Your World Tonight - Ceasefire extended, Canada resets trade team, space goals, and more

Episode Date: April 21, 2026

The US - Iran ceasefire is extended. After a day of mixed messages, where U.S President Trump signalled that he would not extend the ceasefire, he reversed course. We’ll break down the latest developments.And: It’s Canada’s most important trading relationship, but the sailing has not been smooth of late. Prime Minister Mark Carney has formed a new advisory group to guide Canada through the rough seas of U.S. trade talks.Also: Canada wants to start launching Canadian rockets into space. A change to federal laws would introduce safety and security requirements, and establish financial responsibility for a Canadian commercial space industry that could be worth $40 billion.Plus: Details on the shooting death of a Canadian in Mexico, the King's upcoming visit to the U.S., renewable and energy municipality struggle over data centre, and more.

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I think they have no choice. We've taken out their Navy. We've taken out their Air Force. And I think we're in a very strong negotiating position to do what other presidents should have done. With no peace deal in sight, Donald Trump extends his ceasefire deadline with Iran. The U.S. president says the next move is up to Tehran. In the meantime, the U.S. military continues its blockade of Iranian ports,

as many fear full out war lies ahead. This is your world tonight. I'm Dave Seglins. It is Tuesday, April 21st, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast? I think it'll help our negotiations and it'll help the government of Canada be informed in terms of these different perspectives. You just want to make sure you're all the voices. This is Team Canada that's its best. So I think we should all be happy with that.

Team Canada Trade Edition, the sequel. The Prime Minister appointed. a new economic advisory council. Its 24 members include prominent conservatives, former premiers, and a raft of business leaders and other politicians. Their task, developed strategies for taking on the Trump administration ahead of the Kuzma Review set for this summer. In the ongoing drama surrounding the Iran peace talks, today another plot twist. With a self-imposed ceasefire deadline looming, the U.S. president again shifted his target and extended the truce. The move is creating both hope for negotiations and some uncertainty about what's next.

Katie Nicholson takes us through the day. I think we're in a very strong negotiating position. On a morning call-in with CNBC, U.S. President Donald Trump, confident his negotiating team was about to land a deal with Iran. What I think is that we're going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice. But by afternoon, the team led by J.D. Vance, still in D.C., as the U.S. president announced on social media,

he would extend the two-week ceasefire that was about to expire. The pause, in effect, until Iran can come up with a unified proposal, he said. Iranian officials have been less than optimistic about the state of negotiations ahead of the expected second round of talks this week. Iran's judiciary chief acknowledging today negotiations may lead nowhere and it may be necessary to return to war. wariness about negotiations also on the streets of Tehran. Why should we negotiate when the other side is lying, says this resident?

When Trump says that whatever he says must be done, why should we accept it? A sticking point, the continued U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports and vessels helping Iran going in and out of the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade, Trump insists, will remain in place as the ceasefire is extended. overnight the U.S. seized a second vessel, this one, a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean. The U.S. says was providing material support for Iran. Rans foreign minister today called the blockade an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire. The fact that Iranian leaders and the U.S. president have been publicly posting threats and claims

about what's being discussed behind the scenes isn't helping. Rule number one of negotiations is you don't negotiate in public. Alan Eyre is a senior diplomatic fellow with the Middle East Institute. And the U.S. president is one who not only negotiates in public, but often just makes things up. And that's proven detrimental to the negotiating process. The Iranians aren't exactly innocent either. They just recently posted that, for example, if hostilities or Zoom, they have a brand new card they can play. Air is doubtful this week will end with any meaningful agreement.

I'm cautiously pessimistic. I am not optimistic. I think the two sides are too far apart. But, you know, I hope I'm wrong. The halls of the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, where the talks were to be hosted, echo with emptiness, secure and awaiting delegations that may not arrive anytime soon. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington.

Well, they are CEOs, business, leaders and former politicians, now all part of a revamped team to help Ottawa strategize on an approach to negotiations with the U.S., ahead of a critical trade deal review. Kate McKenna explains who's in and the pressure the Prime Minister faces ahead of a formal review of Kuzma. It's a diverse group, leaders from the union movement, experts in industry. Prime Minister Mark Carney outlining his new U.S. Canada advisory. Committee tasked with helping come up with a plan for a looming showdown with Canada's largest trading partner and chaired by U.S. Canada Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

It's very much focused on businesses that obviously have important relations with American customers, American business partners. This committee, a retooled version of the advisory group first appointed by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But Carney's version includes more business leaders from sectors, including energy agriculture, aluminum, and rail. I got the invitation to join the advisory committee a few days ago. As well as the head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Candice Lang. I would anticipate that we tackle both what business needs is some short-term certainty

alongside some long-term clarity on the relationship. The committee is also reflective of the political coalition Carney has sought to build. It includes former conservative policy. politicians, including former leadership contender Jean Charray, former party leader Aaron O'Toole, and former Harper-era Cabinet Minister Lisa Raid. I think they really want to make sure that they're getting information from the ground, people who are operating in the sectors and in the spaces that are impacted by these trade negotiations. But the current conservative leader, Pierre Pauliev, says Canada needs more than another committee.

At the end of the day, though, what we need is action. Mark Carney was elected on the singular promise that he would negotiate. a win with the Americans. Poliyev crashed a scrum usually intended for cabinet ministers to criticize Kearney on the lack of public progress on the issue that got him elected. What is Mark Carney's plan? What are his intentions? Has Mr. Carney even stated whether he wants to renew USMCA at all?

The Prime Minister's Office says the committee will help strategize and offer expertise ahead of this year's mandatory review of the North American Free Trade Agreement. That review looms large. And while LeBlanc's office says Canadian negotiators are engaging with Americans, Canada appears to be falling behind the other trading partner, Mexico, which already has a start date for formal negotiations. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. While the Prime Minister tries to reduce Canada's economic dependence on the U.S.,

he's also aiming for something similar when it comes to the cosmos. The Carney government today unveiled plans to help build a made-in-Canada space industry capable of launching rockets into orbit. Rafi Bujikanyan now on the strategy and the timeline. Canada's role in space exploration is an important one. With that, Transport Minister Stephen McKinnon is announcing small steps toward a giant priority, increasing Canada's sovereignty in the stars. A legislation that he says should help Ottawa toward the goal

of launching rockets into orbital space as well as satellites. We've all witnessed the major advances in the use of space for telecommunications, for mapping, for geolocation, for you've seen, of course, in the conflict in Ukraine, the intelligence requirements. These are things that Canada cannot permit itself to fall behind on. Three, two, one, booster ignition, and lift off. Canada recently collaborated with the U.S., the world watching, as Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, took part in the historic Artemis II mission, which flew farther from Earth than any previous crew.

I mean, I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled. Prime Minister Mark Carney even calling the team while they were still in space. I spoke to the president the other day. I think he may have mentioned just how proud we are. Some in the space industry, though, say cooperation with foreign countries is one. thing, but there is a potential dark side to relying on them for satellite observational capability. Save lives, whether it's wildfires or the environment. These are all critical capabilities that satellites enable. Rahul Goyle is the CEO of Nordspace, the Canadian player in the aerospace

sector. We do rely completely right now for all intents and purposes of the United States. And if I were to scope that down again further, we really rely on SpaceX and Elon Musk's companies in order to do this. Back at the government's announcement, a Liberal MP has brought a Lego rocket model to show off for a laugh. We're going to launch a bigger rocket than this. But McKinnon is acknowledging the Canadian government's place in the space race is no joke. Canada is the only country in the G7 to not have its own space launch cap capabilities. Something he's soon hoping to change with this legislation, though he admits he has no feedback from any political. opposition party yet. The Conservatives telling CBC News they need time to review. The government

says once the SAC passes it should have the means to draw up regulations for orbital launches, but even then it would not expect lift off from Canadian soil for another two to three years, while it builds capacity at two different spaceports in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Rafi Bji Kani, on CBC News, Ottawa. Coming right up, plans for the country's largest AI data center are meeting serious resistance in Saskatchewan. And we'll also hear what King Charles is suggesting about the state of the world and what his mother, Queen Elizabeth, would have thought.

Much about the times we now live in, I suspect, may have troubled her deeply. Charles, speaking ahead of his visit to the United States, a trip many Britain say they oppose. That's still to come on your world tonight. Canada's push to build bigger and faster is getting some push back in one part of rural Saskatchewan. The issue is a plan for an enormous facility to power artificial intelligence. The company behind the venture says it will energize the local economy. Residents argue someone should pull the plug. Alexander Silberman explains. In the face of angry and vocal opposition, a rural municipality near Regina voted unanimously to give Bell Canada the greenlight,

approving a development agreement for what the telecom giant says will be the country. largest AI data center. The heated tension comes as federal and provincial governments fast-track AI projects across Canada. Ottawa is seeking applications to rapidly build infrastructure. We know that we need the social license to build these. Bell is trying to build infrastructure for the whole country. Dan Rink is Bell's president of AI Fabric. He says the company's facilities are designed to have minimal impact on neighbors.

Rink promises the center will be quiet. and no water will be used for cooling. We deal with drainage, we go through all permitting and all environmental studies, and we build these in a way that allows us to be really proud of them. Data centers house rows of equipment to store, manage, and process the demands of AI. Bell claims the new facility will generate billions of dollars for the provincial economy. It will create 800 jobs during construction and 80 positions once operating. But there are deep concerns that data centers should,

strain power grids and water supply and create noise and light pollution. Hundreds of people have turned out to protest the plans in recent weeks. Resident Sarah Dirksen says she's upset about the lack of public consultation. We would like to be a part of the decision-making process before we just build a giant center that's going to exhaust tons of our resources. There's also anger over the swift approval by a largely unelected council. The massive plans to develop land the site. of 62 football fields were only announced about a month ago.

And the majority of counselors for the rural municipality of Sherwood, home to the project, were recently appointed by the provincial government. Several members abruptly resigned in March, and the public was barred from entering the meeting of the decisive vote. Since day one, this has been an absolute miscarriage of our democracy. Resident Cody Schwab says he doesn't buy Bell's promises that the data center is environmentally friendly, without a proper assessment. In Saskatchewan, the company only needs to self-assess. I don't think we can trust anything that Bell has to say.

Bell says it will continue to work with neighbors to alleviate concerns, but is moving quickly towards construction. It aims to break ground on the project this spring. Alexander Silverman, CBC News, Regina. Several provinces across the country, including Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec, are dealing with a number of flood warnings. The Federal Emergency Management Minister says Ottawa is still considering a national flood insurance program. The program first proposed in 2019 could be a big help for Canadians in flood-prone areas, but Eleanor Shevsky says it won't be available anytime soon. It's an incredibly complicated thing to put in place for Canadians, and especially to determine this

structure, the most viable structure, for such an insurance program. But absolutely, it's top mine for us at this time. Well, Shevsky says she's hoping the flood mapping program, which helps identify higher risk areas, will be operational within the next couple of months. Skyrocketing gas prices, alarming fuel shortages, the U.S.-led war on Iran, all certainly highlighting the world's dependence on fossil fuels. While a new report says global electricity demand can be met with renewable energy, our science reporter. Anand Rahm has more on that for us. Anand, the headline here seems to be solar power.

Absolutely. The rise of solar is all over this report from Ember. They're an energy think tank in the UK. And their latest global electricity review found that solar power in 2025 grew faster and higher than any other source of energy as a result of direct investment. And that's led by historical and current polluters like China and India. They are making gains in production, deployment of solar energy, so much so that they didn't increase their electricity usage from fossil fuels. And this report is full of these sort of sunny stats, including that global solar output is now the same size as the total electricity demand of the entire EU. So clearly, solar power is available and it's being taken up. But as we wait to hear about progress in the war in Iran and negotiations for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, you have to think that

making a switch quickly to renewables, turning off the oil taps overnight, would be devastating for oil-rich countries. Absolutely. And I think that experts would agree that a transition can't be immediate. But it doesn't mean that it isn't a prudent move, given what we're seeing. And I spoke with Jessica Isaac. She's an energy and policy expert with the World Resources Institute. Here's how she put it. You have something that you can't control that's playing a huge part in your economy. So the choice to transition to renewable electricity is a choice. choice that can really insulate countries from those supply shocks.

And she gives examples of this sort of insulation. She points to several economies that have weathered these economic shocks by getting off of natural gas, for example, from Iran. Now, we think of wealthier nations like Denmark or Norway that are almost entirely run on renewable energy, but you might not consider Pakistan because they've exploded in solar power in recent years. And Isaacs and the World Resources Institute estimates that they've buffered about 12 billion U.S. dollars in costs by not depending on Iranian natural gas to keep the lights on. So investment in renewables can be a sort of shield too. One of the big questions is why this transition away from

oil and gas isn't moving faster in more countries. What is stalling progress? This is a frustration we've heard for more than a few countries who are really feeling the effects of climate change more than others, which is climate change largely driven by humanity's burning of these fossil fuels. You hear about these cop conferences every year. And One of the most nefarious things you'll hear about are square brackets. Square brackets. Absolutely. Just like on your keyboard.

These are the sort of words that go into a draft agreement that are still not fully agreed on. They put them in there, but really it means that there's still some disagreement around them. And transitioning away from fossil fuels has been the subject of many a square bracket as these meetings go on year after year. And it's because oil producing nations block it from staying in the final version of these global treaties to protect their interest. It's a consensus-based process and there's no consensus on it. So finally, last year at the COP conference, dozens of countries said, you know what, we're going to say the words. We're going to talk about the transition. And that's actually happening. It's starting this Friday in Santa Marta, Colombia. And it's not a replacement to the UN process, but it's a start

of negotiation between countries that want to take this transition seriously. Annenraam, science reporter for CBC News. Thank you. Thank you. One of Mexico's most popular tourist spots was closed today after a shooting at the Teotubicon pyramids that left one Canadian dead and one Canadian injured, among others. Mexican authorities say they believe the gunmen acted alone, and preliminary investigation suggests it was planned to mark the anniversary of the mass shooting in Columbine, Colorado, decades ago. Jorge Barrera reports. The sound of fear from a video, verified by CBC News, taken by one of the tourists in a group cowering on Mexico's Pyramid of the Moon, as a gunman threatened to kill them on Monday.

The video appears to capture the voice of the gunman. He says that those who came from Europe won't be going back. If you move, I will sacrifice you, he says. This was built to sacrifice bastards not so you can take. your shitty photos, I'll be true to my word. The terrifying event lasted about two hours and left a Canadian woman dead and 13 injured, seven who suffered gunshot wounds, including a 29-year-old Canadian woman, identified by Mexican authorities first as Felicia Lee, then later as Delicia Lee, DeYoung.

We actually heard what we thought with fireworks and firefighters, and we were in front of a vendor. and somebody asked, was that gunfire? And the vendor said, yes, that's gunfire, run. Brenda Lee was visiting Teotihuacan with friends on Monday. The famed archaeological tourist site is only 50 kilometers northeast of Mexico City. She didn't know she had taken a picture of the gunman. When we looked back through our pictures and our videos, we can see him over our shoulders.

Mexican President Claudia Shainbaum dedicated her regular weekday press conference to the tragedy. The Attorney General of the State of Mexico, Jose Luis Cervantes Martinez, says they identified the gunman as Julio Cesar Haso Ramirez. He was armed with a 38 caliber handgun, had over 50 bullets, enacted alone. He says it's believed this was a copycat killing. documents were found in the gunman's backpack mentioning the April 20th, 1999, Columbine killings in Colorado, says Servantes.

Adding, the gunman took his own life after he was shot in the leg by National Guard troops. The tragedy has sent shockwaves throughout Mexico as it prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup in June. Mexico's Chamber of Deputies held a moment of silence today in honor of the victims. Jorge Barrera, CBC News, Mexico City. The British monarchy is today marking what would have been

Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday. During her seven decades on the throne, she made four official state visits to the U.S. And as King, Charles, is getting ready to embark on his first. As Breyer Stewart reports, the trip is dividing Brits. At a reception at Buckingham Palace, King Charles helps to cut a birthday cake with the number 100. written on top. As part of the events marking what would have been the Queen's 100th birthday,

Charles released a video message. God bless you, darling, mamma. He remarked about how much has transpired since her death on September 8th, 2022. Much about the times we now live in, I suspect, may have troubled her deeply. Against all the geopolitical turmoil, the King and Queen are about to head to the U.S. for a state visit next week. And a recent survey by the market research firm, UGov, found that nearly half of all Brits think it should be canceled. The trip was planned to help the U.S. celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence,

but it's hard to escape the current political backdrop. For us to work out where we can land at. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the U.K. Prime Minister, Kier Starmor. I'm not happy with the U.K. either. Trump criticized him because of the UK's refusal to get involved in Washington's war with Iran. Not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with. The visit also promises to put the controversy over Jeffrey Epstein front and center. The now former Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal titles because of his connection to the late convicted sex offender.

Andrew was accused of forcing Virginia Joufrey to have sex with him, which he denies. Some have called for the king to meet with Epstein's victims during the trip, but those meetings will not be part of the itinerary. It's the British government. Tim Bale is a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London and says there's a lot of controversy around the visit. The upside is that perhaps it will improve relationships between the two governments. It could actually cause quite a lot of embarrassment for the king himself.

Do you think this visit carries more risk than potential benefits? There is quite a lot of risk. Donald Trump has become more and more unpredictable, so he could say something which embarrasses the king and the queen. He also believes that any goodwill stemming from the trip will likely have a limited impact, considering that it didn't take long for Trump to sour on Starmer, despite his state visit to the UK last fall. Breyer Stewart, CBC News, London. And finally tonight, huskies are famous as amazing sled dogs. They have thick coats, great endurance, a love of running with a team, but they're also known to be stubborn, mischievous, and notorious escape artists like Missy. I looked up and I saw this dog running around in the parking lot.

I'm like, oh my God, there's like a dog loose in the parking lot. Honestly, we were just very surprised to see her. We were told that she wasn't coming, so the fact that she just happened to show up on her own was very shocking. That is Mackenzie Hoffman of Spots Place, a doggy daycare in Regina. Missy the Husky is a regular, but was supposedly taking a day off for a vet appointment. At least that's what her owner Heath Rapsid had planned until Missy had other ideas. Missy had dug her way out under the back gate and Rand just took herself to daycare. And it sounded like she just followed the route that we normally take in the morning with a bicycle.

She really enjoys a daycare like she just shows up with her tail wagging. We call it butt wagging because she's wagging, but her butt's moving too. She's so excited. Still, the folks at Spots Place think it's more than just daycare that sparked Missy's unannounced visit. I think it's a little bit of us and a little bit of her friend Shaggy, of course. They're typically here together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. So it was a Monday, and I think she knew that he was here wondering where she was and why

she was late to come see him. So the two pups had an unexpected playdate, one staff gave mud-covered Missy a much-needed bath. Now the tale of her adventure, well, it's gone viral on the popular social media site, We Rate Dogs. We rate Missy, adorable. And like the daycare, we are glad that this story ends happily. We felt really loved that she had come here to see us. I mean, she had the whole world at her feet, and she came and chose to come to see us. We just were very happy that she honestly made it here safely and that she feels safe enough in our care that this is the place that she chose to come to in that moment.

Thank you for being with us. This has been your world tonight for... For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca slash podcasts.