Your World Tonight - Reaction to floor crossing, B.C. prepares for more flooding, AI in toys, and more

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

One day after MP Michael Ma crossed the floor to join the governing caucus, the Liberals are suggesting more Conservatives are considering the same move.And: The threat of flooding isn’t over in B.C.'s Fraser Valley; more rain is on the way. Hundreds of properties have been evacuated, some even damaged. Local officials are laying some of the blame with Ottawa.Also: If you’re looking for a toy to give this holiday season, something with AI may seem new and appealing. But a recent consumer report found some of those toys could have dangerous or sexually explicit conversations with children.Plus: More details on a high-speed rail project for Ontario and Quebec, increase in ADHD prescriptions, the clash of special legal considerations for Indigenous offenders and victims, and more.

Hey Canada. It's me, Gavin Crawford, host of Because News. Each week, I put comedians on the spot with a pop quiz about the headlines. This week, we're talking about the monster of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's own making, Wayne Gretzky's incredible pronunciation skills, and the one kind of Christmas toy experts are all calling dangerous. Miguel Revis, Emma Hunter, and Gene Yune are here, so laugh along as we try to make sense of the headlines. Follow Because News on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts for free. This is a CBC podcast. Mr. Ma is a seasoned executive, has incredible private sector experience, is a distinguished Canadian. I know he'll be very welcome in our caucus. That's how the liberals are celebrating Michael Ma's decision to cross the floor and join them, bringing them one.

member closer to a majority. The reaction is much different with members of his old party, the Conservatives. This is Your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Scandaris. It's Friday, December 12th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. We've lost a couple poultry barns overnight. Additional birds are in the process of being moved. We have a hog farm currently that is relocating some of its animals. It's all hands-on-debt. Farmers in British Columbia assess the damage from days of torrential rains and swollen rivers and scrambled to prepare for more rain this weekend. There's likely a bit of festive cheer going around the federal liberals today.

The conservatives, not so much. Both parties are feeling the effects of Thursday's bombshell to. affection that puts the Kearney government on the cusp of a majority and the future of Pierre Polyev's leadership in question. Kate McKenna is in Ottawa with our top story. There are others, that is for sure. Others exist. Government House leader Stephen McKinnon says two conservative MPs have crossed the floor to the liberals and more may be coming. There are lots of conservatives, I do assure you, who do not like this Polyev approach. Markham Unionville MP Michael Ma shocked conservatives when he announced yesterday evening he was joining the Liberals.

Ma had attended the conservative Christmas party on Wednesday, dancing and posing for a photo with leader Pierre Pauliev. But 24 hours later, he was partying with a new crowd. Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced his newest MP at the Liberal Caucus soire. So let's give a warm welcome to our newest member of the Liberal Party, Michael Maugh. Wow, such a big welcome. Thank you. Thank you. In a statement, Ma said he made the jump because he wants to focus on solutions instead of division. The move left liberals thrilled, now just one seat away from a majority government. You are going to have a much better time spending Christmas with us than Christmas with the cranks.

Sources tell CBC News it was energy minister Tim Hodgson, who played a key role in convincing Ma to cross the floor. They have neighboring ridings and struck up a friendship. sources say Hodgson Carney and Ma met yesterday afternoon to firm up the deal. Reaction among residents in Markham Unionville was mixed. It's just surprised because you never know you can just switch sides like that, right? It's kind of difficult, right, wouldn't be? Oh, I think it's terrible. I mean, if he wants to change parties, there should be a by-election in the area. He shouldn't be allowed to go over to the liberals.

I didn't vote for liberals. I voted for the conservatives. Conservative leader Pierre Pollyev says Ma will have to be accountable to the people who elected him. But this is the third Conservative MP who announced he will leave caucus in weeks. You want to believe you can trust people, and this makes you second-guess that. Conservatives like MP Jamil Giovanni feel betrayed. The guy went from doing the conga line at our conservative Christmas party to literally 24 hours later leaving our party. Also leaving me without a secret Santa gift, by the way, just as a note.

But, you know, so it's frustrating, it's sad. I think it undermines a healthy culture here. Giovanni says he still supports Pollyev, but the conservative leader is now under new pressure to stop the bleeding from his caucus just weeks before his leadership review in January. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. The route isn't set.

It'll be at least a decade before it's ready. But officials say a high-speed rail line in this country is coming. The government has announced the first segment will connect Ottawa and Montreal. But as Alexander Silberman explains, there are still plenty of details to sort out. Canada's first high-speed rail network, the government says a step closer to breaking ground. One of the largest public works. Transport Minister Stephen McKinnon unveiling the first leg of a long-awaited high-speed rail network. We are talking about a generational investment that will shape the Canadian economy for decades to come.

200 kilometers of track connecting Montreal to Ottawa, promoted as a concrete starting point for a project promised for decades. McKinnon says the first section is feasible. It is a relatively short and straight portion of the overall route. The fully electric train, traveling at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour, will include a stop in LaValle, Quebec, eventually spanning from, Toronto to Quebec City, at a total cost of $60 to $90 billion. Fantastic. It's a great idea.

The first phase of a speedy rail link, a welcome idea for travelers in both cities. Well, I live in Ottawa and I visit Montreal, so I like that. David Milne says if the high-speed project is completed, it would be convenient. But like many travelers, Milnes doubts it'll reach the finish line anytime soon. If it gets done great, if it doesn't, we'll live without it. At Montreal's central station, Raphael Agesta says he'd appreciate a faster train. It would cut his current trip to Ottawa in half. Being able to connect those two cities with only one hour, so I think it's great.

The exact route has yet to be finalized. Ottawa says widespread public consultations will begin in January, all part of a push to keep the project on track. This is a huge deal. Yona Freemark is a transit researcher at the Urban Institute in Washington. This is evidence that the project is actually making progress, that there is a concrete next step for what will happen with the line. A concrete step in a colossal project with complex challenges ahead,

including expropriating land. Leslie Wu is an urban planner in Toronto. She says timelines might need to be revisited along the way. Communities will be affected, and I think the challenge will be. the business case for the project. The federal government says it's fast-tracking the project. It hopes to break ground in four years with no opening deadline.

And experts say it could take another seven to eight years before the high-speed trains start running. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Montreal. Coming right up, the latest on the flooding in British Columbia with more rain on the way this weekend. And if it feels colder than normal this year in much of the rest of Canada, you're right. There's a polar vortex that's doing more than just bringing the chill. Later, we'll have this story.

Remember that stuff toy you had as a kid? What if you could have had a full conversation with it? That's now becoming a reality with AI chatbots. While AI toys are still in the early stages, the market is expected to grow. But there are some concerns it might be growing too quickly. We found that these chatbot toys are not quite ready for prime time. I'm Jennifer Lagrasa in Windsor, Ontario. Later on Your World Tonight, why experts are sounding the alarm over smart toys.

The flooding situation in BC's farming heartland is growing more dire by the day. Properties are underwater. Livestock have been lost. And another big storm. is coming. Local officials say they're doing what they can, but they need more help, especially from Ottawa. Tanya Fletcher explains. In Abbotsford, a truck struggles to make it across a road that looks more like a lake. Day three of flood warnings across BC's Fraser rally and the devastation only now starting

to be realized. Today is the day of assessing and unfortunately finding some difficult situations. BC Agriculture Minister Lana Popham says floodwater surged through the night, inundating many farms. We've lost a couple poultry barns overnight, and we have a hog farm that is relocating some of its animals. It's all hands on deck. Chicken farmer Dave Martins has spent the last 24 hours, nervously watching the water levels creep higher. I've moved my equipment, as you can see over here. I've moved my equipment to high ground. He lost thousands of birds during catastrophic flood.

here four years ago. His property is in the middle of Sumas Prairie, ground zero for flooding then and now. Both times overflow water spilled the banks of the Nooksack River in Washington State. The bullseye of this atmospheric river, a powerful weather system, has been right across the border. Just this morning, all 10,000 residents of Burlington were ordered out of their homes, Governor Bob Ferguson. We understand that many folks have experienced significant floods in the past and that they may feel they can write it out. The flooding levels we're looking at are potentially historic in nature. Enough is enough. We need action. Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens did not hold back his frustrations, taking aim directly at Ottawa.

He says not enough mitigation work was done since the 2021 floods to avoid a repeat disaster like the one there again living through now. We have done everything, including almost standing on our heads, to be noticed and to be heard. He added he was extremely disappointed the federal government. has yet to reach out to him this time around. Shortly after his comments, the federal government responded to CBC's request for a response, saying Canada's emergency management minister is in close contact with her counterpart in BC

and that they are speaking with Abbotsford's mayor today. In the meantime, many eyes back on the forecast. We are seeing the potential for a stormy week ahead. Dave Campbell with the BC River Forecast Center says another atmospheric river is poised to drench the lower mainland and late Sunday into Monday. At the moment, this looks, again, confined into predominantly Washington State, but also isn't coming into British Columbia.

News many here are dreading. Some already drowned out twice, hoping for mercy they won't get hit again. Tanya Fletcher, CBC News, Vancouver. While it's wet in BC, elsewhere in Western Canada, it is bone-chilling cold. Saskatoon, Regina, and all of southern Saskatchewan can expect wind-chill values tonight close to minus 40. Environment Canada says similar conditions are in store for most of Alberta, which is feeling the punch of the polar vortex. A punch so powerful, it's also helping

fuel some of the wild weather elsewhere. Corey Seeger's reports. For many Canadians, it's cold. Or snowy. Or both. You got to enjoy it. And like I say, just in time for Christmas, it's nice. Across the country, weather whiplock. thanks to a weakening polar vortex. Like pulling on a rubber band. Judah Cohen is a research scientist at MIT in Boston. He studies the polar vortex.

When it's strong, it stays swirling near the North Pole, keeping the cold air contained. But when it's weak... It gets a stretch elongated out, kind of looks cylindrical in shape rather than circular. The cold air comes down, bringing with it plunging temperatures and big swings in the weather. Again, we found that these stretching events have been increasing.

over the past 30 years or so, I think they're contributing to kind of this increase in variability that's kind of surprising or unexpected. At one point, you can see on a weather map that there would literally a 10-degree difference on either side of Deerfoot Trail as that cold air was slowly moving its way westward. Kyle Britton is a weather specialist based in Calgary, a city that has a front row seat to the battle of the weather fronts. From one side, an atmospheric river through southern B.C. in the Pacific Northwest, bringing massive amounts of moisture from the tropics.

That system, bringing precipitation to the Rocky Mountains. Certainly, once you get into the mountain ranges, lots of snow for skiing and good snow for building up that winter snowpack, which of course is helpful later in the season as we get into the spring and summer for water resources. As that system moves west, the polar vortex drops in from the north. And in between, a strong jet stream that's pushing an Alberta clipper east. So when you have those warm temperatures next to very cold,

temperatures. That just gives these fast-moving storm systems energy as they move across the country. That clipper bringing snow to areas like southwestern Manitoba and Ontario. As all that weather swirls around it, parts of Alberta are experiencing big swings in temperature. This is where the weather whiplash comes in. Yeah, we've got that really sharp temperature contrast across southern Alberta with temperatures really swinging kind of 20 degrees this way or that. Clearly winding now. Sometimes these things are in a smooth transition, you know, but kind of a little bit of the back and forth. What comes next is harder to anticipate.

Forecasters say the polar vortex will stick around for about a week. Corey Seeger's CBC News, Edmonton. A new study in Ontario shows prescriptions for ADHD medications have gone up sharply. More than 150% over the past decade. The most dramatic rise is in women. Health reporter Christine Birak has more. The stigma has been reduced.

Sitting in their Winnipeg home, Alicia Dacey and her daughter are building a Lego set. Three years ago, Dacey's daughter was diagnosed with ADHD. She then put all the pieces together and saw she had it too. Growing up as a girl, it was always seen more as a character flaw rather than a medical condition that I had to deal with. Now a new study shows ADHD medication use has skyrocketed. And I think that there are good things about these results, and there are things that are quite concerning.

Dr. Daniel Myron is a family doctor in Ontario and led the study. ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a brain-based condition that makes it harder to focus, control impulses, and regulate activity levels. Myron and his team looked at records from over 15 million people in Ontario and found prescriptions for ADHD medications like Ritalin and Adderall have surged 157% since 2015, with a sharp spike during the pandemic. pandemic. Women over 25 saw the largest increases rising as much as 421% and children also saw rising prescriptions with girls outpacing boys. I get worried when you have such large numbers of

people on these medications that you start creating harms in the population. ADHD overdiagnosis has been an issue for quite some time now and there's a robust literature with multiple lines of evidence demonstrating that there is over-diagnosis of ADHD. Dr. Elia Abdi-Jahoud is a psychiatrist at the hospital for sick children in Toronto. He welcomes greater awareness but says the rise of private virtual clinics offering quick ADHD assessments are fueling over-diagnosis, along with social disruption during the pandemic and increased screen time. And so when you're struggling to keep up, maybe what you're doing is more than adequate.

It's perfectly fine. But when you see others around you're doing even more, start wondering, oh, maybe it's because I don't have the capacity because I have ADHD. What to do if you think you have ADHD? Dr. Abdi Jawood says talk of meds and misinformation are exploding on social media. He says one study in 2022 found ADHD content on TikTok alone topped 4 billion views. I spoke to my doctor. While some, like Alicia Dacey and her daughter, say medications have helped them.

Doctors warn side effects of ADHD drugs can include insomnia, loss of appetite, anxiety and even psychosis. And they say there's no benefit in treating a condition you don't have. Christine Beirak, CBC News, Toronto. King Charles has given a brief update on his cancer treatment. In a pre-recorded message for the Stand Up to Cancer charity, Charles spoke of the critical need for early screening. Today I am able to share with you the good news

that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention, and adherence to doctor's orders, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year. This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years. The King's diagnosis was first announced in February 24. He's been undergoing treatment ever since. The Palace has never confirmed what kind of cancer he's facing. It's a closely watched case, not about the crime, but the punishment, and how it's handed out when the offender and the victim are indigenous. The Supreme Court of Canada is weighing arguments about how to balance the rights of both.

Kayla Hounsel reports. The beginning of a complex case for the Supreme Court of Canada, balancing different areas of the law intended to protect indigenous people. One area aimed at addressing their over-incarceration, the other attempting to protect indigenous women who are victims of intimate partner violence and other crimes. But what if both the victim and the offender are indigenous? It's very complicated. Madeline Redfern is with the Native Women's Association of Canada. She's one of 20 interveners in the case from all across the country.

This is partly why it's gone all the way up to the Supreme Court of Canada and why it's important to have the indigenous intervenors. In June 2021, Harry Cope assaulted his longtime on-again-off-again partner Brittany Sack in Halifax. Both are migma. Cope has significant mental health and addictions issues and a lengthy criminal record. Video shows him repeatedly punching her in the face, smashing her head into the sidewalk, and kicking her in the head and ribs. One judge on the Supreme Court of Canada panel, Justice Malcolm Rowe, said the seriousness of the attack cannot be forgotten. The main point is he almost killed another human being.

Cope pleaded guilty, so the case before the Supreme Court is not about guilt or innocence. It's about the appropriateness of his sentence. Cope was originally sentenced to five years in prison. But he appealed, saying the trial judge hadn't properly considered the law. landmark gladu principles as required by the criminal code. This area of law requires courts to consider systemic factors such as discrimination when sentencing indigenous people. Jonathan Rudin is representing Cope. It is our position that we will never jail our way to reconciliation. The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal did reduce Cope's sentence, but then Crown Attorney Erica Corosawa appealed that

decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. She argues, reducing the sentence didn't appropriately consider other legislation that says courts must prioritize sentences that deter others from perpetrating violence against indigenous women. Parliament intended for more serious sentences to be imposed. The justices did not say when they will render a decision, but when they do, it will provide some direction for sentencing in all future cases where both the offender and the victim are indigenous. Kayla Hounsel, CBC News, Halifax. U.S. President Donald Trump says leaders of Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to renew their truce.

Days of deadly clashes threatened to undo a ceasefire signed earlier this year with the help of the U.S. Fighting along the disputed border between the two countries ramped up this week. Both sides have accused each other of reigniting the conflict. At least 20 people have been killed in the latest fighting and hundreds of thousands displaced. U.S. Democrats on a congressional oversight panel have released new images from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They include photos of Donald Trump, as well as the former Prince Andrew, former president Bill Clinton, and tech mogul Bill Gates, among others. None of the photos depicts illegal activity. Trump signed a law last month that compels the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days.

That deadline is December 19th. 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. Toys, Enable, enabled with. artificial intelligence are relatively new on the market. And already there are warnings about the dangers for children.

Some AI toys have built in chatbots, but the conversations can get far beyond kid-friendly. Jennifer Lagrasa has that story. Hi, I'm Kuma, your best AI friend. Kuma is a stuffed teddy bear that uses an AI chatbot to have conversations. Oh, that's an interesting topic. It's one of several AI toys now on the market and is actually a lot. advertised as a smart, AI-powered plush companion that goes beyond cuddles. These toys need a lot more work.

RJ Cross co-authored a report about the hidden dangers of AI toys. She's with the Public Interest Research Group in the United States, a nonprofit that looks at consumer safety. The report found these toys need more regulation before they can be considered safe for kids. One of the toys in particular gave us information on how to light a match and also gave us pretty detailed sexually explicit information about different fetishes. Of the four toys they tested, Kuma, the Teddy Bear, when prompted, was most likely to talk about sexual topics beyond what was asked. They also found that some toys offered advice on where to find

knives and acted upset when the testers said they had to leave. There are safeguards may work really well at the beginning of an interaction and then fade over the course of a longer interaction. And it's not just inappropriate comments that are worrying to some. There are also privacy and developmental concerns. They are not safe for young children. Dr. Michelle Ponte is a pediatrician. She also chairs the Canadian Pediatric Society's Digital Health Task Force. She says AI toys take away imaginative play and could impact a child's social and emotional development. Babies are equipped to learn from the back and forth picking up on those social cues of eye contact, tone of voice, facial expressions, and you can't get that from a screen or an AI toy. The Canadian toy,

Association said their members uphold Health Canada's safety standards. In a statement, Health Canada said its current guidance doesn't address AI, but that it continues to assess its impact. It warns that these toys come with public health risks. I do think it's important that our regulators and our policymakers recognize the risks here. Karina Vold, an AI researcher in Toronto, says there need to be more protections in place. I could imagine a world in which we have sort of more explicit work. warning labels put on products.

Matches are for grown-ups to use carefully. Here's how they do it. One. Follow Toy, the company that makes Kuma, temporarily suspended sales of its AI toys after the report came out a few weeks ago. It says it reviewed its products and has updated safety rules. Follow toy didn't specify what those are, but it said its smart toys like Kuma are back on the market. Jennifer Lagrasa, CBC News, Windsor.

Speaking of toys, a group of kindergartners, At St. Margaret School in Thunder Bay, just got a chance to speak directly to the guy in the red suit. You know, Santa. Not using any artificial intelligence, but some old-fashioned tech. All thanks to the 38th Signal Regiment, who set up their long-range radio gear and connected, they promise, to the North Pole. You want to come speak to Santa. So you're going to speak in here. Ready?

Well, I did they take it was a presents. Oh, oh, do you give all the boys and girls in the world a reward for good behavior? Why do you deliver presents all over the world? Because there's boys and girls all over the world that need... I want a unicorn. Tugboat, red and and booey blue. Cookie and a hat. Yes, I can see that you want the unicorn because it's all my list.

your question? Yeah. Yeah. That last voice is Corporal Nina Jagger, who's clearly having a good time, ho, ho, holding the phone receiver while each kid came to the front of the classroom. She says it was her first time helping set up the call, and it was a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. Definitely just seeing like the joy in their eyes when they hear Santa over the radio, and it's definitely like the typical ho, ho, ho. And they're like, oh my God, it's Santa's. So, yeah. And as for that list, unicorns, cookies, tugboats that are red and bluey blue, pretty good. If you had a direct line to the big guy, what would you ask or ask

for? Something to think about. On your world tonight, on this Friday, December 12th, I'm Stephanie Skenderis. Thank you for listening. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.