Your World Tonight - The King arrives, Parliament opens, Russia pounds Ukraine, and more

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

Parliament has returned after more than five months away.  While there was a lighter mood -- on opening day, the House of Commons is restarting with Canadians facing some serious challenges. Tomorrow,  King Charles will read out the speech from the throne - announcing the government’s agenda. He and his wife Camilla arrived in Canada today for his first visit as the reigning sovereign. And: Amid talks of a ceasefire proposal - a strike on a building in Gaza that was sheltering displaced families adds to the desperation there. Hospital officials have said dozens are dead. The head of an organization that was to bring aid into Gaza has stepped down - citing concerns about upholding humanitarian principles. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was part of a U.S.-backed plan to bring in aid via Israel-designated distribution sites. The plan was criticized by the United Nations, which refused to participate. Also: A deal in the Russia-Ukraine war looks farther away than even a week ago. Russia launched one of its largest drone strikes on Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia’s president has gone crazy, and everything out of the Ukrainian president’s mouth is not helpful. The U.S. has previously warned it will walk away from trying to broker talks if the sides don’t start cooperating. Plus: An Air Canada pilot shares his thoughts with passengers as they are delayed on landing, a sentence for the man who stole Winston Churchill’s portrait, and more. 

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I'm Susan Bonner on Parliament Hill with a special edition of Your World Tonight. The right honorableable Prime Minister. As I rise in this House for the first time and I'd like to thank Canadians Mr. Speaker for the trust that they've put in this government but in all members of this great House. With a new session of Parliament set to begin, Mark Carney makes his debut in the House, the Prime Minister getting set to start what he calls an ambitious agenda as MPs choose a new speaker, the House opens and companies coming. Hip hip hooray! The King and Queen are here! I'm so excited to see King Charles and Queen Camilla.

It's such a historic opportunity to be here. King Charles and Queen Camilla in Canada for such a historic opportunity to be here. King Charles and Queen Camilla in Canada for a royal visit at a time when Canadian sovereignty is under threat ahead of a historic throne speech greeted by people from across the country while sending a message to one man in the White House. It's Monday, May 26th, just before 6pm Eastern. A new speaker, new MPs and a new Prime Minister. Parliament has returned after more than five months away. And while it was a lighter mood on opening day, the House of Commons is restarting with Canadians facing some serious challenges.

Olivia Stefanovic reports. Honourable members, may I have your attention please? Before any parliamentary business can get done, the first job for MPs was to elect a speaker. It started with eight candidates. I will withdraw my name. Until two Conservative MPs and Chris D'Entremont, who served as deputy speaker, dropped out of the race without explanation. A good speaker knows when to keep their speeches short.

Can you withdraw my name from the ballot please? That left six Liberals to choose from. Canadians want to see sticks on the ice and it's the responsibility of the speaker to make this so. It was an analogy about hockey that led Francis Scarpelegia to victory. The reward, the Quebec MP from Lac-Saint-Louis ceremoniously dragged to the Speaker's chair by opposition leader Andrew Scheer and Prime Minister Mark Carney. I would remind members that we are at the beginning of a mandate

in the selfish hope that you will afford me a little grace period. After Parliament's five-month hiatus, Scarpelegia introduced one of its newest members. The right Honourable Prime Minister. Who rose in the House for the first time. And I'd like to thank Canadians, Mr. Speaker, for the trust that they've put in this government, but in all members of this great House.

And they've got a lot to do, returning at a pivotal time, as the country faces threats to its sovereignty and a trade war with the U.S. This is a new beginning, we have a new speaker. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says the government will table legislation soon to ease the cost of living and the housing crisis. What Canadians want to see from us is really about serious focus. That's what we are.

It's still too early to say whether the spring sitting will see a repeat of the disruptions that ground government business to a halt last fall. Hey we're looking to have a productive Parliament where conservatives can hold the government to account to get real results for Canadians in a way that is done fairly and without any partisanship or bias. Conservative MP Michael Barrett is signaling more of an openness to work with the Liberals than before and of course look forward to having a speaker that's made those commitments to to be impartial and and to and to call balls and strikes as is the role we're very anxious as New

Democrats to bring the voices of the 1.2 million Canadians who voted for us to this place. But interim NDP leader Don Davies says his party won't get official status. You know we we inquired about that the government doesn't seem interested in that. Instead the seven remaining new Democrats will vie for committee access and precious time in question period as the 45th Canadian Parliament opens with the throne speech tomorrow. Olivia Stevanovic, CBC News, Ottawa. That throne speech is the centerpiece of a short but symbolically significant royal visit. King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in Canada this afternoon,

an appearance requested by the Prime Minister, at a time when Canada is seeking to underscore its sovereignty amid tension with US President Donald Trump. Kate McKenna reports. King Charles III, Canada's monarch, arriving on Canadian soil for the first time since his coronation, a symbol of sovereignty amid threats from US President Donald Trump. He and his wife Queen Camilla were met on the Ottawa tarmac by Indigenous leaders, the Governor General and Prime Minister Mark Carney. It's a good day for Canada. Carney requested the royal visit himself.

He has repeatedly pointed to Canada's founding by British, French and Indigenous peoples as one of the ways Canada is fundamentally different than its neighbour to the South. The sun is shining, the future is bright, the land is strong. King Charles spent the afternoon meeting Canadians. Are you all working in British? No, I'm from British Columbia.

That's a long way to go. Nova Scotia. He and the Queen drew big, excited Ottawa crowds. Hip, hip, hooray! The King and Queen are here! Hip hip hooray! The King and Queen are here! King Charles was mobbed by well-wishers, many of whom rushed over for selfies or handshakes. His activities included planting a tree and observing a Canadian pastime. He attended a street hockey game.

We now invite the team captain and his majesty to the centre of the ring for the ceremonial hug drop. Ottawa resident Heather Joy Batten and her daughter Jocelyn took it all in. I hope that they sense the unity that it brings, you know, our country and just the continuity that the monarchy brings to our constitutional system. Well, I'm so excited to see the King Charles and Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Carney. I only got a glimpse of them but I'm still so happy to be here. The King and Queen nodded to Canada in their dress. He wore a red tie, she wore a maple leaf brooch, and was given a red and white bouquet by 14-year-old Lila Graham.

They're so nice and I was so nervous obviously, but it was an incredible experience. The two-day trip marks King Charles 20th visit to Canada. It's his first as King. This visit is meant to underscore Canada's strength. Donald Trump's repeated threats of making Canada the 51st state loom large. Many in the crowds including retired Chief Warrant Officer Brian Budden say it's a non-starter. We are precise that we are a sovereign nation and we are who we are.

We have a king as our sovereign head of state with a prime minister who governs the country. Canada is Canada and will never be anything else. Tomorrow's speech from the throne will be read by the monarch for the first time in almost 50 years. A historic moment designed to show that Canada is a strong and united country. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. The CBC's Catherine Cullen has been watching this royal tour. Catherine, this visit is an interesting mix of your standard royal scenes and some politics.

Yeah, Susan, I mean, there is obviously a sense of excitement in the places that the king is going. The crowds are showing up to see him and you do see all those symbols of a traditional royal visit to Canada. The maple syrup, the puck drop, the presence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but they take on an added meaning in this time where there is so much talk of Canadian sovereignty, Canada's identity, the visit itself is a show of support for Canada in the face of Donald Trump's threats, even if it is too political to explicitly say it that way. Now, tomorrow we will have the opening of parliament, the speech from the throne. It is a way of the King recognizing Canada's institutions, what makes this country

unique and so much more than just an additional state. Susan? And Catherine, you and I will be talking about that tomorrow on a live CBC Radio special. I'm looking forward to it. Me too. Thank you, Catherine. Catherine Cullen, the host of The House, and you can catch our live coverage tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern on CBC Radio 1. Coming right up in Gaza, more deadly airstrikes and not enough aid as Israel continues its campaign against Hamas. And Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin has gone crazy.

But his criticism doesn't come with any new support for Ukraine as the country is hit with a record number of Russian drones. Officials in Gaza say dozens of people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Many of them are said to be children who were hiding with their families in a school serving as a shelter. And in another blow for Palestinians, the troubled effort to increase the flow of aid into the territory is hitting another snag. Tom Perry reports from Jerusalem. Some Israelis marking an occasion seen very differently by Palestinians and Jews. Thousands of nationalist flag-waving marchers, most of them young men, celebrating Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli takeover of East Jerusalem and its historic old city in the Six-Day War of 1967.

It's a holiday of Jerusalem and we're happy to be here and to say it's our country. Jerusalem's Palestinians not celebrating. Shops in the old cities normally bustling Muslim quarter shut tight against crowds of young Israelis, some chanting anti-Arab slogans. May your village burn, these young men shout. This day has caused friction before between Jews and Muslims, but the backdrop these days is more harsh. Israel is continuing its bombardment of Gaza, striking a school overnight where Palestinians forced from their homes had been seeking shelter.

People were in pieces, people were burnt, says Al-Aqabaj, whose family lived in a tent by the school. It's terrifying to wake up to fire, he says. It's not easy. Israel's military says the school was being used by militants to plan attacks but provided no proof. The airstrikes not the only threat. People in Gaza are still scrambling for food,

lining up whenever any assistance is on offer. The Israeli government says it allowed 170 trucks carrying food, medical equipment and drugs into the territory today, but the need is far greater, and there are now fresh questions around how any assistance will be delivered. The head of a new and controversial aid group, the US and Israel have been pressing to distribute food in Gaza while preventing it from being diverted to Hamas, abruptly resigned. Jake Wood stepped down as director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, citing concerns about the group's impartiality and independence.

On his way out, urging Israel to ease its tight restrictions on aid shipments and allow people in Gaza to get the help they need. And as if that wasn't enough, there are now mixed messages about a potential ceasefire deal. Reports Hamas is ready to accept a deal to release some hostages in exchange for a temporary truce. Reports as well Israel and the U.S. have both rejected it. The only thing certain is the uncertainty. Tom Perry, CBC News, Jerusalem. Ukraine was pounded by waves of deadly Russian drone attacks over the weekend prompting swift condemnation from Europe and from the White House. In rare and blunt criticism of his Russian counterpart, Donald Trump called

Vladimir Putin crazy. Aaron Collins has more on the intensifying war and the escalating rhetoric. Overnight, another savage aerial attack on Ukraine. Officials on the ground say Russia's fired nearly 1,500 drones and missiles into that country over the past week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posting a video saying there have been constant Russian strikes, constant killings, relentless assaults. But Russia remains unrepented. relentless assaults. But Russia remains unrepented. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says his country launched a retaliatory strike after Ukraine fired its own missiles deep into Russia. European allies no longer limiting how far Ukraine can fire the weapons they deliver. Danish Prime Minister Metta

Fredriksen meeting with other Nordic leaders urging more military support for Ukraine. The horrible attacks over the weekend prove that what we unfortunately already know, Russia is not interested in peace. Those attacks ramping up pressure for new sanctions on Russia. Orisa Lutsevich heads up the Ukraine forum at a London-based think tank. Simply by denying income to the Russian state to finance the war. War is very expensive and Russia is having a lot of pressure on its economy. Something U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to at least consider over the weekend. I don't know what the hell happened to Putin.

I've known him a long time, always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people. And I don't like it at all. Trump is clearly frustrated with Vladimir Putin, calling the Russian president crazy on social media, lashing out at Zelensky too, saying everything out of his mouth causes problems. More strong words from the U.S. president, but so far little action to end this conflict. Erin Collins, CBC News, Washington.

It's still not clear how many people are injured after a car drove into pedestrians celebrating a soccer win in Liverpool, England. Police have arrested a 53-year-old British man. Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls it an appalling scene and says his thoughts are with all those injured or affected. Police say they're working to determine the circumstances leading up to the collision. Anyone flying through Vancouver International Airport in recent weeks may have noticed more cancellations and delays than usual and passengers aren't the only ones feeling frustrated.

An Air Canada pilot shared his thoughts this weekend, blaming the country's air traffic control agency for staffing shortages. Georgie Smythe reports. The people in charge of air traffic control in Nav Canada are keeping, like the air traffic controllers, are keeping the numbers low to keep the overtime up. A delayed Air Canada plane waits on the tarmac at Vancouver's International Airport while a frustrated pilot vents to passengers. and tell them what's going on. Maybe they could address this problem. The extraordinary rant was captured by a CBC journalist on the plane bound for Montreal on Saturday. CBC News asked NAV Canada for an interview

to respond to the accusations made by the pilot. In a statement, the country's Air Navigation Service provider says it was experiencing resource constraints in Vancouver that day, but it refutes any suggestion it's preventing air traffic control trainees from entering the workforce to protect overtime for existing employees. Nav Canada says it's been taking actions to address staffing challenges, with close to 500 students in its training programs right now.

Delays are becoming common at YVR, with the airport last week saying its schedules have been affected by constraints at NAV Canada. But people in the industry say the problem is country-wide. Most people that have travelled, I'll say, have noticed a delay of some sort, somewhere across the system. Captain Tim Perry is the president of the Canada Airline Pilots Association. It represents almost all of the unionized pilots in the country, including those at Air Canada. He says pilots have been struggling with ongoing shortages of air traffic controllers, who

help manage 18 million square kilometres of Canadian airspace. But he says this incident shouldn't be about finger-pointing. We really need to look to the future, work collaboratively with all the stakeholders. That means government, that means labour representatives, and it means employers to make sure that the entire system is staffed appropriately and robust and resilient. Delays and cancellations have been mounting in US airspace too. The Trump administration has promised to fix a national shortage after several crashes and tower mishaps, including one at Newark Airport earlier this month when pilots temporarily

lost contact with controllers that oversee the airport's approach and departure space. In this country, aviation authorities say flying is safe, and the 2,000 air traffic controllers that manage Canada's skies have ways to handle staff shortages while it waits for more to come on board. Georgie Smythe, CBC News, Vancouver. Alberta will conduct a review to make sure libraries and elementary schools have age-appropriate books. The province says it has found books

with graphic depictions of nudity, alcohol, and drug use. Education Minister Dimitrios Nikolaidis says input from parents is crucial to creating guidelines for school boards to follow. I think it's ultimately their final decision as to what kinds of material their children should be exposed to. In some of the preliminary research and survey work that we've done, I think it was well over 90% said that books containing graphic sexual images

should not be available anywhere in an elementary school environment. Nikolaides says it's about creating consistent standards rather than banning specific books. If you bought bread between 2001 and 2021, you may be eligible for a bit of cash from Loblaw. A judge has approved a half billion dollar settlement over accusations of price fixing. A class action suit claimed the company added at least a dollar and fifty cents to the price of a loaf for years. Loblaw already paid out about a hundred million in gift cards when the scheme was first uncovered.

Millions more Canadians are now eligible. The online claims process hasn't opened yet. 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. The man behind an international art heist at Ottawa's Chateau Laurier Hotel is going to jail.

Jeffrey Wood pleaded guilty in March to stealing an iconic photo portrait of Winston Churchill. Today he was sentenced to two years less a day. The portrait was donated in 1998 by photographer Youssef Karsh who also lived at the hotel. It disappeared sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day 2022 while Ottawa was in a COVID lockdown. No one noticed it had been replaced by a fake for months. An unsuspecting buyer in Italy had bought the portrait through a London auction house. It's since been returned. We return to our top story now and the reason we're in Ottawa, the royal visit of King Charles, the big event tomorrow when he delivers the speech from the throne. I spoke with royal historian Carolyn Harris about this show of support. Carolyn, if this visit is so much about symbolism,

the King being here at this moment, showing up for Canada in its difficult time with the United States, how much though does he have to balance the difficulties that the United Kingdom has with the Donald Trump administration as well? King Charles III is in a delicate diplomatic situation as he is King of the United Kingdom, King of Canada, and King of 13 other Commonwealth realms who may also be considering their relationship with the United States at this time. So King Charles III acts on the advice of his Prime Minister for each of these different countries. So we've seen him extending an invitation to President Donald Trump for a state visit on the advice of his British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but he has opened

Parliament in Canada on the advice of his Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. So it's a delicate diplomatic role for the King to be in opening Parliament in Canada as King of Canada, but he may also in the future be hosting a state visit as King of the United Kingdom. How risky is that, that he'll tread in difficult political waters? Well he's following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II who very adeptly navigated these difficult political waters. For instance in 1971 at the first Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Singapore her

British Prime Minister Edward Edward Heath, advised against the Queen attending. He was concerned that her role would become politicized. So Charles III has learned from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, about how to very delicately navigate some of these competing demands from various Prime Ministers in the Commonwealth realms. How does he navigate the possibility that Canadians could be disappointed, that he won't do enough to change the situation or to signal that he's got Canada's back? Well, it's very rare for the King to be here in person to open Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II

opened Parliament in 1957 and in 1977. So for King Charles III, for his very first visit to Canada as a reigning sovereign, to be here to open Parliament, that is highly significant. And it's sending a very clear message regarding Canada's sovereignty. There are Canadians who tell public opinion polls that they're ambivalent about the monarchy in Canada. How could this visit play into that? Could that disappoint Canadians even more? Well, when there's a royal visit, there's always discussion and debate about the future of the monarchy in Canada. As many Canadians don't really think about the monarchy except when we have senior members of the royal family present here in Canada. So we're going to

be seeing King Charles III here in a Canadian context and that has the potential to increase the popularity of the monarchy because Canadians are being reminded that King Charles III is here as King of Canada. Does it also have the potential though to alienate some Canadians? We've seen the Bloc Québécois call him the foreign king and saying this is a step backwards not a step forwards for Canada. Well certainly in Quebec there's been controversy regarding royal tours all the way back to 1964 when Queen Elizabeth II faced protesters, but we're in a political moment when

there's a lot of emphasis on Canadian history and political institutions that are distinct from those of the United States. And it's interesting to see we look at polling data earlier in the 21st century when Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002, that there were many Canadians who identified the monarchy as something that made Canada distinct from the United States. Even those being polled who couldn't quite explain our system of government and how it worked noted the monarchy was something we have that the United States

does not, and at this particular political moment, that may increase the monarchy's popularity in Canada because it is part of our distinctive history and political culture. Lots to watch for. Thank you. Thank you. For history is being made. The first time the reigning king of Canada sets foot in his dominion. As Carolyn mentioned, royal visits to Canada have a long history. In 1939, Charles's grandfather, King George, became the first reigning monarch to travel here. It's a tradition that's continued and evolved with the times. The Queen and Prince Philip were received by Mr. Massey, the Governor General.

Quebec is the center of the French-Canadian movement to break away from the rest of the country. And whether through political conviction or sheer intimidation, the crowds were conspicuously absent. And with your permission, sir, I would like to extend a special welcome to Princess Diana. We know that this is her first trip to Canada. And Diana holds Henry's hand on public walks, so William, closer in line to the throne, can walk ahead.

But for all the royal visits over the decades, what's about to happen during this one is exceptionally rare. Therefore, this legislation will be significantly strengthened to provide further immediate stimulus to the economy and to create new employment. Further stimulus must not be allowed to compromise our objective of continuing reductions in inflation. The government will continue to exercise responsibility in controlling its expenditures. A throne speech delivered by the person occupying it has only happened twice before by Queen Elizabeth in 1957 and 1977. Tomorrow Charles will be the first

king to open a new session of Canadian Parliament. Thanks for joining us on Your World Tonight for Monday, May 26th. I'm Susan Bonner in Ottawa. Good night.