Your World Tonight - Poilievre holds 'Canada First' rally in Ottawa, Germans react to J.D. Vance speech, Celebrating Flag Day and more

Episode Date: February 15, 2025

'Canada First' was the message today from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at a rally in Ottawa. Poilievre outlined his vision for the country - as polls show his party's long held lead has narrowed.Also: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebukes U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance - after he accused European leaders of censoring free speech of parties like the far-right AFD. And Germans across the country are reacting.And: It's a flag day like none other. With the country teetering on the edge of a trade war and threats of annexation from our closest ally - you'll hear how Canadians are coming together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Canadian flag.Plus: A professor returns to his destroyed classroom in Gaza, The push to watch more Canadian films, and more.

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But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Do need at lovescarborough.ca. This is a CBC podcast. Hi, I'm Stephanie Scanderis, and this is your World Tonight. Are there any patriots in the room who are ready to put Canada first? Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev rallies support in Ottawa, shoring up his base as

polls show his party's long-held lead has narrowed. Also on the podcast, Germany's chancellor hits back at the US vice president, accusing JD Vance of interfering in the German elections. And... I'm just proud to be Canadian. We've always been behind the flag. I think we truly have something special here, and I think that's what the flag represents.

60 years after it was first unfurled, Canadians proudly wave the flag on Flag Day, showing true patriot love in the face of U.S. hostility. Canada first. That was the message today from Pierre Polyev. The Conservative leader held a rally in Ottawa. Surrounded by supporters and standing in front of a massive Canadian flag, Polyev outlined his vision for the country. Kate McKenna was there. Kate,

there isn't an election campaign actually happening just yet but it sure seems like Poliev is already in campaign mode. What were the key themes of his speech? Here Poliev's key message was he's the guy best positioned to take on Donald Trump and build a stronger, more economically resilient Canada. He dropped his slogan, Canada is broken, but kept a lot of his other messaging. He wants to cut taxes to make Canada more competitive. He wants to expedite permits to get more mining projects going. He's unequivocally in favor of a pipeline running from the West to East.

All of these things, he says, would help make Canada more resilient in the face of Trump's tariff and annexation threat. And he says these are conservative ideas. In fact, the Trump tariff threats have proven conservatives right on everything. It's true. Everyone now admits, or they claim to admit, that conservatives were right on the liberal capital gains tax hike, that conservatives were right on the carbon tax, on pipelines, on LNG, on fentanyl, the borders, immigration, and the need to celebrate rather than cancel our proud history and country. He also said how he'd address tariffs if he's prime minister. He supports retaliatory dollar-for-dollar, removing inter-provincial trade barriers, and shifting the trade economy

from north to south to west to east. But he also says he wants to try to convince Americans a trade war would hurt both countries and that they're better off doing more trade with Canada. You have your grievance with us, we have ours with you. But I would ask you this question. Which other country would you rather have as your neighbor? And if Canada is not your friend, who is? It's worth mentioning though on retaliation, diversifying trade, and trying to negotiate with the Trump

administration, Polyev shares a lot of common ground with the liberal strategy. His goal will be trying to convince Canadians that he's best suited to handle whatever comes next. What about the carbon tax message? Because that's something the Conservatives spent a lot of time working to make the big ballot question. And then lately we're seeing polls suggesting they're beginning to lose their lead. So does this mark a kind of repositioning?

Well, we know that the Conservative Party was doing some recent focus groups and polling to test new messages and that today was sort of a reset because there have been two big earthquakes in Canadian politics recently, Trump's tariff threat and of course Justin Trudeau's resignation. The frontrunner to replace him, Mark Carney, has said he's against a consumer carbon tax and it's possible he could win and abolish the carbon tax before an election. But we can take from today that the conservatives will partially reframe their messaging but they also doubled down on criticizing Carney over supporting the carbon tax in the

past saying he's tricking people by telling them he'll be abolishing it. He was an economic advisor to the prime minister and we can expect the conservatives to keep tying Carney to Trudeau's record. Okay Kate, thank you. You're welcome. CBC's Kate McKenna in Ottawa. Still ahead, the bi-Canadian movement has been building since Donald Trump started talking about imposing tariffs on this country. Now there's a new push to watch Canadian too.

We'll tell you what that means and the challenges to doing it. That's coming up on Your World Tonight. Ending the war in Ukraine was a key focus of a G7 foreign ministers meeting today. That meeting, led by Melanie Jolie, happened at the Munich Security Conference. Afterward, Jolie was asked if the US will agree

to include Ukraine and Europeans in peace talks with Russia. I won't speak for Secretary of State Rubio, but there was a clear understanding that we need to make sure that Ukrainian voices are at the table, that Europe and Canada is at the table, because ultimately it is also about Ukraine's security, but it's also about the Euro-Atlantic security." Jolie also says Canada does not support Russia being allowed back into the G8 after US President

Donald Trump suggested earlier this week that he wants that to happen. Staying at the Munich Security Conference? We will not accept it if outsiders interfere in our democracy, Germany's Chancellor says. Those comments by Olaf Scholz are aimed at JD Vance, the US Vice President. On Friday, Vance critiqued European leaders, accusing them of censoring the free speech of parties like Germany's AFD. Our senior international correspondent, Margaret Evans, has more from Berlin. A protest in a Berlin suburb this morning against the far-right Alternative for Germany or AFD, demonstrators accusing it of using Nazi propaganda. They're protesting Beatrix von Storch,

the AFD deputy parliamentary leader out campaigning for re-election to the Bundestag. She couldn't be happier with the US Vice President's words to the point of repeating them. I think it was a great speech and I think the main message for the Western elites was there is a new sheriff in town. Get ready and get over it. Didn't seem to bother her that the sheriff in question is American, not German. Not so Antonio Leonhart, protest organizer and local politician for the leftist party Die Linke. Quite arrogant to think that he can tell us what to do.

JD Vance also met yesterday with the AFD co-chair and candidate for Chancellor Alice Weidel. She's also been embraced by Elon Musk, who wrote an editorial in a German newspaper calling the AfD Germany's last spark of hope. It's currently running second in the polls at about 20 percent. That's ahead of Germany's current Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The man expected to win the race, the Christian Democrats Friedrich Merz, also criticized Vance's comments defending Germany's record on freedom of speech. But fake news, hate speech and offenses remain subject to legal restraints and control by

independent courts. But Merz himself is accused of weakening Germany's firewall with the AFD, recently relying on the far-right party for votes in a bid to push through tougher legislation on immigration. Antonio Leonhardt says it moves in the direction of normalizing the party. It's a grave mistake. We shouldn't normalize this party.

Their positions are way outside the mainstream of politics. They are really right leaning and lots of people in this party are very extreme. Rafael Los of the European Council on Foreign Relations doesn't think the US interventions will impact the vote decisively. It mobilizes AFD voters but it hasn't really produced a bump in polls at this point in time. But that doesn't mean it won't have any impact at all on German politics. Voters go to the polls a week from tomorrow. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Berlin.

Outside of Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Sister Jean prays at the feet of a marble statue of Pope John Paul II. The nun is there to send her well wishes to the current pontiff, Pope Francis, who's being treated inside. I truly wish the Pope a quick recovery, she says, so that he returns to the Vatican to continue his ministry. Pope Francis was admitted to hospital Friday for a respiratory infection. The 88-year-old has been suffering from respiratory issues since last December. As a young man, he had major surgery to remove part of his lungs.

The Vatican says Francis needs to rest and will not lead his usual Sunday prayers. In the occupied West Bank, a bus carrying Palestinians held in Israeli prisons arrives in Ramallah. Israel released more than 350 prisoners and detainees Saturday in Tel Aviv. Yair Horn hugs and kisses his nieces, brother and mother at an emotional reunion. Horn is one of the three hostages Hamas released today. Hamas is still holding his other brother, Edan, captive in Gaza. Today's hostage and

prisoner exchange was the sixth in the ongoing but fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel's bombardment of Gaza has obliterated most of the territory's schools and universities. The CBC's videographer in Gaza met up with a professor as he returned to the campus where he once taught only to find it in ruins. Chris Brown has the story of what the professor found left behind in the classrooms. On a dusty road in central Gaza crowded with cars and donkey carts loaded with possessions, Mohamed Khattab uses a cane to help him make an emotional journey. I am going now back also to the library, which has completely burned.

He's 80 years old and living in a tent. He's lost almost everything he owns, and his job as a university professor is gone too. Khattab, a biochemist with a PhD he earned in Germany, taught at Al-Azhar University in Gaza for 30 years. After Israeli troops pulled out of the central Netzerim corridor, he returned to the campus to see what of his academic life might be salvageable. But as he arrived, he quickly saw the science building where he taught had been leveled. And in its place, Khattab found a field

of spent Israeli mortar rounds, his anger growing as he picked his way through them. We are not wild animals. They are the wild animals because they destroy everything. Israel's pounding attacks erased most of Gaza's cultural institutions. Sixteen thousand undergraduates once studied at Al-Azhar. Israeli commanders said they found tunnels used by Hamas under the campus, explaining why so much was destroyed.

In social media posts, some Israeli soldiers mocked the destruction. Others shot video of them using the university as their own military base. Last spring, a UN panel suggested Israel's actions could be considered what it called scholasticide, the intentional destruction of the education system. The report said it could take six months before some kind of rudimentary education is restored in Gaza.

Already, some students with internet access are able to take classes online. What is this here? Scattered amid a huge pile of debris in a former lecture hall was a young woman's report card. Philosophy 88, excellent, excellent marks. In another room, Hatab found slightly more encouraging news. Hundreds of textbooks and research studies dumped on the floor. Most damaged, but also salvageable. It is really a crime. I am very, very, very sad.

U.S. President Donald Trump's day-after plan for Gaza involves not having Palestinians living here, effectively expulsion. Atab says that will never happen. We, the Palestinian people, are determined to stay alive in our country. And we will never leave Isha. As he carefully dusts them off and stacks the papers in piles,

book by book, he vows Gaza will be restored. Chris Brown, CBC News, London. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you want to make sure you never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. Flag Day is honestly something we never usually talk about, but this one is different. With the country teetering on the edge of a trade war and threats of annexation from

our closest ally, Canadians are coming together to raise the maple leaf and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the modern Canadian flag. Philipp Lee Shannach reports. As a Canadian flag flutters over Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, Anita Windesman says she's there to show her pride. And to send a message down south of the border, you can't come and get us. Since the first one in 1996, just after Quebec voted narrowly to remain part of Canada,

Windesman says she didn't notice flag days. But she says because of U.S. President Donald Trump's stated intent to make Canada the 51st state, she's doing more than just flag waving. I have stopped purchasing U.S. goods and I canceled two trips and instead I'm going to the rock. A red flag bearing a single red maple leaf. 60 years ago today the Canadian flag was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill. Our flag. When he was just 11 years old, Danny Murphy from Cornerbrook, Newfoundland recalls sending his design for Canada's new flag.

Similar to the flag we have today, the two side panels were blue and in the middle I have a drawing of an Ojibwe chief. The red and white still flyin' PEI singer-songwriter Chad Matthews says the maple leaf has come to symbolize many things, among them being steadfast and reliable. And we're there for our neighbour to the south we always have been. But as for becoming part of the United States. And in case you have forgotten you can keep your 51st name. In Ottawa a giant flag was unfurled on the Rideau Canal.

Shopkeeper Brad Green says Canadian patriotism may seem subdued but when the country is under threat then everyone wants a flag. When we ran out just this morning we started printing flags on paper or on plastic just to keep up. Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says he thinks of the moment his son enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. Seeing his tunic with the maple leaf patch, tears streaming down my face. In Kelowna, BC, Stuart Sutton and some friends showed their national pride in a big way

by clearing the ice on Ellison Lake into a giant maple leaf. Why not make a big thing like the Canadian flag where people can see it when they come in on the plane. Among the many Canadians from coast to coast coming together to celebrate what it means to live in this country. Philip LeChanoff, CBC News, Toronto. The surge in Canadian nationalism has led directly to the bi-Canadian movement. Many Canadians seem fine with ditching the Florida orange juice or Kentucky bourbon, but they're less eager to ditch Hollywood. People in Canada's

film and TV sector want to change that and are pushing a watch Canadian movement. Mac DeGabris-Lassa reports. Stop Canadian. Buy Canadian when you're Canadian. With calls to buy Canadian-made products getting louder on social media, some in Canada's entertainment industry are tapping into that national pride too. Am I going to use it in a marketing campaign for an upcoming kids film? Absolutely. Olivier Gaultier-Mercier is the president of Film De Lis. The Canadian distributor is getting ready to release Ellie and Her Monster Team,

a German-Canadian co-production. Planning to promote its Canadian-made quality, Mercier is calling on the industry to capitalize on this moment. The NFB and the CMF and telefilms, like they would be the organizations right now that should be stepping up with like incredible campaigns. They're probably kicking them up now. The film and TV production sector contributes more than $11 billion to Canada's economy and is closely tied to Hollywood. Analysts suggest the industry could weather any potential US tariffs, but some in the

film industry here are seizing the moment. This is Anita Lee at the Toronto International Film Festival's celebration of Canada's top 10 films. TIFF's chief programming officer says this is a significant moment in time for Canadian artists to define their country's identity. Especially with the conversations that are happening now with the tariffs. I think it just becomes more and more, I think, timely and urgent that we really support and invest in Canadian culture across the country. But historically, Hollywood films take up most of the attention and most of the multiplex screens. According to a 2023 report by the Canadian Media Producers Association, Canadian movies

accounted for just over 3% of box office receipts in the country across both English and French language markets. We spend a lot of money building big studios to attract other countries coming in. A lot of our own creators have not been able to afford to shoot, to rent. Those studios are too expensive for us. Tanya Williams is the founder of the Real World Screen Institute, which celebrates diverse Canadian filmmakers. She wants to see the industry tackle the challenges

in getting Canadian films made and seen. So as a film festival, we know, and many film festivals talk about this, less and less cinema is for us to screen our movies in. This is about what you want. Director Sukyen Lee's new movie, Paying for It, is playing in a handful of theaters across the country. In an industry that is intertwined with the U.S., she says it is time to lean towards more interprovincial partnerships and for Canadians to come together.

And that extends not only to our art and expression, but every facet of life, your dollar, how you spend it. We must support one another. It's a rallying cry from Canadian filmmakers, but the question now, will audiences and the industry answer the call? Makda Gebre-Selesse, CBC News, Toronto. For three years, the work of finding, identifying and honouring missing Indigenous children who were forced into residential schools has been handled by a National Advisory Committee. But now its federal funding is running out.

Organizers say that could put an end to its mandate. Katrin Pilkington has the story. I went to Yukon Hall and I was always trying to figure out what direction can my mom be because I wanted to face that direction, you know, and I never knew. Under the vaulted cedar ceilings of the Kwanlin Deng Cultural Centre Longhouse, survivors, community leaders and elders have come to share information, part of the ongoing effort to fully understand what happened in Canadian residential schools. Terry Brown is one of them.

I know when Kamloops happened, you know, it was so, so difficult. You know, I couldn't even get out of bed for days. I was just, I just couldn't function, you know. It was just so horrific. And now to think we have to look for our loved ones. In 2021, news of 200 potential unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School shocked the country and made international headlines. On Wednesday, the school officially became a national historic site. The National Advisory Committee formed in the wake of those revelations. As communities began working to better understand their histories, Brown says

the committee acted as a guide, supporting archival and forensic efforts. And the work of the centre has been really phenomenal. You don't have to do the work of finding all the data and the information. It's there for you. But nearly three years later, its future is uncertain. Founding member Crystal Gale-Fraser says their funding will not be renewed by the federal government this March. With our funding now being pulled, this really eliminates our ability to serve communities in the best way that we can. Fraser says as former residential school employees and survivors age, a crucial window of time to understand the scope of what happened is closing. This is the time in order to gather all of that knowledge and a part of this is going to inform Canadian history. You know our communities have been dealing with these histories for many decades

and we deserve answers. This year marks a decade since the Truth and Reconciliation final report. It found records showing 3,200 children died in residential schools. That estimate is believed to be conservative. Elder and residential school survivor Jessie Dawson says fully understanding what happened is the only way to move forward. I hope we do get the funding we need to continue because there are, we're trying to fix a wrong that was done to us and now we're strong enough to do it.

I think it has to be finished for our future generation, our grandchildren, our children, you know, so they'll have somewhat of a better life. The current funding agreement for the committee expires on March 31st. The federal government did not immediately return a request for comment. Katrin Pilkington, CBC News, Whitehorse. It sounds pretty chill, but that's the theme for a video game that's generating a lot of heat. Velatro is an independent card game made by a mysterious creator who goes by the name of Local Thunk and is believed to be in Saskatchewan. The CEO of the Saskatchewan eSports Association, who is not a mystery, his name is Shay Rooker,

described the game to CBC. It's a strange game to describe what I've been doing. As I've been saying, it's a sequel to Poker. So what he did was he said, okay, well let's take what people recognize and we're gonna put that onto almost like a Tetris algorithm where there's just combos that you can do into other combos. I'll kind of make this addicting loop of more cards,

more combos. Bellatro has hit it big since it came out last February. It sold more than 5 million copies worldwide across multiple platforms, and it won Best Independent and Best Mobile Game at the last Game Awards in LA. Now it has a chance to win on home turf. The Canadian Game Awards is a newer competition that's trying to highlight just how big the video game industry is in this country, an industry that's worth about $5.1 billion. The creator says most people aren't aware that big games like FIFA, Call of Duty or

Assassin's Creed are being made here. Most of those games are not set in Canada and developers say it can be a challenge to sell games that are. But there's a chance that with a new push to buy Canadian, people may want to play more Canadian too. Here's Sheruka again. Saskatchewan has a lot of really great talent in the games development. It's amazing when we have homegrown talent, anything culturally, whether it's music or

movies or games. Video game developers, publishers and other industry leaders will be in Toronto this weekend to celebrate that talent. So to get you in the mood to play a Canadian game, here's a little more of the Bellatro theme on your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Scanderis. Thanks for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.