Your World Tonight - LaGuardia plane crash, Quebec’s Bill 21, Trump backs down, and more

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

Two pilots are dead after a deadly runway collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Dozens are injured. An Air Canada Express flight struck an airport fire truck during landing.And: The Supreme Court begins hearing arguments for and against Quebec's Bill 21. The secularism law - put in place in 2019 - bans teachers, judges and other public workers in positions of power from wearing religious symbols at work. Also: Donald Trump backs down from an ultimatum to Iran - to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by today, or face attacks on its power plants. The U.S. president says the war could be settled soon. But officials in Iran say Trump’s claims of ongoing talks - are false. Plus: The Auditor General report, link between menopause and heart disease, economic effects from mideast war, and more.

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We'd love to talk, business. This is a CBC podcast. We went down for a regular landing. We immediately hit something and it was just chaos in there. His nose was totally broken, bleeding. And all of a sudden, boom, woke up in shock, just didn't know what to do. The crash and the chaos on the runway and the confusion in the control tower. Stop truck one.

Stop truck one, stop. A high-speed collision killing two air Canada pilots, injuring passengers, passengers and crew at one of the busiest airports in the United States. What do we know about the victims, the survivors, and the investigation? We need more money for air traffic control. We are modernizing our system. The tragedy took seconds. The process of piecing together, what went wrong will be slow and meticulous, looking into questions about human error and systemic failure. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Monday, March 23rd, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast.

We are very vigilant. We really want the school in Quebec to be secular. We want our children to be free from religious pressure. Quebec's controversial ban on religious symbols reaches the Supreme Court of Canada, as justices hear arguments about the province's distinct history in a case that could shape its future. The wreckage still litters one runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport. An air Canada jet with a country. its nose sheared off a crumpled fire truck. The two vehicles collided on the tarmac last night.

The aircraft's two pilots both killed. They are now being identified as Antoine Foray and Mackenzie Gunther. We have full coverage of this story tonight beginning with Paul Hunter. As the air Canada jets sped down the runway after landing just prior to midnight, cross-talk between the control tower and those on the tarmac, a fire truck responding to an emergency elsewhere at LaGuardia, seeming to get permission to cross a runway, as it turned out, directly into the path of the incoming jet. Truck one in company. Truck one in company with water power pressing across four at Delta.

Truck one company, across four at Delta. And then the realization. Truck one, stop, stop, stop, stop. Stop, truck one, stop. Stop, truck one, stop. The plane in from Montreal smashed, nose first. into the truck. Pilot and co-pilot killed. Kahn-90, LaGuardia Airport is closed at this time.

Later, crew from another plane who'd witnessed the crash radioed in. Yeah, we got stuff in progress for that, man. That wasn't good to watch. Yeah, I know I was here. I tried to reach out with my stuff. We were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up. No, man, he did the best you could. The voice apparently from the control tower seeming to say, I messed up. All 72 passengers escaped. Some 40 were taken to hospital. A flight attended found strapped to her seat on the tarmac.

It's all a miracle. Solange Trombly's daughter told the Quebec Network TVA. She was thrown more than 100 meters from the plane. Trombly's leg was broken, but she was otherwise incredibly okay. As we were descending, we hit a lot of turbulence. Rebecca LeChorre was among the passengers. It was a rough landing. Like when we landed, everyone felt it. It's just like the plane like jolted.

A couple seconds later, it was just a very loud boom. And everybody just jolted out of their seats. People hit their heads. People were bleeding. And it was just chaos in there. Also on board, Jack Cabin. We didn't have any directions because the pilot's cabin is any kind of the story. So somebody said, let's get the emergency exit and get the door and let's all jump out.

And that's exactly what we did. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board leads the investigation. Canada has sent a team to assist. It comes at a time U.S. air traffic controllers have faced a variety of challenges and staff shortages, though there's no indication that played a role here. New York Governor Kathy Hochel offered condolences over the deaths of the two pilots, both Canadian. Two young pilots left their homes expecting the return to their families, and they will not. I've conveyed our condolences to the Canadian government.

As the investigation began, the Air Canada jet sat on the tarmac, nose in the air, wings broken, debris hanging from where the cockpit had been. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. The crash is raising more questions about a shortage of air traffic controllers in the U.S. For years, people in the industry have been sounding the alarm about not enough and overwork. worked staff. Kayla Hounsel explains. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, truck one. Stop, truck one, stop.

Just moments after a fire truck was cleared to cross the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, the air traffic controller tries to get it to stop. It doesn't work. The controller keeps doing his job and can then be heard interacting with another pilot on the ground. I tried to reach out to my stuff, and we were dealing with an emergency earlier. I messed up. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is facing a critical shortage of around 3,000 air traffic controllers.

Gregory Fythe is a former air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. He says in the LaGuardia case, the board will be examining the controller's workload. Typically at night when arrival rates go down, staffing goes down. So the question will be, was this particular controller working multiple positions? I feel for that controller. Harvey Skolnik is a retired air traffic controller. He says staffing was always an issue during his many years with the FAA. They just won't take hold of the fact that they never hire enough people to get this job done.

There are too many times when positions have to be combined in order to get breaks, in order to give someone a day off. Today, Canada's Transportation Minister Stephen McKinnon acknowledged staffing shortages in this country as well. Air traffic systems in Canada are incredibly safe, in fact, are among the most rigorous and reputable in the world. And we want to keep it that way. But we do have a shortage of air traffic controllers. Funding approved last month will allow the FAA to hire an additional 2,500 new controllers in the U.S. They have been behind the eight ball for a number of years.

Mary Skiavo is a former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General. She points to a crash early last year when a commercial plane and a military Black Hawk helicopter collided, crashing into Washington's Potomac River, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. Investigators determined the crash was caused in part by overwhelmed controllers and found it was 100% preventable. Something has to give or the amount of traffic has to be reduced at key airports. The FAA did reduce the number of planes arriving per hour at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and increased tower staffing. The question now is whether the latest tragedy will bring more widespread change.

Kayla Hounsel, CBC News, Halifax. Coming right up, the Quebec government's use of the notwithstanding clause facing scrutiny as a landmark hearing on the province's secularism law begins at the Supreme Court. and Canada's Auditor General blasts the Federal International Student Program for letting too many cases fall through the cracks. Later, we'll have this story. You might have heard about the hot flashes and night sweats that can come with menopause, but what about the long-term health impacts? We sought out to understand what is the impact of premature menopause

on the life course for a woman. A new study suggests going into menopause early is linked to our own. higher risk of heart disease. But some say the finding raises more questions than answers. I'm health reporter Lauren Pelly and I'll have more on that research coming up on your role tonight. It is a case focused on Quebec but watched across the country. The province's 2019 secularism law bans some public sector employees from wearing religious symbols and it's being challenged in this country's top court. Sir Levitt was there as arguments got underway.

outside the Supreme Court of Canada, a crowd of people, some in hijabs and kneecabs, protest Quebec's controversial secularism law. All are interested in what the outcome will be on a case that could be a pivotal moment in Canadian history. Inside the courtroom, Muslim women are disproportionately impacted in the exercise of their freedom of religion. The appellants against Quebec's Bill 21, including the Montreal English School Board, made their arguments before the justices. The secularism law put in place in 2019 bans teachers, judges and other public workers in positions of power from wearing religious symbols at work, like a turban, a cross, or a keepa. The province invoked the notwithstanding clause to override

sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when it brought it in. Watching the proceedings is Ishrak Nur al-Hak. She was the first person to challenge Bill 21 in court, calling it discriminatory. She wears a hijab and was studying to be a teacher when the law came into effect. The law has caused anxiety and dreams to be abandoned, she says. It's something William Ben Rejab also feels. Bill 21 was like the shadow over my whole education. She was a law student studying at McGill when Bill 21 came into effect,

leading her to move to Toronto. It's alienating, it's ostracizing. It feels like you're not wanted somewhere. The Quebec government says the secularism law is an essential part of the province's distinctive social values. The pro-secularism group Movement laic Quebecua agrees. Guillaume Rousseau will represent the group made up in part of Muslim parents of school-aged children.

We are very vigilant. We really want the school in Quebec to be secular. We want our children to be free from religious pressure. While Bill 21 is the subject, the heart of this case lies in a bigger question, just how far can politicians go to shield laws from the courts? The notwithstanding clause is meant to do just that. Historically, rarely used, it's been turned to more and more since Quebec used it for Bill 21. Saskatchewan invoked it for a law mandating parental consent for what pronouns kids under 16 can use,

a matter that will also be heard by the Supreme Court. Ontario and Alberta have equally used or threatened to use the clause several times each. Rousseau says if the justices decide the use of the clause was illegal in this case. That means it's like a constitutional revolution. Hearings continue for the next three days, a decision though to come up to a year from now. Sarah Levitt's CBC News, Ottawa. It is a damning federal report highlighting key problems with a controversial file. Canada's Auditor General says the government's international student program missed its mark

when it came to making sure applicants followed the rules. Kate McKenna has details from Ottawa. What's concerning for me is that the department is enacting on the information that it has. Canada's Auditor General Karen Hogan painted a picture of an international student program not fully under control, with the federal government investigating only a fraction of potential abuse flagged internally. Over 153,000 potential cases of noncompliance with study permits were identified, but the department only investigated a small number. It also did not pursue 800 cases involving fraudulent documentation discovered after permits were approved.

The Auditor General found the Immigration Department only had enough funding to investigate 2,000 cases per year. The report also says the department did not track which students actually left the country when their permits expired. This was one of three Auditor General reports released today. The other two involved staffing shortages in the RCMP and the ongoing challenges facing the Phoenix federal pay system. So we accept the Auditor General's recommendation to strengthen the follow-up where suspected fraud or non-compliance is identified and we will act to improve these processes. Immigration Minister Lena Diab says the department will centralize and streamline investigations, but couldn't say how many additional cases they would be able to investigate with an improved system.

So there will be a lot of efficiencies that will be had. This department is looking at all of that. She defended the cap put in place by her predecessor, Mark Miller, on international student permits. The Auditor General found the federal government was successful in reducing the number of new study permits issued amid concerns over abuse of the system. The government acted to curb unsustainable growth, ease pressure on housing and communities and strengthen integrity

after years of rapid demand-driven increases. The measures are working. Our new government is taking back control of our immigration system. That's not how conservative immigration critic Michelle Remple Garner sees it. Frankly, it's just a giant dumpster fire. And I read the report today

and I just went, well, nothing's changed. Remple Garner says the Auditor General's report underscores that there aren't adequate checks balances to prevent fraud. And that's not going to cut it. There needs to be substantive reform both to process, and they need to take this seriously. It's not a joke. She says by not doing more faster, government contributes to growing angsternation about Canada's immigration system. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. U.S. President Donald Trump backed down from an ultimatum he had issued to Iran to reopen the

Strait of Hormuz by today. He also says the war could be settled soon, claims officials In Iran, deny. Katie Simpson reports from Doha, Qatar. Standing on the tarmac of a Florida airport, the U.S. President delivered a significant update on the war, confirming his threat to bomb Iran's power plants is on hold, the first to blink in a staring contest of his own making with the Iranian regime. They want to make a deal, and we are very willing to make a deal.

It's got to be a good deal. And it's got to be no more wars, no more nuclear weapons. They're not going to have nuclear weapons anymore. They're agreeing to that. Donald Trump says the U.S. and Iran are now an agreement on some 15 different issues of concern, claiming the Strait of Hormuz will open very soon. High-level talks with an unspecified Iranian leader are underway, according to Trump, led by special Middle East envoy Steve Whitkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. On Saturday, Trump gave Iran 48 hours notice to reopen the strait,

or else the U.S. would bomb Iran's power infrastructure. That deadline is now extended. We're doing a five-day period. We'll see how that goes. And if it goes well, we're going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we'll just keep bombing our little hearts out. The reversal sent stock markets surging and the price of oil dropped. But on Iranian state TV, Trump's claims are called lies.

A reporter denied the development citing senior regime sources. They stated that no talks had taken place between Iran and the United States. States, she said. Iran's parliamentary speaker called Trump's statements fake news, writing on social media, it's about trying to manipulate financial markets and escape the quagmire in which the U.S. and Israel

are trapped. There are no signs Iran plans to ease its blockade of the strait or its retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and Gulf region countries. Iranian state television broadcast videos of missile launches. Some had photos of the U.S. president

taped to the bombs, while a spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guard mocked Trump. Eitan, you are fired. You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter. The U.S. and Israel continued with their attacks as well. Heavy equipment removes debris from a residential building in Tehran, hit by an Israeli airstrike killing at least three people. The International Committee of the Red Cross issued a new warning against all sides targeting civilians and vital interests. infrastructure saying this conflict risks reaching a point of no return. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Doha.

So as you heard in Katie's report, Trump's turnaround this morning sent oil prices back down and stocks back up. Our senior business correspondent has been helping us understand all the economic dynamics of this war. He's back with us now. Peter, what's the message from the markets today? Look, markets never really acted like they were convinced this war was going to last very long. You know, stock sold off and oil shot up when the airstrikes began, but every expert said a long war was

going to wipe out trillions in equity and push the price of oil way above where it is now. So in a way, I think investors have been looking for something like this announcement from Trump today and hope that it's real or maybe that it just becomes real. Now, we know that Donald Trump watches markets very closely. He talks about the price of gas all the time. You were watching the bond market this weekend. What happened there? Yeah, the bond market moves slowly and in time. increments, but it's orders of magnitude larger than the stock market. So those tiny moves, they're enormously consequential. And this weekend, the yield on the 10-year Treasury hit 4.39 percent.

And that, Susan, is like an alarm bell going on. Because a surge in bonds means higher borrowing costs for households and for governments. Yeah, anybody with debt, be they households with mortgages or the U.S. government with trillions in debt, it means higher carrying costs. The last time we saw bond yields this high was in the wake of Trump's Liberation Day tariffs, bond yields then peaked above 4.5 percent, and they played a huge role in Trump backing down at that time. And the fallout from this war, it is still happening. It is still spreading. But it's hard to look at the state of play this weekend and not think

that the bond market played some kind of a role in shaping the response. Well, the market rebound was pretty enthusiastic, but yet you're still saying we're still measuring the fallout? Yeah, we are. And it's important to note, right? Markets are still down between 4 and 5% from where they were at the start of the war and the price of oil. It fell sharply today. Brent Crude, the main international benchmark, it was at like $112 a barrel last night that fell to $99 a barrel this morning. And that's great.

Don't get me wrong. But it's still way up from where it was. It's up like 60% from where it was on this day three months ago. And that higher cost for crude, Susan, you know. It translates into higher costs, not just for gasoline for me and you, but for diesel fuel, for local shipments, for jet fuel, for container ship fuel. So this has a broader impact. And we're looking now at another five-day deadline imposed by the U.S. president.

Whenever this ends, however it ends, how long will it take to get back to normal? Normal? Normal is months away. There are hundreds of millions of barrels that have been held back. There's hundreds of millions more that have been shut in due to production shutdowns. And then there are all these other products, from fertilizer to helium that usually ship out of the Gulf, the impact of those shortages is still a huge and looming concern. Thank you, Peter. You bet.

Senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong here in Toronto. British counter-terrorism police are investigating an arson attack that destroyed four ambulances from a Jewish volunteer-led emergency response service. The vehicles were set on fire in the parking lot of a synagogue in Golders Green, the UK's biggest Jewish community, medical oxygen cylinders in the ambulances, exploded, nearby windows smashed in residents were evacuated from their homes. Prime Minister Kier-Starmer says Jews in the country should not have to live in fear. Well, this is a horrific anti-Semitic attack. My thoughts, I think all of our thoughts will be with those in the vicinity,

the residents who are understandably very concerned, a Jewish community across the country deeply concerned. Antisemitism has no place in our society and it's really important. that we all stand together at a moment like this. Police say they are investigating an Iranian-linked group that has claimed responsibility online. The last 11 years are the hottest ever recorded. That's according to the World Meteorological Organization's latest report, looking at the state of the Earth's climate between 2015 to 2025.

The WMO says 2025 was one of the three hottest years on record with ocean temperature soaring and Arctic sea ice at a record low. The report highlights the concentration of greenhouse gases that reached the highest level in 800,000 years. UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez says it shows the importance of transitioning away from fossil fuels. When history repeats itself 11 times, it is no longer a coincidence.

It's a call to act. Our oceans are absorbing epic levels of heat. fueling ever stronger storms. The state of the global climate is in a state of emergency. Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red. The report also confirmed 2024 as the hottest year on record at over 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

A new cardiology study is suggesting links between heart disease and early menopause. It says, very small percentage of women, menopause before age 40 could lead to a higher risk of heart problems. As Lauren Pelley tells us, researchers say there's still a lot to learn. Pretty significant hot flashes. Jennifer Corona went through menopause by her mid-40s, years earlier than she expected. The Ottawa resident had disrupted sleep and feelings of brain fog. It made her wonder how those major hormonal changes could impact her health. on top of her existing heart condition.

It worries me. There's a lot we don't know. We sought out to understand what is the impact of premature menopause on the life course for a woman. A new study from Northwestern University cardiologist and researcher Dr. Priyafrani focuses on early menopause and heart health. She found women who enter natural menopause

before age 40 face about a 40% higher risk of developing heart disease when compared to women who experience. menopause later on. It's a small group, less than four in a hundred women, but the risks are big. Heart disease can lead to gradual damage or sudden life-threatening events like heart attacks. What it shows is that the earlier menopause occurs, the higher the risk is. Glenn Pyle runs the laboratory for women's heart health at the University of Guelph. He worries the number of women entering premature menopause could go up.

Because women who undergo, for example, chemotherapy for abdominal cancers, like like ovarian cancer and so forth, will experience or often experience earlier premature menopause and those rates are rising. Franey hopes the finding encourages physicians to pay closer attention to menopause timing. So just like patients are asked about their family history and their medication history, they should be asked about their reproductive history. Others urge caution. It comes across as this just puts a nail in the coffin.

Anyone who has an early menopause is going to get a heart attack. And that's not correct. Long-time researcher in University of British Columbia, Professor Emeritus Dr. Gerilyn Pryor, says this new research doesn't explain why only some women experience severe menopause symptoms and how much that impacts heart health beyond the timing of menopause itself. These are whole body disruptive experiences that have been associated very consistently and very dramatically with an increased risk for heart attack if they are not treated. To stay healthy in menopause and beyond,

Pryor says most women can stick to what works. Be proactive about diet and exercise and avoid smoking. But if you're someone who is experiencing disruptive side effects, that's when it's worth talking to a doctor about treatment options. Lauren Pelley, CBC News, Toronto. We end tonight with the mysterious posters popping up around Paris. that seemed to be hinting at something. See if you can figure it out.

Each one has a simple white background and displays a simple phrase. For that you ma'am encore, the power of love. This was the last time, on us, can siftra the earth,

can be cruele. This was the last time Celine Dionne performed in Paris or anywhere else. On the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, an extraordinary return to the stage after four years. Zion suffers from a sometimes debilitating autoimmune disorder. The Olympic performance was a one-off and the legendary Canadian singer has been laying low ever since.

But there is growing speculation and now published reports suggesting Dianne is ready for another comeback in the French. French capital. On Sunday, Montreal's La Press newspaper reported Zion is planning a series of concerts as early as this fall at Paris's La Defence Arena, the biggest indoor concert venue in Europe that, for what it's worth, currently has nothing booked in September or October.

According to La Prés, Zion will perform twice per week in a residency that will give her enough downtime to rest between shows. CBC News has not confirmed the information, and Zion is not commenting. But today, Variety Magazine said it confirmed the report. Adding the Paris posters are teasers for an official announcement expected very soon. Thank you for joining us on your world tonight for Monday, March 23rd. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.com.

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