Your World Tonight - Government ends flight attendant's strike, Europe reacts to Trump-Putin meeting, A Canadian's story of detainment in the UAE, and more

Episode Date: August 16, 2025

Air Canada flight attendants made good on their promise to walk off the job. But they weren't on the picket lines for long. After only a matter of hours, the federal government stepped in - ordering both sides to arbitration and allowing the airline to resume operations.Also: Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on Monday to meet with Donald Trump. Zelenskyy was left out of yesterday's meeting in Alaska between the U.S. President and Russia's Vladimir Putin. And that summit is being met with concern by key European leaders trying to ensure the U.S. doesn't give in to Russia's demands. And: A Canadian citizen says he was wrongfully detained in the U-A-E for ten months. While imprisoned, he says he was denied access to life-saving medications. He also claims Canada's embassy did little to help.Plus: Honour killings in Pakistan, B.C. seeks appeal of an Indigenous rights ruling, The search for FIFA World Cup volunteers, and more.

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Hi, I'm Aaron Soltzman. This is your world tonight. The government firmly believes that the best deals are reached by the parties at the bargaining table. However, despite resolution on a number of key items, this dispute will not be resolved quickly enough. The federal government forces striking Air Canada flight attendants back to work. just hours after workers walked off the job. The job action resulted in hundreds of cancelled flights and disrupted travel plans for thousands of people.

Also on the podcast, European leaders stress Ukraine's sovereignty, following Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin. And... It was a nightmare for me. I truly didn't believe that I'm going to walk a life from that prison. A Canadian man says he was wrongfully judged. jailed in the UAE for almost a year, and the government did little to support him. Air Canada flight attendants made good on their promise to walk off the job. After months of

negotiations and stalled talks, they brought the airline to a standstill. But they weren't on the picket lines for long. After only a matter of hours, the federal government stepped in, ordering both sides to arbitration and allowing the airline to resume operations. Michelle Song tells us more. Air Canada flight attendants picketing at Toronto's Pearson Airport reacting to word they were being forced back to work. After about 12 hours into walking off the job, federal jobs minister Patty Heidu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labor Code.

Haidu says she is protecting Canadians amidst. economic uncertainty. The information that I received from the mediators is that the parties were still very far apart on a number of key issues. Just yesterday, QP, the union representing more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, declined the airline's proposal for arbitration. The process that would have an arbitrator render a decision about specific items both parties can't agree on.

But today, with no deal and a lockout, Ottawa stepped in. This is about industrial peace. safety of Canadians. QP disagrees with the minister. They say this decision will set a terrible precedent. Is your government anti-union? I absolutely reject the notion that our government is anti-union. The main sticking points for flight attendants are wages and ground pay,

which is compensation for work before and after the flight, which has traditionally gone unpaid. After months of negotiations with Air Canada, QP says flight attendance can no longer live off the status quo. Wesley Lysoski is the president of the Air Canada component of QP. We are the national carrier and we have people operating in poverty. Like that's disgusting. Air Canada may not like the decision that is ultimately rendered by an arbitrator. Employment lawyer Sundip Goklay says that although the airline may have called for arbitration, the outcome may not go their way. You've got to be careful because an arbitrator could issue an award

that you're not happy with, and it wasn't freely negotiated, and now you've got to live with it. We're definitely relieved. But some comfort to passengers like Margo Peck, currently stuck in Scotland, she was worried about running low on her critical medication. Air Canada did rebook her flight, but it makes things more complicated. It's Edinburgh to Newark and then LaGuardia to Toronto. But it allows us a total of four hours and 15 minutes to get. get between those two New York area airports, which is not actually feasible in the circumstances. Air Canada says the work stoppage would have impacted more than 130,000 daily customers.

But now with Ottawa's decision, it says it's too early to determine when operations will resume and asks customers not to go to the airport until notified. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. More than 100 homes have been evacuated in Nova Scotia's and Annapolis Valley. The Long Lake Fire has nearly doubled in size since Friday. It's burned more than eight square kilometers. Much of Atlantic Canada has been dealing with dry conditions. On the West Coast, recent rains have helped crews battling fires on Vancouver Island, and more rain is in the forecast. Wildfires in Newfoundland have made life difficult for Canada games organizers.

Saturday sees the first half of competition come to an end at Canada's largest multi-sport event. Smoke has forced some events to be postponed and others to be moved, but despite the difficulties, the games go on. Karen Pauls has more. 30. Hicks up the serve. At the net, trying to put it away, and they will. A win and seventh place for Team Nova Scotia's Women's Beach Volleyball team

to finish a chaotic Canada Games competition. Julia McDougal describes it as a roller coaster. It was definitely a bit scary at some points. Like, we didn't think we were even going to be able to play our games. games because of course the fires were getting pretty bad. Beach volleyball was put on hold last Tuesday after a wildfire prompted evacuations in this suburb of St. John's. 3,000 people were forced from their homes. Nearly 14,000 others were on evacuation alert. Sierra Sarty is McDougal's teammate and cousin. We could see flames,

flames, flames, flames, and that was definitely super, super scary because it changed just in a moment and that really shows how quickly fires can move and how impactful they can really be. Other events were also paused or moved. As they waited for updates, Harry Sims and his team Nova Scotia sailing colleagues had to find a way to pass the time. Well, it's hard to go from being mentally fully locked in,

ready to go, ready to race, leave everything out there, to then having two days in the middle where you're not even sailing and you completely have to check out, otherwise you'll be too tired by the end. athletes directly impacted by wildfires. Ben McDonald is a skipper for Team Newfoundland. My grandparents got evacuated. They're in the evacuation zone. And yeah, they had to come stay with us for a night. It's affected me quite a bit. His crewman, Alex Fitzgerald, says

some of the athletes had to pack bags in case they were evacuated. He was worried about his health. When it got super smoky some of the days, I was worried about breathing it. As fire crews work to control the blaze, Canada Games organizers scrambled to set up different venues. Kim Keating is the co-chair of the 2025 Canada Games Hosts Society. Yeah, it's been a really difficult time. And of course, you know, we are responsible for the health and well-being of all of these athletes and coaches, our volunteers. And, you know, very mindful of the fact that we had a lot of community members, first responders, trying to fight these fires.

The nearby Patty's pond fire is still burning out of control, but the province has lifted the evacuation order and now several alerts. Competition was ruled safe to resume, but family and friends were initially asked not to come to the venues to avoid crowds in case fire conditions changed. Those restrictions were lifted Friday. Steve Sarty was happy to watch his daughter and niece play in person. So we found solutions.

We, depending on what court they were playing on, we were either as high as we could get on a jungle gym in the park or standing on picnic tables. So we actually never missed the game. With week one overshadowed by wildfires, an air Canada strike, and now Hurricane Aaron heading this way, organizers are facing challenges.

But they say Newfoundlanders and the sports community are pulling together to keep these Canada games on track. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Paradise, Newfoundland. And that hurricane that Karen just mentioned is now a Category 5 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center, says Hurricane Aaron rapidly powered up from a tropical storm in just 24 hours, with maximum sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour. The storm is not expected to make landfall in the Caribbean,

instead passing north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but heavy rains could trigger flash flooding, landslides or mudslides in some parts of the region. Ukraine's President Volodomir Zelensky will travel to Washington Monday to meet with Donald Trump. Zelensky was left out of yesterday's meeting in Alaska, between the U.S. President and Russia's Vladimir Putin. The summit ended without a ceasefire agreement. Lindsay Duncombe is in Anchorage. Lindsay, what are the main sticking points?

Well, you know, a big sticking point seems to be what happens in the Donbass region of Ukraine. There are reports today that Russia offered a halt in fighting and a freeze on the front line in return for control of the eastern Donbass. Now, that's something, Aaron, that Vladimir Zelensky has said, won't happen. At the news conference yesterday, we heard Donald Trump say there was one big sticking point, and the Dombas may well be the one he was referring to, but we really don't know at this point. I think the most significant thing that's happened since the meeting is that

Trump has changed his mind about a temporary ceasefire. In a social media post, he said he would prefer to see a permanent peace agreement, and that is something that would take time and could prolonged fighting. How is this playing out in Washington? Well, the president, Donald Trump, is being criticized for pandering to Putin and not getting much in return, or at least not anything that we know about yet. It's hard to overstate just how warm this welcome was, Aaron, the red carpet, the shared limo ride, that military flyover. This all for a man accused of war crimes who has been ostracized by the Western world since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Here's what some of that criticism sounds like. Gabe Ammo is a Democrat, and he's a member of Congress for Rhode Island. Instead of talking about the path towards peace, we saw him highlight the fact that Vladimir Putin is baiting him, hook, line, and sinker on his theories about the 2020 election. So we have a distracted, unfocused, undisciplined president when we need a champion for diplomacy for peace. Now, that criticism is not likely to sit well with Donald Trump because, of course, he calls himself a peacemaker, a dealmaker, and believes he is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize. And even though, Aaron, we didn't get any real details yesterday, the summit could very well mark a significant moment for American and Russian relations.

Donald Trump's admiration of Putin was on full display. And if, indeed, Putin's words about resetting the relationship with the United States resonated with the American delegation, that could have implications, not just for the war in Ukraine, but for issues of economy and security around the world. Lindsay Duncombe in Anchorage, Alaska. Thank you. You're welcome. The Alaska Summit is being met with concern by key European leaders. They are strategizing ahead of Monday's meeting between Trump and Zelensky, try. to ensure the U.S. doesn't give in to Russia's demands. Dominic Volaitis has more on that from London.

There's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up. Ukraine's European allies were watching the Trump-Putin summit closely. The war in Ukraine, after all, poses a significant threat to their own security. Today, many expressed disappointment with the optics of the talks, while others were frustrated there was no announcement regarding a ceasefire. In a muted joint statement, several European leaders pledged to continue their support for Ukraine and maintain pressure on Russia until the war ends. Thank you very much, Vladimir.

Next time in Moscow. Oh, that's an interesting one. I'll get a little heat on that one. Although little details known about what Trump and Putin discussed in Alaska yesterday, the U.S. president has since dropped some hints. Posting on social media, Trump said, all parties believe a peace agreement can end the war without a preceding ceasefire, a major policy shift and a break with Ukraine and her European allies.

Natia Sesskora is Rusi's Russia expert. Putin believes that he has an upper hand when it comes to battlefield, and any sort of ceasefire would give Ukraine time and capacity to rebuild itself. And this is not something that Putin is looking for. I think one of his key aims meeting Trump was to gain more time. And it seems like he has succeeded in that. Ukraine's European allies are now looking ahead, expressing their support today for a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky. Talks Natia Sestora believes won't be happening any time soon.

Putin made many statements before that he doesn't even recognize Zelensky as the legitimate leader of Ukraine. Putin is willing to meet Zelensky only in case if the deal will be already agreed with the United States and Zelensky will either take it or leave it. Thank you very much, Vladimir. And thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Other meetings, though, are more certain. Tomorrow, Ukraine's European allies, the so-called coalition of the willing, will convene ahead of President Volodymya Zelensky's trip to the White House Monday for face-to-face talks with Trump, many remembering his last visit to the Oval Office, which dramatically broke down in front of the world's media.

Dominic Volitus for CBC News, London. In Pakistan, the murders of two young women in recent months have pushed the issue of honor killings into the national spotlight, sparking fresh calls from human rights activists for authorities to do more to protect women. Freelance reporter Hira Mustafa has more from Islamabad. In Pakistan, choosing who to marry can mean risking your life. 25-year-old Isha Aziz is sheltering her 22-year-old friend from Beloujistan who moved to Islamabad three years ago for higher education.

During her studies, she fell in love and wanted to marry a man of her choice. When her family in Belutistan found out, She says they threatened to kill her. Isha says she and her family are doing everything to protect her, but the constant threats are taking a toll and the police have offered little help. We gave her shelter, even we got threatening calls, but we tried to protect her. And even when we went to police, so they said that this does not come in our jurisdiction. And they said that you should also try to avoid.

She says police even pressured them to hand the young woman back to her family. Now, Isha feels her friend's family could harm her and her loved ones. When it comes on yourself, you're not that afraid, but when it comes to your family, you're a lot afraid and you're worried. This is just one of many cases of so-called owner killings. Murders carried out often by relatives or perceived damage to a family's reputation. Many go unreported because officials refuse to cooperate with victims. For decades, women in Pakistan's tribal and conservative regions have faced similar threats. In recent months, two high-profile cases have shocked the country.

One from Balochistan sparked national outrage after a video went viral showing a woman being shot on the orders of a tribal council for marrying a man of her choice. In Punjab, an 18-year-old girl met the same fate. Fatma Nazer is a lawyer and who works on honor-killing cases. She says if politicians wanted to control honor killings they could. But law enforcement often pressures the complaining to stay silent. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reports at least 405 honor killings in 2024. Human rights activists like Fersault.

Ghanabari says the killing stem from a deep-rooted patriarchal mindset. Men thinks that women are their private property, like they belongs to them. They can deal them as their own commodity. As outrage grows, campaigners are calling for a nationwide movement to raise public awareness. There is a need for a national-level campaign which criminalizes that kind of patriarchal mindset and to create that kind of. for awareness. While the authorities and now expanding awareness drives in rural areas,

critics warn that without holding powerful tribal chiefs accountable, women in Pakistan will remain at risk. Hiram al-Safah for CBC News, Islamabad. An eight-year-old boy in Toronto is dead after being struck by a stray bullet. Officers responded to reports of gunshots at an apartment building in the city's north end just after midnight Saturday. Police say the boy was shot while in bed at home. Two other units in the building were also struck by bullets, but the boy was the only one who was hit. Police have no suspects at this time.

A Canadian citizen says he was wrongfully detained in the U.A. for 10 months. While imprisoned, he says he was denied access to life-saving medications and he says Canada's embassy did little to help. Nicole Williams has his story. This is the restaurant beside where the incident happened. Goswan Abdul-Jaliel watches a video on his phone of the moment he says changed his life forever. It was during a trip to Abu Dhabi last year. He says security footage shows how a man started a shoving match with him over a parking spot. Police were called and charged Abdel Jalil with assault. They didn't look at anything, no investigation, no nothing.

He was sentenced to two months in a local jail, but ended up in a federal prison for 10 months with no explanation. It was a nightmare for me. I don't know what to say. I truly didn't believe that I'm going to walk alive from that person. I was repeatedly put on isolation room, was left without a blanket, without mattress. Abdul-Jaliel says he wasn't given access to critical medications for his diabetes, PTSD and sleep apnea, and that the Canadian embassy there left him feeling abandoned.

No meaningful action. Didn't secure my medication. They didn't secure my medicine. so I don't know what they are exactly doing. Global Affairs says officials provided consular assistance and were in contact with local authorities, but that Canada has no authority to compel foreign officials to provide a specific medical intervention.

Abdel-Jalil was eventually deported back to Canada. Now he's trying to get answers about what happened to him, saying embassy staff should do more to help Canadians abroad in crisis. I'm asking for justice. I need policy reform. Human rights lawyer Lawrence Greenspon says situations like Abdel Jaliel's can be difficult to navigate, but embassy staff have certain responsibilities to Canadian citizens. The best that they can do is diplomatically try and ensure that Canadians that are in foreign countries are safe,

that they're looked after, that they're attended to medically if they have needs. Former Global Affairs employee, Patricia Fortier, says it's often more complicated than that. The authorities in the country are the authorities in the country. Anything that we ask is not an obligation, but is a favor. She says, in fact, she feels consular staff did a lot to try and help Abdel Julele while he was detained. But he says it wasn't enough. And global affairs needs to take a look at what it can do differently. I'm looking for justice, and then I'm not going to give up.

Nicole Williams, CBC News, Toronto. British Columbia's government says it will appeal a landmark indigenous rights and title ruling in that province. Earlier this month, the BC Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cowich and Nation on Vancouver Island, granting it fishing rights and a parcel of land in Richmond, land which includes a golf course, a blueberry farm, and multi-million dollar mansions. Georgie Smyth has more. Land on the banks of the Fraser River in Richmond is what Cowishan Nation argued

was their traditional summer village called Loctanus, a place their ancestors fished and lived for generations. But they lost access about 150 years ago. Now a BC Supreme Court says it should be handed back. Cowishan tribes' chief Cindy Daniels says the case was about making their territory whole again. To honor our history, and our future and who we are as Kautz and Mistimuk. Our land and resources objectives are to recover and restore our village and surrounding lands, re-establish our permanent residents and river

access. It's unclear exactly what lots inside the claim area could be transferred back to the nation, but the land isn't just owned by the Crown. It features houses, a golf course and industrial land. decision unprecedented, potentially upending the legal foundations of land ownership in Canada. On its face, go against the express guidance from the Supreme Court of Canada and take the law in this area into a radically new place. Tom Isaac is a lawyer at Castles who specializes in indigenous legal matters. What the judge has said is that Aboriginal title is now the highest form of title in that land, and fee simple title is now subject to the Aboriginal title. Fee simple land is the most common way people sell and buy freehold land in Canada.

The province, one of the defendants in this case, says upholding that is critical to protecting those that hold property titles. Nikki Sharma is BC's Attorney General. And what that does is protect the interests of property owners. and they own a title or they own property that that's protected under our various legislation that's out there. Two other nations, including Musqueam Indian Bands, say the decision infringes their rights to fishing too. Well, it's in the heart of our traditional territory. Chief Wayne Sparrow says the decision is devastating.

Our declaration was submitted to the government in 1976, and we have deep ties to that specific area. In her decision, the judge ruled both. both the federal and provincial governments must now negotiate in good faith with Cowisha Nation. Instead, the province says it's appealing, potentially setting the case on a path to the Supreme Court of Canada. Georgie Smyth, CBC News, Vancouver. We are now less than a year away from the 26 FIFA Men's World Cup. And soccer's governing body is now looking for 65,000 volunteers across 16 North American cities, including Toronto and Vancouver.

Karen Larson spoke to one veteran volunteer about the best and worst positions available. Rugby, athletics, tennis, I've done basketball. There are sports volunteers, and then there's Vancouver's Brenda Chin, a fixture on the local provincial and national sports scenes. Softball, curling. Recently named the Canadian Sport Tourism Volunteer of the Year.

I just think volunteers are the heart and soul of any event. Over the decades, she's lent a hand at hundreds of events, including the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Paralympics. It keeps me out of trouble. All that free labor means chin is well qualified to give free advice to any would-be World Cup volunteers. You might not want to be in transportation or in a parking lot. Don't tell anybody you have a class for license. I purposely don't have a class for license, so I don't get stuck in transportation. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Jesse Adcock is Vancouver's World Cup. organizing lead. She says the city needs between 2,500 and 3,000 volunteers next June and July when the tournament hits town. BC Play Stadium is the site of seven games, at least two featuring Team Canada, drawing thousands of out-of-town and foreign visitors to the city. It's a function of just sort of like what the footprint of the city is. You know, there's going to be movement between the airport, the stadium and the fan festival, and based on the logistics of that and helping people get around town, you know, at the various sky train stations. That's sort of the number that we think will help enable a great customer experience. As to why FIFA, a multi-billion dollar organization

said to profit handsomely from the World Cup can't pay its volunteer army, Adcock says that would take away from the tournament's magic. There are a number of positions that will be created, that will be paid positions, and ultimately the volunteer aspect of this and any other major sporting our cultural event is sort of that extra special sauce that gets layered on over top. Chin says the rewards of volunteering are payment enough. Welcome the world. This is what we should be doing. Vancouver's a beautiful place. As for the most coveted volunteer jobs.

Plum gigs would probably be things like team hosts or somewhere where you can actually see the action. Karen Larson, CBC News, Vancouver. That is 10-year-old accordion player Zander Wright. He lives in Conception Bay South Newfoundland about 20 minutes away from Paradise, and he watched as residents of the suburb of St. John's rushed to evacuate this week ahead of the Paddy's Pond Fire.

It made me feel frightened and needed to help out and try to help the people that evacuated from the fire. So Zander picked up his Red Button accordion and set up outside his local needs convenience store. In four hours of busking, he collected about $300. I donated to the Salvation Army and Red Cross. I decided to do that because I felt it was the right thing to do and give the money to the people who needed it more than I did.

Bruce Cluitt heads the Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services. They said there's a young gentleman out there that wants to see me with a donation. and when I looked out, there he was in a Ziploc bag with a bunch of money in it. It kind of lifts you up because it's been a rough time trying to ensure that we take care of the people. It lifts us up as well.

Us too, Bruce. Well done, Zander. This has been your world tonight for Saturday, August 16th. I'm Aaron Saltzman. Thanks for listening and have a great night. For more CBC podcasts, go to CBC.ca.com slash podcasts.