Your World Tonight - Tariff talk, dry weather fuels prairie fires, seabed mining, and more

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

<p>Tariffs on steel and aluminum going into the U.S. are now up to 50 per cent. Canada is the largest supplier of both – accounting for half of aluminum imports and 25 per cent of steel. Canadian industry leaders, business leaders, and politicians at all levels want the Carney government to retaliate – now. The prime minister says his team needs time to make a decision amid ongoing discussions with the U.S. that he says are going in a positive direction.</p><p><br></p><p>And: Dry, windy conditions are fueling fires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We talk to evacuees who have left their possessions behind – and are now sleeping in their cars. And Saskatchewan’s premier says there will likely be thousands more evacuations soon.</p><p><br></p><p>Also: A group of climate scientists say seabed mining could irrevocably disturb the world’s largest carbon sink – the oceans.</p><p><br></p><p>Plus: Game one of the Stanley Cup finals, Russia-Ukraine tensions, Gaza aid security, and more.</p>

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 will take some time, not much, some time, because we are in intensive discussions right now with the Americans. Tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar. We can't sit back and let President Trump steamroll us. Patience and calls to push back after U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum doubled overnight to an industry rattling 50%. A move the prime minister calls unlawful and unjustified. But so far it's gone unanswered. Welcome to Your World Tonight.

I'm Susan Bonner. It is Wednesday, June 4th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast, Bracing for the Counter-Strike in Ukraine after successful attacks on Russian air bases, strike in Ukraine after successful attacks on Russian air bases, Vladimir Putin tells the US president the Russian response is coming. And under sea mining under pressure. There is no rational argument deep sea mining that pose so large risks to ocean stability. Scientists warn of the costs as more companies join the search for valuable minerals deep underwater. The Prime Minister wants more time to respond to Donald Trump's latest tariff salvo on imported steel and aluminum. Mark Carney says his team is still trying to make a deal. But industry leaders warn time is running

out and some businesses may not be able to recover. Kate McKenna reports. The latest tariffs on steel and aluminum are unjustified, they're illegal, they're bad. Prime Minister Mark Carney with a message for the US president one day after Donald Trump doubled the tariffs on steel and aluminum, now an eye-watering 50%. They're bad for American workers, bad for American industry, and of course for Canadian industry as well. Canada is the biggest exporter of steel and aluminum to the United States.

And some industry groups warn with tariffs this big, that market is now basically shuttered, leaving thousands of Canadian jobs in limbo. I want to discuss this and more with the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford. Premier, thank you so much for joining us. Ontario Premier Doug Ford came out swinging, appearing on CNN warning Americans this comes with the cost. It's a four billion dollar tax on American products that have steel in them. Speaking to Canadian reporters, Ford says Ontario will use Canadian steel and aluminum as much as possible. I've directed our office to make sure anything that we build here,

the 30 billion dollars that we're importing to onshore as much as we can. But he also called on the federal government to hit back hard. We can't sit back and let President Trump steamroll us, try to shut down our steel industry, take jobs down to the U.S. And we need to slap another 25 percent tariffs on the steel that's coming into Ontario and Canada as a whole. Carney says Canada isn't responding with more counter tariffs for now. He says the two countries are in intensive talks over trade, prompting questions from opposition leader Andrew Shear

in the House of Commons. While other countries have got deals to lower their tariffs, not only has the PM failed to do that, but he's got Canada's tariffs doubled on steel and aluminum. We are in intensive negotiations with the Americans and in parallel preparing reprisals if those negotiations do not succeed. Neither the Prime Minister nor industry minister, Melanie Jolie, are ruling out dollar for dollar counter tariffs down the road.

We are looking at different scenarios right now and we will take a decision but we need a bit more time right now, not too long. In March Canada hit back with import taxes on about 60 billion dollars of American goods including some steel and aluminum items but the federal government has since paused some counter tariffs on products used in manufacturing or in some critical sectors like healthcare. We impose maximum pain to the U.S. while having minimum pain, minimum impact to Canadians. But while the government considers what's next, industry warns more job cuts are coming. One of the first tests for Carney, who campaigned on being a strong voice in dealing with Donald Trump. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa.

Steel and aluminum companies are major employers and play a major role in local economies. And the potential impact of job losses could go far beyond the factory floor. Lisa Shing explains. There's worry in Hamilton where two big steel plants support thousands of jobs. For the younger guys, you know, you got a mortgage, you got car payments. John Farrell, now retired, worked at one of them. I mean I don't have issues with the states or whatever. It's just one fool making life difficult for thousands, millions of people. In place now, the doubled tariff on steel and aluminum imports into the US at 50%.

Ron Wells, president of the United Steelworkers Local 1005 in Hamilton, says his members are tired of the whiplash, of the on and off again tariffs that have earmarked President Donald Trump's first few months in office. Workers are more, they're more upset than they are worried or scared. I mean no one needs this additional stress or frustration. About half of Canada's steel is sent to the US and businesses that may have been able to adjust their operations to accommodate the initial 25% levy imposed in March may no longer be able to.

François Demare is the vice president of the Canadian Steel Producers Association. So at 50% basically we're shut out from the US market which will have devastating impact throughout our supply chain in terms of jobs we're expecting thousands of jobs to be lost and quite rapidly. Especially for communities like Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where Algoma Steel is the largest employer. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. That's more than half their sales production.

So that means that half of their production evaporates essentially overnight. When Algoma hurts, home improvement stores hurt, grocery stores hurt, retailers hurt, restaurants hurt. The impact is far-reaching. Most of Canada's aluminum is produced in Quebec, the province's second largest sector. More than 90% of that is sent south of the border. Prime Minister Marc Carney is now under pressure to retaliate quickly. Francois Racine, CEO of industry organization Allu Quebec says

while he supports counter tariffs it shouldn't be on everything. We are against countermeasures on products that are industry needs, are industrial based needs like some aluminum products or components that are made in the US that are not made in Canada. Meanwhile industry leaders are calling for more federal support for businesses as another round of the trade war plays out. Lisa Sheng, CBC News, Toronto. The Liberal minority government faces its first confidence test this evening.

The House will vote on the speech from the throne. The NDP announced it will not support the government, arguing the speech did not address the priorities of working families. The Conservatives and Bloc have not said how they will vote. The government needs one party's support to avoid defeat, which could force the country into a snap election. Trade uncertainty is also keeping the Bank of Canada from lowering its key interest rate. The central bank announced the rate will stay at 2.75 percent. Governor Tiff Macklem says the Canadian economy has weakened slightly.

You can definitely see the impact of tariffs but there is some resilience. Having said that, look, the longer these tariffs go on, the longer this uncertainty goes on, the more it's going to weigh on the Canadian economy, the more that is going to put downward pressure on inflation. And we will be watching that very carefully. The bank's next rate setting is July 30th. In the hot, hollowed out communities of the prairies, fire crews are on the front lines, trying to push back flames. As residents are spread out, many living on the road and hoping for improvement

that only the weather can provide. Erin Collins has the latest on the wildfire crisis gripping western Canada. Main Street, Larrange. In the air a chopper dumps water on a burning building. Firefighters on the ground attack the same blaze from below. Those fighting this fire, the only ones left in town. This year has been the worst. I have never seen a fire do this in my entire firefighting career. Joe Rat is a veteran firefighter who lives in La Ronge. He quickly volunteered to try to save his community, a fight that's still ongoing.

I mean, it's in La Ronge now, taking homes in La Ronge, so businesses are going down in La Ronge. When the people go back home, they're not going to like what they see, but it is what it is, you know. It's Mother Nature taking its course. Many of Rat's neighbors have fled south to Prince Albert. I knew what to expect, but you were a little creeped, eh? You'd see the fire, things burning on the side of the road. Among the evacuees, Jocelyn Theodoref and her daughter Haley. It's been very crazy with four dogs inside the car. But with the hotels here full, the Theodorefs are sleeping in their car.

Well, it makes you happy for the simple things. We have shampoo today. You know, like it's just the little things. You had oatmeal. You're just displaced, but I don't know, we have each other. The resources are stretched thin across the prairies as this firefight drags on. Here we have Minnetonnas helping us on this side of the flood. Just across the border in Manitoba, crews are still fighting the fires burning near

Flynn Flawn. That community still evacuated, still under threat. The city's mayor, George Fontaine, says firefighters keeping the flames at bay in his city are running out of food. They've been raiding the grocery stores and that sort of thing and there would be a couple of days of not being able to have enough food to provide to all these men. So it made that clear to the province and hopefully they can do something about it. And as resources dwindle, the rough start to this wildfire season escalates. More than 200 fires burning across the country, half of those out of

control. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaking for people across the prairies. I've never seen anything like it. We need to change weather, we need rain, we need rain to build the northern part of our province and I would say the northern part of the prairie provinces and we need it soon. But that relief nowhere in sight across most of Western Canada. More hot dry weather is forecast for the coming days. A recipe for fanning the flames of the fires here and for chasing more people from their homes. Erin Collins, CBC News, Calgary. Coming up on the podcast, Vladimir Putin talks to Donald Trump about more war, not peace.

The controversial push for critical minerals at the bottom of the sea and facing off hockey at a nationalistic time. U.S. President Donald Trump says Russia will respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on air bases. He says the message came from Vladimir Putin when the two leaders spoke today. Tension and rhetoric between Ukraine and Russia is escalating while the hope of any progress towards peace seems to be slipping away. Chris Reyes has the latest. Following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin,

President Donald Trump was frank, writing on Truth Social, it was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace, he said. Yet another blow to faltering talks between the two countries. It's the second time the two leaders have spoken in recent weeks, following Ukraine's drone attack on Russia's airfields over the weekend. At a meeting with his government Wednesday, Putin called the attack terrorism. On social media, Trump said Putin told him strongly that Russia will retaliate.

Ministers and generals, thank you for standing with us, with Ukraine and for helping us defend our country. Speaking virtually at a meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again called for a summit and a ceasefire, but also said this. The Russians are not ready for a ceasefire, he said. Following the meeting, NATO leaders stood firm in supporting Ukraine, Secretary-General Mark Ruta. The Russians are still attacking innocent people in Ukraine, cities.

This is violence for the sake of violence. And you can be assured that NATO, the Allies, stand with you to continue to support Ukraine. And from the UK, a fresh commitment to increase the delivery of drones to Ukraine, tenfold with a target of 100,000 this year. Zelensky told NATO leaders to keep the support coming. I urge you to stay fully engaged in building new defense packages for our soldiers, because what we build here will protect us all." From Putin, he said,

"...what is there to talk about? Who negotiates with those who rely on terror, with terrorists? Even more indication that peace talks are far from advancing." Chris Reyes, CBC News, Washington. Aid distribution sites in Gaza are closed today after several deadly shooting incidents this week. Palestinians scrambling for food and supplies came under Israeli fire. The often criticized Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it needs to work on securing the distribution sites before resuming operations. Briar Stewart reports.

Twenty-year-old Islam Kakhmen cuts fabric at his sewing stand in Gaza City. On Monday, he was part of a large desperate crowd trying to get aid from one of the few distribution sites operating in the south. He said he grabbed a seven kilogram bag of flour, then gunfire broke out. It's not aid, he said, it's collective death. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, three people were killed by gunfire outside of the compound that day, in an area of Gaza, under control by the Israeli military. Qaqman said he was able to leave with his sack of flour, but gangs stole it from him

on the way back north. I came home empty-handed, he said. Over the past three days, there's been a deadly pattern of chaos and bloodshed near an aid distribution site. Gaza health officials say more than 60 people have been killed in that area since Sunday. Israel said it hasn't targeted civilians, but on Tuesday said it fired in the direction of what it described as suspects who strayed from a designated route. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation stopped handing out aid altogether on Wednesday

but plans to resume distribution on Thursday. It said it's working with the Israeli military to improve security measures. The Foundation has faced a lot of criticism including for only operating a few distribution sites forcing people to travel great distances. 55-year-old Ramadan El Zannoun thinks the food parcels should be handed out like they were before by the UN, which ran hundreds of sites. That way everyone would be able to receive their portion, he said. People are always coming to you and knocking you in the hallways, asking you for help.

Denise Pot then is a nurse from Slave Lake, Alberta, currently working in Gaza with the charity Doctors Without Borders. When we're driving to and from the clinics or the hospital where we're working, you can really feel the inspiration that people have. They're really overcrowded and just in a more and more desperate situation every day and you feel that tension. Humanitarian groups say there's nowhere near enough aid and the way it's been handed out is further endangering the lives of Palestinians. Briar Stewart, CBC News, London.

The United States has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and the immediate lifting of restrictions on aid getting in. US Acting Ambassador Dorothy Shea told the council the resolution does not include key provisions. The United States has been clear we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza. In recent months, Hamas has rejected numerous ceasefire proposals, including one over the

weekend that would provide a pathway to end this conflict and release the remaining 58 hostages. The U.S. vetoed a UN resolution in November for similar reasons. Some top climate scientists are trying to turn the tide on a controversial technique for extracting critical minerals. They want a permanent ban on deep sea mining. It comes as the U.S. government moves to fast-track approvals and some Canadian entrepreneurs are testing new technology they say does minimal harm.

Anayat Singh reports. In Collingwood, Ontario, Impossible Metals is testing its deep sea mining robot in the waters of Georgian Bay. It comes with robotic claws designed to pick up rocks from the ocean floor, CEO Oliver Gunasekara. What we did is took the input that the environmentalists have about the concerns of protecting the marine habitat. We use AI to identify life. If we see life, we put a quarantine virtual circle

around it, and the vehicle flies over the top. Impossible Metals is one of several mining upstarts that want to mine on the ocean floor in the Pacific. The prize? These polymetallic nodules that contain valuable minerals like cobalt and nickel. We actually are going to need massive quantities of all of these metals and the ocean has the biggest source and we can access it for the lowest cost and the quickest time with the least environmental impact. But a group of leading ocean and climate scientists wants a halt on this new deep sea gold rush.

They published a letter in the journal Nature Today, ahead of a key UN ocean conference in France this month. Rashid Sumela, who studies the economics of deep sea mining at the University of British Columbia, was a contributor. Most of the private mining company reports, they look at revenue, they look at the cost, they look at the financial aspect. You hardly see anything really deep about the environmental and social consequences, what happens to future generations if you mess up the ocean.

The oceans absorb 90% of the excess heat that's been generated by rising greenhouse gas emissions, an irreplaceable service to humankind that happens largely in the background. All of this depends on a delicate ecological cycle which risks being disrupted in unknown ways from deep-sea mining. Jon Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, also contributed to the letter. There is no rational argument for why we need to have very expensive deep sea mining technologies that pose so large risks to ocean stability when rare earth metals for the green

transition are available on land. Momentum, however, is on the side of mining. U.S. President Donald Trump has signed new orders to fast-track deep sea mining approvals and Impossible Metals is seeking to mine off the coast of American Samoa. Canada, meanwhile, has joined 32 other countries calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, part of a growing rift on whether to unlock a new source of valuable critical minerals or leave the ocean be. Inayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto. This is Your World Tonight from CBC News.

If you want to make sure you stay up to date and 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. Amid Donald Trump's trade war and recent anti-U.S. sentiment, Canadians have been calling for more nation-building projects. One starts tonight in Edmonton. The Oilers host the Florida Panthers for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Trying to end a historic hockey drought?

It will be elbows up with the hopes of a country on their shoulders. Julia Wong explains. Oh, on top of the world, yeah. Really ready to go. Neil Boyle is over the moon to see his Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup final. Boyle is from Oregon. He first fell in love with the Oilers during the Wayne Gretzky years and has been a loyal fan ever since. This is the ultimate lifetime chance to go to a Stanley Cup game. I never thought I would. So I started looking for tickets, found some tickets, got tickets for game one and two and here we are.

His passion for the Oilers so strong, Boyle checked out team merchandise straight from the airport, still rolling his luggage. You know we just you know got here and we can't check in until later today so we figured hey or let's go to the Euler store. Fan fever is also strong at Edmonton. Many haven't forgotten how the team came so close last year only to lose in game seven to the Florida Panthers their opponent again this year fan Aaron Wright. It's a little bit nerve-racking because of what happened last year in the finals but I think that we have a

better chance this year and we're looking good going into it. But in case that isn't enough... It was all around this area yes. Barry Batke is hoping to give the team some good luck. Batke works with the City of Edmonton's arena and facilities. His job collided with his love for hockey when he was picked to scrape some ice from a city rink Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner used to play on. Batke chose a face-off circle. It just felt right.

It just felt like it was the right spot, right here. Good vibes. Yes. That ice was mixed into the ice making tank of a Rogers Place Zamboni, along with shavings from other Canadian rinks connected to different Oilers players. Remnants of the past used to resurface home ice for game one. I think it's a pretty interesting thing, a special thing, exciting thing, knowing that the Oilers players have pieces of their careers, hometowns,

knowing that a whole country is supporting them to bring Home the Cup back to Canada. That support also coming from Newmarket, Ontario. From last year, this was a big favourite. Mayor John Taylor holds up a giant cutout of Oilers superstar Connor McDavid's face. Posters people can wave at outdoor viewing parties as they cheer on one of their own. It's a special moment for this community. Hockey is a big deal in Canada and it's a big deal in Newmarket and Connor McDavid is our hometown hero.

A team uniting people across the country as they continue the 32-year quest to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada. Julia Wong, CBC News, Edmonton. Finally tonight from an early age six-year-old Elijah Modi was showing signs of unique intelligence. The Bedford Nova Scotia boy learned multiplication as a toddler, taught himself to read and write long before kindergarten, and while lots of kids like to play with those

little fridge magnet letters, Modi was using them to spell complicated words when he was still in diapers. We would turn around and think, who spelled this word on the fridge? And we'd just be asking questions and we'd be watching him and making little videos of him. We knew, we really knew that he was so gifted. That's Modi's mom, Mercy. She says the clues were piling up so she and her husband arranged for Elijah to be tested for entry in Mensa International, a society for high IQ individuals in the top 2% of the general population.

Mensa only starts testing at age 14, so the family had to do it privately and have the results verified by the organization. We had to go through all of these steps, but the end result didn't surprise us at all. I think we really knew, and anyone who's met him, I think as well, just can see that shine through in him as well. Math by solving questions, gym by running around, and the library with reading. Elijah may be a member of a very exclusive club,

but he's still keeping it real, enjoying school and especially sports. He says when he grows up, he wants to be a professional soccer player. Thank you for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for Wednesday, June 4th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again.