Your World Tonight - Splashdown countdown, youth unemployment, Saab offers a data centre, and more

Episode Date: April 10, 2026

The four Artemis II astronauts — including Canadian Jeremy Hansen — return from the world's first crewed moon voyage in over half a century.And: Canada may have added about 14,000 jobs last month, but younger workers probably didn’t notice. Youth unemployment remains high — double the national average, and the younger the worker, the wider the gap.Also: Swedish aircraft maker Saab is sweetening the pot to get Ottawa to buy its Gripen fighter jets. The company says it will construct a data centre in Canada to keep mission-critical data within the country. We’ll have more on why that matters in today’s data-driven world.Plus: U.S. Vice-President JD Vance heads to Islamabad tonight for talks with Iran, Liberals eye a possible majority, opposition to the proposed Alto high speed rail project, and more.

I'm Lisa Yuso, a digital producer at Ideas, the podcast that likes to feed your curiosity. I ask my colleagues why they think you should listen. Ideas can make you the smartest, most interesting guest at your next dinner party in less than 60 minutes. It's got the best of a storytelling podcast with the best of a great lecture. You can pretty much never predict where an episode will take you, but you can count on every episode to shift your perspective. even just a little. Find and follow ideas wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. And with that, Integrities astronauts are awake for their final hours in space.

Splash down on the blue planet. Canadian Jeremy Hansen and the rest of the crew of Artemis 2 speed back to Earth. After a record-breaking 1 million kilometer journey to the far side of the moon, welcome to your world tonight. I'm Martina Fitzgerald. It's Friday, April 10th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. The difficult labor market for the youth cohort continues. So for them, it's very hard, especially that they're early in their career. So those early jobs matter a lot. Canada's employment picture improved slightly in March, but not for young people who are struggling to find jobs. Youth unemployment is double the national average. And the younger,

the worker, the wider the gap. Their mission has captured the imagination of people around the world. It is epic and historic, with the four astronauts venturing farther into space than ever before. Now, the crew of Artemis II are on their way home. They're expected to splash down in the Pacific this evening. As Karen Paul's reports, other than the launch, this is the most challenging and dangerous part of their journey. Good morning, Reed, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy. Wake up music and a message from mission control in Houston as the Artemis 2 astronauts start flight day 10, their last day in space. Keep flying strong, keep flying safe. We can't wait to welcome you home. Come see us on the road. We got it, loud and clear integrity. Can't wait to see you run to the water. See you soon.

Other than launch, re-entry is the highest risk part of the trip. The final 13 minutes of the mission will be intense, from zero gravity to nearly four Gs of pressure. from hitting Earth's atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound, nearly 40,000 kilometers an hour, to enduring a six-minute blackout period with temperatures outside the capsule as high as 3,000 degrees Celsius, and then splashing down gently at 30 kilometers per hour. They are going to be experiencing some pretty crazy G-forces. Philip Ferguson is a space systems engineer

and professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Manitoba. They're trying their best to do a, a delicate balance between entering the Earth's atmosphere too steeply versus too shallow. A precise re-entry angle will be key, says NASA Flight Director Jeff Radigan. Let's not beat around the bush. We have to hit that angle correctly. Otherwise, we're not going to have a successful re-entry. The big question, if the capsule's heat shield will perform as it's meant to, there was unexpected damage during the Artemis 1 re-entry in 2022.

I think it's going to be similar to the launch where you're going to be holding your breath. Major General Chris McKenna will be following closely. He went to Royal Military College with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hanson and did pilot training with him. Now, commander of one Canadian Air Division, the Canadian Norad region, and operational commander of the Air Force, he's wearing a Hanson Mission Patch T-shirt today

under his military jumpsuit. I mean, the world's in a bit of a tailspin right now, geopolitically, very difficult situation in many places in the world. And you have this amazing mission of hope. You have this amazing mission of collaboration. of exploration. I mean, it's hard not to get behind it. Splashdown. After splashdown, the astronauts will be flown to the Johnson Space Center in Houston,

where they'll be reunited with their families. Amit Shatria is NASA's associate administrator. There's no question that we'll be anxious, but we'll be with the families. We'll all be together. I have full confidence in the team. They do too. NASA's Radigan is confident, but cautious. One we can start celebrating is when we have a crew safely in the med bay of the ship, and that's really when we can allow the emotions to take over

and start talking about success. We need to have the crew home before we do that. Splashdown is expected at just after 8 p.m. Eastern time, the world will be watching. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Winnipeg. If you're young and looking for a job here in Canada, you might be in for a rough ride. The latest employment figures show youth unemployment remains high.

Job prospects for this generation are the worst they've been in decades. Business reporter, Aina Siddu, looks at the numbers that are forcing many young people toward an uncertain future. It has been quite hard, to be honest. A lot of applying, a lot of online applying. With a stack of resumes in hand, 17-year-old Dita Dabianz says she hopes she'll have better luck in person. But there's a lot of competition. She's one of more than 5,000 young people at a job fair in California. I feel like when you get the opportunity to talk to someone in person, it's easier to connect with one another.

She's not the only one struggling to get their first gig. I've applied for over 100 companies, and so far I haven't found any, even for an interview. I haven't had any experience so far. So anything that's willing to take me in, I'm more than happy to. According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate among 15 to 24-year-olds is sitting just under 4.4. So far this year, Canada has lost nearly 95,000 jobs. Young workers lost half those positions, but they only represent less than 14% of the labor force. They're facing probably one of the most challenging labor market in probably a decade. Charles Saint Arnaud is the chief economist at Service Credit Union.

He says it will be hard to get that early experience. A lot of it is comes to uncertainty, so that means. summer jobs, summer interns, co-op students are probably less of a priority or not being hired this year as they used to be in the past. According to Christina Schultz, a recruitment manager with about staffing, economic uncertainty is putting pressure on businesses and who they can hire. There are less entry-level opportunities available because more of the senior season staff are forced to take on those responsibilities and have the, business operate at a little bit of a leaner level. And it's not expected to get better this summer.

Online job site indeed says vacancies for summer positions are down 11% compared to March of last year. Ina Sadiou, CBC News, Calgary. Coming right up, ahead of U.S.-Iran talks that hosts Pakistan calls make or break, there are new threats from the White House and new demands from Tehran. And mission control. The sob corporation dangles a sovereign job. Data Center as the battle for Canada's multi-billion dollar fighter jet contract heats up.

Later, we'll have this story. I'm Kate McKenna in Van Cleek Hill, Ontario, where residents and business owners say a high-speed train proposal risks railroading their communities. This is for something that's much, much more important than any amount of dollars could possibly buy. Later on your world tonight, fear, anger, and confusion along the potential route of the Alto High Speed Rail Project between Toronto. and Quebec City.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is on his way to Islamabad tonight for peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. Tomorrow, mediated negotiations are set to begin, aimed at finding a resolution to the war beyond a temporary ceasefire. But before talks even start, both sides are already insisting the other make concessions. Cameron McIntosh reports. As fighting in Lebanon continues between Israel and Iran's proxy, Hezbollah. Iran is insisting on a ceasefire in Lebanon as well, suggesting its willingness to negotiate with the U.S. and allow safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz depends on it. This is a very narrow strait. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Sahid Khadib Sahe.

This is in our territorial water. With talks between the U.S. and Iran set to begin in Islamabad, U.S. Vice President J. J.D. Vance says negotiations won't go anywhere unless the straight is open. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive. The straight is critical to a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. After weeks of U.S. bombing that killed Iran's leadership and decimated its military, but still allowed Iran to block 20 percent of the world's oil traffic, giving it leverage. Iran's parliamentary speaker posting Iran will only begin talks if the U.S. unfreezes its assets and Israel stops bombing in Lebanon. David Schenker is a former U.S. diplomat.

I think this is a highly ideological regime that believes that it's in the driver's seat. It still controls the Straits of Hormuz, still retains this highly enriched uranium, and still is in power. That uranium, a non-starter for the U.S. and Israel, which fears Iran will build nuclear weapons. Israel will start ceasefire talks with Lebanon on Tuesday. But says Middle East analyst Paul Salem, Israel is wary of a broader peace with Iran. It's afraid that President Trump might accept a limited deal and leave Iran quite influential and powerful in the region. For Trump, it's an unpopular and costly war, bringing the largest monthly U.S. gas price hike in six decades.

On social media, Trump accused Iran of short-term extortion in the strait as global energy supplies hang in the balance. Well, I had a discussion with President Trump last night. Off a call with Trump, Britain's Prime Minister, not ruling out a role for the UK and others to maintain peace in the street. We must respond and we will respond with strength. Meanwhile, both sides are claiming the upper hand while looking for a way out. The only real common ground between them? Mistrust.

Cabron McIntosh, CBC News, Winnipeg. Another conflict in the Middle East, the war in Gaza, is now marking six months since a ceasefire began. But the word ceasefire does not accurately capture the situation, with Israel and Hamas still fighting, and Palestinian civilians continuing to pay the price. The CBC's Sasha Petrissik has more. In Northern Gaza, the grief is still very real,

for a mother whose nine-year-old daughter was shot dead at school this week. She was studying, says, She says Ola Rehan, when the bullet hit. Her notebook fell splattered with blood. Rehan looks down at red pages. Israeli soldiers were operating nearby, so were militants with guns. It's unclear where that shot came from.

There's no safety, Rehan says. We have bullets and tanks and danger, continuing battles too. Six months into Gaza's ceaseful. fire. None of that has ceased. Funerals are held almost daily for those killed in Israeli air strikes. More than 670 Palestinians have died in fighting since last October, according to Gaza health officials. Many more injured. Canadian Jody Pritchard is an emergency doctor with the Red Cross. We're still seeing lots of injuries and the needs for everyone are just massive.

Aid was supposed to ramp up dramatically, but UN agencies say nowhere near enough is making it past a single Israeli checkpoint. Many NGOs have pulled out because of other restrictions imposed by Israel. Israel insists those and the airstrikes are needed to combat Hamas militants who run half of Gaza. The other half of the terror. is still occupied by Israeli troops. We need even more troops in Gaza, says an Israeli military spokesman. There's no sign of the international peacekeeping force that was part of the U.S. imposed ceasefire deal. And after one meeting of the Board of Peace, assembled by U.S. President Donald Trump,

it has not moved ahead with replacing Hamas to run Gaza as planned. Trump's appointed high representative for Gaza, Nikolai Mladenov, told the UN Security Council it's Hamas's fault for refusing to disarm, as it had promised. I ask the council members to use all means at their disposal to urge Hamas and all Palestinian factions to accept this framework without delay. Hamas says it won't until Israel abides by its promises on aid and withdrawal. I don't see this era of purgatory for Gaza ending anytime soon. Tariq Kinishawa is an analyst with Al-Shaba, a Washington-based Palestinian think tank. He says Israel's overwhelming control locks in the status quo. They will continue to be able to decide what goes in and out of Gaza.

And as long as that reality continues, then Gaza will remain in this state of devastation and de-development. Standing in endless lines, hoping to get bread. Bakers face shortages of flour and fuel. Gazins have no jobs and no money. My family's hunger is even harder than the war, says Jamal Hamad. Sasha Petrissik, CBC News, Jerusalem. The Federal Liberal Convention is underway in Montreal, with spirits buoyed by yet another Floridian.

crossing this week. The party is heading into Monday's by-elections just one seat shy of a majority. Tom Perry reports on what that could mean for the party and Canadians. And what an honor it is for me to join in my first liberal convention. Nunavut MP Lori Idlout just one of the newly minted liberals taking the stage at the party's convention. Idlout won her seat in the last election as a new Democrat, but quit her old party last month to join the government. Nova Scotia MP Christontremont was the first of four conservative members to jump ship and is showing no signs of looking back. I don't know whether to introduce myself as a recovering conservative

or just that I was a liberal and I didn't know it. With five floor crossers so far, the liberals already hold more seats than the opposition but could cement their majority in the House of Commons on Monday. That's when voters in two Toronto area ridings and another near Montreal cast their ballots in three key by-elections. You know, I'm very hopeful for the by-elections on Monday. Ontario Liberal MP Karina Gould expects a majority would bring greater stability, though she's not sure how much it would actually alter how Parliament works these days.

Since January, really, we've seen like pretty strong cooperation. from the conservatives. And so we've actually had a fairly stable problem. I mean, we passed the budget, right? You know, we've passed a lot of legislation. Things are moving through the House in a fairly strong way. So would it change that much right now? I don't know.

I mean, certainly. But BC Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson isn't sure how long that conservative spirit of cooperation will last. I, you know, wouldn't take it to the bank that Mr. Pollyav isn't going to change his mind on that. and we've seen the obstruction that has happened within Parliament under Mr. Pali-up for a long, long time. Polls analyst Eric Grenier from the writ.ca says the Liberals are strong favorites to win the two seats up for grabs in Toronto. The race in Terban near Montreal could be a closer contest between the Liberals and Block Quebecois.

Even if the Liberals take all three, their majority will be a narrow one, though Grenier doesn't see that as being a problem for the party, given the state of the opposition. For as long as the conservatives are not ready for an election, the majority in the House of Commons is already there because they have some confidence, I think, that they will not be defeated in the House. For now, the liberals remain focused on those three seats they can take on Monday and just maybe,

a few more opposition MPs looking for a change. Tom Perry, CBC News, Montreal. Saab is making a high-stakes pitch to Ottawa. The Swedish aircraft maker is hoping Canada will choose its grip and fighter jets over American rivals. The company is promising more than just a new fleet. It's offering a Montreal-based data center. As Murray Brewster reports, that would keep Canada's mission-critical intelligence out of U.S. reach. What it really gives you is the sovereignty and your indigenous capability to take the data that you collect.

Own it. UC Hamiltonia, a test pilot. and operational advisor to Saab. Fighter jets, be it Saab's Gripen or Lockheed Martin's F-35, produce terabytes of data. But what happens to that data is at the heart of Saab's pitch

to establish a purpose-built Canadian data center. So not send it to overseas to some server somewhere, where somebody else decides for you, so you have the service in your nation. Aircraft, fighter jets, and surveillance planes in particular

produce different types of data streams. Mission data. Where they go, what they see, what they do, intelligence. And then there's the aircraft's performance and maintenance data. In the case of the F-35, every nation that's part of the program has its data stored on Lockheed Martin's servers in Fort Worth, Texas. Now, that could bump up against Prime Minister Mark Carney's drive to make digital sovereignty a critical national imperative. He's compared it to building the National Railway. Last fall, he directed the new major projects office to develop a sovereign cloud information. infrastructure. All of the projects that we're doing are part of bigger strategies that include high-speed rail, clean energy, sovereign data. It's been almost 13 months since Carney ordered a review on whether to limit the purchase of the F-35 for the Air Force in favor of Saab's Gripon.

Most of the public debate has revolved around each aircraft's technical aspects and the Swedish companies promised to bring manufacturing jobs to Canada. There's been no decision. Do we want to be a sovereign nation? Obviously. or do we want to be a subordinate part of the U.S. military? I don't think any Canadian wants that. Daniel Area is an expert in defense and artificial intelligence who says how and where a country's data is stored is an underappreciated but vital issue. If we were to build our security umbrella around the F-35 platform, that means that all software upgrades, all data moves through the United States. and we are essentially embedded so deeply in the U.S. data ecosystem or the U.S. data stack

that ultimately we are not autonomous. Arraya says data is more than just a national security issue. He says data trains AI models. And if the information remains the property of one company in one nation, it becomes a critical issue of economic competitiveness. Murray Rooster, CBC News, Ottawa. A report this week by Manitoba's chief medical examiner found no link between the deaths of two people and plasma donation.

Health Canada also looked into the deaths that happened in October and January. It concluded they were not connected. Two people died after donating plasma at private collection clinics in Winnipeg. That led to calls for a ban on paying donors for plasma. It's one of the federal government's biggest proposed infrastructure projects, and it's been talked about for decades. The alto high-speed rail line could be game-changing for travel, between Toronto and Quebec City.

But as Cape McKenna reports, those living and working along the route worry they'll be the ones paying the price. I'm the one who's spoiling them. Farming has sustained Sam Pudzel for 50 years. Her 200-acre farm in eastern Ontario is home to many different animals. She hopes to pass on the land

to new farmers learning the craft. It's a way of life. We live together in harmony, the animals and I. But Pudsell recently received a pamphlet from Alto, the Crown Corporation working to build high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City. It is a request to voluntarily participate in allowing people to come and do an environmental assessment of the farm. Sparking fears that a new proposed high-speed train could run right through her farm. She says whatever compensation they could offer would not be worth it.

What would I want with the money when I have everything I could possibly want that has no value in money? Alto hasn't decided on a route, but it has identified a large potential corridor, expected to be whittled down in the coming months. It's prompted thousands of people and business owners along the potential route to speak out. So we attended the info session in Van Cleek Hill and found that we got very few answers to any of the questions that we had. High-speed rail could put Andrea Glenn's beekeeping company in jeopardy. It's been in her husband's family for multiple generations. She's asking Canadians if the price tag is worth it. We doubt that this $90 billion plan for a rail line that provides marginal speed increases

to the select few who can afford to take it and actually have access to it is the right spend of money for Canadians right now. The federal conservatives agree. Leader Pierre Pauliev says the plan should be cancelled. I think that is ridiculous. And that is why we as conservatives are opposing that project and we want to use the savings to bring down taxes, debt and inflation. And Block Quebecois, leader E. Francois-Blanchev is warning about

expropriations, including in Tehrbun, north of Montreal, where they're trying to win a by-election. It has to be done properly with the right information, the right analysis for this project, and not a bulldozer going over usual laws and procedure. But the federal government says this project could be transformative for Central Canada. In a statement, Alto says it's looking to follow existing roads, railways, and power lines to limit disruptions, and that those who are affected will receive market value compensation, all part of their push to get everyone on board. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Van Cleek Hill, Ontario.

And finally tonight. Integrity, SM priming complete. S&Priving complete. As the world watched, the Artemis 2 crew circled the moon and headed for home. And while many were awed, a team of electrical engineers at the University of New Brunswick had another reason to follow every stage of the mission.

They are the sole Canadian group out of 34 around the globe chosen by NASA to help track the spacecraft. It was so easy when we first powered it on and the signal was there that we doubted that was it. So Megan re-pointed the satellite dish off. The signal disappeared. And when the dish came back, it was there. Since the launch 10 days ago, Professor Brent Peterson and five of his students have fed satellite frequencies into computers and radios on the school's roof. Peterson says it's an incredible opportunity to share the thrill. He first experienced as a child watching the moon landing and to keep learning from the best. NASA is the teacher. The 34 sites around the world are the students.

NASA, the teacher generally has it right, but every now and then, the students will point something out. One of those students, Megan McDonald is living a childhood dream that launched from the same place as the Artemis crew. This is very important to me. but I went to the Kennedy Space Center, visitor center as a child, and that really changed things. Ignited a real passion for science in me. Maybe that will be Megan up there someday. Thanks for being with us.

This has been your world tonight for Friday, April 10th. I'm Martina Fitzgerald. Have a good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.