Your World Tonight - Ruby Dhalla out of leadership race, premiers in Washington, dodgeball, and more

Episode Date: February 21, 2025

The Liberal Party has disqualified Ruby Dhalla from the leadership contest, CBC News has learned. A source says she faced 12 allegations, including accepting donations from a corporation in the form of payments to campaign staffAnd: Nova Scotia’s premier Tim Houston and Ontario’s Doug Ford are back in Washington, trying to get the attention of state governors at a conference. They’re making the case for not putting tariffs on Canadian goods crossing the border.Canada’s lumber industry is bracing itself for the possibility of even more tariffs. U.S. president Donald Trump has suggested those may come in April.Also: The first-ever World Youth Dodgeball Open is happening in Calgary. Canada is a powerhouse in the sport. The dream for those involved – getting the game into the Olympics.Plus: Canada wins hockey, the heartbreak in Israel over the fate of Shiri Bibas, and more.

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades, he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's Personally, Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. No one down here knows what he wants and we don't know what he wants. I'm being honest, like no one knows what he wants, including elected officials down here. A pair of Canadian premiers on a Washington trade trip that feels more like a fact-finding mission.

They're looking for allies and answers from American governors on a terror threat that's proving hard to fend off and figure out. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Tom Harrington. It's Friday, February 21st, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern Time, also on the podcast. Did we need a win? Not only like our team, but Canada needed a win. And the players bared that on their shoulders. This one was different.

After weeks of 25% tariffs and talk of a 51st state, the only numbers that matter today, 3-2. Canada glowing from a hockey win for the ages during some tough times. But we start with a Liberal leadership candidate kicked out of the race for allegedly violating party rules. CBC News has learned the Liberal Party has disqualified Ruby Dalla from the leadership race. A source says officials believe Dalla has violated the party's financial rules. Rafi Boujikane joins me now with more.

Rafi, what do we know? Tom, we're not aware of all the rules. Ruby Dalla is accused of violating, but the allegations include accepting donations from a corporation in the form of payments to campaign staff. Dalla is also accused of failing to disclose the involvement of a non-Canadian citizen in her campaign. The Liberal Party alleges that would have amounted to foreign interference if it happened during an election period. Earlier this week the party also sent Dalla a series of questions related to irregularities

involving at least $21,000 in contributions through a campaign. This came after multiple maximum donations were made and processed on the same credit card. That money was held back while the party investigated whether the 12 donors connected to those donations had breached contribution limits. The party told us pairs of donors had used the same credit card to make their donations. It said it had sent these donors attestation forms to verify they are couples who happened to be using the same card.

Dallas' campaign says they did all that and returned all the documentation the party required. Okay, Rafi, what are we hearing from the Dala campaign? Dallas posted on social media since CBC News broke the story of her getting kicked out of the race, stating in part, I have just seen the CBC News report alleging financial irregularities in my campaign. My response is simple. These allegations are fabricated, fictitious and fake. And yet another

attempt by unknown sources to have me removed from the debate and the ballot. We also know she herself presented to the committee today. She raised concerns about discrimination in an interview with our colleague David Cochran at Power and Politics. Before we found out about the meeting, she said this. What I can say when it comes to foreign interference, it is certainly not the case and I will not allow anyone to label me because I am of an Indian ethnicity. I will not allow anyone to label any immigrant for that matter in Canada with the airbrush of foreign interference.

It is unacceptable. Tom, just a couple of hours ago, her social media posts were about looking forward to Canada with the airbrush of foreign interference. It is unacceptable. Tom, just a couple of hours ago, her social media posts were about looking forward to the two debates between leadership contestants next week. And now officials have said she cannot be on that stage. The liberals have previously disqualified Ottawa area liberal MP Chandra Arya as a leadership contestant too. They never disclosed the reasons. Tom? Rafi, thanks for this.

You're welcome. The CBC's Rafi Boudjikanian in Ottawa. Well, it may not be sudden death overtime, but the clock is ticking for that other team Canada. The Canadian officials pushing back against Donald Trump's potentially devastating tariffs. Today, two premiers headed back to Washington, doing their own political power play with as many state governors as possible. Richard Madden has that story. I wouldn't say there's a breakthrough right now. Ontario premier Doug Ford is changing tactics in his latest trip to Washington, targeting US governors at their annual meeting, hoping they can convince President Donald

Trump to back down on his threatened tariffs on all Canadian goods, steel and petroleum. What's shocking to me is how misinformed a lot of elected officials down here, how critical Canada plays in their economy and their critical minerals and their energy. So when we tell them all this, they're like, wow, we didn't realize this. Ford is using this latest diplomatic push in the final week of his own reelection campaign. And he's joined by Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who wore a bright red team Canada hockey jersey to the Republican governor's dinner the night before. We're always trying to get as close as we can to people who have the ear of the president,

and just so we can really tell the story, and it's an important story. This latest visit comes more than a week after all Canadian premiers traveled to the US Capitol and after Trump paused his first round of 25% tariffs until early March when Canada agreed to bolster security measures at the border. But Ford says the administration still isn't clear on what extra measures would satisfy Trump's demands. That's the ironic thing. No one down here knows what he wants and we don't know what he wants. Last night Trump spoke to governors and warned more tariffs are on the way. I think Canada you know they're going to have to pay tariffs on automobiles, lumber and

oil and gas etc etc and they get 95 percent of their product from the United States. I think they have to become the 51st state. Governor's views on tariffs are mostly split down party lines. North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, a Republican, supports Trump's agenda. We like good trade agreements but we also want to reset it and make sure the United States is being treated fairly. So we'll work with the administration if we think they're over, if they're detrimental, but we don't know yet.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, says tariffs will drive up costs and harm both economies. But also to message to the Canadian people that this is not who we are. This might be the approach of one president, but we're much bigger than a president in this country. As Canadian officials brace for Trump's tariffs decision next week, the relationship between two neighbors and longtime allies is being tested like never before. Richard Madden, CBC News, Washington. Trump's unpredictable list of demands and tariffs for Canada seems to grow by the day. This country's lumber industry is the latest to brace itself for tariffs that could act like a buzzsaw. Right now, the uncertainty is cutting into their bottom line.

Business reporter Nisha Patel has that story. We don't need them to give us lumber. Even a brief mention by U.S. President Donald Trump is enough to put an entire industry on edge. Canada is very tough. They're very, very tough to do business with. And we can't let them take advantage of the U.S. Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on lumber in April

but it's unclear whether that's on top of a blanket tariff on all Canadian goods. Most Canadian softwood producers are already subject to almost 15% import duties that could also be hiked soon. So the industry is preparing to face levies of at least 50 percent. That's really going to add up and so we do expect that there would be some significant impacts in Canada and that would likely happen quite quickly. Kurt Nicodet is president of the B.C. Lumber Trade Council. He says tariffs would be an unjustified protectionist measure

that would put Canadian mills under serious financial strain. There could be significant impacts on some of the production in Canada which has ripple effects throughout the supply chain and has implications for workers and communities. There could be economic harm south of the border too. Home builders there have warned tariffs will raise the cost of housing and it's U.S. consumers that will pay the price. But U.S. lumber producers are a powerful voice,

claiming Canadian imports are unfairly traded and urging the U.S. government to level the playing field. We are in Southwood Lumber District number five right now. Keta Cosman is publisher of the industry newsletter Madison's Lumber Reporter. She says Southwood lumber is a long-standing source of tension between Canada and the US. And for Canada's 10 billion dollar industry, diversifying exports could provide some buffer. To at least prevent having ourselves at the mercy of such a large volume buyer.

The tariff concerns have even worked their way down to a small business in Toronto where Carmo De Silva is a buyer at New Canadians Lumberyard. It's just the unknown. We just don't know right now. I'm afraid for the next couple of years, 100 percent. De Silva says business has already been slowing and worries that the ripple effects of tariffs could cause lumber shortages or price spikes in Canada. He employs 75 workers and the uncertainty is forcing him to make changes.

And it's hard. We have to make the decision today. We have to cut hours and we know that some people are going to struggle. If those tariffs become a reality, there may be even more struggles to come. Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. PEI has a new Premier. Rob Lantz was sworn in earlier today, just one day after Dennis King announced he was stepping down. King says the threat of tariffs from the U.S. and the economic disruption they would cause influenced his decision.

Lantz acknowledged those challenges. Our province is growing, but everything we've accomplished is under threat. Despite that our communities are coming together in ways that inspire hope and optimism. And how about that hockey game last night for bringing the hunker together? At a time of uncertainty whether in in trade, tariffs, or the many challenges we face, I am committed to ensuring that Islanders' interests come first. Lance had been serving as the province's education minister. Of course, the hockey game the Premier was talking about was that beauty in Boston.

Canada beating the U.S. at the Four Nations Face-off Final in a thrilling 3-2 overtime classic. No matter where they were watching, Canadians erupted, venting their joy and releasing their anxiety in a supercharged political climate stoked by our American neighbors. Michelle Song reports. Connor McDavid for Canada! It was the moment Canadians needed. At 8 minutes and 18 seconds of overtime, Conor McDavid scored the winning goal for Team Canada at the Four Nations faceoff against the U.S. But there was more weighing on the match over what's happening off the ice, with ongoing

tensions over tariffs and repeated threats from US President Donald Trump to annex Canada, all playing out in the background. And now Canadian fans in Boston are wearing their jerseys with even more pride. First time in a long time the whole country came together for one purpose again, proud to be Canadian. From a room of hundreds at a resort in Punta Cana, to a packed bar in Coal Harbor, Nova Scotia, which is also home to team captain Sidney Crosby and tournament MVP Nathan McKinnon.

Canadians celebrated. Sylvie Theriot was overjoyed, waving the Canadian flag at her local bar. It's a big thing. It's like we won the world. Canadians huddled around the screens across the globe to cheer on the team who felt the weight of representing their country. Canada needed a win and the players bared that on their shoulders and they took it seriously. Team Canada head coach John Cooper said for the players, this tournament felt different. This was a win for 40 plus million people and the guys knew it and they delivered. Please welcome Chantal Kriviasik.

The pressure was on the moment they stepped on the ice. American fans booed Chantal Krivizak's performance of Oh Canada. Oh Canada, take the road But the singer says she decided to stand up for her country by changing the lyrics of the national anthem, intentionally singing That only us command instead of in all of us command. This, in response to Trump's continuous jabs at Canada, calling

it the 51st state. The Prime Minister tweeted after the win, You can't take our country and you can't take our game. And the second time we heard the anthem, American fans started to empty out the arena. The players stood at the blue line, arm in arm, wearing gold medals around their necks. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 has shaken parts of B.C. including Vancouver, Victoria and other cities. Natural Resources Canada says the quake was centered 24 kilometers north-northeast of

Seychelt on the Sunshine Coast. There are no reports yet of injuries or damage. Coming up on the podcast, Prolonging the Pain, the confusion around returning the remains of an Israeli hostage. Plus, under the influence, TikTok and other social media are being used to recruit young German voters to vote for the surging right-wing AFD. Later, we're learning the heck out of dodgeball, a world youth tournament in Calgary is showing the sport is unjust for high school intramurals. There is outrage and confusion in Israel over the return of the remains of one of the October 7th hostages. What Hamas is calling a mix-up is being described by Israel as a cruel violation. The issue could shatter and already brittle ceasefire. Crystal Guamansing reports. In a recorded video message,

Ofri Bibis-Levy expressed the pain of their journey over the last 16 months not being over yet. On Thursday, Hamas claimed they were returning the remains of Shiri Bibis. Israel says its forensic investigators found that the body was not hers. One of the coffins paraded out by Hamas in a ceremony described by the spokesperson for the head of the UN as abhorrent and appalling contained an unknown woman. Israel has confirmed reports tonight that Hamas has handed over a body to the Red Cross. Hamas claims again it is shiri. It's been an emotional and shocking day for Israelis. It is probably one of the saddest days Israel has known,

one of the saddest days I can remember, and rage, rage towards the Hamas and frustration to our government. The Bebas children in particular became the symbol of who we are and who we're fighting against. Clutching the boys' photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the children were murdered in captivity by Hamas. Yarden, the children's father and husband of Shiri, was also taken hostage October 7th. He was released earlier this month, unaware of his family's fate. And as the prime minister of Israel, I vow that I will not rest until the savages who

executed our hostages are brought to justice. They do not deserve to walk this earth. Nothing will stop me. Nothing. Hamas released a statement saying Israel killed the family in an airstrike and that in the rubble, Shiri's remains may have gotten mixed up with those of a local family also killed. Hamas said it is committed to the ceasefire, saying it has no interest in keeping any remains. Today, the heavens shake. The entire civilized world should condemn these horrific murders. U.S. President Donald Trump previously said all hell is going to break out if all of the hostages weren't released.

Hamas handing over a body that wasn't Shirey's on Thursday prompted a new threat, this time from Adam B Bowler, the U.S. hostage envoy. If I were them, I'd release everybody or they're going to face total annihilation. Shiri's sister-in-law says the family doesn't want revenge. They just want her back. A test of Hamas and Israel's commitment will come in just hours. Six more hostages, four of whom were kidnapped on October 7th and more than 600 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released tomorrow. Crystal Gamansing, CBC News, London.

Pope Francis's medical team says while he is not out of danger, the worst has passed. The 88-year-old leader of the Catholic Church was admitted to hospital last week with a respiratory infection. He's since been diagnosed with double pneumonia, made worse by bronchitis. Doctors say the Pope is in good spirits and eating well. He was able to leave his bed today to do some work from an armchair. The pontiff will remain in hospital for at least another week. People in Germany head to the polls this weekend.

It's an election that's expected to change the political landscape there. Polls suggest support for mainstream parties is dipping, with a far-right party gaining ground. As senior international correspondent Margaret Evans reports, the AFD has worked hard to broaden its

appeal. And one group they've been focused on is young people. Hello, I'm here in on is young people. German TikTok and the account of Marie-Thérèse Kaiser, young, attractive and one of a growing number of social media influencers enticing young voters to the far right. In particular, the Alternative for Germany Party or AFD. If you thought the AFD is just for old white men, she's saying in this post, then the trend is the complete opposite. She already has a foot in the door at the Bundestag or parliament as a personal assistant

to AFD party leader Alice Weidel. Kaiser says social media allows the AFD to circumvent traditional news organizations and an establishment, she says, uses its power to muzzle the AFD. I get a lot of messages from people, from students who are still at school. Their teachers are telling them, oh no, the AFD is not a good party.

So social media is for us a good opportunity to reach our target audience directly. It began as a party against the single European currency in 2013, but shifted focus to immigration in 2015, after Germany accepted waves of Syrian refugees. A series of deadly attacks carried out by migrants in recent months has made immigration a key election issue. The AFD is promoting something it calls remigration which analyst Rafael Los says essentially means deportation. Who it would apply to, he says, is left ambiguous.

We might only talk about illegal immigrants that cannot claim asylum here, but it might extend to people that are not being read as German because of their skin color, because of their beliefs, because of their sexual orientation. That is something that echoes a lot of Nazi rhetoric from the 1920s, 1930s, and that's why. The AFD, parts of which are under surveillance by German intelligence, is on course to become the second largest party in parliament.

That's double the 10% it won in 2021. Analysts, including Losse, say the rise, especially among younger voters, is partly due to a savvy social media strategy and influencers like Kaiser. TikTok and other channels allow the AFD to really simplify their messages, to produce emotionally grabbing texts without the need to confront fact-checking. Schools in Berlin have been holding mock elections, an exercise in democracy for kids still too young to vote, but not too young to be on the AFD's radar.

Seventeen-year-old Lily says she has no interest in the AFD, but is still targeted on social media. News about them, I keep seeing posts from them, I keep seeing people that post for them. But even if it does become the second largest block in parliament, the AFD is unlikely to find a place at the table during the inevitable coalition talks because of the German firewall, an informal agreement amongst mainstream parties not to share power with the far right. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Berlin. The New Jersey man who stabbed Salman Rushdie in 2022 has been found guilty of attempted murder. Hadi Mattar attacked the famed author while he was delivering a lecture in New York. Rushdie was stabbed more than a dozen times and left blind in one eye. Another

man was also injured and Matar was found guilty of assault for that. Matar's lawyers had argued there was no way to know if he intended to kill the novelist. The jury came to its verdict after a little less than two hours of deliberations. 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, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. You may recall an offbeat but popular comedy from 2004 called Dodgeball.

One of the classic lines in the film talks about the five D's. Dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge. Youth from around the world are in Alberta right now, putting those tips to the test and proving the sport isn't just for gym class. Aaron Collins has the details. On this Calgary court, a global first. Youth teams from around the world gathered to play dodgeball. Abigail Holliday came all the way from Hong Kong with a plan. If you just imagine you don't like someone, you can just pretend that person is the person you don't like.

So you can just hit them and then, yeah, and then you get the feeling of hitting the person you don't like so you can just hit them and then yeah and then you get the feeling of hitting the person you don't like. A dodgeball played by nearly a hundred million people worldwide in 70 countries. Javier Menendez of team Mexico sees a bright future for the sport. Do you think maybe one day dodgeball could be in the Olympics? I think yeah it's going to be an Olympic game for sure. And you can play for Mexico? I think yeah I it's going to be an Olympic game for sure. And you can play for Mexico? I think yeah, I will play here.

Dodgeball long a hit in popular culture featured in the 2004 movie of the same name. I'm really sorry, are you alright? Why would you hit a girl? The sport now making inroads in the real world too. Dwayne Wazinski is the head of the World Dodgeball Federation. He says dodgeball is played with familiar rules but two kinds of balls. Cloth and foam. So the foam dodgeballs are a little less dense, they're spongier.

Where the cloth ones are air filled with a cloth texture and they're bouncier. Both of them sting though I'd say. Yes you get them thrown hard enough and you'll feel both of them. Yes, absolutely. Sun's out, gun's out, preemptive throw. Canada a world power in the foam ball category. Big cheers coming from Canada, repeat champions. Winning the women's and mixed competitions at the World Championships in Austria this summer. Back in Calgary, Winnipegger Charlie Havixvec is excited to represent Canada,

playing a sport he loves. Giving people different things, where for me I'm more of a thrower and a catcher, but a lot of people are really good at dodging, and that's a really major thing that you want to get into. That's good advice echoed on the big screen. If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. What? on the big screen. If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. What?

This real world tournament wraps up Saturday. Canada's teams hoping to dodge, dip and dive their way onto the podium. Aaron Collins, CBC News, Calgary. He don't love you like I love you. If he did, he would break your heart. The 1960 single, He Will Break Your Heart, sung by Jerry Butler, the Chicago soul singer, songwriter, and eventually longtime local politician. Butler died yesterday after living with Parkinson's disease.

Butler was born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago at age three. He was the original lead singer of The Impressions, a group he started with his childhood friend Curtis Mayfield. Known for his booming baritone, Butler had a cool stage presence that earned him the nickname The Iceman. He scored several top ten hits, including For Your Precious Love and Let it be me. Now and forever, let it be me. In the 1980s, Butler ran for office and found success there too. He was elected to the board of commissioners in Cook County,

which includes Chicago, a position he held for more than three decades. Though he had great name recognition in politics, he didn't coast. Butler was praised by colleagues for his dedication, even going back to school to earn a degree in political science. Jerry the Iceman Butler was 85. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, February 21st. I'm Tom Harrington. Thanks for listening tonight. Stay safe and take care of each other. 🎵 And that you'll always let it be me 🎵