Your World Tonight - Difficult days for Conservatives, ostrich cull, well water woes, and more

Episode Date: November 7, 2025

The federal budget has passed its second big test in the House of Commons, as federal Conservatives wrap up a difficult week. One of their MP's crossed the floor to the Liberals, another says he is leaving Parliament altogether.And: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency culls the ostrich population on a farm in Edgewood, B.C. Yesterday, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal to save the flock. Tests last year detected avian flu in some dead ostriches on the farm. The fate of the birds has been hotly debated, as the farm owners and supporters have demanded they be saved.Also: Drought is forcing many Canadians who rely on wells to turn to bottled water. And the line to dig new wells just keeps getting longer.Plus: Onboard a NATO surveillance plane, what’s next for pharmacare, U.S. flight cancellations, and more.

Hey, I'm Sarah Marshall, and there's one story from the past that I've been circling around for years now. This eight-part series traces the hidden history of the satanic panic in North America. We'll connect the dots from Victoria, BC, to the backroads of Kentucky. Satan was having a moment, the sensationalist heartthrob of our time. The Devil You Know, available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. Mays cold, 307-307. Conservatives are not going to let rumors put out by liberal sources

distract us from the job that Canadians sent us here to do. The federal budget has now cleared two votes in the House of Commons this week. That's also how many conservative MPs have announced they're leaving caucus. The party is blaming the liberals for. the departures trying to shift attention back to the budget, which is now one step closer to passing. This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skanderas. It's Friday, November 7th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. It's really unfortunate they had to be killed. There'll be some animosity and it's bound to hang on with the few people. A controversial cull of British

Columbia ostriches and the end of a saga being watched around the world. After a legal battle over food safety and the reach of government, some are calling for change while others won't let their fight die. It was a dramatic day on Parliament Hill. The liberal government survived another vote on its proposed budget. Well, at the same time, federal conservatives are facing a different kind of test. The party lost two members this week and is now trying to stay on. on track at a critical time. Tom Perry has a details.

Mr. Doherty. Mr. Brock. In the end, it wasn't even close. The liberal government's budget cruised through a second vote in the House of Commons with conservative MPs siding with the government to vote down a Block Quebec motion to reject the new fiscal plan. Neither Prime Minister Mark Carney nor opposition leader Pierre Pauliev were in the House or even in Ottawa for the vote. Both, Both were instead in Toronto, just a stones throw away from each other, delivering simultaneous speeches to two separate business groups. What the budget does is it builds Canada strong by focusing on what we can control.

Carney selling the merits of his budget, Polyev, knocking it down. The government has no money. It cannot give you anything it does not take away. Every dollar the government spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians. For Polyev, it's been a rough. week. One of his MPs, Chris Dantremant crossed the floor to join the liberals, another, Matt Jenneru, announced he was stepping down amid rumors he too was considering crossing over to the government. Conservative sources say Jenneru was under pressure from some in the party to stay, though he says

coercion played no role in his decision. Conservative House leader Andrew Shear insists there's nothing to see here, that this is all just an attempt by the liberals to take people's eyes off their budget. That's what conservatives are focused on. We are going to hold this government to account. We're going to fight to bring down prices and we're not going to let liberal sources put out rumors to distract from a terrible budget that Canadians are giving a giant thumbs down to. Shear, who once welcomed a liberal floor-crosser into his conservative caucus when he was party leader, now accuses the liberals of using what he calls undemocratic means to secure a majority. But Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, says it's

the conservatives who have some explaining to do, especially when it comes to the departure of Jenneru, who she calls a well-liked and well-respected MP. It must have been pretty damn nasty for him to go from being a newly re-elected conservative MP to I'm not sitting here anymore. The question that remains is whether any other MPs are considering switching or leaving. The House is now on a one-week break, a chance for MPs to go back to their rights, speak to their families and constituents, and maybe think about their next move. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa.

A year-long legal and political battle over the fate of an ostrich flock has come to an end in British Columbia. A day after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal to save the birds, confirmation they've been called over concerns about avian flu infection. Tanya Fletcher has that story. Everyone will be held accountable for this. Hours after the legal end of the road for the farm fighting to save its 300 ostriches, confrontation at the gates. Liding up against peaceful Canadians.

Video on social media shows protesters shouting at RCMP officers all lined up at the Universal ostrich farm in Edgewood, B.C. last night. As darkness fell, floodlights lit up the pen where the ostriches were corralled. Dozens of rounds of shots could be heard for hours after. Then, into the morning, silence. Roughly 24 hours after the country's highest court dismissed an appeal to save the birds, health officials announced the call was finished. In a statement, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency saying it had consulted with experts

and concluded the most appropriate and humane option was using professional marksmen to get the job done. A moment of finality nearly a year after avian flu was detected on the farm. It's really unfortunate they had to be killed, but, I do believe they're the right thing I've been done. 76-year-old Brian Ewing's was born and raised in Edgewood. He says the case that's grabbed global attention has also divided their small community. It'll get back to normal,

but there'll be some animosity, and it's bound to hang on with the few people. From personal divisions to political ones, the contrast stark on Parliament Hill this week. Attorney General Sean Fraser... This is a decision that is following the, science and evidence. Conservative MP Scott Anderson. I think it goes to underscore the structural need for change within the CFIA. And Green Party leader Elizabeth May. Public concern and the faith in our institutions

would have been better met if CFIA had agreed to retesting the animals. Refusal to test the surviving animals has been a main point of contention. Those against the call had argued those ostriches may very well have developed antibodies and could have been studied for research. But University of Saskatchewan virologist Angela Rasmussen says the scientific value in doing so would be very limited. You might learn a little bit about what's happening with these particular ostriches, starting with the fact whether they have antibodies or not, but that's about it. I don't think that there's very much we could learn about human immunology. Still, the farm is not giving up its fight. The world is watching and we're going to change the world with this.

They're now urging supporters to lobby the RCMP to investigate the CFIA. Tanya Fletcher, CBC News, Vancouver. Coming right up, small pharma. The federal budget provides no new money for Ottawa's prescription drug program, and many Canadians may miss out. Also, Canada's economy defied expectations, adding thousands of jobs last month. We'll break down the numbers.

Later, we'll have this story. I'm Selena Alders in Halifax, where the summer may be over, but a lingering drought is still creating problems. Wells have run dry, and some drillers are working overtime to keep up with the increasing demand for new ones. A lot of weekend work, a lot of holidays we had to give up, just trying to keep up to the workload and trying to keep people with water. The race to secure a steady water supply before winter hits. I'll have that story coming up on Your World Tonight. Federal Liberals insist this week's budget protects vital services Canadians rely on. But health care advocates say at least one important program is in danger.

The economic plan has no additional funding to expand federal pharmacare. And that could leave millions of patients paying out of pocket. Marina von Stackleberg has more. There's now a huge disparity in Canadians' ability to act. access, life-saving and life-changing medicine, and that's fundamentally unacceptable. Teal Phelps Bondaroff wants Ottawa to follow through on its promise to make contraceptive and diabetes drugs free for all Canadians. He's with Access BC, a grassroots group that lobbies for pharmacare in British Columbia. BC, Manitoba, PEI, and Yukon all cut agreements with the

federal government to pay for those medications. But since the spring election, no more deals have been announced. It's been crickets. Is the federal government actively pursuing agreements? And we don't know. Ottawa also isn't committing any new money. Last year, it put aside $1.5 billion. But more than half of that money is already spoken for by the four provinces and territories with deals.

This week's federal budget came with no new cash. 60% of the money has already been spent. And that's only 17% of the Canadians that are covered. And if the federal government wants to negotiate with large jurisdictions like Quebec and Ontario, they're going to need to bring more money to the table. And we didn't see that in this budget. The nearly 500-page budget only mentions Pharmacare once, where the Liberals promised to, quote, protect it. What that means is unclear. It was one year ago, the federal government passed legislation promising to fund the program nationwide. A drug plan fought for

by the NDP, as part of that party's agreement to support the Trudeau government. Everyone feels like they're kicking the can down the road. Gord Johns is the NDP's health critic. I mean, we've asked the minister repeatedly, and they say they're committed to pharmacare, but there's still no action on any new deals. It's been months. Canada's health minister Marjorie Michel

confirmed to CBC News there are no new deals in the works with the other provinces and territories, but they're still talking. As you saw in the budget, we protected the farm care agreement that we have, and for now I'm continuing conversation. with provinces and territories on next step.

So not for today, but I'm still continuing conversations. But are those conversations happening in earnest? Nova Scotia said five months ago it wanted to restart talks to get a deal. A spokesperson for that province's health department says they still haven't heard from the federal government. Marina von Stackleberg, CBC News, Ottawa. It's a bit of hope for the Canadian economy. during an ongoing trade war and affordability struggles. The unemployment rate is back under 7%,

meaning more Canadians who were looking for work got hired. Nisha Patel has been digging into the latest numbers. So, Nisha, economists were expecting 5,000 jobs to be lost in October, but they got a big surprise. Did they ever? The economy added 66,000 new jobs, blowing past the estimates. This is the second month in a row that we've seen,

bust hiring. We've now fully recovered all the jobs that were lost this summer. So this could be a signal the economy is starting to bounce back, that it's come through the worst of the uncertainty from U.S. tariffs. So where did this strength come from? Well, more Canadians were working in manufacturing and transportation, which is encouraging, since those sectors have been hit the hardest this year. And there were some one-time events. The Blue Jays may have thrown an economic curveball. What? Some experts suggested the baseball playoffs were behind Ontario hiring 55,000 roles in accommodation and food, retail, and recreation. And there was also some good news for young people who have struggled to find work. The youth unemployment rate fell for the first time since February.

Huh. Okay, but still there were some weak spots, right? Yeah, some cities are feeling the trade dispute more than others. The unemployment rate in Windsor, of course, an auto manufacturing hub is still nearly 10%. The teacher's strike weighed heavily in Alberta, which lost nearly 12,000 education jobs. And across the country, nearly 15,000 jobs were lost in the construction sector with a weak housing market. Of course, we're seeing a home building slowdown, and that's hitting trades as well as real estate jobs. And then looking at that headline number, 66,000 new jobs, the bulk of the gains were in part-time positions. and that's not as healthy as jobs that are full-time, which are more stable.

Right. How are economists reacting to this jobs report? The job numbers are notoriously volatile, and so experts are saying focus on the unemployment rate. It's still 2% higher than it was a few years ago. TD Banks, Andrew Henshick, describes Canada's economy as kind of meandering. It's consistent with an economy that's, you know, trying to get its feet under it, but it's having a little bit of trouble. And it's why we think, you know, the unemployment will gradually fall next year as growth starts to turn a corner. The Bank of Canada also paying close attention to this. Could this impact the next interest rate decision?

Governor Tiff Macklin gave a pretty clear signal last month that more rate cuts are off the table for now. And this data supports that. Interest rates seem to be low enough to stimulate the economy. Of course, if there's some unexpected turn of events that throws growth, or inflation out of whack, anything's possible. Nisha, thank you. You're welcome. The CPC's Nisha Patel in Toronto. In the U.S., travelers are dealing with hundreds of canceled flights,

and there are fears thousands more could be grounded in the days to come. Air traffic controllers are working without pay as the Federal Aviation Administration grapples with the ongoing government shut down with no end on the horizon. Katie Nicholson has more from Washington. Red cancellations flash on the arrivals and departures boards at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, where Gloria Brown is trying to fly home to Boise, Idaho. It's still on schedule on the boards.

But many flights, roughly 4%, hundreds across 40 major airports, are not. It's all a part of an attempt to alleviate pressure on stressed air traffic controllers, who haven't been paid since the federal government shutdown began October 1st. I think it's terrible, and I think our Congress is a bunch of losers. People would be in serious danger if they keep up this garbage. You know, it's not just me. I'm going home and I'm staying. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the flight reduction could go as high as 20% if the shutdown doesn't end soon. I don't want to see the disruption. I don't want to see the delays.

But Duffy believes it's necessary. Since the shutdown, sick calls, and understaffing at Air, traffic control centers have caused ground stops and delays across the country. Pilots, he said, have also filed complaints about stressed and unresponsive controllers. What we're going to do today is going to make sure the airspace is safer than it was as we going through this shutdown. This system was fragile before it even began. Nick Daniels is the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. He said Even before the shutdown, the industry was already short, nearly 4,000 positions. Now they've been stretched so thin for so long, with so much going on, so much pressure on, you know, on their backs that they're actually resigning.

Both men want to see Congress end the shutdown, the longest in history. At issue, Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire. The Democrats want to keep them, saying they make health care affordable for millions. Both sides have dug in, including the president. We have a shutdown, as you probably know, because the Democrats have gone, they're crazy, they're crazy, but they don't care if they hurt the country. At New Jersey's busy Newark Airport, traveler Jay Curley, has had enough. These politicians need to get their act together, man.

It's just crazy. I mean, come on, people. What's wrong with you? You know, just get it together. With no end to the shutdown in sight, he worries what this means for the holidays. We're coming into a very heavy travel season for people that want to go visit family and relatives and things like that. Canadians flying to the U.S. may also be affected, especially if they have connections with U.S. air carriers. Transport Canada is monitoring the situation and says travelers leaving Canada should check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. The Israeli military says it has accepted the remains of another hostage from Gaza. The bodies of 23 hostages have now been returned since a ceasefire began October 10th. As part of that deal, Hamas pledged to turn over the remains of 28 hostages in exchange for the remains of 360 militants. For the second time this week, an airport in Belgium temporarily halted flights because of a drone sighting. For months, airspace incursions have been causing major disruptions across Europe, with Russia suspected of launching the drones.

Officials are racing to find better ways to fight back. Breyer Stewart has that story. flights in and out of Belgium's liege airport resumed on Friday after being halted for 30 minutes. It was the latest airport closure because of a drone sighting. There's been a series of incidents in recent weeks affecting airports across Europe, including Denmark, Norway and Germany. Germany's defense minister Boris Pistorius is pointing the finger at Russia, saying that the latest drone sightings are likely connected to the debate

about using tens of billions of dollars of Russia's frozen assets being held in a Belgian financial institution to support Ukraine. It's a measure designed to create fear and uncertainty in Belgium. There's no other way to interpret it, Pistorius said. It's not clear who's launching the drones and from where, and Moscow has said very little. But in September, around 20 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace. Russian officials said it wasn't.

directly targeting anything in that country. After that, NATO beefed up security along the alliance's eastern flank. Now, several times a week, NATO surveillance planes patrol the sky. Their radar can see more than 500 kilometers in any direction. The situation in Ukraine proved us that during a tense situation, man can be creative to find new ways of fighting. Captain Joelle is an aircraft commander and under NATO protocol isn't being identified by his full name. He told CBC News that while the radar can detect plane, ships and incoming threats like missiles, small drones can be a challenge.

An aircraft, the normal aircraft, will not have the same radar return as small drones. So we have to treat the system to make sure that we are able to see those. Officials are looking to ramp up their ability to detect and intercept drones with the east. EU setting an ambitious goal to build a drone wall by 2027. It's not likely that we could stop all of these incursions. Jakub Kukogol is a senior fellow with the Brussels-based Peterson Institute. But what we certainly could do and must do is to ensure that our most critical infrastructure, we need to have the appropriate ability to deny drone entry to these

specific areas. He says interception systems should be concentrated around key locations like airports and energy facilities. Prior Stewart, CBC News, London. Denmark plans to become the first country in Europe to ban children from using social media. Digital Affairs Minister Caroline Olson says the government is concerned about the mental health effects. We're standing in a situation in Denmark where far too many young people, far too many children are having a profile on a big social media platform. The Danish government will ban kids under 15

from accessing some platforms. Parents will be able to allow children as young as 13 to use certain ones. Olsen has not said which platforms or how the restrictions will be enforced. Well, we are not regulating based on specific companies or specific platforms. We are regulating based on some objective criteria.

But what we're trying to make sure is that the tech platforms that creates most harm is the ones that is kept away from the children. Australia enacted the world's first ban on social media for children, setting the minimum age at 16. That'll kick in next month. Dr. James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA, has died. In 1953, Watson and Francis Crick published their findings on the double helix structure. That discovery paved the way for finding genetic mutations that cause

diseases, developing genetically modified organisms, and tracing family relationships through DNA. Watson and Crick won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962. Watson went on to research the causes of cancer and led the Human Genome Project in its early years. Later in life, he clashed with many of his colleagues and was criticized for controversial remarks, including suggesting there was a link between race and intelligence. James Watson died yesterday in New York State at the age of 97. For many Canadians, it's as simple as turning on a tap. But for a growing number of people who rely on wells, running water is becoming a constant worry. Months of relentless drought are leaving wells bone dry and forcing families to dig deeper into the ground and their bank accounts.

Selina Alders reports. It gets old pretty quick. Garnet Hill has been without running water in his Nova Scotia home for months. He's finally decided enough is enough. This year the well was extremely low. We've got about a foot of water in our well. And we just, I can't go through another summer running around laundry and showers. This past summer was one of the driest on record for parts of Atlantic Canada.

Some regions even experienced extreme drought. Now, the retiree from St. Margaret's Bay, just outside of Halifax, is spending over 20. thousand dollars to have a new well drilled. And he's not the only one making the costly investment to secure a steady water supply. Been very busy. I'd say probably double to almost triple the workload compared to years prior. Arthur Jefferson owns DJ's well drilling. He says the company gets 20 to 30 calls per day from desperate homeowners who found themselves without water. Their wait list for a new well is now into January. What we're seeing and hearing of people doing is like

what you read about in a third world country and this is not third world. We need sustained moisture over long periods of time to recover. Trevor Hadwin is a specialist with agriculture and agri-food Canada. That's the federal department responsible for monitoring extreme weather. Hadwin says even after some precipitation, drought conditions are still gripping parts of every province and territory. We typically don't see drought conditions on a national scale very often. We are very used to seeing extreme drought conditions in one region or the other. In parts of rural Ottawa, low water advisories have been in place since September. I'm feeling very disheartened and very discouraged.

Residents like Julian Dickey of Marathon Village, just 30 minutes west of Ottawa, have been relying on water deliveries and filling up jugs a local arena to get by. She wants officials to come up with a plan of how they'll support people who cannot simply drill a new well. The situation is getting dangerous. We're heading into the winter months and people are rationing water, which is incredibly unsafe.

Back in Nova Scotia, Hillswell won't be up and running for another few weeks, but it's a glimmer of hope amid what's been a stressful and dry several months. Selina Alders, CBC News, St. Margaret's Bay. We end tonight on a southern Ontario farm where there are four little calves and one happy farmer. Came home from work, and I seen she had one. And I went over here, and she had two. An hour later, she had two more.

It was a surprise to me. I was the happiest guy on earth, you know. Abram Nelson has been raising cattle his whole life, but he's never seen this before. On Tuesday, one of his Aberdeen Angus cows, Millie, had quadruplets. Way to go, Millie. The birth defies some serious odds. The chances of quadruplets are roughly one in 700,000.

The odds of all four surviving? Just one in 11 million. Nelson's daughter-in-law, Christine, says the calves are healthy and already thriving on the farm outside of Leamington. It's life. It's a miracle, and there are such social animals that you can connect with these cows. And I just love it.

Nelson says the breeding was all natural, sired by Charlie, the bull, way to go, Charlie, with no medical interventions. No, no, there was nothing involved. This was the natural breeding like nature would give it. I wouldn't have the slightest idea of what happens something like this. There's one thing I know for sure there is a God. Holy cows, according to the family.

This has been your world tonight for Friday, November 7th. I'm Stephanie Scandaris. Thank you for being with us. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca slash podcasts.