Your World Tonight - Eve of ceasefire in Gaza , Canadian industries prepare for tariffs, Robots for home construction and more

Episode Date: January 18, 2025

A ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is expected to go into effect in the coming hours. But whether things will proceed on schedule is an open question, as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed last minute objections - and says any ceasefire could only be temporary.Also: Businesses in Canada are bracing for impact, as the threat of tariffs from the U.S. We'll tell you how two important industries are feeling ahead of Donald Trump's swearing in.And: There still aren’t enough homes in Canada for the people who want to buy them, and new construction isn’t keeping up with demand. Could robots be the solution to this country's housing woes?

Hi, I'm Jamie Poisson and I do the show Frontburner. It's a daily news program, five days a week, a deep look at one story you actually want to know more about. One of the coolest parts of this job is when people show me how often one of our episodes comes up in their group chats. It's a real range of topics too. Rent gouging, Trump and Elon Musk, the Middle East, even culture stuff that has real consequences,

like Diddy, for example. So if you are one of those people sharing our stuff in your group chat, I just want to say thank you. And if you aren't yet, please find and follow Frontburner wherever you get your podcasts and please get it in the chat. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, I'm Stephanie Scanderis. This is your World Tonight. On the podcast, there is one word in mind for many Canadians this weekend. Tariffs.

We'll tell you how two important industries are feeling ahead of Donald Trump's swearing in. Also, the clock is ticking for TikTok. The social media platform is vowing to go dark in the US on Sunday. Plus, could robots be the solution to Canada's housing woes? But first, hours before a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is set to begin, Israel's prime minister says it's only temporary. Israel's prime minister says it's only temporary.

Hours from now, a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is expected to go into effect. Israel's cabinet approved the deal late Friday night, but whether things will proceed on schedule is an open question. In a public address, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed last-minute objections. He says the deal is on hold until Hamas hands over the names of the hostages set to be released. Peter Armstrong has the story. Even from a distance, you can still hear the relentless pounding of airstrikes inside the Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials say 116 people have been killed since the ceasefire was agreed to on Wednesday, and tonight a new obstacle. The Cabinet and the government... Israel's Prime Minister says the ceasefire won't go forward unless Hamas makes good on a promise to release the names of the hostages to be released.

They should put the fire to the names of the hostages to be released. Netanyahu also said Israel reserves the right to resume the war if and when negotiations in the second round prove fruitless. In the meantime Israel will not draw down its troop deployments during this ceasefire. To the contrary, he says the number of its forces along the Philadelphia corridor between Gaza and Egypt will be increased. along the Philadelphia corridor between Gaza and Egypt will be increased. The latest unraveling comes as President Donald Trump prepares to take office in Washington. Teams from the administrations of both incoming President Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden work together to get the ceasefire deal across the finish line. This deal was developed and negotiated under my administration,

but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration. Trump wanted the deal done and the hostages returned before he took the oath of office on Monday. Under the agreement, three hostages were supposed to be released in a matter of hours from now. Another 30 hostages held by Hamas would be released over the following six weeks. In exchange, Israel would halt its military operations in Gaza and release an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners.

Tomorrow our hostages begin to be released. How long we have waited for this very moment. After 15 months of war, the wait for this moment has been grueling. Shahar Morzahiro has been pushing the Israeli government to bring the hostages home. But, we caution, even now, extremist elements in the government are attempting to prevent the full implementation of this deal. They want the fighting to resume, even at the cost of the lives of the hostages who remain behind.

Analysts say they expect the deal will be cobbled back together. David DeRush, an associate professor at the Middle East Institute, says today's hiccup was one more sign of just how fragile this deal really is. Both sides will say we want to comply with this and then argue over the implementation. To that end, tonight, President-elect Trump told NBC News the ceasefire will hold if in his words, they respect us. If they don't respect us, he says, all hell will break out. Peter Armstrong, CBC News, Washington.

So Benjamin Netanyahu says the ceasefire could be temporary. But how much support is there in Israel to end the war for good? Sasha Petrusik is in Jerusalem with that. There seems to be quite a bit of support. I mean, within Israel, polls would suggest that the vast majority of Israelis are just exhausted by the death, the dangers, and also the commitment they've made for so long. But not everybody is in this category, as we saw in the cabinet meeting that approved this ceasefire. That motion passed by a vote of 24 to 8, with the hardline far-right parties opposed to it saying, if we stop the war now, we are giving in to Hamas. We are not defeating them in the way that we need

to, so we have to keep fighting till total victory. That view is expressed on the streets of Israel, but it is definitely a minority view. Beyond that, Hamas wants this to turn into a permanent ceasefire. And obviously, in the international community, there is a lot of support, not least from the United States and from the mediators in these negotiations, Egypt, Qatar and others who've pitched in. Sasha Petrusik, CBC News, Jerusalem. Still ahead, housing is a major ongoing issue in this country with construction way behind demand. Does the solution lie with robots? We'll look at how some companies say the robots can work for us later on Your World Tonight.

Businesses in Canada are bracing for impact. From oil and gas, to softwood lumber, critical minerals, to Canadian beef, dairy and lobster, there is hardly an industry in this country that wouldn't be affected by Donald Trump's tariffs. In southwestern Ontario, one comment by Trump has hit close to home. Jennifer LaGrasse reports on how auto workers feel about his vow to make Detroit great again. We don't need their cars you know they make 20% of our cars we don't need that I'd rather make them in Detroit. These are comments that US President-elect Donald Trump made about Canada's auto manufacturing sector earlier this month. On top of this the

incoming president has been threatening 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, a measure that could especially devastate the North American auto industry. It's very disruptive, unsettling, and deeply destabilizing for the automotive industry and for planning in the automotive industry. The president-elect's comments have Dmitri Anastakis shaking his head. He's a business professor at the University of Toronto. This is an integrated industry where, you know, operations occur in Canada and the United States and Mexico and these are integrated operations. There's lots and lots of parts and engines and cars that jump across the border two, three, four

times before they are finally delivered. The Ambassador Bridge is one of those border crossings connecting Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario. About $50 million in auto trade moves between the two countries every day. Tariffs or bans would financially strain American auto companies, but they would also disrupt their long-term planning. A University of Windsor professor says Canada plays a unique role in the industry, one that

couldn't be easily or quickly replicated elsewhere. Canada contributes a lot of parts and a lot of the intellectual know-how. Peter Fries teaches mechanical and automotive engineering. We have the the a lot of the strategic materials that are needed for today's cars and for future cars. And he says Canada also has a highly specialized tool die and mold industry specifically in southwestern Ontario. The sector builds auto technology and parts. What a pleasure it is for me to be back in Windsor. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toured one of these facilities in Windsor days before Trump's inauguration, trying to reassure the border region

that the government is working hard to quash the threats. Anything that thickens the border or imposes penalties or tariffs between our two countries will hurt Americans as well as Canadians. Meanwhile, those in the manufacturing sector are already brainstorming possible protections should companies need to take a hit. Those include tariff and tax relief programs. Dennis Darby is the president and CEO of Canadian manufacturers and exporters. He says all of this should be a wake up call. We need to become more competitive because the customer we've relied upon for free access may be changing the rules.

Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, is staying optimistic. We'll find a path forward because I don't think any of the North American economies can afford to slide into a recession at this point. While it is still unclear exactly how Canada will respond, the government has been clear. It will fight back in measured and robust ways. Jennifer LaGrasse, CBC News, Windsor, Ontario. Agriculture is also under threat from Trump's promised tariffs. As Alexander Silberman found out out Canadian farmers say the impact would be devastating.

The buzz in the room at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show in Saskatoon, normally all about the latest tools and technology available for the field but this year as thousands of prairie farmers gather it's talk of tariffs. 20% drop in income was hurt immensely. John Hedford grows canola, wheat and barley in Bethune, Saskatchewan. Like many farmers, he's trying to get ahead of potential tariffs on his crops. We're trying to mousse quite a bit of stuff right now to get rid of it in case. Incoming US President Donald Trump has proposed a 25 percent tariff

on all Canadian goods and Canadian officials are preparing a plan to counter. The potential trade war would be especially devastating for farmers but also for people who build and sell equipment. 25 percent would be absolutely crippling to business. Garth Massey is Canadian sales and marketing manager for Superior Farms Equipment. He says some Canadian-made products, like land rollers for soybean fields, are primarily sold to the U.S.

And with a tariff, it would kill parts of his business. It would make it unprofitable. It's not like a company like ours could absorb that and continue to sell and make money. With Trump's inauguration Monday, farmers like Colin Rush are cautiously watching what will happen. Everybody's very much in a wait and see mode. But Rush says American and Canadian farms are too closely intertwined for Trump to impose

a long-term tariff. In 2023, Canada exported about 40 billion dollars U.S. worth of agriculture products to the United States. Many grains like canola and wheat are grown in Canada and then processed in the U.S. and beef often make several trips back and forth across the border before ending up on dinner plates. People can say oh we don't need need anything from Canada and vice versa, but it's just not true. We are in a global market.

A global market that comes with political turbulence, a challenge many farmers say they're already accustomed to. From a fluctuating dollar to the war in Ukraine creating a shortage in fertilizer. If tariffs are imposed, producers say they'll consider changing what they grow, turning to other international markets like China and Japan. One third of Canadian wheat is already exported to Asia.

Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Saskatoon. I want to let you in on a little secret. Donald Trump doesn't like me very much. Christia Freeland is hoping her history of negotiating with Donald Trump will catapult her to liberal leadership. In a video posted to X, the former finance minister and deputy prime minister calls herself a tough negotiator and takes a shot at the Conservative Party leader.

But, Pierre-Pauliette, he'll bow down to Trump and sell us out. Freeland will officially launch her bid to replace Justin Trudeau on Sunday, as will another of Trudeau's deputies, Government House Leader Carina Gould. Right now, Canadians have lost faith in our party, and we have to earn back their trust. We need to rebuild our party so that we can keep building our country. CBC News will have more coverage on both Freeland and Gould's campaign kickoffs on Sunday, including right here on Your World Tonight.

We want justice! Calls for justice in India. A man has been convicted for the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a Kolkata hospital last August. The case sparked widespread outrage in India and led to a nationwide doctors strike. Sanjay Roy, the hospital volunteer worker convicted in the case, will be sentenced on Monday. He faces life in prison or the death penalty. In northern Nigeria, at least 70 people are dead after a gas tanker truck exploded.

First responders use fire hoses to put out the flames. The truck overturned on a major road, the explosion engulfing a second tanker. Local officials say most of the people killed were trying to scoop up fuel that spilled on the ground. It's the latest tanker truck accident across Nigeria. Last October, a similar blast killed at least 147 people. More than 170 million Americans will soon have to find a new venue for their makeup tutorials and viral dance trends, at least temporarily.

TikTok is scheduled to go dark in the U.S. on Sunday. The app is facing a ban in that country. But for the millions of users who rely on TikTok for their entertainment and income, there may be hope. As Philip Lee Shennock reports, President-elect Trump is musing about throwing the app a lifeline. Potentially TikTok could be saved and this feels like a roller coaster of emotions but fingers crossed. Jess McKay is a Canadian TikTok influencer who lives in the U.S. She gets 90% of her income from posting to TikTok.

TikTok is where I've grown my community. It's the largest community that I have, most reliable one. She's looking at other apps, Instagram and YouTube to engage with her audience but she's hoping she won't have to start all over again. The most we can really hope for is just a delay of the ban. That looks more likely now that incoming US President Donald Trump is considering a 90-day reprieve for TikTok from a potential ban when he takes office Monday. He called the move appropriate given that half of all Americans use the Chinese-owned app and he has said he's also a fan. You know I have a warm

spot in my heart for TikTok because I want youth by 34 points and there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with it. But the company has said the app may go dark anyway if Apple and Google don't suspend enforcement actions when the ban takes place. Still TikTok CEO Xu Zichu, who's expected to attend the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremonies on Monday, acknowledged Trump's support. I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. And although there are many interested parties, it may not be so simple for Trump to force

the Chinese parent company to sell TikTok to an American company. Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law banning the social media platform if there's no movement towards a sale starting Sunday. Philip Mize with the social media lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. He could extend it for 90 days, but the law only allows him to do that if TikTok is able to show that they are making progress towards a sale. But right now, the owner of TikTok have still taken the stand that they will not sell ever. And there's another wrinkle.

Any new owner of TikTok may not get all the features that make the app so valuable. Ritesh Kotak is a Toronto-based cybersecurity and technology analyst. One of the big issues is around the algorithm. China and ByteDance, which is a Chinese-owned company, may not want to actually transfer the intellectual property, the algorithm, to the United States. Regardless, TikTok could go dark on Sunday, which will mean U.S. users won't be able to upload or see new content,

at least until Trump announces his decision on postponing the ban on Monday. Philip Lee Shanok, CBC News, Toronto. For many Canadians, housing, especially affordable housing, can be very hard to come by. It's an ongoing issue and new construction isn't keeping up with demand. Some Canadian companies say they have a solution to speed things up. Robots. Anis Hadari explains how that would work. They're now actually building a real home.

So this is a component of producing. Ramtin Attar is standing next to a robotic arm. It's assembling part of a house. The same two robots are building all the 25 walls that are going into the same house. And you can see over there we've got two more robots. They're building all the floors of the same house. Attar is the CEO of Promise Robotics.

Its Edmonton warehouse has machines assembling housing, like cars, using commercial, mass-produced robot machinery. These aren't custom-made tools. These robots basically are off the shelf. Essentially, if you look at these nailers right here, this is an off-the-shelf nailer. What is custom? The AI-powered software. This is a pretty

complicated wall that has been put together autonomously. So the robot can sense what's there, it will determine what tool to use, automatically change to the right tool and then come back and use what's needed. Exactly. Sounds like something out of an episode of Star Trek. This type of technology could speed up construction in Canada. Companies like Promise Robotics say robots build houses much faster than people. Humans would, in theory, focus on creating and operating the software that drives the machines. And Promise isn't the only company out there either. So what Val is doing is she's laying concrete. It's the same science and chemistry.

We're just doing it using a robot arm that's being operated by people. Nhi-Yung Nguyen is the CEO of Horizon Legacy in Toronto. Her company developed the technology that runs a robot named Val. Val can lift 230 kilograms day in and day out, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So she's taking the manual labor intensive part, the backbreaking part. But it's not quite that easy, according to the Canadian Home Builders Association. It's something that certainly the industry is interested in, but there are definitely

some hurdles, the biggest one being the significant investment that can be required. Kevin Lee is the CEO of the association, and he points out the housing market and housing prices can be unpredictable. That means spending a lot of money on robots is tricky. If business dries up, you can't just take a robot back to the store for a refund. The industry is built to withstand the boom bust nature of the housing market and large overhead becomes more difficult to be nimble. The Home Builders Association also says easing up on regulations or zoning

can also speed up housing construction. Though back at Promise Robotics, Ramtin Attar claims his robots can cut construction time in half. They're basically like a Lego, right? Once you produce those, then you're able to put them together really fast. Brick by brick or gear by gear. Annie Sadari, CBC News, Edmonton. It's buried in my soul, like California gold. Lady Gaga there with Always Remember Us This Way from A Star Is Born. Gaga is one of the artists

playing a concert for California and relief for last week's devastating wildfires. Gaga herself is born in New York but many of the others on this mega star lineup have a deep California connection. line up have a deep California connection. Like Billie Eilish and her brother, Phineas, along with Green Day, Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fire aid will be held January 30th and will support the LA communities impacted by the deadly blazes. Crews have had a better chance to tackle those fires today because the winds have calmed down. The Palisades fire is now more than 40% contained.

The Eaton fire that affected Altadena now more than 40% contained. The Eaton fire that affected Altadena more than 70% contained. But rebuilding the more than 12,000 burned structures will take years. Say I love you girl but I'm out of time. Say I'm there for you but I'm out of time. Toronto star The Weeknd has made a massive contribution to help. He's put up a million dollars through his Exo humanitarian fund and the World Food Program USA. All for a place that The Weeknd says has always been a profound source of inspiration.

California, come in home. been a profound source of inspiration. He's not the only Canadian to find inspiration there. Here's another who's also playing at Fire Aid. This is Joni Mitchell with California on Your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Skanderis. Thanks for listening. But my heart cried out for you California, oh California, coming home Oh make me feel good Rock and roll band I'm your biggest fan California, coming home Oh it gets so long.