Your World Tonight - First ministers meet, Conservative pitch to workers, a plan for the Bay, and more

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

First ministers have their first meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Alberta’s premier says Carney and his environment minister are not on the same page when it comes to energy and emissions.And: Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is pledging to get 350,000 more trade workers trained across the country. He’s calling it his “more boots, less suits” plan.Also: Hudson’s Bay is trying to save itself – using six stores in Ontario and Quebec. A judge has approved The Bay’s plan to restructure, which will leave those stores open – for now. It will preserve some of the company's 9,364 jobs, but it’s not clear how many.Plus: International travel chaos after a fire near Heathrow airport in London, country music’s rise in Canada, and more.

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Well, all of the federal leaders are about to go hit the campaign trail. Canada's premiers are still standing together to protect your jobs and to protect our economy. Canada's politicians are girding their loins and practicing their lines. For what? Take your pick. The impending election call expected this weekend? The impending U.S. tariffs expected in April? Battles over interprovincial trade barriers or all of the above. Welcome to Your World Tonight. It's Friday, March 21st, just before 6 p.m. Eastern.

I'm Julianne Hazelwood. Also on the podcast. It's a terrible day for the Bay, a terrible day for the employees. It's a bad day for Canada, frankly. The Bay will begin liquidating almost all of its stores starting next week, as it continues to navigate choppy economic waters, but perhaps

a lifeline, a plan to keep six locations afloat. Canada's premiers are meeting as a group for the first time with Mark Carney as Prime Minister. It comes just two days before Carney is expected to call an election and just hours after the latest tear of trash talk from the U.S. president. On the agenda, how to prepare the country for the economic shock looming on the horizon. Marina von Stackelberg has more from Ottawa. We can give ourselves as Canadians much more than anyone else can take away. And we can do that by working together.

And that's what today's agenda is about. Prime Minister Mark Carney heading into his first and what may be his last meeting with Canada's premiers. Carney is expected to call a federal election this Sunday. We can't drop the ball during this critical time. Premiers like New Brunswick's Susan Holt are keen to talk to Carney before he hits the campaign trail about the response to Donald Trump's threats to Canada's economy and sovereignty. It feels quite vulnerable to leave us without a point of continuity for one of the most critical moments that we have faced as a

country and it certainly as an economy. I also want to raise a few points about counter tariffs. Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he's worried Canada's retaliatory measures, counter tariffs on top of those imposed by Trump, are hurting Quebec's metal manufacturers. We have to make sure that we maximize the negative impact on U.S. business but minimize impact on Canadian businesses. This meeting is meant to help those struggling Canadian industries by allowing provinces and territories to remove the trade barriers between them.

Changes the federal government believes could add $200 billion to the Canadian economy. It's harder to get a bottle of wine from BC to Ontario than it is to trade with the US. It's insane. And we all agree. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who leads the group of premiers, admits they don't agree on everything. I just believe we should be united. That's my voice as a chair. Ford responding to questions about a notable dissenter.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. She's attending the meeting remotely. Earlier today, she said she wants Carney to make it clear that he'll lift the cap Ottawa plans to impose on emissions from the oil patch. We're just asking the question of the Prime Minister is he prepared to lift this destructive and unconstitutional production cap or not. Albertans and Canadians do want the answer before they go to the polls and not after in fact.

Carney suggested yesterday he may be willing to move away from those caps. He says he wants to make sure Canada's energy sector is more competitive, rather than putting caps or restrictions on them. His response to concerns about the harmful effects of Donald Trump's tariffs. So when I say they should be a state, I mean that. I really mean that. As the U.S. president repeated his vision for Canada's future again today. We can't be expected to carry a country that is right next to us on our border. It would be a great state.

It would be a cherished state. Marina von Stakelberg, CBC News, Ottawa. Pierre Polly-Eve was also in Ottawa, making a campaign-style stop and another pitch to working-class voters. He promised new help for tradespeople and repeatedly linked Mark Carney to Justin Trudeau's policies. Tom Perry reports. The only way to get a change is by putting Canada first, by electing a new Conservative

government. At a union hall in the west end of Ottawa, Conservative leader Pierre Poliev positioning himself and his party as the true voice of working Canadians. Mark Carney will never stand up for the working people. He will only stand up for the millionaire and billionaire global elites. That is all that he has ever done. Polly-Eve unveiling a suite of policies aimed at boosting apprenticeships with unions taking

a lead role, all while breaking down interprovincial barriers to make it easier for skilled tradespeople to work anywhere in Canada. It's called boots, not suits. This plan will bring home a country that works for the people who do the work. This isn't the first pitch Poliev has made to blue-collar workers, and he's not the first Conservative leader to try to win them over. New Democrats have traditionally been seen as the party of organized labor. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is still fighting to hold on to that and this week won the endorsement of the United Steelworkers

Union. New Democrats are proud to say we were founded by working people. We're a party founded by unions. But New Democrats have for years been challenged on all sides with both liberals and conservatives working to siphon off working class votes. Pollster David Coletto of Abacus Data sees these most recent efforts by Poliev as assigned conservatives may see a new threat from the liberals under Mark Carney, who poll suggest has a wider appeal to male voters than his predecessor.

I mean, I think Justin Trudeau had a hard time connecting with men generally. And I think Mark Carney has an ability to rebuild a relationship with men who are more likely to be in some of those trades in those private sector unions that right now, uh, Poliev is trying to target. Colletto says there may be another element to Poliev's strategy. The conservative leader trying to remind voters of issues they cared about before Donald Trump upended global politics. Things like affordability, housing and jobs.

Trying as well to link Carney as much as he can to Trudeau and paint his party as the only one that can bring change. All this before the election campaign has even officially kicked off. The fight for votes about to get even more intense. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. CBC Radio will have special coverage Sunday when the election is called, hosted by Your World Tonight's Susan Bonner and Piyachata Padai. You can listen on CBC Radio 1 or stream it live on the CBC News app. Just tap local. Chandra Arya won't be running for the Liberals this election. The party has dropped the Ottawa MP without publicly

explaining why. Arya had represented the riding of Nepean since 2015. He was also rejected as a Liberal leadership candidate earlier this year. No reason was given for that decision either. Coming right up, HBC has a plan to save some of its stores as widespread liquidation is set to go ahead at the Bay next week. Also, police say a dangerous gang that includes teens is targeting vulnerable minors. And it's a big year for country music at the Juno's. Hudson's Bay is set to liquidate all but six of its stores. The decision by an Ontario judge today offers the possibility

that the Bay might not disappear completely. The iconic Canadian retailer had been planning to close all its stores until recent sales gave it a boost, but the store hasn't saved its stripes yet. Paula DeHatchick reports. It's a terrible day for the Bay, a terrible day for the employees. It's a bad day for Canada, frankly,

because this is a Canadian icon. Andrew Hatney is a lawyer representing workers at the employees. It's a bad day for Canada frankly because this is a Canadian icon. Andrew Hatney is a lawyer representing workers at the Bay. The company has about 9,000 staff on payroll, many of whom will likely soon be out of the job. We're getting calls that they're very upset and distressed about their futures. One stressed out worker is Kevin Grell, who CBC spoke with earlier this week. The 61 year old works for the Bay.com Distribution Center in Toronto, a job he planned to keep until he was 65 and could retire. The general mood is not good.

Everybody's worried, everybody's sad, some of them are angry, which is understandable. The Bay's current troubles a far cry from its heyday. At the Bay, our cosmetic and fragrance department is a thing of beauty. This commercial from the 80s, a time capsule from the era when the Bay was a destination for Christmas shopping, to back to school, or just to keep up with the latest fashion. I personally guarantee your complete satisfaction. Today, the Bay faces steep competition from online retailers like Amazon, their brick and mortar stores a shadow of their former selves.

Anne Marie Dorland is an assistant professor in the business school at Mount Royal University. There's entire sections that are ghost towns now. As you walk through they're spooky to be honest. The Bay has been given permission to start liquidating most of its stores on Monday. But out of a court hearing today, a faint glimmer of hope. Lawyers for the Bay say news about the company's financial turmoil has led to a frenzy of shopping. The company says it has enough financial wiggle room to try and keep six stores open, all

of them in the Greater Toronto or Greater Montreal areas. I am so thankful that they may keep this one and that there will still be some. You can't get rid of the bay completely. That's good news for some Toronto shoppers like Michelle Shamku. It brought me to tears when I found out that they'd be going. We can't. It's a landmark. Others more skeptical. What's happening right now is just buying time.

David Ian Gray is a retail strategist. I don't think it solves anything structurally, but if they are going to be able to create a solution down the road, they need to have a base to work from. So if it's all gone, it's all gone. But if they can keep something, maybe there's something to build back from. There's still plenty more uncertainty ahead. The company may try to save other stores from liquidation, but even the six that are being protected could close if it can't find a restructuring solution soon.

Paula Duhaczek, CBC News, Calgary. The Yukon and federal governments have struck a pharmacare deal. The agreement is for $9.5 million over four years and includes better access to birth control and diabetes medications. Coverage begins early next year. Manitoba, BC and PEI have previously signed

pharmacare packs with Ottawa. Canadians are among those caught up in a day of travel nightmares. For hours, one of the world's largest airports was shut down. A fire knocked out power to London's Heathrow Airport. Flights are now slowly resuming, but travellers can expect days of disruption. Chris Brown reports. At the time of the flight, you know, there was a lot of confusion. Thursday night, Dave Pope's Air Canada flight from Toronto to London was just heading out

over the Atlantic when he says the captain told the passengers he had to turn the plane around. We were going to be returning back to Toronto because there was a fire and there was a power outage at Heathrow. Should we assume that we'll get one tomorrow? At Heathrow, normally Europe's busiest airport, the doors to the terminals were shut and departing passengers were told not to come. Planes remained parked at their departure gates.

Airport CEO Thomas Woldbeih said such a complete shutdown was unprecedented. Continuities of certain sizes, we cannot guard ourselves against 100 percent. And this is one of them. This has been a major incident. Heathrow's electricity comes from a nearby substation. A transformer filled with cooling oil somehow ignited and caused a cascading reaction, knocking out all of the backup transformers as well. Louis Prezlin spoke from any stranded passengers when he wondered how something like this could

happen. Why there isn't any other alternative backups? I don't know but yeah it's always just a bit crazy. Air Canada cancelled 16 flights and turned around six planes mid-flight. Steve Masters who who was heading back to Montreal, was stuck in North London. After hours on hold on the phone, he says he finally got rebooked on a flight back to Canada. Finally, yeah, I got through to somebody who sounded like he was having a much worse day than me, who was able to, you know, get me rebooked onto a flight tomorrow. With planes and crews not where they're supposed to be, the global disruption could last for days,

says transport analyst John Strickland. And if the planes are not back, they can't do their follow-on flights, which means that we get cancellations in the days ahead. The incident comes as Europe is on high alert over threats to its critical infrastructure, with Russian operatives suspected of cutting undersea cables and launching cyber attacks.

Authorities say the fire is believed to be non-suspicious, but Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said the investigation is ongoing. This was clearly a substation that is very close to a critical piece of national infrastructure. So it's imperative that we've got the right people working on that investigation to identify the cause as soon as possible. By late this afternoon, the first flights had started to land again and by Saturday morning Heathrow says most scheduled flights should be back in the air. Chris Brown, CBC News, London.

The FBI is warning of a sharp increase of activity by an online network of predators known as 764. Many of the group's members are teenagers who target vulnerable minors and are even tied to mass violence. An Alberta family says their daughter was targeted by the group, which encouraged her to self-harm. They say for years, the RCMP didn't take their concerns seriously. The Fifth Estate's Joana Ramilliotis has their story. You spend a lot of time in here? Yeah. A corner of the garage has been a refuge for Trinity.

And while she hides her scars, she can't unsee them. For her and her family, safety were only using first names. I look in the mirror now and I still see that engraved in my chest. I really wish it wasn't there. Trinity says she stumbled into a 764 chat room when she was 14. Within weeks, she says, she was exploited by several members of a violent online network of predators. She says the group forced her to carve into her body and to share sexually explicit images, and even goaded her on when she attempted suicide. Her mother pounded on a door until Trinity came out and showed her the cuts on her body.

I was having a mental breakdown and I lifted up my shirt and I said look what they've done to me, look what they've done to me, I can't take this anymore, this is like it's out of hand. Trinity and her mother reported her exploitation to the RCMP in Red Deer in July 2021. Police took photos of Trinity's cuts and took the family's electronics, but told them the passwords were incorrect and returned the devices several months later. Trinity's mom Maria says officers told her they couldn't find any evidence. Maybe they didn't take it serious that way because she was the one holding the knife, but it should have been taken serious.

The family says it would be three years before RCMP contacted them again about 764 and only after the FBI came to Red Deer to speak to Trinity. I feel like, um, wow. You dropped the ball. When somebody comes to you with such a far-fetched story, not only that, but cuts all over a child's body and pictures. Maybe you should have believed us. The RCMP acknowledges 764 initially caught them off guard and as the group moves to offline violence

Mounties say they now consider 764 a terror threat. Inspector Matt Johnson is with the RCMP's counter-terrorism unit in Edmonton. This is an odd blend of that crime subset with the terrorism component. It's unlike anything we've seen before. In fact, it's something that internationally both police and then our intelligence security partners are still trying to wrap our heads around. The RCMP issued a public safety warning last summer after the fifth of state's first investigation into 764.

Maria says awareness is critical. I am glad that they're listening now because if then they were convincing kids to do mass shooting my kid would have done that and that is terrifying to think. Trinity is an adult now. Time and therapy are helping her deal with the trauma and the fact that no one has been held accountable for her abuse. Ioanna Brumaliotis, CBC News, Toronto. In Sudan, army personnel celebrate after retaking the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum.

It's a major symbolic victory. The paramilitary rapid support forces seized the palace when the civil war broke out nearly two years ago. Sudan's military is regaining territory in the centre of the country, but the RSF still controls other areas, including the western Darfur region, where it's attempting to set up a parallel government. As we mentioned, the trade war with the U.S. has focused attention on barriers within Canada. And if you're looking for a place that captures the frustrations of inter-provincial trade, look no further than Lloydminster, the city that straddles Saskatchewan and

Alberta. Julia Wong now on the challenge for businesses there. Sausage is all getting wrapped here. At Saskatchewan meat processor Diamond 7 Meats, pork roasts are tied with string and sausages are churned out. But one thing President Robert Lundquist has problems with. The invisible line just outside the business. So physically right now you're in Saskatchewan. And tell us how close are we to Alberta right now? Well if you look out that door, if you see our big sign out there, the border is right there.

And that is a source of frustration. We're eligible to sell in Saskatchewan anytime, any place, any facility, whether it's from a health facility to restaurants to retail stores, whatever we can sell. Alberta, we would have to become a federal facility. We would have to be federally certified. He says that would involve spending millions to upgrade his facility. Lundquist wants trade barriers between provinces to calm down. We've got to be able to trade within Canada. Lloyd Minster is a city half in Alberta and half in Saskatchewan,

putting it in a unique position to tell the tale of inter-provincial trade woes. Inside a farmers market in the city, Alice Pattison explains her Saskatchewan farm can sell jams and jellies in Alberta, but only because she had the resources to get her kitchen federally approved. There's financial, like so financial restraints. Like it's a lot of red tape you have to read to figure out what you exactly need to do.

And some people may find it a bit time consuming and a bit confusing as well. Federal changes in November now allow food from either province to flow freely within Lloyd Minster's borders but not outside city limits. It's something the Lloyd Minster Chamber of Commerce pushed for. Past president Blaine Stefan says it's proof it is possible to remove trade barriers. It does show that when the right people get to the table we can create a common-sense approach. We have

such great products and we want to get them to people that need them. But it will take political will to make that happen. As for Lundquist, he sees this call to tear down trade barriers as a civic duty. I always like to see progress. I want to make my business better. I want to grow it and make better. It makes my community better, it makes my country better. When he says Canadian goods can move freely. Julia Wong, CBC News, Lloyd Binstur on the border of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Mayors of several Canadian border cities are also looking for help to counter the effect of the

upcoming Trump tariffs. About a dozen civic leaders met virtually today calling for financial support from the federal and provincial governments. Mike Bradley is the Mayor of Sarnia, Ontario. Duty-free stores and border communities specifically need direct support to deal with what's happening here. We're feeling the pain and we're on the front line. So we do not want to be left behind. That's the simple request. The mayors say their towns rely heavily on cross-border traffic

and their communities face heavy economic losses the longer the trade war goes on. Country music is having a moment and Canada is being swept up in the wave. The Junos will be handed out next weekend. Canada's country music stars are enjoying their time in the spotlight. Makda Gabras-Lesse reports. It's a big year for Josh Ross and country music at the Junos. The artist from Waterdown, Ontario is tied for the most nominations this year with five and five of the nominees for the Fan Choice Award are either country artists or have a country-inspired album, including Shawn Mendes. There was suddenly a groundswell of country music.

In LA, Shawn Everett has had his hand in some of it. The recording engineer and producer from Alberta is up for two Junos after working on country songs for Maggie Rogers, Kacey Musgraves, and Beyonce. He says the interest in the genre keeps coming. We're mixing 40 country songs in the next month and a half. I don't think I've ever even mixed 40 songs in a month and a half in my life period, let alone of one genre. I gave away a piece of me. In Nashville, country artist Mackenzie Porter has come across the wave of interest too. I'll talk to my friends who live in Vancouver or places that wouldn't have your normal big hubs of country fans. And my friends will be like, have you ever heard of Chris Stapleton? I'm like, yes. Porter is from Medicine Hat, Alberta and is nominated for best country album.

She says country music's shift in storytelling is part of the reason for its popularity. You know, you're hearing less and less songs about like drinking and trucks. Like that's a little bit like out now where I feel like the stories are just real life stories or things that everybody can relate to. Real world events may also be playing into the music's rise in popularity says music journalist Rudy Blair in Toronto. Every time you turn on the news you're hearing these scary stories what's going on in the US, what's going on on the other side of the world. It's a real hard and scary time.

Country music has always been the genre where you can sit back and feel comfortable. He says the last time country music exploded with interest like this was during Canadian Shania Twain's popularity in the late 90s. Let's go girls. Here at the Rock and Horse Saloon in Toronto, country music fans are thrilled with the current surge in interest, but question its staying power. It's a nice moment in time that I'm enjoying it. Things will come in and out, but that's okay, enjoy it while it's here.

I think that it will stay just as popular because line dancing is becoming more and more popular too. For those looking to enjoy the Junos and see how the country artists fare, the award show airs next Sunday, March 30th. Makda Gebre-Selesse, CBC News, Toronto. A little more music before we head into the weekend. Elbows Up has become a rallying cry in the trade war with the U.S., and Canadian music legend Jim Cuddy has given the movement a theme song. Oh no, what went wrong? We used to be the singers in a two-part song. Guess all good

things come to an end, but we used to be the best of friends. That's Cuddy singing We Used to Be the Best of Friends. His song has gone viral since he first posted it on social media. We even played a bit a couple weeks ago. Cuddy says he's only played the song in his own house. Until now. Cuddy will perform it live tomorrow in downtown Toronto as part of an Elbows Up rally at the city's Nathan Phillips Square.

He says the song was inspired by his morning ritual. When we get up in the morning, my wife goes down and she gets the paper first. And the cursing that comes out of that is like, oh, can you believe this? Can you believe this? And then she would read me what had happened. It was an accumulation of so many outrageous, disrespectful, hurtful things that made me want to do it." Cuddy says he's been getting great feedback from Canadians no matter what their political

leanings. Reaction from fans down south is a little more mixed. Cuddy says, I get a lot of apologies from people in the States, people I know in Buffalo, California and New York. I'm just completely embarrassed by how they're being represented. And of course, the ones I don't hear from, I assume they're OK with what's going on.

So that will change that relationship too." Cuddy says the original version of the song was meaner, angrier. Benny decided he wanted it to be more hopeful, which led to the final lines of the song, Maybe We Could Be Best Friends Again. Thank you for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, March 21, 2025. I'm Julianne Hazelwood. Thanks so much for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.