Your World Tonight - Tariff deadline, Liberal leadership contenders on carbon tax, exploding rat populations, and more

Episode Date: January 31, 2025

Donald Trump has delivered Canada an economic broadside. He says goods crossing into the U.S. will soon face tariffs. The White House insists the 25% tariff will start Saturday. Analysts say the move could sink Canada’s economy, and Americans will pay more for everyday goods. We have coverage from both sides of the brewing trade war.And: There are five people left in the Liberal leadership race. And another one – Mark Carney – has now said he will step away from what was once a cornerstone of the party’s climate policy: the carbon tax. He and Chrystia Freeland both say they will get rid of it. Karina Gould hasn’t gone that far, but says she will block any increases. The Conservatives say the move is political – contenders trying to distance themselves from the current leader, Justin Trudeau.Also: Climate change is likely contributing to exploding rat populations around the world. Canadian cities are among those seeing a dramatic increase.Plus: Colleges cutting programs, midair crash investigation, Russian drones in Kherson, and more.

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. We're going to put tariffs on oil and gas. That'll happen fairly soon. I think around the 18th of February. And we're going to put a lot of tariffs on steel. Donald Trump confirms he's making good on his vow to impose huge tariffs on goods from Canada, also Mexico, and to a lesser extent China. The tariffs are supposed to take effect starting tomorrow, but many details are still unclear. What is clear, the ripple effects on the Canadian economy and the political

landscape could be felt for years. Welcome to Your World Tonight. It's Friday, January 31st, just before 6 p.m. Eastern Time. I'm Tom Harrington, also on the podcast. It has become very divisive, the perceptions of the negative impacts of the carbon tax on households without fully recognizing the positive impacts of the rebate. The Conservatives have been calling for a carbon tax election for months, but with more Liberal candidates such as Mark Carney backing away from the tax, will that change the

narrative on the campaign trail? Amid an endless barrage of executive orders and pronouncements, Donald Trump has delivered Canada an economic broadside. He says we should expect goods crossing into the US will face tariffs. Analysts predict the move could sink our economy, while everyday goods for Americans will cost more. We have coverage from both nations' capitals. Beginning in Washington, and the CBC's Katie Simpson, she is with us now. Katie, walk us through what the president is saying.

Katie Sweeney There is nothing, nothing Canada, Mexico, or China can do. Tariffs are happening no matter what. It is the news that so many people have been dreading. The confirmation came first from the White House press secretary, Caroline Leavitt. She announced that on Saturday, Donald Trump would impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico with 10% tariffs on China. That immediately forced stock markets lower, the Canadian dollar and the Mexican peso they dropped too. When the president first made this threat, he said that if Canada and Mexico had made border security improvements to stop illegal drugs and migrants from entering the U.S., that tariffs would not happen. But today, Donald Trump changed his tune, which is not something that's uncommon for Donald Trump. Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, he was asked if there is anything

these countries can do to avoid tariffs and he rejected the idea. It's a pure economic. We have big deficits with, as you know, with all three of them. And in one case, they're sending massive amounts of fentanyl. We're not looking for a concession and we'll just see what happens. Trump has suggested there could be different levels of tariffs. He's thinking about a 10% tariff on Canadian oil, but everything else could be hit with 25% tariffs. He's also talked about tariffs by sector on

pharmaceuticals, drugs, steel, aluminum and chips. It's unclear at this moment if that's going to be applied in Canada or elsewhere, and he's also promising tariffs in the future on the European Union. Details are supposed to be made public tomorrow until we get those specifics on paper. It is uncertain exactly what's going to happen other than he says, he says tariffs are coming. And Katie, the experts have said there would be a knock on effect to consumers in the United States if these tariffs happen. What's Trump saying about that? Well, he seems to sort of in one breath say, you know, it's not gonna happen, but at the same time

Suggesting all consumers might know something. So when tariffs are actually imposed American companies that import foreign goods They're the ones that actually pay the fee the American company and then usually what happens next is that price increase is passed on to Consumers and given how integrated supply chains are in North America, it is going to make life more expensive. The president seemed to say, you know, shrug it off and say, look, I imposed hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs during my first administration and inflation was low. So what's going to be the big deal this time? But again, in the same breath, he said, okay,, you know Shoppers may notice some changes Tariffs don't cause inflation. They cause success

Cause big success. So we're gonna have great success. There could be some temporary short-term disruption Temporary short-term disruption. So does that mean supply chain problems? Does that mean price increases? We just have to wait and see experts. I've spoken with today say this is the first salvo in a trade war. And again though, until the specific details are made public, until we get something on paper, it is still a guessing game. Trump left Washington this evening. He's going to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. So now everyone is waiting to see and hear what's going to happen from there. Katie, thanks.

Thanks. The CBC's Katie Simpson in Washington. The federal government says its response to Trump's tariff plan will be immediate, but without any firm order from the White House yet, Canada can only watch and wait, stoking more political anxiety on this side of the border. Tom Perry has that story from Ottawa. I won't sugarcoat it. Our nation could be facing difficult times in the coming days and weeks. Even before the White House confirmed US President Donald Trump

would follow through with his punishing tariffs against Canada and Mexico, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was vowing Canada would fight back. If the President does choose to implement any tariffs against Canada, we're ready with a response. A purposeful, forceful, but reasonable immediate response. It's not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act. Trudeau met today with his Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, a panel of business and labour leaders

advising the government on how to deal with its increasingly volatile southern neighbour. Lana Payne, executive director of Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union, is part of the panel. She, like others, is worried about the messages coming from the new U.S. administration and especially from Trump. His motto is to create as much chaos and instability out there as possible in order to drive investment out of Canada into the United States and we have to be very concerned about what can happen there. Trump's tariffs may do more than just drive investment out of Canada. Kevin Page is a former parliamentary budget officer who now heads the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Democracy

at the University of Ottawa. He says Canada's economy could be pushed into a recession, on par with the one that followed the global financial crisis of 2008. Page says Canada will need to respond to Trump's tariffs, support Canadian industries that will be impacted, and be prepared to do even more. President Trump is really trying to weaken Canada, again, more of this 51st state idea.

If it's that case, then I think Canada's got to be prepared to take even stronger actions, and not only in terms of responding dollar for dollar for tariffs, but even export restrictions. Page says restricting the flow of Canadian energy and natural resources to the U.S. would send a powerful message, though there's no guarantee Donald Trump would even listen. Trump spoke today about imposing more tariffs on more sectors against more U.S. allies, naming the European Union as potentially his next target. Canadian cabinet ministers, premiers and business leaders have all been traveling to Washington,

desperately trying to persuade the people around the U.S. president. Tariffs will hurt the U.S. and its trading partners. But after all that, it turns out Trump either doesn't believe it or doesn't care. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. Trump's tariffs are also a key issue in the federal liberal leadership race. That contest is heating up as the field of candidates narrows. Olivier Stefanovic breaks down their latest policy pledges and how they could affect Canadians.

Man, it is good to see more people than seats in a room of liberals here in Nova Scotia. In the very province where support for the Trudeau government began to fade, former cabinet minister Sean Fraser introduced the Liberal leadership candidate he supports to replace the Prime Minister. Mr. Mark Carter. The former governor of the banks of England and Canada unveiled his plan to replace one of Justin Trudeau's most divisive policies. My government will immediately remove the consumer carbon tax.

Instead of increasing prices, Carney says he will incentivize Canadians to make greener choices. When you choose an energy efficient appliance or an electric car or home insulation, you will be rewarded and we will get the big polluters to pay for it. The conservatives responded with an attack, misrepresenting Carney's position. He will pause Trudeau's carbon tax until after the election and then bring in a much bigger tax that has no rebate. In fact, Carney says he will eliminate the consumer carbon tax and keep the industrial carbon price, a change he promises that will make households better off, though he didn't lay out specifics. As for his main rival, I did believe in the end that the government was on the wrong track.

Krista Freeland is also pledging to do away with the signature climate policy she used to sell, while she positions herself as the best person to take on US President Donald Trump. We should publish a retaliation plan that covers $200 billion of US exports to Canada. The negotiator of the new NAFTA says that should include a tariff on all Tesla vehicles and U.S. alcohol set at 100 percent. The move would hurt Americans, but also dramatically increase prices for Canadians buying U.S. goods.

Opponent Karina Gould is pitching a different strategy. I think in light of the experience that we might have with the trade dispute for the United States that I'm going to cut the GST down to 4% for one year to help Canadians. As for the other two contenders, former liberal MPs Frank Bayless and Ruby Dalla are also making the president a central focus of their campaigns, with Dalla calling herself Trump of the North. We are both business people and the time has come to do a deal. The Liberal Party says around 400,000 people have signed up to vote

for its next leader on March 9th, though the membership list may change as applications are reviewed. Olivia Stivanovich, CBC News, Ottawa. The Trudeau government is delaying its plan to raise the capital gains tax. That means the proposed increase won't go into effect until January 2026. The bump in the rate was tabled in the Liberals' last budget but has yet to go through Parliament which is prorogued until March 24th. Coming right up, divers continue to search for victims of this week's airplane crash in the Potomac River, as investigators look for a cause and families and friends remember their loved ones. Plus, the city of Herson has been at the epicenter of the war in Ukraine since the beginning.

A report from that city, hearing from people who have done their best to survive three years of attacks. Later, a medieval malaise, rat populations are exploding in some of the world's biggest cities including Toronto. The grim recovery efforts in the Potomac River are into their third day. There are still some bodies in the wreckage of Wednesday night's fatal collision. 67 people died when a US Army helicopter flew into a commercial airliner in Washington, DC. Paul Hunter with the latest on the ongoing search

for victims and answers. Oh my God! As yet more imagery of the crash emerges. This one's a dash cam video showing again the horrifying fiery moment of impact in the night sky above Washington. Another shows the helicopter clearly striking the back part of the plane and then the plane's fuselage spinning as it plummets to the river.

The Potomac was again the site today of divers continuing their grisly task of trying to retrieve bodies, body parts, and as well remnants of the plane and military helicopter as they rest in the shallow but ice-cold waters of the river. We're working as fast as we can. Washington DC Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly. I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water. That, he expects, will be sometime next week. Meanwhile, investigators are going through the so-called black boxes retrieved from the plane with their cockpit voice recordings and flight data.

Reports now signal a potential key finding. Multiple U.S. news outlets say there's evidence that when it struck the plane, the helicopter was flying well above the allowed altitude for that part of the river. Separately, U.S. President Trump has also strongly suggested that so-called diversity hires at the Federal Aviation Administration may have played a role in the incident, though he offered no evidence to support that. And we certainly have seen the deterioration of federal hiring standards at the Federal Aviation Administration, and the president wants to increase those standards.

At the White House press briefing today, Trump's press secretary, Caroline Levitt, defended Trump's stated emphasis on merit hires over diversity. When you are flying on an airplane with your loved ones, do you pray that your plane lands safely and gets you to your destination, or do you pray that the pilot has a certain skin color? I think we all know the answer to that question, and as President Trump said yesterday, it's

common sense. Trump's views on FAA hiring have been slammed by critics as racist and despicable. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. A California man has pleaded guilty to recklessly operating a drone, crashing it into one of Quebec's water bombers. The incident happened last month while the Super Scooper was fighting those wildfires in Los Angeles. The plane was damaged and out of commission for several days. The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Joseph McNally, says the drone interfered with life-saving efforts. Critical to those efforts were firefighting aircraft that were conducting all-out assaults

in the areas surrounding the wildfires. Contrary to law and basic common sense, some individuals were recklessly operating drones around the firefighter, firefighting relief efforts. As part of a plea deal, the 56-year-old agreed to pay full restitution to the government of Quebec as well as the company that repaired the aircraft. He'll also complete 150 hours of community service. Herson was the first major city Russia captured in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.

It was liberated months later, but the city remains under siege, in part from Russian drones. Human rights investigators are accusing the Kremlin of deliberately targeting civilians. Briar Stewart has the story. Lyubov Timofeeva is part of a recent surge of people who arrived at this evacuation center after fleeing the fighting in and around the city of Herson. The 75-year-old struggles to shake the fear that she's been living with for months as she's sheltered from Russian attacks. It's hell, she told CBC News.

Everything is destroyed. Russia once occupied the city of Herson and several surrounding villages. Now it's bombarding the area from the other side of the Dnieper River. Part of Russia's arsenal, drones equipped with explosives that are stalking and targeting people for just being outside. Local officials say since the summer nearly 70 have been killed and hundreds injured. Including 46-year-old Dmitro who only wanted to be identified by his first name for security reasons. Tell me what happened with the drone. I was at the gas station, he said.

I paid for the fuel when an explosive from a drone hit the pump. He rubs his shoulders and touches his temple to show where he was pierced by shrapnel. Officials in Hursun say people have been attacked while in cars, on bicycles and while walking. Some have dubbed it a human safari. Most people that I spoke to said they're too scared to use cars because car engines are too loud so they won't hear the drones coming. Belkis Vilei is an associate director with Human Rights Watch and visited Herson to speak with residents.

She and her team have also gone through pro-Russian social media accounts cataloging video published of the attacks from the drone's cameras. The videos are usually edited with music. The accounts declare that Russian soldiers consider some neighborhoods a red zone and that any civilian infrastructure and moving vehicles will be considered a legitimate target. Now that is illegal under international law. You can't just decide that an entire segment of a city with civilians in it

is an area in which you can target anything that moves. The social media accounts accuse Ukraine's military of trying to blend in with the residents and claim Russia isn't targeting civilians. That's a lie, says Dmitro. Some residents believe Russia's tactics could be part of a plan to get people to leave the area. If that's the case, it seems to be working. The neighborhoods along the river are emptying out. And Dimitro and his family of seven are now living further north in an evacuation centre.

Briar Stewart, CBC News in the Kherson region, Ukraine. Congolese forces say they have stopped an offensive by Rwandan-backed rebels for now. The M23 rebel group has captured several towns after seizing the city of Goma earlier this week. The UN is warning of a surge in human rights violations including summary executions, bombing of displacement camps and sexual violence. World Food Program spokesperson Shelley Thackerel says essential supplies are scarce in Goma. People are really running out of food, clean water, medical supplies and that's a big concern.

So the supply chain has really been strangled at the moment. If you think about land access, air access, when everything is closed down. So our first priority is obviously for staff safety. We want to get back to our operations as soon as security allows us to. M23 rebels have said they will march to the capital Kinshasa. The fighting is a major escalation of a decades-old conflict in the country. When Ottawa announced a cap on international students, colleges and universities were expected

to make cuts because of the drop in revenue. But some of those cuts at Ontario colleges in particular are deep. One school is suspending roughly 40% of its curriculum. The Anna Sumanak-Johnson reports now on the consequences for students and communities. Students were shocked. I'm pretty sure the college officials were shocked. Vivian Eke has dreamed of being a 3D animator for years. So learning her program along with 48 others at Toronto Centennial College will be cancelled was upsetting. Eke, who's in her final year, will still be able to graduate.

But as a student union rep, she's hearing her final year, will still be able to graduate. But as a student union rep, she's hearing from others who aren't as lucky. Even one cancelled course might mean not graduating on time. It is scary. We don't know if there's gonna be any more changes in the future or if something else is gonna become more drastic. New federal caps on international student enrollments at post-secondary institutions have led to cuts in courses, programs and staff. Perry Johnston is president and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada. She says colleges were forced into over-reliance on international students

because the government didn't fund them properly. The fact remains that they've had to make very difficult choices in a context where there has not been commensurate public investment by provinces in the overall sustainable operating of our public colleges. Things are particularly bad in Ontario, home to more than 70 percent of college-attending international students. St. Lawrence College announced cuts to more than 50 programs just this week spread across its three campuses in a Kingston area. Eliciting stress from incoming students says John Hoth, Student Association president. Emails from incoming students with a lot of disappointment that they wouldn't be able to take programs that you know some applicants I think one had mentioned

they had been looking forward to a specific program since grade nine. And it's not only students and staff who are affected. St. Lawrence College serves Eastern Ontario. Glenn Vollebracht is president and CEO of St. Lawrence College. Among the college's programs being cut are those that provide training for skilled tradespeople

and professionals like mental health and addiction workers. It will hit our local communities. and that pains me because colleges are set up to serve local labour market needs and we've been doing it for close to 60 years. And as bad as all that sounds, Canada's post-secondary sector is likely to make even more cuts as it contends with a lean new reality. Deanna Sumanac-Johnson, CBC News, Toronto. Toronto is not only Canada's biggest city, it's the most rat-infested. The city is struggling to contain the critters.

Now rats in big cities may not exactly be headline news, but there is a new global research study showing a link between an increase in urban rodents and climate change. Inaiat Singh reports. The rats don't run this city, we do. This is not a ratatouille. Rats are not our friends. Officials in New York three years ago, as they announced a new rodent strategy. But cities have their work cut out for them in an era of climate change. According to a new study, rising temperature driven by global warming is strongly correlated

with rising rat populations around the world, including New York, Washington, Amsterdam and Toronto. I think every large city should have a dedicated team that focuses on nothing but rodents and the issues with rodents. Jonathan Richardson, urban ecologist at the University of Richmond in Virginia, is the lead author of the study, which is among the first to actually show a link between climate and rats. There are many indignities to living in a city, right? You can't get away from some of those things. But not everywhere in the world is it just accepted that you'll regularly see rats

in cities. The research also found a correlation between rats and urban density, but the link with rising temperatures was strongest. With warmer temperatures, more of them survive the milder winters, and they can reproduce faster in the longer summer seasons. That is a pretty universal fear that people have, which is having your community overtaken by rats. It's become a headache for Torontonians,

so much so that the city is working on a new rat strategy. Councillor Alejandra Bravo has pushed for that. Even when you leave City Hall or walk around City Hall, you can see the burrows and the tree wells. You know, I've walked along one of the streets and a giant rat ran past me in the middle of the day. Officials will look at areas of concern such as food disposal,

building construction and ways to fight rat infestations. Maite van Gervan researches pest control in the Netherlands. She says preventing rat populations from growing is more important than pesticides and other extermination methods. "...that you need to make sure that entrances to buildings are closed, that they cannot enter and that they cannot find this much food. Approaches that are only going to get more important as climate change brings rat-friendly warmth to Canada's cities.

Inayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto. We close on a road game with a difference. Some of the best hockey players in the world are going to be in one of Newfoundland's smallest communities tomorrow. Roddickton-Bide Arm, located on the Great Northern Peninsula. Population 928. Former NHL star such as defenseman Darian Hatcher and the Sutter brothers will take on a local seniors team in a charity game.

Ten-year-old Jacob Bush has even been doing some deep research on who's coming. I've also wanted to see professional players from the NHL. The player is Rich Sutter. He played on many teams in the NHL before he retired from the two broken vertebrae in 19-something. Maybe a little more work to do on that one. Darrell Randall is a local counselor who can't believe the town's luck. The NHL Legends of Hockey Tour contacted them just a month ago after a last-minute cancellation. They asked if Roddington-Bydarm would be up for a game. I'm very excited to meet some of these guys.

I've talked to a couple of them already, and especially where we're located on the northern peninsula, we're way up there, we're out of the way, and so for these kids to see actual NHL players to come here, it's amazing. Nature cooperated as well. The local rink has a roof but the ice under it is all natural and perfectly frozen. Danny Sims is one of the local players who'll be lacing them up against the X-Pros. One of the guys that I really watched

growing up was Darian Hatcher, big defenseman. Watched him hit a lot of bodies on the blue line. So I'm very excited for that and to go out and maybe we can go the other way. Maybe Darian Hatcher gets hit by me. Yeah. Careful what you wish for, Danny. The game is sold out. All the proceeds are going toward local youth hockey programs. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, January 31st. I'm Tom Harrington. Thanks for listening tonight. Stay safe and take care of each other.

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