Your World Tonight - Poilievre’s plan to arrest homeless, thousands file past pope’s coffin, coral is dying worldwide.

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to deal with encampments of homeless people by arresting them. He pledged to clean up the problem in parks but to also get drug treatment for those who need it. Critics want to know how criminalizing homelessness deals with unaffordable housing and helping people in need. Still with the election, the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh says Liberal Mark Carney will win the election. And Singh told voters today they should keep the Liberals honest by voting for the NDP to deny Carney a majority government. Singh is facing discouraging polls that point to the loss of many NDP seats. Also, crown prosecutors in London, Ontario opened their case at the trial of five former hockey players on Canada’s World Junior team. They detailed the incident as alleged by a young woman who said the men sexually assaulted her. Opening arguments put the focus on the meaning of consent.  Plus, Canadians are among the many thousands of people in Rome standing in long and winding lines to file past the coffin of Pope Francis. And, the most recent report on the coral reefs of the world finds they are dying around the globe, but perhaps not forever. 

When a body is discovered 10 miles out to sea, it sparks a mind-blowing police investigation. There's a man living in this address in the name of a deceased. He's one of the most wanted men in the world. This isn't really happening. Officers are finding large sums of money. It's a tale of murder, skullduggery and international intrigue. So who really is he? I'm Sam Mullins and this is Sea of Lies from CBC's Uncovered, available now.

This is a CBC Podcast. Letting these 10 cities spread is not compassion, it is chaos. They dot the landscape of communities across the country. Tents and makeshift shelters in parks and public spaces. A complicated crisis involving housing, drugs, fundamental rights and law enforcement. Canada's struggle with encampments lands on the campaign trail with a conservative plan to tear them down. Welcome to Your World Tonight. It's Wednesday, April 23rd, just before 6pm Eastern.

I'm Susan Bonner. Also on the podcast, opening statements in a case that shook the world of hockey. Court hears the first evidence at the trial of five former NHL players and... I pray this is the only thing we can do. We loved him very much so we're very very moved. We're very glad that we see him and this is the miracle for us. The faithful arrive for a departed pope. In Rome tens of thousands line up for a chance to say goodbye to Francis

as the Vatican prepares for even larger crowds at the funeral this weekend. In cities and towns across Canada, encampments for homeless people are easy to find. Solutions to them are not. Today, Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev pitched his answer, a crackdown focused on the police and the courts to solve a problem opponents say is much more complex. Olivia Stefanovic reports. It is unimaginable. It's like something out of the Great Depression. To Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev, few things are more symbolic

of what he sees as Liberal government failures than homeless encampments. These are places where half-dead contorted bodies lie on the ground on the verge of overdose from fentanyl twisted, their spinal cords twisted from countless hours hunched over. According to the federal government's own data, the number of homeless people increased by at least 20% since the pandemic and a quarter of those live in encampments, something Poliev and many of his supporters blame on inflation and liberal drug policies. We're going to restore safe streets for a change. Poliev says he wants to amend the criminal code to give police more power, so law enforcement can dismantle what he calls tent cities, arrest occupants and for those found with illegal

drugs mandatory treatment. Mental health, I don't think it appears in the conservative platform. The liberal platform focuses on improving mental health services and building more shelters. Liberal leader Mark Carney today pounced on the Conservatives' proposal. It's a typical American style approach to an issue, which Pierre Pauliev is important, which is there's a problem, I will arrest people. He wants to criminalize people that have nowhere else to live. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh says the focus should instead be on addressing the root

causes of homelessness. We got to treat people with compassion and dignity. A point also underscored by Bloc Québécois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet. I believe that one of the conditions that should be imposed before you do politics is to have art in your chest and Mr. Poliev seems to have shown that he lacks it. The conservative platform promises 800 million dollars to treat 50,000 Canadians with addiction. Poliev also says he wants to connect those living in encampments with housing and mental health services. Some observers say there aren't enough homes or treatment spots currently available. And there's another issue. We will likely see constitutional challenges.

Vancouver-based criminal defense lawyer Kyla Lee says that could make police reluctant to move in on encampments. The criminal justice system and the expansion of police powers is not the way to resolve social issues. You cannot arrest yourself out of a housing crisis. Poliev did not say how he would respond to a constitutional challenge to his encampment removal law but he has expressed a willingness to use the notwithstanding clause to ensure other promises are seen through.

Olivia Stefanovic, CBC News, Ottawa. The Liberal and Bloc leaders are increasing the pace of their campaigns through. Olivia Stepanovic, CBC News, Ottawa. The Liberal and Bloc leaders are increasing the pace of their campaigns with just a few days left until it's over. We have reporters following those parties tonight, beginning with John Perry in B.C. Here in British Columbia and across Canada, I'm asking you to vote with me for positive reasons. Mark Carney and the Liberals are trying to snatch votes and seats from the Conservatives and New Democrats in British Columbia. But it was Conservative

leader Pierre Pauliev who was the focus of Carney's attacks today in Victoria. You know, unlike Pierre Pauliev, I've managed budgets before. I've managed economies before. I've managed crises before. Carney never mentioned NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, even though his campaign is targeting BC writings held by New Democrats. The Liberal leader focusing instead on the question he hopes defines this campaign. The biggest thing in this election is who's going to stand up to President Trump and is

it we're going to send Pierre Poliev or me to face President Trump in those negotiations. Carney as well was questioned repeatedly on whether he wants voters to give his party a majority in the House of Commons. The Liberal leader chose his words carefully and stuck to a more cautious phrase that what he wants is a strong government. Tom Perry, CBC News, Victoria. I'm Rafi Boujikanean in the Greater Montreal area covering the Bloc Québécois leader. I am not playing defense.

Yves-François Blanchet is pushing back against suggestions he is on the back foot, while visiting three ridings in Montreal's south and north shores, all held by the bloc. They're all repeat visits too. I'm playing very much offense, which is quite my nature. I want as many seats as possible. Blanchet faced more questions from potential voters during a stopover at a popular south Shore brunch spot. How can you pretend to justify your existence? asked one diner,

Martin Kozak, confronting the Bloc leader. I'm not embarrassed about who I am and the party I represent said Blanchet. Kozak later told reporters he's traditionally voted liberal but is thinking of casting his ballot for the NDP. A switch Blanchet is trying to help avoid, with polling suggesting he could lose as many as 10 seats on Monday, mostly to the liberals. Rafiou Boudjikani on CBC News, Centre Stèche, Quebec. That Liberal's strength in the polls is also linked to a dramatic drop in support for the NDP.

Leader Jagmeet Singh started out this race making his pitch to lead the country. Now it's more about saving party status. David Thurton reports. A big thank you to Rachel Notley for being there as well. Thanks for the bell from this bicycler coming by. A brief distraction at Jukmeet Singh's campaign stop in Edmonton. The NDP leader, a veteran campaigner, didn't miss the opportunity to use the interruption for political effect. Especially when reporters keep asking him about his lagging support and his future as NDP leader.

Not at all. Like I said, I don't hear any bell. You guys hear a bell? I heard the bell from the bike. But I don't hear a bell. This round's not over. This fight's not over. We're here fighting. This election's not over. Singh says he's not giving up. But over the last couple of weeks, he has backed down from previous stances, pivoting from his early messaging that he was running for prime minister to now saying this while on the west coast. British Columbians will decide what happens next, whether Mark Carney gets a super majority

or whether there are enough new democrats in parliament to hold the line. British Columbia is where new democrats hold half their seats. Polling shows a resurgent Liberal Party and strong support for the Conservatives could pose a significant threat to NDP incumbents in the lower mainland and on Vancouver Island. New Democrats face an existential threat in the next parliament, according to political science professor Laurie Turnbull. I do think it's a risk that they'll lose party status. I think they won't be at zero, but British Columbia seems like it's really shaping up. Instead of being that typical three-way

tie between the three parties, now it's a race between the liberals and the conservatives with the NDP risking getting just a few seats there, if any. All of that leaves a worrying feeling among NDP supporters in Edmonton, where the party holds two seats and hopes to pick up at least one more. I think that's the biggest thing from people that I'm hearing, especially around these sort of circles of people who want to do what they think the right thing is but are struggling to sort of stand behind what they believe. For the NDP, I think it means that they may get forgotten by some people, right? Because people are so scared that, you know, they don't,

if they don't want the Conservatives to get in, they think that the only option is to vote Liberal. In the final days of the campaign, New Democrats are attempting to make the case for keeping their existing MPs. Seeing at every stop and turn reminding voters how much he has achieved with even fewer seats than Conservatives have in in Alberta, openly telling voters that it's unlikely Pierre Paulier will form a government and they don't need to abandon the party to stop conservatives. David Thurton, CBC News, Edmonton. Coming up on the podcast, how the federal election is playing online, a surge of respect

in Rome as crowds come to see the Pope lying in state, plus the worrying state of the world's coral reefs. If you are among the millions of Canadians who get election information from Facebook or Instagram, beware. A lot of what you're seeing is not accurate. That's because this is the first federal campaign since Canadian news was removed from those two platforms. Nicole Williams has details on what's filling the void. On social media, this federal election is looking a lot different. Check your facts, be alert for deep fakes, activity generated by bots and cyber scams. That's Lorraine Kempton with the Privy Council.

It's been warning voters since the start of this election. The threats of foreign interference, transnational repression, disinformation and cyber attacks are real and pervasive. Ever since Meta blocked legitimate new sites on Facebook and Instagram in Canada after they were told by the federal government to pay media companies for their content, there's been a tidal wave of fake AI generated content about the election, often with sinister intentions like crypto scams. And there's more of it than ever before. One example, an article from last month purportedly

from the Daily Mail showing liberal leader Mark Carney standing and laughing alongside convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell. It looks real, but it's not. Angus Bridgman is the director of the Media Ecosystem Observatory. As soon as it starts to become, hey, I'm trying to convince you that this political, my political opponent said something that they didn't actually say, that crosses very quickly into dangerous territory. A new study from the observatory shows about a quarter of Canadians have encountered a social media post or webpage that falsely presented itself as a legitimate news source, mostly on Facebook and Instagram. of Canadians have encountered a social media post or web page that falsely presented itself

as a legitimate news source, mostly on Facebook and Instagram. People still are using those platforms. They're still going there. They're still getting some version of political information. It's just not the highest quality information in the ecosystem. It's not fact-checked. It's not verified. Legitimate news sources aren't blocked on YouTube, TikTok, and X, though that platform's algorithm has been shown to promote right-leaning content. And all three still have their fair share of misinformation. The good news is that many Canadians seem to be able to suss out fake content.

I think it's so easy to just kind of believe whatever you see on the social media or the internet. I think it's really important to sort of like fact-check yourself. Social media news is not news. But not all. It doesn't seem obvious. It feels like that's the end of what they were saying. But I think at this point, now that I notice it more, I think it is. In a statement, Metis says it's made significant investments

into protecting elections online. But researchers say it's not enough. And without enough reliable news on social media, public discourse about the election becomes less informed and more divisive. Nicole Williams, CBC News, Ottawa. In London, Ontario, the Crown opened its case today against five players from Canada's 2018 World Junior Hockey Team accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman.

What happened on the night in question and whether she agreed to it is now before the court. Karen Pauls takes us through those difficult details. The crux of the Crown's case is consent. What does it look like and did it happen on the night of June 18th, 2018? It's an issue experts have been expecting. Kat Owens is a lawyer at the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund. There's no such thing as implied consent.

You need consent to be ongoing. You can't give consent broadly in advance. Assistant Crown Attorney Heather Donkers provided a timeline of what happened nearly seven years ago when the woman, known under a publication ban as EM, met some of the World Junior's hockey team at a London bar, started dancing with Michael McCloud, had eight drinks and then left to have consensual sex in his hotel room. But Donkers says after that, McCloud invited some of his teammates to his room for three-way sex.

She alleges each of the five men accused had sexual contact without EM's consent. Donker says the Crown will introduce video and text evidence between EM and McLeod and communication between McLeod and the players on how to frame it if anyone asked. EM could take the stand later this week to give her testimony and be cross-examined by lawyers for each of the five men. Feeling very deeply for the young woman at the center of this case. Jessie Roger is the head of ANOVA, a London-based agency for survivors of gender-based violence. Knowing what she is about to go through is going to be really difficult.

Others say the case is hard for the defendants too. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison. You know, it's critical. We do presume people to be innocent, presuming the opposite is extremely dangerous and something that they have to avoid. Christopher Sharon is a law professor at Western University in London. He says there's a balance for the lawyers between defending the clients and treatment of the complainant. So it is important that every accused has a full opportunity to advance his defense.

At the same time you have to be realistic about this. If I were the defense counsel I would certainly be alive to the concern that they don't want to try to you know basically bully the complainant to a point where the jury might react negatively. Court was expected to hear from a witness this afternoon, but after the noon break, the judge called the jury in and told them, something happened over the lunch hour that I need to think about and discuss with the lawyers. She asked the jurors not to talk about it with each other.

Court was adjourned early and will resume Thursday morning. Karen Pauls, CBC News, London, Ontario. Thousands of mourners have packed the streets of Rome to witness the procession for Pope Francis. His coffin was carried to St. Peter's Basilica where his body will lie in state for three days. Chris Brown reports on the solemn ceremonies. As befitting a man who preferred simplicity over formality, the procession that left the Papal

residence for St. Peter's Basilica was colourful but pared down. First, Francis's body, laying in a red-draped open wooden coffin, was blessed with holy water. Then Then 14 pallbearers lifted it to their shoulders and began the slow walk out of the residence to St. Peter's. Led by cardinals adorned in red hats, the procession crossed the square as the crowd applauded. Inside, past the Basilica's bronze doors, his body was placed by the main altar for a short ceremony after which the thousands waiting outside were allowed to file in. Cardinal Claudio Guadarrati was part of that procession and seemed

overwhelmed by the experience. I pray, I think and then I pray. This is the only thing we can do. By afternoon in the warm sun, the line outside curled around the square and beyond, making it an estimated seven-hour wait for some to get in. But native Montrealer Bill Doig arrived early and said it was worthwhile. All I could think of was, I personally think he was such a great person. Others who exited after seeing Francis said it was a spiritual experience. We loved him very much, so we very, very moved. We very glad that we see him and this is the miracle for us.

Vatican correspondent Juno Orocho Estevez says Francis was very involved in planning how this day would unfold. The fact that he didn't want to go the traditional route where popes are buried in three different coffins. He chose one simple wooden one inscribed with his name. It says a lot to his character. Even some who didn't get into St. Peter's said it felt like they were witnessing history, including Leanne Lai from Wasaga Beach, Ontario. To be part of that moment of, you know, one chapter of this pope has ended, but, you know, the hope of a new pope stepping in, like, that there is some optimism there and, you know, maybe what the new pope will stand for and, you know, the world is changing.

Francis' body will lie in state in St. Peter's until Friday evening with his funeral on Saturday. Cardinals met this evening but did not announce a date for the conclave to choose his successor, but it's likely still to be up to two weeks away. Chris Brown, CBC News, Rome. Leaders from around the world will also be heading to Rome, but Prime Minister Mark Carney will not be attending. Carney says the event is too close to Monday's federal election. Governor-General Mary Simon will lead Canada's delegation instead.

US President Donald Trump had more harsh words for Volodymyr Zelensky today. He is accusing the Ukrainian president of harming the US.S. effort to reach a peace deal with Russia. Trump says a deal is very close and Zelensky risks prolonging the war by refusing to recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea. Russia seized the region in 2014. The latest proposal from the U.S. requires Ukraine to also cede most of the territory Russia has captured during the current war. The Trump administration is threatening to stop funding to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says the global funds will have to earn Trump's trust or lose an American pledge worth $4 billion U.S. dollars.

Besson says they have to stop pushing climate change projects and focus on stabilizing economies. The IMF and World Bank must step back from their sprawling and unfocused agendas, which have stifled their ability to deliver on their core mandates. Going forward, the Trump administration will leverage US leadership and influence at these institutions and push them to accomplish their very important mandates. Besant stopped short of saying Washington

would drop out of both institutions altogether. together. The images are unsettling. The normally dazzling and vivid colours of coral reef bleached to a ghostly white. A new report says this vital part of the marine ecosystems is being ravaged by the phenomenon and dying off like never before. But there is still some hope of saving it, the CBC's Anand Ram explains. Diving into the waters near the Great Barrier Reef, or the Red Sea, or the Caribbean, scientists are seeing the same thing in real time, the slow death of coral reefs.

For our region, the Northwest Caribbean, we have had more mortality than we've ever experienced on the other bleaching events. Melanie McField is the founder and director of the conservation group Healthy Reefs for Healthy People. She's among the many experts concerned about the ongoing coral bleaching event. Since 2023, record high temperatures have heated up the oceans, turning colorful coral reefs around the world into ghostly white stalks as they kick out the algae within. If the heat stays too long and too much of it is expelled, it basically starves, which takes a long time. Takes months, usually.

Australians call it living dead. And that's a problem. Corals aren't just living creatures, they're the basis of a community. Nicholas Smith studies climate change in reefs at Concordia University. They provide literally thousands of other species with habitat, as well as food, shelter and sites for reproduction.

Corals are the ultimate real estate developers. Colin Ford is a marine biologist and artist in Miami. And for the last five years, he's run a live stream of what he calls urban corals growing right in the city's port. But even as hundreds of viewers tune in at any given hour, they likely don't notice the glimmer of hope that Colin and others have studied here. What we've observed is that these corals seem to be doing a lot better here and we're able to withstand the bleaching event and the high temperatures and water quality fluctuations

of 2023. He hypothesizes the genetics of these urban corals and their algae hold the keys to heat resilience and hopes to grow new reefs with them. But Smith at Concordia is cautious. On the outside, looks like a good idea. Hey, we're adapting, but in the longer term, it might be maladaptive because if you're good at one thing,

that means you traded off something else. So you might be great at thermal resistance, but not so much against coral disease, for instance. All experts agree more research is needed, but warn that corals may be running out of time, especially if the burning of fossil fuels continues to warm our planet several degrees above the pre-industrial average. You can have all these efforts at 1.5 or 1.6 or 7, but probably not at 2. So I'm not sure we're going to be able to save them. Corals can recover if the heat around them goes down. But in the Caribbean scientists say the warnings of hotter ocean temperatures are already starting months sooner than expected.

Anand Ram, CBC News, Toronto. CBC News, Toronto. Finally tonight it's one of those perfect finds at a vintage store. An old varsity letterman jacket in excellent condition and it fit Joe Winkler perfectly. But the Melbourne Australia resident had questions like where is Ingersoll? What is Broomball? And who is Wally? I think I was having a conversation with a friend or something about you know it's Where is Ingersoll? What is Broomball? And who is Wally? I think I was having a conversation with a friend or something about, you know, it's that classic debate over whether or not you need to have listened to a band to wear their t-shirt or whatever. And I made the claim that, oh, well, I know where all my clothes are from and what they represent and everything.

And then I thought, ah, that jacket's always made me curious. That's Winkler speaking to CBC London's Afternoon Drive about the jacket and its patches that said Ingersoll, Broomball and Wally. He decided to get some answers by googling Ingersoll and posting about the jacket on a local Facebook group. Dozens of people responded and Winkler quickly learned it's a town in southwestern Ontario. Broomball is a winter sport and Wallace, Wally Clayton, played it every Sunday morning for most of his life.

His son Brett recognized that jacket as soon as he saw it. When his dad died in 2011, Clayton donated the jacket to the local Goodwill. I'm really shocked to tell you the truth. I got up Sunday morning there and I had a bunch of messages on my phone about my dad's jacket being found in Australia. And I said, oh my Lord, I wonder how it ever got there. And that may be the biggest question of all.

How a jacket from the 1977 Ingersoll, Ontario broom ball team made it to a thrift shop in Melbourne? Ingersoll Ontario broom ball team made it to a thrift shop in Melbourne. Goodwill Canada says it's possible a visitor from Australia bought it in Ingersoll and then brought it home or a vintage collector purchased the jacket to resell it and shipped it to a buyer in Australia. While that part of the story is still a mystery, Winkler is happy with the rest of it. For this jacket in particular it was just something that took it from cool jacket into well this is something I'll keep for the rest of my life and we'll always have a special story attached I suppose. Thank you for joining us. This has been your World Tonight for Wednesday, April 23rd. I'm

Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.