Your World Tonight - Carney’s cabinet retreat, G7 finance ministers in Banff, mental health concerns on the rise for Canadian girls and young women, and more

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

The Prime Minister and his front bench hold talks ahead of Monday’s return to Parliament. Front and centre are affordability issues, U.S. tariffs, the war in Gaza and the new American proposal for a ‘Golden Dome’.Also: A look at Canada’s relationship with Iran from Tehran. Is there an opportunity for a thaw in the frozen relations?And: We break down the new data that looks at mental health disorders in girls and young women in Canada and asks why many of them are not accessing the help they need.Plus: Another astonishing press meeting in the Oval Office, Quebec targets streaming giants, G7 finance ministers meet in Banff to discuss economic threats, and more.

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It's intended to lay the groundwork for the leaders meeting. Prime Minister Carney will have his objectives. He will want to certainly talk about the global economy. That's his brand. As Mark Carney wraps up his cabinet retreat and gets set for the return of parliament, the Prime Minister has global perspective. After his government criticized Israel's conduct in Gaza and as G7 finance ministers discuss the global economy in Alberta, ahead of a leaders summit, Carney will host next month. Welcome to Your World Tonight.

I'm Susan Bonner. It is Wednesday, May 21st, coming up on 6pm Eastern, also on the podcast. The goal is to make sure that Quebecers have the choice. We want to make sure that they can choose what they want to listen or watch. Lost in translations, Quebec's Culture Minister says French language content is too hard to find on streaming services. And a new bill would force companies, including Netflix and Spotify, to offer Francophone Canadians more movies, music and shows in their own language. He's been locked in a private meeting with his new cabinet for two days now.

Tonight, Prime Minister Mark Carney will emerge and hold a news conference, his first in several days. It's ahead of a new session of parliament next week, which will be Carney's debut in the House of Commons. What's happening beyond our borders could dominate tonight's questions. The CBC's Tom Perry joins us from Ottawa with details. Tom, what are we expecting to hear? Well, I think the Prime Minister is going to be getting questions about that joint statement released Monday by Canada, the UK and France. That statement sharply criticizes Israel for its military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

It calls the level of human suffering in Gaza intolerable. And it says the Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population risks breaching international humanitarian law and that if Israel does not lift restrictions on that humanitarian aid, the three countries will take further concrete actions in response. Now, of course, we've heard no detail about what that response might look like. And Thomas Junot from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa says until we get those details, that statement is more rhetorical Thomas Junot from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa says, until we get those details, that statement is more rhetorical than real.

To me, the joint statement by France, the United Kingdom and Canada at this point carries only very limited weight in the sense that at this point it's only words. If the three countries and perhaps other countries alongside with them in the near term actually adopt measures against Israel, sanctions against extremist settlers, for example, then it starts carrying a bit of weight. But at this point, it's mostly symbolic. So that was Tomas, you know,

from the University of Ottawa. We have heard from Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, he wrote on social media that the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering Hamas a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7th while inviting more such atrocities. And I expect Carney will be asked about that as well. Tom, then there's that other international issue, Donald Trump's trumpeting of what he calls the Golden Dome.

What might we expect on that? Yeah, this is something that the US president has brought up. Donald Trump wants to build this massive missile defense shield to protect the United States. Israel has the Iron Dome, Trump calls his the Golden Dome, and his plan is not cheap. The initial price tag is about $25 billion US. Trump says if his plan goes through to get the system in place by the end of his first term his current term This would cost roughly 175 billion and the Congressional Budget Office says the plan could go well above that now Trump says he expects Canada to pay its share And all we've heard so far from the Prime Minister's office is that the Prime Minister and his ministers are having wide-ranging

Discussions that include strengthening NORAD and related initiatives such as the Golden Dome. So, you know, Carney may be asked exactly what that means and what it might cost Canadian taxpayers. Thank you so much, Tom. Thank you. The CBC's John Perry in Ottawa tonight. One of Carney's cabinet ministers wasn't taking part in that retreat today.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne was in Banff hosting a gathering of his G7 counterparts. Representatives of seven of the world's most advanced economies met behind closed doors today discussing global economic stability while one of the group's own members continues to upend it. Carina Roman reports. Welcome. Nice to see you. Welcomeend it. Karina Roman reports. Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem greet their US counterparts, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. There are seven countries at the G7 table but everyone here is keenly aware that the one with the most impact on the global economy as well as on the success of this week's

summit is the United States. The agenda is long, including recent threats to the global economy, economic resilience and security, growth and productivity, the reconstruction of Ukraine, AI, debt transparency, and financial crime. What's not explicitly on the agenda? Tariffs. Champagne insists that doesn't mean they won't be discussed. We always talk about the issues that are front and center. And he argues it's just as important to make progress on tacking the issues actually on the agenda. The spirit around the table is constructive.

The spirit around the table is action. The spirit around the table is to send a strong message to the world and that's what is going to drive us over the next few days. Champagne has a number of bilateral meetings as well, with his EU counterpart, with Italy, and with France's finance minister, Eric Lombard. There's a lot to discuss. You know, France and Canada have a long tradition of cooperating. with Italy and with France's finance minister, Eric Lombard. There's a lot to discuss.

You know, France and Canada have a long tradition of cooperating. But the key one-on-one meeting for Champagne is with U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessant. John Manley, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister, says it's important that the U.S. Treasury secretary as well as federal reserve chair are attending. Bessant is, a lot of people call him the adult in the room in the US government right now and he's someone that Francois-Philippe Champagne needs to befriend if he possibly can. The G7 Finance Minister's meeting sets the stage for the full G7 leader summit in mid-June

in nearby Cananascus. But Champagne says this week's gathering is also about laying the groundwork to bring back financial stability to the global economy. How that will be achieved when the biggest player at the table is the reason for all the uncertainty remains unclear. Carina Roman, CBC News, Banff, Alberta. Canada Post has issued a new set of offers to the union representing some 55,000 workers. It comes days before the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is set to strike Friday morning. The Crown Corporation's latest proposals include wage hikes and plans for weekend delivery.

The union says it offered to put its labour action on pause for two weeks while it considered the latest deal. Canada Post declined the request but says it's committed to negotiating with the assistance of a mediator. In a digital age of seemingly endless options for streaming music, movies and shows, Quebec's culture minister says it's too hard to find French language content. A draft bill would force major streaming sites to make original francophone content more accessible. But as Sarah Levitt reports, some experts warn the effort could backfire. Today Quebec's culture minister highlighted this song as the only French language one to break the top 50 streamed songs in the province.

The more digital offerings advance, the more our culture goes backwards, says Mathieu Lacombe. He's tabled a draft bill which would force streaming services like Netflix and Spotify to make more French language content available and easily found on their platforms. The goal is to make sure that Quebecers have the choice. We want to make sure that they can choose what they want to listen or watch. The bill is in its first draft and scanned in detail. It doesn't specify just how much French language content would need to be available to users. Some also question whether or not Quebec even has

jurisdiction to impose this law. So that's the $64,000 question of course. Pearl Eliadis is a lawyer and an associate professor at McGill University. Broadcasting is a matter for federal jurisdiction and the CRTC is a federal regulator and they're the ones who have responsibility in this area including for streaming services. Quebec's draft bill includes penalties for streaming services which don't comply. No amounts are set yet though. That could have an opposing effect than what the law intends, Michael Geist says. He's a law professor at the University of Ottawa. It's possible that faced with this choice,

some might say that if the costs of compliance are too high, the Quebec market simply isn't worth the trouble and they might actually block Quebec users. Lacombe argues the draft bill is a matter of cultural relevance. He notes the government decided to widen the requirement to French, not just francophone Quebec made content, so that it could be aligned with places like France. I think it's a good strategy to be together. So if we talk about francophone content, we

have a francophone team with every other francophone countries. France has among the most strict content laws forcing streaming companies to invest specifically for local and European content. It's something the Quebec government sees as an ideal model in its ongoing fight to protect the French language. Sarah Levitt, CBC News, Montreal. Coming up on the podcast, aid for Gaza, the push for more as the suffering grows, and

two presidents meet before the cameras in the Oval Office. Once again, it does not go well. Israel's military is apologizing after firing warning shots in the air near a group of foreign diplomats and journalists in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Authority says more than two dozen people were part of the delegation, including four from the Canadian diplomatic office in Ramallah. No injuries were reported. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Annan says Canada has summoned Israel's ambassador over the matter.

The IDF is investigating. It has been two days since Israel lifted its blockade on aid trucks destined for Gaza. Now, after a delay, the Israeli military says about 100 trucks are finally moving toward those who need it. But humanitarian organizations say the aid is just a fraction of what's needed, and hundreds of thousands of people are still at risk of famine. Briar Stewart reports. In the southern Gaza city of Hanyunis, children scrape the sides of empty cooking pots

trying to get the very last of the soup. While Israel says it's lifted its blockade on aid, as of this morning the food hasn't reached desperate families. When your son or daughter comes and asks you for food, your heart breaks because there's nothing, said Nala El-Masri. Gaza health officials say dozens more have been killed in strikes in the past day, including residents say a 10-day-old baby. In Haun Younis, as families prepare to bury their dead,

Hamjand Jaoun struggles to contain his anger. He says he lost his daughter, son-in-law and brother. Hamas keeps talking about the resistance, he said in an interview with CBC News. Let the resistance come and sit here. They can bring their women and children. But Shohi Abu Salah blames Israel, saying all of these deaths should be punished under international law. There is no end to the misery in Gaza. The UN says the aid has been held up because the military wanted the trucks to take a route which humanitarian groups considered insecure and vulnerable to looting from crowds.

Much of this is a manufactured crisis. Sana Bagg is the director of Doctors Without Borders in Canada and says Ottawa, which is hosting the G7 summit next month, needs to take the lead when it comes to pressuring Israel to end its war and this humanitarian disaster. I think it's about time that we take a cold hard look at ourselves and we hold our leaders to account to really demonstrate strong moral courage and political will.

Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed any criticism in a press conference tonight, saying a strike launched on a Gaza hospital last week likely killed Mohammed Sinwar, a Hamas leader, and the brother of the architect of the October 7th attack. Israel believes that 20 hostages are still alive and being held by Hamas. As militants launched rockets at Israel tonight, the country vowed to continue its military offensive. Netanyahu said there could be an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire, but said in the end, all of Gaza will be under Israeli control.

Briar Stewart, CBC News, London. We have an update to a story we aired yesterday about Gaza. In an interview with the BBC, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said 14,000 babies in the territory could die in 48 hours if Israel did not immediately lift its blockades. Fletcher did not say how he arrived at that number. When asked for clarification, the UN says the data is highlighted in a report from the IPC, a partner organization that focuses on food security. It suggests the acute malnutrition of those infants, which could lead to death, could take place over the course of about a year, not 48 hours.

It wasn't quite to the level of Volodymyr Zelensky's confrontational visit to the White House, but another foreign leader got a lecture from Donald Trump in his office today. South Africa's president tried to steer the conversation towards more diplomatic subjects, but was met with widely debunked claims about anti-white persecution in his country. Katie Simpson reports from Washington. From the get-go, the Oval Office meeting was tense, even the body language. U.S. President Donald Trump sat quietly

next to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. No chit chat or pleasantries as the press moved into the room. President Ramaphosa, he is a man who is certainly in some circles really respected, other circles a little bit less respected, like all of us in all fairness, like all of us. We all like that.

The uncomfortable joke underscoring how this relationship is at a low. Trump accuses South Africa of persecuting white farmers, repeating and amplifying claims that have long been debunked. They're taking people's land away and in many cases those people are being executed. The false pretense shaped Trump's decision to accept dozens of Afrikaners as refugees. He even reopened a resettlement program that he shut down to allow white South Africans to seek asylum. We are essentially here to reset the relationship.

Ramaphosa hoped this would be a chance to present Trump with facts. A charm offensive of sorts flattering the president. He even included legendary South African golfers Ernie Els and Ratif Goosen in his entourage. Ultimately none of it would matter. Excuse me turn the lights down. Turn the lights down. In what can only be described as an ambush, Trump directed everyone's attention to a TV screen.

People are going to occupy land. Playing a video showing fringe South African politicians performing controversial chants and a series of clips he says prove his untrue claims. Remaposa looked stunned. He barely glanced over at the screen as the video played for more than four minutes. Have they told you where that is Mr. President? No.

I'd like to know where that is because this I've never seen. Trump was then handed what appeared to be a stack of printed news stories. He claims are about attacks on white South Africans. Death, death, horrible death. Ramaphosa calmly tried to correct Trump, acknowledging South Africa does have a problem with crime. People who do get killed are not only white people. Majority of them are black people. And we have now been utilized. The farmers are not only white people. The majority of them are black people. And we have now been utilizing...

The farmers are not black. After more than an hour of uncomfortable exchanges in front of the press, Trump clearly was not swayed. And the conversation moved behind closed doors. It is a reminder of just how difficult it is to deal with Trump. And an administration that is not grounded in reality or guided by facts. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington.

It has been 13 years since Canada froze relations with Iran, but the regime is now saying it's ready for that to change. An Iranian official told CBC News the country is open to renewing ties with conditions. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans gained rare access to Tehran recently and has the details. Signs of renewal at a building that's long stood empty and dark in Tehran, the former Canadian Embassy. Workmen are mixing plaster and smoothing surfaces just outside the front entrance.

For a long time the door was closed and finally we as a private company bought here from the previous owner. Rasool Nomawari is moving his paper company into the building, happy to show us around and pointing out the lone maple leaf left behind, welded onto a window grill. Can you see? Oh yeah, I see it. I see it. Only one. We kept that one as the heritage of the Doses. Ottawa cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012, citing the Islamic Republic's perceived nuclear

ambitions and a dismal human rights record. Like many Iranians, Nomavari hopes for an end to sanctions against Iran and its isolation on the world stage, buoyed by talks about talks between the US and Iran. So why not Canada and Iran, he asks. He'd like them to restore diplomatic ties. I believe that all Iranians like to have the embassy open. What about the Iranian government though? Especially given that the needle on Ottawa's position vis-à-vis Iran has barely budged.

It's a question we pose to Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqai. If you are interested in that, what would Iran be prepared to do to encourage that direction of travel? You said, what should Iran do? I think it's for Canada to decide. I think the first step they have to take is to unravel the many sanctions and restraints that they have imposed on themselves and on our bilateral relations. Analysts say that's unlikely to many unresolved issues.

Not least accountability for the downing of a passenger plane by Iranian missiles in 2020, killing all 176 people on board, including dozens of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Cholar Malik's daughter, Mariam, was among them, flying back to Canada after visiting family in Tehran. Malik doesn't buy Iran's explanation that human error was to blame. He also doesn't think Canada should re-engage with the country. As long as these same individuals own power inside Iran and occupy the seats of authority, it will not at all benefit or have a result for us, the people. There are differences both inside and out of Iran between those seeking democratic change there.

Some advocating engagement, others worried that it would prolong the life of the regime. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Tehran. This is Your World Tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. There have been lots of recent studies about Canadians' mental health struggles, but new research focused on girls and young women isn't looking at the problems, but the

potential solutions and who's accessing them. There is help out there, but the study suggests not everyone can find it. The CBC's Jennifer LaGrasse has more. In recent years, there's been a lot of attention given to worsening mental health among Canadians. But Kristin Frank and her team at Statistics Canada wanted to know more. Among Canadian girls and young women, who was getting help and if they weren't, what was stopping them? To figure this out they looked at survey data gathered in 2022 from more than 1,200 girls and women between the ages of 15 and 29.

Within that group just under four in 10, had a mental health or substance use disorder, and only a little more than half of them tried to get help. We found kind of a range of reasons. High costs, long wait lists, and a lack of trust in the healthcare system were some of those reasons. People also said they were too busy

or preferred to cope with the symptoms themselves. It's possible that some of those who reported that they prefer to self-manage symptoms might have done so because there was a delay in care. Growing up I felt like my skin was too tight for me. Emma Bachner is a 26-year-old social work student in Ontario. She didn't take part in the Statistics Canada survey, but has struggled with substance use and eating disorder and self-harm. A few years ago she got help help but says it wasn't easy.

It took me about six months to get into treatment, a couple months to get into a group home. Another important finding from the Statistics Canada report, racialized teen girls or women who got support found it less helpful than non-racialized people. I wasn't really surprised at all. Monica Williams is a clinical psychologist in Ottawa. She's also the Canada research chair in mental health disparities. Many people are having difficulty finding providers

that speak their preferred language. Many people have difficulty finding providers in their communities or in their own ethnic groups. Sometimes the difficulties people have can be challenges around the experience of being racialized and so clinicians need to understand these problems so that they can help their clients or patients navigate these things. She says better training for providers and making it easier for people from different

countries and cultures to become registered practitioners in Canada would help. Overall the authors of the Statistics Canada report say their findings point to a need for more affordable services and better ways to inform young people of the help that's available. The report authors emphasize that because the data was gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic, it could have been influenced by that and therefore they can't compare the findings to previous years. Jennifer LaGrasse, CBC News, Windsor, Ontario.

Finally tonight, it is a controversial return for a character from a long time ago and a galaxy far away. Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. Darth Vader from the legendary Star Wars films is taking on a new role in the massively popular video game Fortnite. Powered by artificial intelligence, players speak to Vader through their microphones, which is then processed through a chat bot to instantly generate a response. These skibidi toilets, are they some new form of rebel alliance?

Bombardillo Crocodillo, Bailarina Capuchina. Darth Vader, is the low taper fade meme still massive? Your fascination with fleeting trends is curious. He's learning new vocabulary. If the voice sounds familiar, that's because before he died last year, the original Darth Vader actor James Earl Jones allowed AI to learn from his voice samples and his family supported its use in Fortnite. But there's pushback from a major actors union. Fresh off a strike against video game companies last year that was centered on AI, the SAG-AFTRA union has filed an unfair labor practice charge.

It says even though Jones isn't around to do it, another professional actor should have reproduced Vader's voice in Fortnite. The union says it supports AI being used to enhance the work of humans. It just should not replace them. Thank you for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for Wednesday, May 21stbc.ca slash podcasts.