Your World Tonight - Carney meets with France's Prime Minister, B.C. Conservative leader steps down, Ed Sheeran responds to tour criticism, and more

Episode Date: September 20, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney is on a diplomatic and domestic blitz. Fresh off talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to deepen ties with Europe, Carney returns to Ottawa tonight as Parliament prepares to re-open. His government's first priority - major economic legislation to fast-track projects and overhaul labor laws. But opposition leaders are bracing for a fight.Also: Kerry-Lynne Findlay, the embattled leader of British Columbia's Conservative Party, has stepped down. In recent days, Findlay's caucus lost 14 MLAs - Eleven of whom resigned, and three who were booted by party leadership. We'll have more on what happened, and where the party goes amid a potential snap election.And: Ed Sheeran is responding to public outcry after opener Macklemore was dropped from his tour over pro-Palestinian remarks. At his first concert since Macklemore's departure, Sheeran apologized to fans in Philadelphia last night -hours after a protest was held near his concert venue. Plus: Ukraine's struggle to fight off Russian drones, UN prepares to select a new leader, The obstacles around reviving passenger rail in Canada, and more.

The following is paid content for Desjardin. Lately, it feels like everyone has a take on Gen Z. There's a misconception that everybody in our generation wants things handed to them. Which is so unfair. A lot of the circumstances that other generations got to have, we simply do not have. So when Desjardin asked me to go out and hear directly from young people, I was all in. Because between Sky High Rent, $10 Lottes, and the AI Revolution,

got a lot to unpack. We went out to see what Gen Z's reality actually looks like, and we made a web series out of it. It'll be on CBC Gem. It's called Count Us In, and honestly, I think you guys are going to love it. This is a CBC podcast. Canada and Europe will build an alliance for the future that will strengthen our collective resilience. Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with French President Emmanuel Macron, working toward a closer relationship with the EU as part of a historic visit to the French territory off the coast of Newfoundland. This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Scanderas. Also on the podcast, they are fast and furious. jet-powered drones terrorize Ukraine, and Kiev is largely helpless to stop them.

Plus, we need to have a United Nations that is fit for purpose for today and for the future. The UN is set to enter a new era, the search for the next Secretary General. Prime Minister Mark Carney is on a diplomatic and domestic blitz. Fresh off talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to deepen ties with Europe, Carney returns to Ottawa tonight as Parliament prepares to reopen. His government's first priority, major economic legislation to fast-track projects and overhaul labor laws. But as J.P. Tasker reports, opposition leaders are bracing for a fight. Today, based on our discussions, we're strengthening our cooperation in key areas.

The Prime Minister's diplomatic courtship of European leaders continues, as he touched down in St. Pierre and Michelin off the coast of Newfoundland for face time with French President Emmanuel Macron. Canada and Europe will build an alliance for the future that will strengthen our collective resilience. Macaul going further, saying he wants Canada to become an associate member of the EU, something that hasn't been clearly defined. We are very much in favor of that agenda, McCall says. The whirlwind day of diplomacy continues Sunday night, Carney jetting back to Ottawa to meet with his Norwegian counterpart before the House of Commons returns Monday after a months-long summer break.

We have this legislation that will make our economy stronger. The government's first order of business, sweeping economic legislation to fast-track major projects, and amend the Labor Code with new powers for Ottawa to intervene in labor disputes. Here's government House Leader Stephen McKinnon. We do have too many conflicts, lockouts and strikes or threats of either of those in the country. it harms investment. While polls show the Prime Minister's popularity has soared. Block Quebec-Chii leader E. Francois Blanchet says the government doesn't get a free pass for its legislative agenda.

I don't have as a perspective to be, I want to be Mark Carney's friend. It's not what I think when I wake up in the morning. With support down in some caucus members privately fenn up with his tenure at the top, Conservative leader Pierre Poliev rallied members in Brantford, Ontario. And by the way, our parliament, is in Ottawa, not in Europe. It's here. The party faces a crucial by-election later this fall after one of its MPs resigned. The conservative campaign message focused on affordability.

We as conservatives have a single top priority to save you money. The new economic legislation coming Monday could spur an investment boom at a time when the country needs it most. But it's already catching heat from critics who say it will trample over. over existing environmental laws. The labor movement is also gearing up for a fight, bowing to oppose any measure that makes it harder for some workers to strike. J.P. Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. The CBC's Evan Dyer has been traveling with the Prime Minister

and attended Mark Carney's meeting with Macron in St. Pierre and Michelin. I spoke with Evan just before the PM boarded the flight back to Ottawa. Evan, these islands are just about 20 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland, but this is the first ever trip by a Canadian Prime Minister. What brought this about? Yes, that's right. It's also the first visit, actually, by a French president in about a decade. Emmanuel Macron arrived here yesterday, basically on a mission to show the flag.

And he felt the need to do that because Donald Trump, on Monday, made one of his true social posts, plastering the U.S. flag on other people's countries. And in this case, he put it not only across Canada and Greenland, but also on this little territory, which is home to just under 6,000 French citizens. San Pierre and Michelin is considered an overseas department of France, not a French overseas territory. So legally, these islands are as much part of France as Paris. Macon also invited Mark Carney to make a mutual statement of support about each other's sovereignty. And they also did discuss some other local matters, such as greater cooperation between Atlantic Canada

and these islands on various matters such as fishing, communications, and overseas cables. And it was also an announcement from the two leaders that they've instructed their respective space agencies to start working together, especially in the field of satellite launches and satellite communications. This all comes as Trump and the government of Denmark announce a deal over Greenland. How does that play into this relationship? It plays very directly. It wasn't mentioned directly by either of the leaders in their public remarks, but very much on their minds, of course. Macron was one of the few leaders who responded to Trump's earlier threats to Greenland

by actually sending troops. It was a symbolic number of troops, but it was meant to show that France was committed to Greenland's defense. And Trump is now claiming, of course, that the Danes have essentially surrendered some of their sovereignty over that island forever. The Danes, though, haven't confirmed that. And there is some question about how much Copenhagen has really caved to U.S. pressure and to what extent Trump might be embellishing these concessions for his own base. But I think it's safe to say that both of the leaders meeting here today will hope that the Danes didn't give away too much or agree to a deal that would emboldened Trump to put further pressure on Canada and on France

and try to push this hemisphere closer to his vision, a vision of U.S. dominance. The CBC's Evan Dyer, thank you so much. Thanks. We have some developing news this evening. Carrilyn Finley, the embattled leader of British Columbia's Conservative Party, has stepped down. In recent days, Finley's caucus lost 14 MLAs, 11 of whom resigned. three were booted by party leadership. CBC's BC Provincial Affairs reporter Katie DeRosa joins us now from Victoria.

Katie, just days ago, Carrilyn Finley said she was not going anywhere. What changed? Well, you know, I think there was growing calls for her to resign amongst current members of caucus. On Wednesday night, there was a tense caucus meeting where two MLAs, Claire Rate and John Rustad, called for her to resign. but by Thursday night, that number of MLAs grew to about 10. And then today, another MLA, Linda Hepner, told me that she had notified Carolyn Finley, should we be stepping down. And she said this came after an ultimatum where she told Carolyn Finley, if you don't go, I will go.

So then perhaps it reached a critical mass. Carrie Lynn Finley posted a resignation letter on social media at about 1.30 p.m. today. And what did she say in that statement? Well, you know, Carolyn Finley said it was not an easy decision, but she says it's the right one for our province. She says that too much of the party's time and attention has been consumed by internal conflict, and that energy should be directed towards challenging the NDP. But she also alluded to potentially some individuals in the party not being happy with this decision for her to resign. She says, you know, no political party can ask its members for their time.

their money, their trust, and then decide their voices only matter when they produce the outcome some people want. You know, Carrie Lynn Finley ran her leadership campaign on a promise to prevent the party from being taken over by BC liberals. So that created this sort of tension between two factions of the party. And these are factions that John Rustad struggled to unite as well. So it seems like history is repeating itself here with the BC Conservatives. So what happens now? Well, that's a great question. The questions going forward is who will lead the party in the interim?

And is there enough time to sort of mend these fences before a potential snap election? All the speculation is that Premier David Eby will call a fall election. The election call could come within the coming days. And the reasons behind that is that he could be looking to take advantage of the tumults that facing the BC Conservatives. and he's faced a bump in the polls because of Trump tariffs. So there's a lot of moving parts here. A lot to watch for.

The CBC's Katie DeRosa in Victoria. Thank you so much. Thank you. Still ahead from building high-speed rail to new passenger train cars. Ottawa is spending billions to revitalize passenger rail in Canada. But getting that train back on the tracks is easier said than done. More on that is coming up on your world tonight. Chairman Chancellor Friedrich Merz had some stark words on the election results in the state of Mecklenburg, Western Pomerania.

It's a disaster, says Merz, of his Christian Democratic Party's capture of just over 5% of the vote, according to exit polls. That's well behind the far-right alternative for Germany party, which is projected to have won the most votes. It's second state election win in under a month. The second place, Social Democratic Party is likely to form a coalition government, preventing the AFD from leading. And in Berlin, Merz's CDU party is projected to have lost the state election to a left-wing party. The dual losses have sparked conversation about replacing Merz as leader, while he vows to press ahead with economic reforms. In Kiev.

Massive plumes of smoke and redactivity. flames rise from a warehouse struck by a Russian drone. In recent months, Russia has been using jet-powered drones to gain an edge in its war. They travel so fast and at such heights, Ukraine is struggling to defend itself from them. Breyer Stewart reports. Across the blackened back garden of a house on the eastern edge of Kiev, a stifling smell of fuel hangs in the air. The couple living here are traumatized by what happened when a Russian drone came crashing down. I'm a pensioner, says Ihor Zabotsky. I worked and slept after my shift, and then this happened. Putin is a bastard, he cries. He and his wife pick up some of the pieces of the drones scattered around

their yard. Part of it still wedged in a tree. The engine of the jet power drone sits in the middle of their vegetable garden, before a small team of police officers carefully wrap it up and take it away as evidence. Jet-powered drones have become a major problem for Ukraine. They can fly up to 600 kilometers an hour, and Ukraine really doesn't have an effective piece of technology to intercept them yet. On Sunday, Kiev's air defenses could not stop a Russian drone before it came crashing down in an area near the river.

It's difficult for the inception. Boris Dolina is a commander of a drone unit and says the jet-powered ones are so fast that they're hard to see on video feeds, let alone intercept. We saw it, we tried to reach them, but it wasn't much speed. It was much more than ours. So you tried to chase them, but you didn't succeed at all.

It was no chance for us. As I said, it's a race. Ukraine's president says multiple companies are trying to work on a solution and says there have been two successful interception so far. But the jet-powered drones continue to terrorize the capital region. Three young children were killed in a Russian attack on Saturday night. Nowadays we are very busy. Dmitry Kutz is an orthopedic surgeon and treats civilians along with soldiers.

I'm always nervous if we will have any problems. patients after the attack, and as I said, they're very random and unpredictable. In the last few weeks, Kiev has endured a barrage of attacks. And after Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at Moscow overnight, damaging a major refinery, those living here no Russia will retaliate. Breyer-Stewart, CBC News, Kiev. There have been growing calls from Silicon Valley to row. rein in artificial intelligence. Industry leaders say the technology poses an existential threat.

The U.S. president doesn't see it that way. Donald Trump says the U.S. must win the AI race with China. But as Katie Nicholson reports, some lawmakers want Washington and Beijing to work together on AI safety. The click of cameras echo through the cavernous lobby of J.P. Morgan Chase as representatives from the world's biggest two economies. China and the U.S. filed in. One of the more pressing matters to discuss AI. We've never been so intertwined economically with a competitor or potential adversary like we are with the People's Republic of China. The challenge says UN ambassador for the U.S. Mike Walsz is balancing the need for innovation with safety. I do see space for guardrails there.

However, what we cannot do is put a throttle on our innovators. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly resisted calls from tech leaders to tap the brakes after numerous incidents came to light of AI agents hacking into external platforms. Trump's reason, the U.S., he says, needs to keep its lead on China in the AI race. Though he did post on social media, he would create an AI force and appoint an AI czar. But it has no specific responsibility on guardrails. Earning scorn from some Democrats like Maryland Governor, Wes Moore. So it's not AI force.

It's AI farce. It's not real. Well, we need to set up an AI agency like the FDA. Though Democratic Representative Rokana did send letters to Chinese AI companies to work with American competitors to, quote, responsibly pace the development of the technology. Winning an AI war is like, like winning a nuclear war. It is catastrophic for civilization. And what we have asked is that

they agree to some basic terms. Kana says so far no response. But as the U.S. and Chinese officials meet ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington, the CEO of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleiman, added his voice to those calling for guardrails. This is a watershed moment in our industry. And encouraged cooperation on safety with China. And so I think we've just got to tone down the adversarial rhetoric between us and them to ensure that over the next few years, this technology arrives as safely as possible. But there's much for the U.S. to discuss with China, the scramble for any kind of consensus on AI happening as the superpowers tackle a myriad of other issues, including trade, the supply chain and geopolitical tensions. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington.

When the United Nations holds its annual meeting of world leaders, it'll be the last time Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez presides over the gathering. He will pass the baton to a new UN chief at the end of the year. Chris Reyes looks at who may take his place. Welcome to all the candidates. In a recent town hall debate with hopeful future UN chiefs, former UN General Assembly President Annalina Bearbach laid out the stakes. The person we choose will not only be the face. of this House of Humanity, but also its custodian. Those vying for the job include former presidents like Senegal's Mackie Saul.

I will be a facilitator of dialogue and a Secretary General committed to implementation, reform, and restoring trust. In Chile's Michelle Bachelet, I proved I can lead complex negotiations and make difficult choices. While not a rule, it's a respected principle that the UN choose its chief, based on a regional rotation. With past leaders coming from Europe, Asia and Africa, it's widely recommended that Latin America and the Caribbean is next in line.

That's where two of the current frontrunners are from. Guyana's UN permanent representative, Carolyn Rodriguez Burkett. We need to have a United Nations that is fit for purpose for today and for the future. And Costa Rica's Rebecca Greenspan, who has held several high-profile leadership roles within the UN. In each, I've built coalitions and consensus for action. I talk and listen to everyone. I close no doors, serve no interest, but the charter. The next Secretary General inherits an institution in a financial and relevance crisis.

Its harshest critics include its most powerful members like the U.S., all while operating in a world of spreading regional wars, humanitarian disasters, and existential threats like AI and climate change. Tobolk Mali is with New York University's Center on International Cooperation. I think what we need at the moment is a dreamer, someone who can inspire and rekindle the world with how great the UN is and what they can bring. That person must also convince the UN Security Council where five countries have veto power, including Russia, China and the U.S. Nobody in the Security Council encourages the candidature. It will become very difficult for that candidates to stay in the race.

Who remains could make history. The majority of candidates are women, increasing the chances of electing the first female UN chief. Many say it's about time. Rodriguez Burkett puts it this way. The UN has not yet benefited from the next half of humanity, women. And so we do not have an issue today with competence or with supply. And so I think it would be a good message to the world.

World leaders will get their chance to weigh in when they gather in New York next week, ahead of more formal votes at the Security Council starting in October. The next SG is expected to be sworn in in the new year. Chris Reyes, CBC News, New York. In about four weeks, Albertans will head to the polls in what may be the most consequential vote in the province's history. They will decide whether to pursue the separation process or put the issue to rest. Campaigns on both sides are in full swing. As Julia The Wong reports the focus is on getting people to the polls. It's a festival feeling as hundreds of people enjoy what's being built as a unity concert in Calgary,

organized by the Federalist Group Forever Canadian, the event designed to celebrate a United Canada, leader Thomas Lukasek. Let's get together and celebrate the most important thing that we have in common, and that is being Canadian. With roughly four weeks to go until. Until the referendum, Lukasik plans to tour Alberta, visit communities, and remind people to vote. Polls have consistently shown somewhere between 22 and 30 percent of Albertans support separatism, indicating the vast majority of Albertans want to stay in Canada. But Lukazik does not want complacency, saying voter turnout is critical.

Democracy doesn't work when we assume that we are going to win. We just can't assume anything. The only way to win is to vote. Let's talk Alberta founder Chris Scott, who is pro-independence, agrees. If the turnout is low, both sides are going to accuse the process of not meeting the needs of Albertans. Scott hopes to get social media and radio ad campaigns off the ground in the coming weeks. We have to talk about this. This is a really important, consequential question.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, speaking at a virtual conference Saturday, got emotional, describing how some Albertans feel. And for years, it felt as though Ottawa, was working to shut our economy down. But she says progress is being made and says she is voting to remain. I support Alberta remaining in Canada. The fight to make Canada work for Alberta is working. When Alberta stood up, spoke out and refused to back down.

The country started listening. In the lead up to next month's vote, both sides will be busy, says University of Alberta political science professor Fiosnegovsky. It's a game about voter mobilization, getting the people you've identified to vote. Saying turnout could decide the fate of the province. If there's 20% of the population that are in favor independence and all 20% go to vote, suddenly we have a situation that's really uncomfortable. In Edmonton, voters we spoke to had a range of opinions. From what I'm hearing, a lot of people are going to be out to vote. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of people that will

be saying, oh, I'm not going to stand in line forever and ever. So that might be a deterrent for sure. Voter motivation, something both sides will be keeping in on as Albertans head to the polls October 19th. Julia Wong, CBC News, Edminton. Ed Shearin is responding to public outcry after opener Maclemore was dropped from his tour over pro-Palestinian remarks. At his first concert since McElmore's departure, Shearin apologized to fans in Philadelphia last night,

hours after a protest was held near his concert venue. Alexander Silberman was there. I am making mistakes, and I'm so, So sorry. Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran began his concert in Philadelphia by speaking directly to tens of thousands of fans. I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. Sheeran called the attack in Israel on October 7th horrific and said what is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and disproportionate.

My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian's lives. Before the show, Shiren faced intense criticism after opening artist Macklemore was dropped by the tour promoter over pro-Palestinian comments on stage. The indie rapper said Free Palestine and performed a pro-Palestinian protest song earlier this month, sparking condemnation from pro-Israel groups and demands from stadium owners to remove him.

Patty Jackson is a DJ and music historian in Philadelphia. She says artists are facing growing pressure to become political. People are tired. They see things happening and now they're taking a stand. Before the concert, about 100 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at a transit station near the stadium. Several, Ed Sheeran fans with tickets who chose not to attend. end. Brandon Atakey says he was angered by Sharon's earlier position of political neutrality. I do not want to support someone who is complicit in the censorship of an artist's free speech

on a social issue that I also resonate with so much. Inside the stadium, fans filled most of the seats to see Sharon carry the show by himself after supporting acts dropped out earlier in the week. Many, like Christina, White, happy to put politics aside. You come here to see the music and you come here to get away from everything and enjoy everything. In the days leading up to the show, Shiren's tour appeared to be on the brink of collapse. Resale prices plummeted. Leading to speculation, attendance would also drop.

Sheeran thanked fans for continuing to show up, promising the tour will go on. Alexander Silverman, CBC News, Philadelphia. The federal government wants to revive and modernize passenger rail, and it's promising to spend billions of dollars to do so. But bringing passenger rail back is a complex problem. Colin Butler went to St. Thomas, Ontario, known as Railway City, to get a sense of the obstacles in the way. This is the railway capital of Canada.

We have no connection. Will Zufelt is standing in the middle of what used to be one of the busiest railway complexes in Canada to an outsider, it looks like a park with rusted rails and enough grass to fill six football fields. It's interesting to say green space, we're just sitting in the middle of a brownfield that was left behind from the railroads. A century ago, eight lines converged here, Detroit to Buffalo, New York to Chicago, a hundred trains a day.

So many, St. Thomas had its own U.S. consulate. It was the railway city for a reason because it was, a very busy spot. Today, the trains are gone, and what happened in St. Thomas happened in railway communities across Canada. Historian Thomas Blompier says the decline began as Canadians changed how they traveled and how goods moved. Cars started to eat away at passenger revenue from railways,

and trucks started to take some of that freight traffic. As the trains disappeared, so did much of the tracks. So the track, all of the signals, or the crossing warnings, do we keep all of that intact? And increasingly the answer was no. But not all of Canada's railway infrastructure disappeared. Anthony Pearl studies transportation policy at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. He says what remained was increasingly rebuilt around freight.

We had a great streamlining or right-sizing or pick your term of the national rail infrastructure in Canada as passenger trains went away to optimize it for running long, slow freight trains. And unlike airlines or trucking, Canada's railway companies don't just run the trains. They own the routes. No one is going to build an alternative set of rails across this country under any circumstances. And that's why they make the call on whether to put in or take out tracks in particular places. Back in St. Thomas, Will Zufeld is trying to save what little of the railway city is left. Of the 112 railway buildings that once stood here, only three remain.

The old locomotive shops are one of them. This is the last chance right here that we have to save what we have. Zoufeld is trying to raise $8 million to restore the crumbling building and turn it into more than a museum with offices, shops and restaurants. That success is putting a heartbeat back in the core. But as Canada looks to bring passenger rail back, places like Railway City are a reminder that rebuilding what disappeared may be harder than saving what's still here. Colin Butler, CBC News, St. Thomas, Ontario.

That Metallica classic has an unexpected lead singer, William Shatner, debuting his new metal band. They're playing Chicago's Riot Fest this weekend, their warm-up show consisting of well-known tunes like Enter Sandman and Ace of Spades. Shatner says his band is called The Uckers, and they have a new album. The songs featuring that intense spoken word delivery we've heard from Shatner before. Well, what else could I do? I said, I'll see what I can do. Anything but common, Shatner also released an eccentric list of rider demands for Riot Fest, including four feet of Polish sausage, DeLorean, and many fire breathers. As a Star Trek legend, he wants a boat renamed in his honor so he can captain a ship again.

And as a Montreal native, he wants a HAB's sweater, but he wants it signed by John Stamos. He told the Riot Fest crowd he's still learning about heavy metal. It's energy. It's beautiful. Now I know what you're wondering. How old is William Shatner now? The answer is 95. proving you're never too old to rock and roll. And if he gets bored with metal,

he can always go back to one of his many other hobbies, like horse racing, seriously. Here's more fan video of William Shatner's new band covering Ozzy Osbourne's crazy train on your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skendaris. Thank you for listening. For more CBC podcasts,

go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.