Your World Tonight - Liberals gather in Ottawa, political drama in B.C., time zone confusion, and more

Episode Date: September 18, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal caucus are meeting in Ottawa — laying out their agenda ahead of the fall sitting of Parliament, set to begin Monday.And: B.C.’s political map is also changing as more Conservative MLAs leave, and the new CentreBC party gains some members.Also: Canada’s time zones map is getting complicated, as another province stops making the twice-yearly change.Plus: Shifting priorities in Quebec’s election campaign, the latest in the Kennedy Center drama, beekeepers warn the harm from the latest U.S. tariffs on Canadian honey will extend far beyond their industry, and more.

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Fresh off his trip to Europe, the Prime Minister addresses the Liberal Caucus, its number bolstered by three by-election wins. With MPs returning for the fall session Monday, the government is laser-focused on the economy, under stress from U.S. tariffs, while fashioning new ties abroad. This is Your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris.

It's Friday, September 18th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast? I don't have any announcements to make about an election today. There's no doubt, though, that this is an existential moment for the province and for the country. No election call yet from BC Premier David Eby, but speculation is rife. Today, the BC opposition conservatives lost three more caucus members. Amid allegations, the party's former executive director hired a private eye to spy on fellow officials and some MLAs. With cheers, applause, and a standing ovation, Mark Carney's Liberal Caucus welcomed the Prime Minister back to Parliament Hill today, along with three new MPs.

But the good vibes may not last long. The ongoing U.S. trade war means more tough economic times ahead. As Jennifer Ewan reports, the federal government says it plans to cut some bureaucratic red tape and speed up the pace of major projects. We have momentum, but we're going to double down. Prime Minister Mark Carney all smiles going into the Liberal Party's two-day caucus meeting. Flanked by three brand-new liberal MPs who all handily won their seats in summer by election. That is a vote in them and that is a vote in you.

Carney is heading into the fall session Monday with the last. a solid majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister signaling he has every intention to use the advantage. We are going to introduce some of the most consequential legislation, not just of this government, but in decades. A new economic bill, the Build Canada Strong Act, that would change the way Canada reviews major federal projects like pipelines and supply chains. For projects, federal projects and supply chains, our standard will be simple. One project, one review, one year. This legislation will help protect jobs, create investment in our communities. A bit to sharpen Canada's economic competitive advantage as at Court's international capital,

says Liberal House Leader Stephen McKinnon. This would work across the economy in the federally regulated sectors to make sure that we're able to attract investment, create jobs and trade with the world. The Prime Minister has been on a blitz this past week, attracting almost half a trillion dollars from top investors at the Canada Investment Summit, then deepening economic and social ties with the European Union at the EU Parliament. But we're also doing it to create resilience for Canada. The ongoing trade war with the U.S., the elephant in the room through it all.

President Donald Trump's tariffs continue to hurt a large number of Canadians. Even those used to work for the U.S. trade representative like economist Brad Setser say diversifying makes long-term sense for Canada. But I think Prime Minister Carney also has to think about the possibility that there is no deal possible with the Trump administration. When Parliament resumes, Carney's government will likely face questions about how it intends to safeguard environmental concerns and work with indigenous groups as it seeks to fast-track major projects

like pipelines with its new bill, concerns that came up during a public consultation over the summer. Carney insisting Canada will maintain high standards. But high standards do not mean decisions have to be slow. Carney also keeping up the push on the international front. Over the weekend, he'll be meeting the French president and the Norwegian Prime Minister. Next week, he'll be heading to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Jennifer Yun, CBC News, Ottawa.

If unity was on display at the Federal Liberal Caucus, Chaos seems to be the recurring theme for the provincial conservatives in BC. Three more MLAs left the party today, and a new scandal has erupted, involving allegations of spying. Premier David Eby was asked if he plans to call an election to take advantage of the moment. Tanya Fletcher has more. I have no announcement to make about an election today. Premier David Eby repeated that line over and over to reporters in Vancouver today,

acknowledging the rampant speculation, but not calling the snap election many are bracing for, at least not yet. This is an existential moment. This is a directional moment. And I don't think it's ever a bad idea to ask British Columbia, especially at a moment like this, about which direction we should be going. This week, E.B. confirmed he selected a campaign manager and warned elections, BC, and his caucus to be election ready. It's been less than two years since his NDP government was re-elected with a narrow margin. But the implosion of the opposition BC Conservatives has many predicting Eby will try to capitalize on their turmoil. The recent exodus of conservative MLAs continues. The party losing three more today. That makes 12 since August, amounting to more than a third of their caucus leaving.

Many of them are unhappy with their new leader, Carrie Lynn Finlay. some now calling for her to step down. I'm not going anywhere. A defiant Findlay also addressing early election rumors. So the Premier will impose on British Columbia's a costly election two years early. That's okay. We're ready. We're ready to go. A message of confidence, even as her party spirals deeper into controversy. Allegations have surfaced of a private investigator hired by the BC Conservative Party's former executive director

to look into a dozen people, including several MLAs. This is a fluid and unpredictable situation. UBC political scientist Stuart Press points to new survey results, revealing half of British Columbians want a change in government, yet two-thirds feel the BC conservatives are not ready to govern. He says it would be a big gamble for Eby to call a snap election right now, even though his NDP government is leading opinion polls at the moment. It is by no means an insurmount,

lead and there is a lot of evidence here that voters are not enthusiastic, even those who are thinking of voting for the NDP. They're not doing so with enthusiasm, which is always a danger sign for a party. A provincial election now would also coincide with and threaten to overshadow the local elections being held across BC next month. Corey Ramsey, president of the Union of BC municipalities, says they're urging the government not to allow overlapping elections. It's really going to hurt voter turn out. It's going to conflate the issues, potentially have people showing up to the wrong polling stations. A shifting provincial political landscape, causing tremors across other levels of government and underscored by a looming question mark of how it'll all turn out.

Tanya Fletcher, CBC News, Vancouver. Quebecers will be heading to the polls in just a few weeks. It's been a more competitive campaign than many expected. And while sovereignty is always part of the conversation in the province, this time around there's another issue that's top of mind for voters. Alexander Silberman reports. In the east of Montreal, a nationalist stronghold for decades. Support for Quebec sovereignty runs deep, but with a provincial election less than two weeks away. Many voters here have different priorities, including the economy amid a U.S. trade war.

Everyone pays for that. Everyone is paying for the high. cost of tariffs, especially seniors like myself, says Louise Terrien, including here at the grocery store, or for transportation. The trade war is really bad, says L'Ori de Bois. I'd like to see stability. Amid broad

economic anxiety, support for Quebec independence is at its lowest level in decades. Just 27% of Quebecers say they would vote yes if another referendum was held. 63% would say, know and 10% say they're unsure, according to a recent poll by Main Street research.

Partsique Quebecoe leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamandandand, campaigning for change, now promising not to hold a referendum until U.S. President Donald Trump is out of office. And of course, the question of the tariffs is part of the election, and our answer is that we have the best team. The nationalist, but staunchly federalist CAQ, in power for the last eight years, trailed in the polls heading into the campaign, now using the trade war to attempt a political comeback. President Trump is my principal opponent. Leader Christine Frischette, arguing amid so much economic uncertainty,

Quebecers need stability. Now is not the time to launch a referendum, she says. Quebec's Liberal Party, strongly federalist, has also tried to leverage the trade war, telling voters a strong partnership with Canada is the best. best path forward. There's no party right now that is trying to make Quebec independence the question of the ballot. Evelyn Brie, a political scientist at the University of Montreal, says Trump's return to office two years ago, even before the trade war, appears to have caused a sharp drop in

interest. A sudden shift, she says, shows Quebecers might be willing to back the cause under different conditions. It's not a decline that suggests that it has been a change of conviction. but rather a change of context, which suggests that it's really the context right now that is seen as not ideal to support sovereignty. Talk of sovereignty still continues to be an issue on the campaign trail. With many tight races, parties are looking for any edge to sway Quebecers at the ballot box.

Alexander Silverman, CBC News, Montreal. Another issue on that campaign trail? The Churchill Energy Agreement with Newfoundland in Labrador. The CAQ has been accused of rushing an imperfect, deal ahead of the election. And although Newfoundland and Labrador's government endorsed it last night by a slim majority, the Innu Nation Grand Chief says it's not a good deal. Jodi Ashini says there are a few benefits for her nation. The Inu are a little upset right now. Not a little, a lot. A lot upset at the provincial government is something that should have been negotiated prior to being signed and it wasn't. So there was

notice of number change before the DCIA was finalized. It was only brought to us afterwards. The provincial government had previously said the deal would need approval from the Innu. Coming right up, struggling under U.S. tariffs, Canada's honey producers say it's not just their livelihoods at risk. They warn of a looming pollination crisis that could impact dozens of crops. Plus, time zone trouble, how Manitoba. Aba's adoption of permanent daylight saving time

is causing some confusion for its neighbors. Later, we'll have this story. I'm Deanna Sumanak Johnson in Toronto. Math, English, AI. Students knew Brunswick are getting schooled in the way of the future artificial intelligence. He had used Microsoft co-pilot to choose his independent reading book this term. So he had fed in some information about what he's interested in,

and that brought back examples of different books he could read. A look at the province's plan and those who say AI has no place in the kindergarten class. That's coming up later on your world tonight. Canadian honey producers are asking the federal government for urgent help. Beekeepers say they are struggling to keep their hives buzzing after a hard winter and now newly imposed U.S. tariffs on honey. Their warning, the shop could be felt way beyond their industry. Nisha Patel has that story.

the U.S. is off limits until those tariffs come off. Simon Lalonde is in a sticky situation. He operates close to 4,000 beehives on his farm near Saskatoon. After Donald Trump slapped 50% tariffs on Canadian honey last month, order south of the border have dried up. This might be the kick in the butt that we need to get out there and really start developing some other markets. About 60% of the honey that Canada exports is shipped to the U.S.

Now producers across the prairies are sitting on huge stockpiles and finding new customers in destinations like Europe won't be easy. Every country will have different rules, different regulations. For example, going into the EU, they have certain restrictions on GMO products or certain labeling requirements. The disruption comes at a time of the year when apiaries are facing their steepest costs, says Connie Phillips, executive director of the Canadian Beekeepers Federation. You've got to get the bees ready for winter, which means you've got to feed them, you've got to treat them.

But it's really getting from now until next spring with the bees and hopefully keeping as many of them alive as possible. Her organization is calling on Ottawa to lend a hand with cash payments to each bee colony. She says beyond honey producers, the stakes are high for dozens of crops that rely on honeybees for pollination. The blueberry industry is already struggling with not enough. honeybees to pollinate their crops on both coasts. And honeybees in that industry will make a difference in yield of anywhere from 17 to 30%. The federal government has imposed matching counterteriffs on American honey, which could raise prices of those imports and boost Canadian sales. The Canadian Honey Council is calling on big food manufacturers like Kellogg's and General Mills to switch to domestic

honey in their cookies and cereals. Lalonde, the beekeeper, also hopes consumers will step up. Finding that product of Canada on the front of the label or Canada grade number one, if it says only Canada on it, then it's pure Canadian honey. He says if Canadian family shop local, it could offset lost U.S. sales almost entirely, and that would provide some sweet relief. Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. Manitoba's decision to scrap semi-annual clock changes is causing some confusion, particularly in one of the neighboring regions. Come November, Ontario will fall back, including a sliver of the province that used to match Manitoba's time changes. Karen Pauls went there to hear what people think of the move.

We spend lots of time in both places, so it'll be a little confusing, I think, as we cross the border. Stephen Moon and his wife live in Winnipeg, but have a cottage in Kenora just over the Ontario border. It'll be confusing to think about sort of what time it is. and what that means and when things are open or close. For more than a century, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario have been on the same clock on central time. Both regions change their clocks in spring and fall. But come November, not anymore.

Kenora resident Alison Crew says things are about to get complicated. I'm already very confused with time changes like to Toronto or to Vancouver, so this would be very confusing for sure. Manitoba has announced it's sticking with permanent daylight time all year round and won't change its clocks on November 1st, meaning it will be the same time in Winnipeg and Toronto while Canora is an hour behind. But in the summer months,

Kenora and Winnipeg will be the same time while Toronto is an hour ahead. Yeah, there's a learning curve to it. Declan Schrader runs a social media account called Winnipeg Daylight Tracker. This is creating what he calls a time bridge in northwestern Ontario. There's a misalignment that provides a challenge

to a place like Canora that is in Ontario, but as often operating as sort of an island of itself or sort of considered by some to be an extension of Manitoba to some degree. Canora Mayor Andrew Porriay says he was taken by surprise by Manitoba's announcement yesterday. I think it caught everybody off guard. He and other community leaders had a Zoom call today with the area's MPP, Greg Rickford, trying to decide what to do. The consensus in the meeting was let's take a look at the Manitoba model. In 2020, the Ontario legislature passed a bill which says the province would move to permanent daylight saving time if New York and Quebec do the same. In a statement, the Premier spokesperson says Ontario is sticking with that

plan. But Porre says Rickford told municipalities they can choose what to do. They understand we're in a different part of the province. It's literally up to us to change or stay or go in whatever direction. Porre has already scheduled meetings next week with leaders from nearby communities. They want to reach a consensus. Then he'll call a special council meeting and a vote to decide which clock to use. We want to make sure that we're making the right decision and we're not impacting negatively on, you know, an industry or a service. But time is running out. November 1st is looming. Karen Paul's CBC News, Canora, Ontario. A third beluga from Ontario's marine land has died. This one in Spain. Officials there say the whale died suddenly after experiencing feeding difficulties.

She and another beluga were sent to a Spanish aquarium in August. They were part of an international effort to rehouse 30 whales from the closed Ontario theme park. Two other belucas died last month within weeks of their move to Chicago's Shed Aquarium. A U.S. judge has blocked Donald Trump from making any major physical changes to the Kennedy Center without prior notice. That includes demolishing the historic venue in Washington, D.C., as Trump has threatened. That threat sparked heated debates in the U.S. Capitol and made the building a flashpoint for residents who want to save it. Mark Carcosole has more from Washington. Workers post-metal barriers closing the Kennedy Center for at least a week for safety inspections.

And some here worry the president may never open it again. He's treating it as his own little toy, and it's, it isn't a toy. Every building needs to be fixed every once in a while, and that's true, but not like this. There's no denying the structural issues that caused the center to wind up like this. Much-needed repairs that will cost millions, storm damage, even a partial ceiling collapse this week. The debate, more like a brawl now, is over what to do about it. President Trump previously rebuffed on efforts to add his name to the center, says he can lead an effort to renovate it, but he wants his name on a sign recognizing the contribution.

He can't do that without congressional approval, though. We should be recognized the Trump administration, if I'm willing and the administration is willing, we have a lot of people working very hard on it to save it. I can save it easily. But why should we be doing that and then raise money for the rest of our lives to keep it afloat? Because that's what you have to do if we get no recognition. Earlier photographers spotted him through the windows of Air Force One, looking over a large poster with what looks like a construction.

rendering under the title Kennedy Center demolished. In response, the Ohio Democrat Representative Joyce Beattie took the images to federal court. We are watching because this president, this board chairman, he's unpredictable with what he will do. That led a judge to rule that if the president opts to tear the center down, he has to give 30 days notice. These are distractions we don't need. We've got an election 48 days from now, I think. We should be focusing on that. And worrying about what it's named, it's kind of silly. Republican Senator Tom Tillis clearly frustrated with the president's fixation on the center would rather he turn his attention to midterms.

Other Republican senators, like John Kennedy, seem to agree there's more pressing matters. I've got other issues on my mind. I'm not following the Kennedy Center. Until it's resolved, citizen supporters continue to stand up for the center with their arms around it. Chris Raleigh is with hands-off the arts, organizers of a human chain. around the center Friday night. We want the president in the world to know that if you want to try to turn it into a crater like the East Wing, you're going to have to go through us.

Mark Carcassol, CBC News, Washington. The New York Times is reporting the FBI temporarily halted cooperation with the RCMP because of CBC's editorial policy on references to 9-11. It's unclear what cooperation was halted or for how long, although the Times suggests the pause was short-lived. CBC's internal language policy instructed journalists not to refer to the attacks as terrorism without attribution. That policy has since been revised. The FBI declined to comment.

CBC News has reached out to the RCMP, Canada's public safety minister, and CBC management. Artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role in classrooms across Canada this school year for better or worse. But the way AI is being woven into the learning process is a lot. a bit of a patchwork. Deanna Suminac Johnson explains one province's approach and how it could serve as a model for others. Your blukets, your school AI, our Ozobots, we're going to continue that. These grade seven students in New Brunswick are getting their assignment in what sounds like a whole new language, the language of AI. The province is the first in Canada to incorporate AI in the curriculum from kindergarten to grade 12. For the youngest kids, it starts.

as simple as awareness of technology and examining how it makes them feel. What's it like to have a book read to them through an app rather than by a teacher? As they go up in grades, more technology and AI gets introduced, says Jordan Smith. In high school, for example. She's a former classroom teacher

who is now the AI lead for Anglophone East School District in Moncton. My stepson came home yesterday and told me he had used Microsoft co-pilot to choose his independent reading book this term. So he had fed in some information about what he's interested in, and that brought back examples of different books he could read.

New Brunswick's province-wide approach contrasts with the rest of Canada, where AI policy is more piecemeal left up to individual school boards or, in some cases, individual teachers. It's something other provinces could learn from, says André Cote. He's the executive director of the dais at Toronto Metropolitan University. The public policy think tank focuses on technology, AI education, and democracy. You know, provincial education ministries and school boards, districts, divisions have frankly not moved with the urgency that they need, given the extent to which this kind of tsunami of AI use has washed into schools. And so I think this move to look at adapting digital literacy curriculum to embed AI is a great starting point.

Still, there's pushback, especially at a time when leaders in AI are asking for a slowdown in development. Some even issuing dire warnings about the risk AI poses to humanity. Some parents across Canada feel school should not be the testing ground for it. Dad Ben Humphreys is the co-founder of Vancouver-based Paces, parents for AI caution in schools. When students use these tools, they give up more easily, they don't remember as much, they don't learn as much, they become relying on the tools. Experts say schools will have to strike a balance, acknowledging the important source. of AI while protecting critical thinking as they prepare kids for this new frontier of learning. Deanna Sominejohnson, CBC News, Toronto.

Finally. When I'm running each day, I take one day at a time. When I'm running, I take one mile at a time, and I take one corner at a time. The voice of Terry Fox, captured in the midst of his Marathon of Hope more than 46 years ago. That clip is in a new documentary that debuts this weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival. Run Terry Run includes material from 93 reels of previously unseen footage, held in archives for decades. Sean Menard is the film's director. I remember watching the first clip that I had kind of discovered where it was just Terry running up a hill for about three and a half minutes

and watching his leather strap, him having to physically adjust it. He's using a walking prosthetic, right? And so just seeing that type of, you know, exertion and everything kind of really put in perspective what he was going through out there. Menard wasn't born when the run took place, but Terry Fox's brother, Daryl, was a firsthand witness. At 17, he rode in the van alongside Terry for much of that grueling trip. He hopes the film gives audiences a more complex understanding of who his brother was.

He would be the first to say that he was selfish before he was diverted. most with cancer, that cancer actually gave him a purpose in life. And that's where he got his strength from what he witnessed going through cancer and seeing the suffering of others. So I saw that. I saw how that impacted on him. I saw how he was able to put it all together to help others. This weekend, Marathon of Hope events will be held across Canada and around the world.

So far, they've raised more than a billion dollars for cancer research. This has been your world tonight for friends. Friday, September 18th. We leave you with a sample from a new song written just for Run Terry Run by singer Brian Adams. I'm Stephanie Skanderas. Good night.