ever true I'll believe it when I see it.

A ceasefire in the Middle East seems tantalizingly close, but it's being held up by what U.S. officials call a loose end, and Israel's Prime Minister calls a last-minute crisis. He was considered a front-runner for the Liberal leadership even before he was officially in the race, but Mark Carney has now stepped up to the starting line, portraying himself as an outsider, touting his own background in economics and exchanging some trash talk with the Leader of the Opposition. Tom Perry reports. I'm back home in Edmonton to declare my candidacy for leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada.

After teasing it out for days, Mark Carney is now officially a contender in the Liberal leadership race. Carney launched his campaign today at a community centre and skating rink in Edmonton, where he played hockey as a boy, promising to take what he learned in business and as Governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England to strengthen the Canadian economy. I am going to be completely focused on getting our economy back on track. Carney took aim at Conservative leader Pierre Polyev, who he says is more interested in cheap slogans than real policy.

But he also took a more gentle shot at his own party and at Justin Trudeau, the man he hopes to replace. I know I'm not the only Liberal in Canada who believes that the Prime Minister and his team let their attention wander from the economy too often. I won't lose focus. Carney has never been elected to public office and while he's described himself as a political outsider

his opponents see it very differently. You ever wonder why we can't have nice things in Canada anymore? Like health care? Pierre Poiliev, who Carney targeted in his speech was in BC today reminding voters yet again of Carney's role as an economic advisor to the liberal government at a time when Canadians have faced rising costs for food and housing. You ever wonder why that is after nine years of Trudeau, Freeland and Carney being in power. Conservatives have even launched an online ad attacking Carney over his support for carbon pricing. Carbon tax Carney. He's just like Justin.

Carney was asked about the federal carbon levy today and says if it's scrapped, it would need to be replaced by something equally effective at reducing emissions, the carbon tax, which conservatives have so successfully campaigned against, could be a major issue in this contest. A source close to Christia Freeland says the former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister will pledge to ditch the consumer portion of the tax in favour of a system that's supported by provinces and territories. Freeland is expected to officially launch her leadership bid in the next few days. Government House Leader Carina Gould is also set to enter as the liberal leadership race

enters a new, more competitive phase. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. The carbon tax will be a big issue in the race for leader and any upcoming election, but there is another economic issue that is preoccupying Canadian politicians. Those 25 percent tariffs threatened by Donald Trump. The Prime Minister is assembling a special council to help figure out ways to handle the incoming U.S. administration, still preaching unity and a Team Canada approach. Kate McKenna reports. Every single Premier other than Danielle Smith then chose to put Canada first.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called out Alberta's Premier today in Windsor over her refusal to sign on to a shared statement on how to handle the US-Canada relationship, a sentiment echoed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford while he was speaking at the Mississauga Board of Trade. Everyone has something that they're saying, hey, we may have to sacrifice a little bit. I'll just leave it at that. Country comes first and we'll decide. Premiers and the Prime Minister met yesterday to talk about Trump's threat to slap big

tariffs on Canadian exports. The first ministers wanted to project a team Canada approach but left the table divided. The final communique was signed by everyone except Smith. She says she won't agree to any plan unless it rules out using oil and gas as leverage in a trade war. Canada exports roughly 4 million barrels of oil to the United States every day. Slowing the flow of that fuel or making it cost more could raise prices for American consumers, putting pressure on Trump to

back down. That makes it a powerful bargaining chip, but it could put tens of thousands of Albertan jobs in jeopardy. And I think that you know Premier Smith's statement and, you know, behavior yesterday was very unfortunate. Jonathan Wilkinson is Canada's energy minister. He's currently in Washington trying to convince lawmakers not to go ahead with the tariffs. I had American industry folks saying to me that they felt the fact that they are hearing sometimes different messages from the government of Alberta than what they hear from the government of Canada is not helpful. In a statement, Smith said a real

team Canada approach includes Alberta calling on the federal government to stop threatening export taxes on energy and to expand markets for oil and gas. She wants Ottawa to drop some regulations on energy production and asked for respect for Albertan taxpayers who've paid equalization transfers for decades. I would actually like to point out to Danielle Smith that Canadians know the importance of standing up for each other. The Prime Minister isn't buying it, pointing out that Canadians paid 34 billion dollars for a pipeline recently. Canadian taxpayers bought the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion, TMX, to be able to get Albertan oil to new markets.

Conservative leader Pierre Polyev accused Trudeau and the federal Liberals of sowing division. They're resorting to dividing our people, divide and conquer. But when he was asked whether he thought export taxes on oil and gas should be on the table, Polyev dodged the question. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. Coming up on the podcast, will it happen? The latest on the ceasefire hostage deal between Israel and Hamas,

the push for more equal access to new cancer drugs, and the clock is ticking on TikTok. Just one day ago, there appeared to be major progress on the Israel Hamas ceasefire. Tonight there are accusations of backtracking. The agreement is not final. Israel delayed a key vote on the plan. Hostages are still being held, deadly attacks continue in Gaza, but mediators say they are confident the plan will be approved. Chris Brown has the latest from Jerusalem.

A ceasefire may be close, but in Gaza Israel is using the time between now and its implementation on Sunday to intensify attacks on what it says are Hamas targets. Health authorities claim 81 people were killed by Israeli attacks in the last day alone. In a statement, Hamas claimed Israel's barrage might also have killed one of the first Israeli hostages due to be released. Whether that's psychological warfare or not, it will no doubt add to the torment of those in the country who want the war to end and have loved ones returned home.

Israeli government spokesman David Menser accused Hamas of trying to torpedo the deal at the last minute. We thought we had an agreement last night. Today Hamas have been making changes to this agreement. Israel's cabinet called off a vote to formally approve the ceasefire before later rescheduling it to Friday as mediators worked to resolve what the outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken characterized as last-minute snags. It's not exactly surprising that in a process, in a negotiation that has been this challenging, this fraud, you may get a loose end.

This is dirty, bloodthirsty politics. Zohar Avigdori had seven members of his extended family in Kibbutz Berry kidnapped on October 7. Most were released in November, but 38-year-old Tal Shoham is still in captivity. Avigdori wants Israel to complete the deal even though some hostages, including his relative, will not be returned immediately and possibly not at all. It gives us very little certainty and clarity about how we're gonna get all of the 98 back and it leaves us with huge distress and anger.

Other Israelis don't want the war to end until Hamas is totally defeated. Dozens carried fake coffins draped with blue and white Israeli flags outside the Prime Minister's Jerusalem home Thursday. Many of them are the relatives of Israeli soldiers killed in the war, including Yashua Shani, whose son Ori was killed on October 7th.

Don't sign the deal with the Hamas. This deal, it's a very dangerous deal for the hostages that will stay in Gaza, for the security of Israel, for the safety of the citizens of Israel. There were more protests over the terms of the ceasefire in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Thursday night. Israelis may have reservations about whether they're letting Hamas off the hook, but for Palestinians in Gaza, where news of the deal was widely celebrated yesterday, the consensus is clearer that the end of hostilities can't happen fast enough.

Chris Brown, CBC News, Jerusalem. Lower winds, higher humidity. Firefighters in the Los Angeles area say the weather is helping their efforts to contain two devastating wildfires. Twenty-seven people died in the palisades and eaten fires over the past week and that number is expected to rise further as search crews comb through burned out neighborhoods. Those searches are just one of many reasons nearly 100,000 evacuees still can't go home. Cameron McIntosh has more from Los Angeles.

Jose Velazquez lost his garage in business but he still has his house where he's created a new job for himself. Like there's boys clothes here, girls clothes there. The evacuation order on his street lifted. Now dozens upon dozens of boxes fill his backyard and wrap around the side in front of his house. A makeshift donation center. I couldn't sit back and just not do anything, you know, especially since our house was left standing. I felt like it was for a reason.

Bye! It's busy, serving his neighborhood in the city of Altadena where streaks of red fire retardant stain the mountains above. People who have lost everything pick through baby supplies, clothes, food, whatever they need to start, starting over. While just next door, Alba Maeda's family is scouring the burnt concrete slab where their house stood. She only speaks Spanish.

Her 12-year-old son Justin says there's nothing left. How does it feel to see this? It's really sad because my whole entire life here, 12 years, every single year here. About 85,000 people remain under evacuation order. For those who still have homes, it'll be at least a week and possibly much longer to get home, says LA Fire Chief Kristen Crowley. I can tell you the entire city family is working collaboratively to get you back into your homes and communities as soon and as safely as possible. That's because

fire-stricken areas are full of debris, toxins, damaged water, gas and power lines. All of it needs to be cleaned and fixed. The fire and dry weather has also left some neighbourhoods built on slopes unstable. One house that survived the fire was just lost in a landslide, while search and rescue teams continue to scour fire-stricken areas. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna. There are areas that we are holding because we believe there may be deceased victims there. For neighborhoods totally lost, it's not just cleanup there will be redesign and replanning work. Authorities say it's starting already.

All while the fire threat though reduced still looms. Thousands remain on evacuation warning. When you think you can get back in here and get living in here again? We don't know yet. Back in Alta Dena, Gary Hampton's house is still standing, the one next door is not. Smoke damage will keep him out for now. It's a good thing we got out. We didn't get burned up. We're thankful for what we got.

Thousands upon thousands of people hit by the fire in very different ways, all asking, what now? Cameron McIntosh, CBC News, Los Angeles. The visionary director behind the macabre television series Twin Peaks has died. David Lynch was 78 years old. Born in Montana, Lynch began his career in the late 70s with the black and white cult film Eraserhead. For nearly half a century, he carved a niche in Hollywood with a style that was often surreal. His accolades include a Cannes Best Picture Award and multiple Emmy and Oscar nominations. I'm trying to, just in a strange strange way be true to ideas that come along. Things have to feel and be a certain way to you know to get a the overall feeling of a scene or a sentence right.

Last year Lynch revealed he had emphysema caused by his many years of smoking. His family confirmed his death today in an online post. No cause was given. Canada has one of the slowest approval times in the developed world for new medications, up to two years. And depending on where you live, the wait could be even longer. But as Nicole Williams reports, there are efforts to speed up that access. I'm not going to say life is peachy, but here we are. For nearly 20 years, Glenn Hussey has lived with myeloma, a type of blood cancer that can affect a person's bones and kidneys.

There's currently no cure, but he's undergone years of treatment, including two stem cell transplants. Your focus suddenly becomes very much short term as opposed to long term. I don't look out, well I don't look out 10 or 15 years anymore. I look at the next year or two. He's hoping for a medical breakthrough and a new treatment. But even if there is, he'd have to wait months, maybe even years, before getting access to it. As a patient, the first thing you want is the best treatment possible, and you want it as quickly as you can. We're the only country where it takes longer now than it took in 2010 to get access to new cancer therapies. That's Dr. Sandy Sedef, an oncologist and advocate based in Ottawa.

Canada historically has always been one of the slowest countries in the OECD to approve and provide funding for new cancer breakthroughs. So it's been a problem going on for at least 20 years. He says that's partly because of how rigorous Canada's approval process is. That, of course, is not a bad thing, but he says there's too much bureaucracy slowing down approvals. And that's not the only problem. So in breast cancer, for example, there are breakthrough drugs called CDK inhibitors.

They slow down the growth rate of cancer cells. Massive change in our outcomes. But when they first came out, it took about two years before we had funding for them. Not because of the costs, but because of the time and the bureaucracy behind them. Each province and territory then has to decide if it has the budget to cover the costs of a new drug. Some are faster than others. Stuart Edmonds is with the Canadian Cancer Society. That idea of postal code medicine doesn't sit well with us at all, but the fact that our differences I think is concerning, well we actually want all Canadians no matter where they

live get access to the same drugs if they are drugs that are going to prolong or save someone's life. Health Canada says it's working with the provinces and territories to speed up funding wait times. Just yesterday it announced a bilateral agreement with New Brunswick, the federal government providing 32 million dollars to improve access to four new drugs for rare diseases. But Edmonds says that kind of funding needs to be standardized across Canada because not every patient can afford to wait for life-saving treatment. Nicole Williams, CBC News, Ottawa. A Nova Scotia woman is speaking out after her former partner was convicted of sharing intimate images of her online. She wants people to know this is a form of abuse and the judge in the case agreed.

Kayla Hounsell has her story. Natalie Brown sits in her living room painting. It helps her relax. She's drawn to the colors, she says, during a dark time. I was so humiliated. I felt stupid. I felt embarrassed. I felt scared.

Her ordeal began one day while searching for a recipe on the Food Network. When up popped another site starting with F, FetLife, a Canadian social networking site for people interested in fetishism. Brown had stumbled upon a video her partner had shared of her engaged in a sexual act. I didn't agree to be filmed like that. I didn't want to be filmed like that. Her now former partner Connor Dolan was charged and ultimately pleaded guilty to

the distribution of intimate images without consent. On January 6th he was sentenced to four months to be served in the community. Paul Neifer prosecuted the case. Incarceration is usually reserved for cases that involve a revenge porn type situation where somebody's doing it on purpose to harm the victim or to get back at them for some reason. So in this case, we didn't have that factor. In court, Dolan said he's tremendously sorry. While delivering his sentence, the judge said this was an act of intimate partner online sexual abuse. No question of it.

The judge saying those words means everything to me. Brown is sharing her story to raise awareness about intimate partner violence motivated by a rash of recent murders in Nova Scotia. Six women have been killed by their male partners within just the past three months. I hear more and more about it. Emma Arnold is a lawyer with the non-profit law firm People's Advocacy and Transformational Hub. She applauds Brown's advocacy. As this continues to go through our court systems, any court system,

the public awareness is also increasing, which I think about a lot because so many people don't know that the harm they've experienced is actually illegal. Brown asked the court to lift a publication ban protecting her identity so she could also shine a light on the difficulties she faced accessing resources and navigating the justice system. Every time I was scared I thought you're not just doing this for you. You're doing this for every woman who has to sit in that shame. She wants people to know that there are many forms of intimate partner violence and hopes

she might empower other women to come forward when they need help. Kayla Hounsell, CBC News, Halifax. Tick-tock and its millions of American users are facing a deadline. The Chinese-owned social media app could be shut down in the U.S. as early as this weekend. It's still unclear just what will happen if a law banning the app is upheld. And there's a chance nothing will, since the political push to buy TikTok more time includes the incoming president.

Vanessa Lee reports. It's going to affect me because I've got 2.9 million followers that are just... Dan Rodo is a content creator on TikTok. He has an art account where he partners with brands. A dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, Rodo is based in Texas and stands to lose a big chunk of income if TikTok is banned. The thing about TikTok Creator Fund is it's all over the place. You can have your highest paying month right next to your lowest paying month.

I've had a month where it was over $10,000 and the next month was $200. So it's sporadic. It definitely helps. A hundred and seventy million Americans are on TikTok. And for those who use it to sell goods or advocate for their cause, the stakes couldn't be higher. Citing security concerns, a law was signed in April requiring the tech company to divest from its Chinese ownership and sell to an American company, or it will be shut down. If the U.S. Supreme Court votes to uphold the law, that could happen by this weekend.

Democratic Senator Ed Markey has introduced a bill to extend the deadline by 90 days. We're asking for more time. We're asking for an ability to be able to try rationally to resolve this issue so that TikTok does not go dark. TikTok has not publicly announced what users could expect should the ban be implemented. Though cybersecurity experts say it doesn't necessarily mean the app will suddenly disappear.

Carmi Levy. It'll be more like a slow fade. If you already have the app on your device, it'll still be on your device and it should still work to a certain extent. But over time, the app will not be receiving updates, no bug fixes, no security patches, and so performance can be expected to degrade. In a move to protest the ban, some TikTok users have migrated in droves to an alternative platform called Red Note.

Hey friends from TikTok, I am Abe from China. But it's another Chinese app which tech analysts say presents the same concerns. Ritesh Kotak. The issues that are front and centre when it comes to TikTok of a foreign-owned platform collecting data on on citizens, the ability for a government to have access to that data, the exact same issues are there for red note as well. With the deadline nearing, Donald Trump has emerged as one of TikTok's most important allies. He's now reportedly considering an executive order to give the app more time to find an American owner. And TikTok's CEO is expected to attend the presidential inauguration on Monday.

Vanessa Lee, CBC News, Montreal. Finally. First of all, I'll talk about the hat that I'm wearing. You don't see me in the hats too much? Finally... First of all, I'll talk about the hat that I'm wearing. You don't see me in the hats too much. Doug Ford speaking to reporters yesterday sporting a baseball hat with the words Canada is not per sale emblazoned across the front. A Canadian flag on the side.

He thanked the creative team who made it. Ottawa's Liam Mooney and Emma Cochran. Mooney says they only came up with the idea a week ago watching Ford being interviewed by Fox News' Jesse Waters. Jesse Waters had said something absurd like it would be a privilege for Canadians to become American. And we immediately jumped off our couch with our golden retriever and we thought no, it is a privilege to be Canadian.

They immediately thought let's design a cheeky response to the red mega hats favoured by supporters of Donald Trump. Blue with a Canadian designed font. Mooney says they made a website to take orders where it caught the attention of Ontario's Premier who was coming to Ottawa for the First Minister's meeting. I got a call early in the morning from a deputy chief of staff in the Premier's office saying hey we need two hats by you know this afternoon I said okay I can do that I hung up the phone thought how am I gonna do that?

Mooney found a company that could make the hats and another that could fast track the embroidery they worked all night and the hat made its way to Doug Ford's head just in time now he's trying to find a way to make more because while Canada might not be for sale, the hats are and the orders have been pouring in. Mooney says tens of thousands in sales in just the last day. Thank you for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for January 16th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.