Your World Tonight - No end to Air Canada strike, Zelenskyy brings back up to White House meeting, eastern Canada wildfires

Episode Date: August 18, 2025

Air Canada flights are still grounded, as flight attendants defy a back-to-work order and continue their strike over wages and unpaid duties. The disruption, which the government has called illegal, has disrupted hundreds of thousands of passengers since it started Saturday.Plus: Ukraine’s president returns to the White House for a summit over the Russian war, with reinforcements. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU leaders sat down with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss ways to end the fighting, and signalled this meeting could lead to trilateral talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.And: Raging wildfires in Eastern Canada affecting community after community.Also: Breaking down a recent study that suggests children who exclusively breast-fed as infants are less likely to experience early puberty, Gaza ceasefire talks, Pierre Poilievre eyes return to Parliament in Alberta byelection vote, and more.

We are gathered here today to celebrate life's big milestones. Do you promise to stand together through home purchases, auto-upgrades, and surprise dents and dings? We do. To embrace life's big moments for any adorable co-drivers down the road. We do. Then with the caring support of Desjardin insurance, I pronounce you covered for home, auto, and flexible life insurance. For life's big milestones, get insurance that's really big on care at Dejardin.com slash care. This is a CBC podcast.

We recognize very much the critical role that flight attendants play in keeping Canadians and their families safe. And it's important that they're compensated equitably at all times, fairly at all times. The Prime Minister trying to navigate a smooth landing as Ottawa becomes further entangled. in a bitter labor dispute between Air Canada and its flight attendants. Mark Carney urging both sides to figure it out, with union leaders saying they'll continue to defy an order to go back to work, even if that means going to jail.

Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Monday, August 18th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. But I believe a peace agreement at the end of all of this is something that's very attainable. and it can be done in the near future. Collectively, we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine. He was suited up and backed up, making a return to the White House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy switched his wardrobe

and arrived with some of the most powerful leaders in Europe, all pushing U.S. President Donald Trump to broker a ceasefire with Russia. It may have been less combative than Zelensky's last visit, but the war rages on. The union representing Air Canada flight attendance is not backing down. Despite the strike being declared illegal and the airline wanting to resume flights today, workers remain off the job.

Flights are still grounded, and tonight the federal government is making another move aimed at one of the dispute's major sticking points. Colin Butler has more. It is disappointing that those negotiations did not come to an agreement. A strike in the heart of summer travel season, disruptive enough, it has Prime Minister Mark Carney's ear. We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our country are being disrupted. The strike began before dawn Saturday. 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job.

Ottawa moved quickly. With the strike about 12 hours old, Jobs Minister Patty Heidu ordered binding arbitration. It was supposed to end the strike. But the union continued its walkout anyway, then launched a legal challenge, demanding their right to collective bargaining. By Sunday, Air Canada grounded 240 flights.

Dozens of planes sat idle on the tarmac today, while regional flights operated by Jazz, PAL, and Air Canada Express kept flying. This morning, the Canada Industrial Relations board declared the strike illegal. It ordered the union to send flight attendants back to work by noon today. But the union said, don't hold your breath. There's no limit. We're going to stay strong. QP National President Mark Hancock. And if it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. And jail is a distinct possibility. Toronto labor lawyer, Sundeepe Gokle,

says this kind of defiance isn't just rare. It's a direct challenge to Ottawa's authority. It's extremely unusual to defy an order. I think the last time we saw that was in the 70s and it led to jail time for a union leader. The union's demands include higher wages for junior staff and an end to unpaid work before takeoff and after landing. Air Canada points to the earnings of senior attendance saying it is offered to pay for some ground duties though at what rate isn't clear. Today, jobs minister Patty Heidu announced the federal government will investigate allegations of unpaid work by Air Canada employees, one of the union's key complaints. In the meantime, with negotiations grounded, flights cancelled, a defiant union in the government

pulled deep into the dispute, its turbulence for all involved with no smooth landing in sight. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario. As the strike drags on, the flight cancellations keep piling up. By Air Canada's count, half a million passengers. have been impacted. For many of them, trying to find another way home has been difficult and expensive and left some wondering if they'll be compensated. Mike Crowley reports. Inside the nearly empty Terminal 1 at Toronto's Pearson Airport, information screens list dozens of Air Canada flights has cancelled. A scene repeated at airports across the country

and around the world. The service for passengers has been disgraceful. Absolutely disgrace. Stephen Phillips is a Montrealer who flew to the UK in early August for a family funeral. He was due to fly back home from London on Monday and is frustrated with Air Canada's communication. They give you a phone number to call, which is impossible to reach, and then they tell you don't go to the airport. Phillips says the airline emailed him, offering a refund of about $700 for his cancelled return flight. Online this morning, look for tickets to Montreal. I got quoted over £7,000.

That's roughly $14,000 Canadian dollars. Air Canada's official message to passengers whose flights are cancelled, the airline will attempt to rebook them, including on other carriers. However, it warns seat availability is limited and says the chances it can find other flights quickly are low. We're kind of in the process of trying to find a place to stay. Rob Otterman of Windsor, Ontario is stuck in St. John's, where he traveled with family to watch his son compete in the Canada Summer Games.

Their flight home was cancelled, and they're not re-booked until Saturday, adding an extra week of costs. Lodging is very limited. There's not very much available, and for those things that are available, it's ridiculously expensive. It's $4 to $500 a night. Under Canada's air passenger protection rules, customers traveling from an airport in this country are not eligible for compensation.

if the flight is cancelled for a reason outside the airline's control. That includes a labor dispute. Really lets Air Canada wash its hands of responsibility here. Jeff White leads the Public Interest Advocacy Center, a national consumer rights non-profit. While passengers in Canada cannot get hotel and meal costs covered, White says passengers who were booked to fly on air Canada from any country in the European Union can.

Accommodation, rebooking, refunds, all of the expenses that one has to incur to suddenly shift plans if there's a cancellation like this would be covered in Europe. It's not covered in Canada. Passengers in Canada or the U.S. hoping trip cancellation insurance might pay for their additional expenses are likely out of luck. Most policies do not cover labor disputes. Mike Crowley, CBC News, Toronto. As major wildfires burn from coast to coast, the federal government says it will invest more than half a million dollars for firefighter training in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

At the moment, the most urgent efforts are happening in Atlantic Canada, where crews are trying to contain several out-of-control fires, and residents are getting more details about communities that could not be saved. Nicholas Sagan has the latest. Working up to the wedding is nerve-wracking enough, and let alone losing your home. Alison Noonan pulls her wedding dress out of a crinkly plastic garment bag and runs her hand over the white lace.

She's standing outside her family cabin just outside of Carbonear Newfoundland, where she and her fiancée and kids are staying along with 20 relatives fleeing the Kingston wildfire. Noonan and her fiancée, Barry Slade, were supposed to get married in their yard in 11 days, but their home has burnt to the ground. I find like daytime, it's not so bad because we have so many people here to keep us busy. But laying down at night, when you actually get time to think, that's horrible.

Oh, it's bad. Firefighters have been battling relentless flames in Newfoundland for three weeks now, with the largest fire measuring 90 square kilometers. 6,000 people in the Conception Bay North area are waiting to hear if their homes are still standing. As of now, Premier John Hogan is estimating. around 100 are destroyed, along with crucial infrastructure. Things like schools have been lost, potentially community centers, town council halls, all these sorts of things we need to do an assessment of before we determine exactly what it's going to look like in terms of rebuilding these damaged communities.

As Newfoundlanders begin to grapple with massive loss, Nova Scotians are holding their breath. The largest wildfire in the Annapolis Valley region of the province now measuring 30 square kilometers and growing. forcing evacuations of more than 100 homes. I would say this general feeling of being unsettled, right? Major Leslie Wiseman is with the Salvation Army, helping organize donations for evacuees. Last week, government officials had to ask people to stop bringing in food and supplies to command centers.

The volume was overwhelming. In the midst of worry and concern, there's also this beautiful coming together as a community to support one another and take care of one another. This as provinces send mutual aid of firefighters and equipment back and forth. With 707 wildfires burning across the country, the federal government says it's working on a plan to better support provinces and territories

as they respond to immediate threats. Federal Minister of Emergency Management, Eleanor Olshevsky, says needs assessments are ongoing. That really means looking at things like how we can strengthen coordination and capacity across jurisdictions, across provinces and territories. Olshevsky says this wildfire season is now the second worst on record in terms of hectares burned. For the communities fighting these wildfires, help will be needed not just now, but in the future as they start to rebuild. Nicholas Sagan, CBC News, Halifax.

The East Coast could feel the effects of Aaron later this week. Officials with the Canadian Hurricane Center say the remnants of the Category 4 storm might bring rip currents and large waves to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. They're also predicting rain and high winds. Aaron caused damage and power outages across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands over the weekend, but no deaths. The storm is forecast to pass the U.S. East Coast in a couple of days. Coming right up, seeking an end to war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodemir Zelensky

returns to the White House this time joined by leaders from across Europe. And Hamas has reportedly accepted a ceasefire proposal for Gaza, but it does not include one of Israel's key demands. It was a mix of diplomatic unity and flattery

in an extraordinary scene more than half a dozen European leaders around a table inside the White House, all in support of the Ukrainian president, trying to find a way out of Russia's war. And coming just days after that country's president also received a warm welcome from the U.S. President. Cameron McIntosh takes us through what happened in Washington and what happens now. This time, the welcome was warmer.

A smiling U.S. President Donald Trump firmly shaking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hand outside the White House. President Trump, sir, your message to the people of Ukraine has world. leaders gathered here today. We love them. Stark contrast to Zelensky's last visit here. You don't have the cards. When the Ukrainian president dressed in his familiar military clothes was berated in the Oval Office. Thank you very much for being here.

This time, Zelensky is sitting in the same chair wearing a black suit. First of all, Mr. President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit. I should have a good. Cordially taking questions with Trump. After meeting privately for about an hour, Zelensky said he's open to. speaking with Russia. What is very important that all the sensitive things, territorial and et cetera,

we will discuss on the level of leaders during the trilateral meeting. Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, looking for a ceasefire and common ground. There's no deal until there's a deal. He didn't get the ceasefire, left agreeing with Putin that it's not needed. White House officials have leaked some Russian terms, including land swaps. Before the meeting, Trump posted Ukraine would need to relinquish illegally annexed Crimea and would not get NATO membership.

Trump told Zelensky, Ukraine would get security guarantees backed by the U.S. and Europe. Zelensky calls that critical. We are very happy, Mr. President, that all the leaders are here. Also at the White House, the leaders of the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Finland, the European Commission, and NATO. Backing Ukraine amid their own concerns about Europe's vulnerability. French president, Emmanuel Macron. Everybody around this table is in favor of peace. Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack.

Five people were killed in a drone strike in Harkiv today. Conceding land doesn't sit well with most Ukrainians. Amid fears, Putin and Trump will force Zelensky into a bad deal. Inovsson is a Ukrainian parliament member. That is the worst-case scenario that I think everybody is very much concerned about. Russia's deputy UN ambassador commented, we hope that the Ukrainian leadership will instead of thinking about saving their own skin

think about their people who don't want to fight and who are ready for peace. Trump says negotiations will be between Ukraine and Russia. I love the Ukrainian people, but I love all people. I love the Russian people. I love them all. I want to get the war stopped. Shortly after that, Trump reportedly paused his meeting with European leaders to make a call to Putin.

Cameron McIntosh, CBC News, Washington. What's your advice to President Zelensky? regarding, should he accept any deal? I gave that advice yesterday in a meeting with President Zelensky and the coalition. And what was it? What was it? Prime Minister Mark Carney was not at today's summit with other NATO leaders. During a scrum in Ottawa, he revealed little about his discussion with Zelensky on Sunday.

A statement from the Prime Minister's office says Carney welcomed the meetings with the U.S. president. He also praised Trump's efforts to end the war, while adding decisions about the futures of Ukraine and Europe should not be made unilaterally. Finding a way out of the war in Gaza is the focus of negotiators in the Middle East, and on that front, there appears to be some movement tonight. Hamas is reportedly agreeing to a proposed ceasefire with Israel.

It would see the return of some hostages held in Gaza. Sasha Petrasek reports. As Israeli tank, line up along the border, preparing to occupy another Gaza city suburb. Some Palestinians flee and others dig in, bowing to stay and venting at Hamas in a rare protest against the militant movement. One man holds a sign saying enough death and destruction. We demand that our Palestinian negotiators stop the war,

says Mohamed al-Sawad. Those Hamas demands do not represent me, says Um Ahmed al-Bana, I want a life of peace. Hamas's demands did seem to soften today as representatives met with Egyptian mediators in Cairo, reportedly agreeing to a previous U.S. proposal that would see 10 Israeli hostages freed half of the living in a staged release during a 60-day ceasefire.

Israeli troops would pull back. Talks would start on a permanent end to the war. It's similar to demands. Israel once said it accepted, but apparently no longer. Not as Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, orders his troops to take more of Gaza and keep it under Israeli control. Hamas is under atomic pressure, he says, implying that's why the group is compromising.

Israel has vowed to force Hamas out of power and out of Gaza, insisting on a new government there that includes no current Palestinian leaders of any stripe. At the southern Rafa crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Egypt's foreign minister, Badr Abdelati, criticized Israel for refurb. refusing to compromise. Now, unfortunately, there is no Israeli partner. He promised Egypt's army would participate in a peacekeeping force once the war ends if one is established by the UN Security Council.

We are standing ready, of course, to help, to contribute to any international force to be deployed in Gaza. But it's not just Palestinians who are frustrated with a war that says, seems to have no end in sight. Many Israelis also want their leaders to negotiate a deal. Put some pressure on everyone to get into an agreement. This weekend, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities in one of the biggest protests since the war began 22 months ago. Sasha Petrusik, CBC News, Toronto.

A California woman dubbed the Ketamine Queen will plead guilty in the death of Matthew Perry. Jasvin Sanga is accused of selling the Canadian actor and Friends Star, the drug that killed him, and she's one of five people charged in Perry's death. Sanga faces up to 60 years in prison. Perry overdosed in October 23. He was 54 years old. For the second time this year, the political future of Pierre Pauliev is in the hands of voters. After losing his longtime seat in Ottawa, the conservative leader is running in a by-election in the Alberta riding of Battle River Crowfoot. Josh McLean has more now on why Polyev has more to prove than simply winning the conservative stronghold.

Campaign signs dot the roadside in Camrose, Alberta. Familiar colors for voters here, deja vu as they head to the ballot box for the second time in months. This time, though, there's a new name enshrined in conservative blue. Thanks for coming out. Really appreciate you guys coming out. Pierre Pollyev, fresh off a painful defeat in his Ottawa riding, where he was MP for more than two decades, hoping for a do-over here in Battle River Crowfoot.

It's a safe bet. The riding has long been a conservative stronghold. Damian Kirk won it for the party with more than 82% of the vote in April, before stepping down weeks later, triggering a by-election, and creating a path for Paulyev back to the House of Commons. These are local issues that require national leadership, and it would be a privilege to provide. Then, the conservative leader has been campaigning hard in the writing, emphasizing his formative years spent in Alberta and talking up the benefits of having a party leader as your MP. Some voters are on board with the idea, Day's land resident Nolan Johnson. There's more potential for change, but also with our writing being, it's a big riding.

It's a big writing. So there's also less time that he can spend, but at the same time, he's going to be aware of that. So hopefully I have more people assisting him. Others are skeptical, like Camrose voter Julie Girard. Well, the real concern is that we won't have representation, that you won't have a person to access. So that's the real fear, is you just won't have representation. For Polyev, it's not enough to win.

With a leadership review fast approaching, he'll need to win big. Lori Williams is a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary. People are watching closely. If he doesn't come close to that 83%, level, then that will make it more difficult for him to make his claim, that he is a credible leader and that he's the best one who leads a party into the next general election. And then there's the ballot. With 214 candidates, it's the longest in Canadian history. The vast majority of them, part of a protest for electoral reform.

So many that voters will have to write out the name of their choice instead of ticking a box. Frustrating for people like David Graham. Honestly, it's a joke. I believe it's a joke. If you want to create reform, you've got to create reform in other ways. It slows down the counting process, too, prompting elections Canada to start two hours earlier than usual. Polls closed tonight at 8.30 p.m. local time. Josh McLean, CBC News, Calgary. This is Your World Tonight from CBC News.

If you want to make sure you stay up to date and never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button. us in. A new study suggests babies who are exclusively breastfed are less likely to hit puberty early. But doctors stress every mother nurses differently, and the emphasis should be on helping moms breastfeed and not judging those who don't. Christine Birak has more. Both they were breastfeed, so I think I did my fair share.

Talking to new moms at a playground in Montreal, you know right away. breastfeeding is a tricky topic. I tried. I tried hard, but just, it was hard for me. Honestly, it was just about keeping him fed. Now, some researchers think baby formula and weight gain might be part of the reason more kids are starting puberty younger than they used to. The worst outcomes were in the girls who had exclusive formula feeding. Dr. Kabiri Desgupta is a professor of medicine at McGill University,

a large-scale study done in South Korea involving over 320,000. children found during the first four to six months of life, exclusive breastfeeding was associated with a reduced risk of early puberty in both boys and girls. Children who received a mix of breast milk and formula showed a slightly higher risk. However, girls who were exclusively formula fed faced a 60% increased likelihood of early puberty, while boys experienced a 16% increase. Dr. Dasgupta says while the study is observational, it's in line with other findings. The idea is that breastfit kids are less likely to have extra weight, and that's the mechanism whereby they're more protected from developing early puberty.

Dr. Sonia Annan researches global health at McMaster University. A lot of data now is supporting early and longer-term breastfeeding is associated with less fat tissue. She says extra fat tissue could play a role in when puberty begins, but researchers still don't understand exactly how it works inside the body. Puberty usually starts around age 8 to 13 for girls and 9 to 14 for boys. Any younger is considered early puberty, which can affect a child's social, emotional, and long-term health, including cancer risk. The take-home message should be for parents or to be parents that breastfeeding has multiple beneficial health effects for their children.

and the second message is it is not always easy to do. Dr. Dasgupta also agrees with that. Not breastfeeding your child is not a crime, and it doesn't mean inevitably that there will be problems. It's one factor among many. Doctors say a child's diet, exercise, and sleep are also important factors. And instead of putting more pressure on new moms, policymakers should look at what can be done to,

support them in breastfeeding, from lactation support and flexible work schedules to private feeding spaces. Christine Beirak, CBC News, Toronto. We end tonight by saying goodbye to a Montreal community builder who built a decades-long legacy of care and service to the residents who need it most. Sid Stevens was the co-founder of Sun Youth, a charity that assists inner city youth and low-income families. The organization says Stevens died yesterday.

It did not provide a cause of death. Stevens was just 13 years old in 1954 when he and a friend started publishing a local newspaper, the Clark Street's son from the back of a shoe repair shop. The paper's profits went directly into buying sports equipment and organizing events for young people. The money that we made from the newspaper that we used to rent a two cents a copy,

we were able to rent gym space at the local school for two hours a night, every night. So we started our own little youth club. A lot of them came from single-parent families, and they had very little food on the table. So we also came up the idea of the first food bank where we would serve them hot lunches prior to the game because we thought it was important to help each other. We were actually helping ourselves. We just keep ourselves busy and we came very independent because it's $500 a year.

That's a lot of money in 1954. That effort evolved into Sun Youth, becoming over the decades a vital community pillar in Montreal. With hundreds of volunteers, millions of dollars in funding, Sun Youth now serves thousands of families in need. Stevens was also a city councillor. He's recognized by the city as a great Montrealer, and he's a member of the Order of Quebec. Sid Stevens was 85.

Thank you for joining us. This has been your world tonight for Monday, August 18th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.