Your World Tonight - Carney-Trump phone call, Myanmar earthquake, bourbon backlash and more

Episode Date: March 28, 2025

Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone on Friday, a conversation the leaders are describing as "extremely productive" and "constructive".Also: Rescue operations continue in Myanmar and Thailand following a devastating earthquake. Hundreds are feared dead.And: There are sobering messages landing in the heart of Kentucky bourbon country. One of the state's main exports is caught up in the cross-border trade war.Plus: The battle for Vancouver Island, Vice President Vance gets frosty reception in Greenland, South Asian music at the Junos and more.

How are Canadians bracing for a full-on trade war? Without U.S. buy-in, can Canada really help Ukraine? And is Canadian patriotism messing with conservative strategy? We explore questions like these on Power and Politics, CBC's only political daily. I'm David Cochran. I speak to the key players in the political stories everyone is talking about. You'll hear from those who've got the power, those who want it, and those affected most by it. You can find Power and Politics wherever you get your podcasts, including YouTube.

This is a CBC Podcast. Mark Carney and Donald Trump finally spoke today on the phone, something the Prime Minister said he would only do if the president showed more respect for Canada's sovereignty. Both leaders say they have deferred more conversation until after the election, an election that's still a month away and far from decided. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Tom Harrington. It is Friday, March 28th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

Also on the podcast. And the whole thing just collapsed, and obviously my initial thought was that if anybody is in that building, then 100% it's gonna be fatalities for sure. The death toll continues to rise after a devastating earthquake hits Myanmar, toppling buildings hundreds of kilometers away

in Bangkok, Thailand. Rescue crews continue to look for survivors in the rubble, but time and hope is running out. 24 hours ago, Prime Minister Mark Carney told Canadians the long economic and defence partnership with the United States is over. Today Donald Trump is speaking about the relationship in a positive way. The two leaders spoke for the first time since Carney took office. Both agreed to hold more talks depending on the outcome of the election. It all points to what seems to be the central question of this campaign. Which party leader can best handle the president?

Tom Perry has our top story tonight. Well, we heard from both Mark Kearney and Donald Trump today after their phone conversation and both are very positive. Trump posted on Truth Social, he called it an extremely productive call and a little while later we heard from the US president at the White House and his tone was again very positive and very respectful which is not always the case with Donald Trump. So here's some of what the U.S. president had to say.

Mark called me today at 10 o'clock. We put out a statement. We had a very, very good talk. We are, we have liberation day, as you know, on April 2nd, because, and I'm not referring to Canada, but many countries have taken advantage of us, the likes of which nobody even thought was possible for many, many decades. But we had a very good talk, the Prime Minister and myself,

and I think things are gonna work out very well between Canada and the United States. So that was Donald Trump talking about his call with Mark Carney, and I should say, which I guess point out what he didn't say. There was no calling Carney the governor of America's 51st state. Trump was calling the prime minister by his first name, sounding very positive as I said. Now this is Donald Trump, he could change his tone at any time and suddenly have a very different view of the prime minister, but we

did hear from Mark Carney today. He's campaigning in Montreal. We asked him about the call and here's what he said. We had a very constructive discussion and we agreed to begin comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship between our two sovereign countries immediately following the federal election. I made it clear that I will be working very hard with my colleagues behind me to earn the right to represent Canada in those discussions. So we did get some questions to Carney afterwards and I think it's fair to say he's still being cautious. You know Trump's tone may have changed but his position is not.

U.S. tariffs on Canada remain in place. More are expected on April 2nd. What Trump, you heard say calls liberation day for the US and Carney said he did tell the US president that Canada will retaliate So the talk is more cordial, but this trade war is still on Tom that wasn't the only conversation Mark Carney had today. He also spoke to the premiers. What came out of that? Well, that's right. Carney did speak to the premiers today. He says he briefed them on his call with the president. They talked about what comes next, this possible retaliation that he's talking about. You know, the premiers and Carney are trying to break down inter-provincial trade barriers to offset some of the impact of those tariffs.

But, you know, Carney has warned Canadians there could be some difficult days ahead. And as I say, you know, Carney said yesterday that, you know, Canada has to prepare for a different world where that old relationship we had with the U.S., he says that's over. And despite his positive call with the U.S. President, Carney repeated that message today here in Montreal. Tom, thanks for this. Thank you. The CBC's Tom Perry in Montreal.

Team Canada, as we've seen in relation to the tariff battle, typically includes cabinet ministers and premiers. Today, the third line made its presence felt in Washington. This is an extraordinary gathering at an extraordinary moment. Columbus, Ohio Mayor Andrew Ginther leading a rare summit in Washington, hosting mayors from across North America, all united against the economic impact U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs will have on their local communities. There's no more important issue right now

than the cost of living. And tariffs do little more than make the cost of everything more expensive. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is part of the delegation and says cities are on the front lines of the U.S. led tariff and trade war with local jobs already being shed or on the brink. We are a level of government closest to the people and when people speaks out no one can ignore them. She's among the more than two dozen mayors from Mexico, the U and Canada who say Trump's tariffs are upending jobs and stability that was

once secured under the integrated USMCA trade deal Trump signed during his first term. The uncertainty is already causing damage. Ron Nierenberg is the mayor of San Antonio. Businesses can't forecast, they can't forecast payroll, supply needs, etc. One in five jobs in the San Antonio and in the Texas economy depends on international trade. Lansing, Michigan Mayor Andy Shore notes his state voted overwhelmingly for Trump but says their solidarity against tariffs is nonpartisan. And when you have Republicans and Democrats, when you have Canada, when you have U. S. And

you have Mexico all standing together, I think that's extremely powerful. He warns tariffs will drive up prices in North American cities, creating a domino effect, hurting constituents and straining local services. If cars go up anywhere close to 10,000, you're going to have people that cannot afford to buy cars. So now you have a transportation problem. If the price of steel goes up, if the price of wood goes up, that's going to make housing build unaffordable. While Trump argues his tariffs will pressure factories in Canada and Mexico to move

their plants and jobs to the US, mayors say it will destroy supply chains and unravel vital trade relationships. Latoya Cantrell is the mayor of New Orleans. So now is not the time to add extra burdens on our people, on our countries. We hope that our voices today will resonate to the administration as well as to our congressional leaders. The mayors hope their targeted message will force the White House to reconsider its tariff agenda set to kick in early next week. Richard Madden, CBC News, Washington. The election campaign brought Pierre Poliev to Vancouver Island today. He's trying to drum up votes with a tough-on-crime announcement. It's an area where support typically swings between the New Democrats and conservatives.

But as J.P. Tasker learned, with Donald Trump dominating the election election conversation voters seem to be giving the liberals a look I hope that Carney guy if Trudeau is not in Whoever is liberal fights the state the people of Nanaimo, BC haven't elected a liberal to the House of Commons since 1940 like much of Vancouver Island. This is usually NDP or conservative territory But something's different this time says local resident Mark Shantz. I think the American BS is not good. Mark Carney is his pick for prime minister as Canada stares down President Donald Trump and his economic warfare.

I need someone different. He's not a politician. He's a businessman. And that's one of the reasons why I voted for him. Frank didn't want to give his last name. He feels the same way about Carney. I think he's the only one equipped to deal with Trump. Lisa Marie Barron, the NDP incumbent in Nanaimo, is urging progressive voters to stick with her, even as polls suggest the party's support is cratering nationwide.

The Liberals are just not a contender here in Nanaima Ladysmith. The party to beat the Conservatives, to make sure that the Conservative cuts are not in place, is the NDP. The Trump factor is huge here in British Columbia. Shachi Kurl is the president of the Angus Reid Institute, a polling firm based in Vancouver. She says the president has scrambled the electoral equation on Canada's west coast and the Liberals are now in the lead across the province.

This is a place where softwood lumber and the issues around tariffs loom really, really large. Conservative Pierre Poliev is the first major party leader to visit the island in this campaign. The party is pouring money and resources into the area to take this Nanaimo seat. Today he's talking about the B.C. opioid epidemic, promising harsh sentences for drug traffickers. Mark my words, if you exploit and terrorize our people, you will go to jail for life and you will never come out alive. Poliev doesn't talk about Trump much.

He's laser focused on the other issues, housing and the cost of living crisis. We will put Canada first for a change by axing taxes, locking up criminals, banning drugs, bringing home our paychecks in production with resource projects. That's how we're going to win the confidence of the great, hardworking people of Vancouver Island and all of Canada. Still some voters here are willing to give the Liberals a chance, including Carol Seward.

It's not who I would normally vote for in B.C. itself, but I think it's going to be important to support the federal government this time around. She wants to send a message to the Americans, and she thinks Poliev sounds too much like Trump. I don't like the conservative leanings right now. During this election, that's not what any candidate wants to hear. JP Tasker, CBC News, Nanaimo, B.C. Coming up on the podcast, an earthquake in Myanmar kills more than a hundred,

and that number is expected to rise. More than 140 people are dead and hundreds more injured and missing after a powerful earthquake hit one of Myanmar's most populous areas. In neighboring Thailand, Bangkok has been declared a disaster area after buildings crumbled, including a skyscraper that was under construction. Philippe Le Chanoc has more on the devastation and the urgent need for aid. Videos uploaded to social media show the chaos that unfolded as a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city just 17 kilometres from the epicentre. People run for cover in the streets as buildings collapse.

Smoke and debris everywhere. The whole building collapsed! More than a thousand kilometres away in neighbouring Thailand, in the capital Bangkok, tremors hit with a magnitude of more than seven, causing a 30-storey building which was under construction to collapse. Paisan Lekit Prechakol describes what he felt in his Bangkok apartment. I felt like dizzy so I thought maybe something happening to my body and then I came actually out into the hall and then I saw the light that was swaying and then I realized that it was an

earthquake which was quite scary because I have never experienced this in Bangkok before. Dr. Brian Bapthi, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey, says in the last century the region has had six earthquakes, the last two of this magnitude in the 1940s and 50s. The city of Mandalay, which is the second largest city in Myanmar and has a population of over a million was only about 17 kilometres away from the epicenter so it seems likely that there'll be significant damage and fatalities there. Access to Myanmar by Western media has been limited since a military coup in 2021 but Bapty says the area has had rapid population growth and high-rise development

in the last decade. There's a kind of large exposed population living in vulnerable buildings close to where the shaking was strongest. Nadia Khoury is with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, says staff and volunteers are on the ground in the region. About 18 months ago, there was another huge cyclone that hit. A number of climatic shocks have been hitting the country recently. And of course there are ongoing hostilities around the country which further complicates

the situation. Myanmar's military junta has appealed to the international community for help. Twenty million people were in need of humanitarian aid before this earthquake hit, including three and a half million people who fled areas where government forces battled armed opposition groups. Philip LeShawrock, CBC News, Toronto. US Vice President J.D. Vance was in Greenland today. He seemed to repeat Donald Trump's desire for the annexation of the Danish territory. His message, his very presence, was met with frustration, even scorned by Greenlanders. As Paul Hunter reports, they want nothing to do with his administration.

The cold silence of the tundra, a bond was born. Published on Donald Trump's Truth Social Platform today, this video, the U.S. view of how it has historically always come to the aid of Greenland. The Nazis set their sights on the Arctic. Greenland became an unwitting combatant and the United States stepped in not to conquer but to protect. The video dropping while the US Vice President was in Greenland on a one-day visit that's put the giant Danish island on edge. Trump has long made clear he's been eyeing the place, be it to annex, purchase, or simply

expand U.S. military presence beyond the remote American base visited today by Vance. At that base, Vance, along with wife Usha and a group of senior U.S. security officials, Vance was quick to slam Denmark with his view it's failing to keep Greenland properly secure at a time the U.S. insists the North is under threat by Russia and China. Our message to Denmark is very simple. You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. So for the sake of global security, said Vance, he figures Greenlanders will soon enough demand independence. And then we're going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there. Leading, he suggested, to Greenlanders then choosing stronger ties with America.

To the question, would the U.S. rule out using force? We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary. We think this makes sense. Well, we're going to go along very well with Greatland. Echoed back in the Oval Office by Trump himself. We have to have it, he said, for the security of the world. I think Denmark understands it. I think the European Union understands it.

And if they don't, we're going to have to explain it to them. We would really like to work together with the Americans on defense and security, said Denmark's Prime Minister, but she also made clear Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people. On that last part, strong support from the streets of Nuuk, Greenland's capital. I wish the US would stay away. Greenland does not want to be a part of the United States.

We are not for sale. Please do not take us. Now is the time to stand together again. For peace, for security, for the future, America stands with Greenland. At around the time that video was put online, Vance was beginning his trip back to the U.S. As he and his wife climbed the steps to the plane, they turned to look out at the frozen scenery, pointing at something. Then got on board and flew home.

Paul Hunter, 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, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. There are sobering messages landing in the heart of Kentucky bourbon country. One of the state's main exports is caught up in the cross-border trade war. The dispute has angered some Canadians enough to take shots rather than drink them. Katie Simpson has more from Louisville.

This email literally came in today this morning. Standing next to half a dozen white oak barrels full of aging Kentucky bourbon in his small Louisville distillery, Victor Yarbrough holds his laptop and starts reading his emails. You are heading for a full recession in the States with these moronic terrorists and talk of the 51st state BS. I'm just a farmer here in Canada but even I know this Canadian probably world boycott could last four years. The email started after Yarbrough did interviews with Canadian and American news outlets about his opposition to tariffs and how the trade war is costing him an opportunity to start selling bourbon into New Brunswick.

Some of the emails are explicit and angry. And we're just stuck in the middle of it. You know we're not the bad guys. Kentucky ships more than half a billion dollars worth of bourbon worldwide each year. And while it's not the state's largest export, it's the most symbolic. And it's been yanked from the shelves in several Canadian provinces. And what I'd say to Canadians is this president is not treating you right. Kentucky's Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is worried about job losses

and says targeting Kentucky is unfair. I get that you're going to stand up for yourself. That's what we would all do, but be strategic. Now having tariffs that just respond to all American products doesn't differentiate, again, between those who are speaking up and out about how tariffs hurt my country and hurt Canada and those who are blindly supporting the president. But Kentucky is a reliably Republican state and the voters we spoke with want to see Trump keep going with his agenda. Well he thinks it can help more prior to him but he needs to realize he may be

hurting some of the American people and the other the other countries. Sue Troutman is a retired bartender and while she has reservations about tariffs she's standing by her Trump vote. Like I told a bunch of my friends we was all talking about when election come around we said well he's he was the better of two evils. Ted Jackson a longtime Republican operative who sells Trump merchandise online says conservative voters are willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt. There's a rationale for it and a reason he's doing it and we're standing with him and as I said there's going to be some bruises it's not going to be perfect.

Donald Trump has argued his tariff plan will help create American jobs and rebuild U.S. manufacturing. Even if it does not lower the cost of living in the short term, his supporters told us they're prepared for some tough times in the hopes of long-term improvements. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Louisville, Kentucky. The countdown is on for Sunday's Juneau Awards in Vancouver. The Weekend, Shawn Mendes and Tate McCray are all nominated. So are a growing number of South Asian artists who are grabbing audiences both here and abroad. Their impact has been so significant, the Junos have added a new category this year

for South Asian Music Recording of the Year. Eli Glasner reports. year. Eli Glasner reports. At the Junos this year, the impact of the South Asian music scene is already undeniable. In multiple categories, artists such as Suka, AP Dilan, Karan Aujla competing for major awards, the sign of a growing sonic shift. If someone was to tell me back then that this would be my life, the little version of me would never believe it. Toronto's Janita Gandhi says she was bullied for being different growing up.

Now millions watch her songs on YouTube and she'll be opening the Junos performing with Michael Buble. Oh my god, I am so excited. She credits streaming platforms for helping build a broad fan base while embracing her culture. That dream is kind of coming true now and I'm able to attract both Indian audiences and global audiences because everyone's a little more open-minded about it. One of the epicenters of Canada's South Asian sound is Surrey, BC, where you'll find Chani Nata. We used to look towards UK and people would be like,

you want to become a star? You got to go to UK. Now I feel like that whole hub is in Canada and a lot of it is in Surrey as well. Surrey is known for its Punjabi music scene where South Asian and hip hop flavors simmer and stew. He says just like the rise of Latin music, the Punjabi flavor is catching on. Punjabi music has always been such a vibe. Even Bollywood is using a lot of Punjabi music to push their movies a lot. And Punjabi music is being accepted as a global sound. In recognition, the Junos created a new award category for South Asian music.

I've been trying to manifest this moment for the past 10 years of my career. ["Tamil Music and Hip Hop"] Scarborough's Yansin Produced is a nominee who combines traditional Tamil music and hip hop. He says Canada helped shape his sound. I can walk down the street and there's there's a Tamagotchi store. But outside of that I was also exposed to other genres of music.

Listen to radio, listen to Canadian pop, listen to artists like Sean Paul. While the new category is welcome, some, like music journalist Jeevan Sanga, hope it's the beginning of something bigger. I think I'm like crossing my fingers and hoping that this isn't just a trend and that this like results in kind of some long-term investment in Punjabi artists in their art. With billions of streams and some of the most popular Punjabi rappers based here in Canada, she says the South Asian music scene is just getting started. Eli Glasner, CBC News, Vancouver.

We close tonight by raising a glass to Canada. Two breweries in St. John's, Newfoundland have been inspired by the nationalistic feelings coming to a head. Craig Flynn is the owner of Yellow Belly Brew Pub, the creators of Elbows Up, Lagerdale. My wife had watched Saturday Live and saw Mike Myers do the elbows up thing, so right away she said we're doing an elbows up beer. You've got the lightness of a lager and you've got the nice flavours of the ales and those combine kind of like our relationship used to be with the states.

So our label depicts a Canadian player laying the elbows up on an American player. From hockey to hoppy, Landwash Brewery has released a pale ale called En Garde. Christina Cody says the beer is made using only Canadian ingredients, such as grains and hops from Quebec. I think right now everyone is feeling scared and frustrated and also just annoyed at what's going on across the border. And everybody just wants to celebrate something nice. And beer is nice.

And so we all just want to drink a beer and celebrate our farmers. Yeah, it's a nice little beer and you can drink it and just enjoy our country. The label of En Garde shows a windswept landscape inspired by the group of seven. How Canadian is that? So raise those elbows and those glasses. Let's share a toast to the weekend and the future. Some of you may have heard this is my last day here at the CBC. Almost 44 years ago I walked into CBC Calgary out of journalism school

to begin an extraordinary adventure beyond my wildest dreams. It was on to Montreal, then Toronto, and local and national TV and radio, and news and sports and current affairs. I hosted, co-hosted or guest-hosted more than 40 programs and specials reported at the Olympics, on election nights, for the national, and for Marketplace, and of course, the CBC's senior service. And I could not have done that with any other broadcaster in North America. This is as if I had multiple careers in the same company, the CBC. In that time, it's been an incredible honor

to work with hundreds of talented people in front of and behind the camera and the microphone. They all made me better. And above all, my deepest appreciation to you, CBC listeners and viewers, you are the shareholders. Whether you complimented, criticized or cajoled, all of it made me know you cared. So, keep lending us your ears and we'll keep telling your stories. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, March 28th. I'm Tom Herrington.

Thanks for listening. And for the final time, stay safe and take care of each other always.