Your World Tonight - The Prime Minister looks to expand Canadian ports, Israel’s ‘Day of disruption’ for Gaza deal, a rare case of a flesh-eating parasite in the U.S., and more

Episode Date: August 26, 2025

The Prime Minister hints at upcoming plans for the country’s port infrastructure. On a stop in Germany during his European trip, Mark Carney says an announcement on new investments is coming within weeks, pointing to upgrades to ports in Montreal and Churchill, Manitoba that will help ship energy and minerals to European customers.And: Thousands of people march though the streets across Israel, as families of hostages held by Hamas stage a day of action to demand their return, and an immediate ceasefire deal. Some blocked roads and burned tires, as Palestinians in Gaza mourned the killing of five journalists.Also: Giving the ‘ick’: U.S. officials confirm a rare human case of screwworm — a parasitic infestation of fly larvae that’s known to nest in the wounds of warm-blooded animals and slowly eat them alive.Plus: Trump ratchets up his fight against the U.S. Federal Reserve, a different approach to battling Canada’s wildfires, Alberta farmers ‘soak’ up the summer, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. What's interesting about Churchill, there is much more to it than Contracur in terms of what it potentially unlocks. As the Prime Minister tries to pick up the pace on an election promise, Mark Carney is dropping hints about where the federal government wants to build major infrastructure projects and port expansions in two provinces. as Canada maps out new trade with Europe and a path away from the United States. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm John Northcott. This is Tuesday, August 26th, coming up at 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. The issue here is this infestation is being seen in places where historically it hasn't been seen for decades and decades. A human case of a rare flesh-eating parasite confirmed in the United States,

making its way into the country with a traveler, screw worm was eradication. in many regions decades ago, and health officials are still working to keep it at bay. And this engagement is off the charts. In a social media post, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey announced their next era is marriage. It was a pillar of the campaign that got him elected a pitch for major nation-building infrastructure to bolster the economy and make it less dependent on the U.S. big and bold statements from the Prime Minister that have been short on specifics. But tonight, Mark Carney, is beginning to fill in the gaps,

suggesting his plan is aimed at European markets and a pair of Canadian ports. Our coverage begins with the CBC's Kate McKenna. Our government is in the process of unleashing half a trillion dollars of investment in energy infrastructure, port infrastructure. Prime Minister Mark Carney got the closest he's come yet to naming which major infrastructure projects his government will prioritize as it seeks to lessen Canada's dependence on the United States in the wake of Donald Trump's trade war. The first of which we will be formally announcing in the next two weeks are with respect to

new port infrastructure and some of the examples in the public domain will include from reinforcing and building on the port of Montreal, Contra Coe, a new port effectively in Churchill, Manitoba, which would open up enormous LNG plus other opportunities. Carney says big port expansion is key to shipping more Canadian critical minerals and energy to European countries. Today, Canada and Germany signaled an intent to do just that. Canada is set to begin discussions on supplying liquefied natural gas to German buyers, a move to tap into a growing European market. Expanding northern Manitoba's Port of Churchill would be key in shipping resources overseas.

Tim Hodgson is the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. Premier Canoe has been very clear that he is very supportive of expanding the port of Churchill for both the export of critical minerals, for the export of more agricultural products, and potentially for the export of natural gas. And there are proponents here today who are interested in that. diversifying international trade has been the number one priority of the Kearney government since it was elected in April. But the prospect of selling LNG to Europe dates well before that. In 2022, then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau questioned whether there was a business case for it.

Jay Kosla is the Executive Director of Economic and Energy Policy for the Public Policy Forum. I think this is a great announcement for Canada. I think, you know, this kind of signaling can lead to a lot of success. It's just a start, though. He says today's announcement marks a shift from Canada. I think the biggest mover, though, and the bottom line is, Donald Trump helped us get here. And let's be honest, we are imperiled a little bit with the loss of the American market and the tariff actions that are coming.

And so we need to move quickly. The federal government passed a law known as C5 and tended to turbocharge major projects in Canada. Carney said today the first slate of projects will be announced in two weeks. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. Now to the Prime Minister's latest plans for the Canadian military. Today, Mark Carney said Canada's largest current deployment in Europe will be extended and announced new details about a planned multi-billion dollar procurement to replace the Navy's aging fleet of submarines.

The CBC's defense correspondent Murray Brewster has the details. Sign me up. Prime Minister Mark Carney as he toured a relatively new German submarine in the German city of Kiel. Since buying 12 new boats could cost up. of $20 billion, Carney was proverbially kicking the tires, or maybe the fins, of the kind of submarine Canada is looking at buying. There had been four competitors, now there are two. We're running a transparent, open fare process. We had two bids, the German-Norwegian bid that we

visited today, and also a Korean bid from Hanwa that made the bar. Carney is planning to take a look at the South Korean boat in the fall. The Saab, Canada, is interested in buying from Germany is a diesel-electric boat known as the Type 212 CD, which can stay submerged for over three weeks, making it ideal for under-ice Arctic operations. And it is the result of a partnership between Germany and Norway. Together, they're building 12 boats, the first one expected in the water by 2028. German Chancellor Friedrich Murs has made roping Canada into this partnership a priority. Murr says bringing Canada into the fold is an important signal of NATO and transatlantic solidarity.

Our subs are quieter than Canadian snowfall, but tougher than a player in the Stanley come find. Oliver Burkhard is the CEO of TKMS, who says Canada could slip into the production line and perhaps receive its first new submarine between 2032 and 2034, just in time for the retirement of the existing 1980s vintage Victoria-class submarines. The new boats would be built in Germany since Canada has never constructed submarines or has the shipyard know how to do so. Burkhart, however, recognizes Carney's government is focused on creating jobs, and he held out a tantalizing possibility.

If they want a demand for special reasons to build them, and Canada, we would also be able for that because this is one of our success stories as TKMS, because we're used to this model. At the very minimum, buying new subs would require the construction of maintenance facilities, perhaps on both coasts, creating Canadian jobs. As much as the Prime Minister's tour of Europe has been about finding new trading partners and the economy, matters of security and defence have often taken center stage. Latvian Prime Minister Ivica Selina, who greeted Karni late in the day in Riga,

where Canada announced another three-year extension to Operation Reassurance, the long-standing NATO mission meant to deter further Russian aggression. Canada has over 2,000 troops committed to this Baltic country, and Karni says Latvians living on the border with Russia understand the threat isn't that far away, and Canadians recognize that too. Murray Brewster, CBC News, Riga, Latvia. Meanwhile, members of Mark Carney's inner circle are in Washington trying to kickstart trade negotiations.

Dominic LeBlanc is in charge of that file, and he met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik. The talks lasted 90 minutes. They included Canada's ambassador to the U.S. and the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff. On Friday, Carney said that he would drop most of Canada's retaliatory tariffs on American goods by September 1st.

Counter-Levies will remain on steel, aluminum, copper and autos. Coming right up, in Israel. Intensifying calls for a ceasefire to ensure the release of hostages as Gaza mourns those lost in a deadly strike on a hospital. And Donald Trump's push for control

of the Federal Reserve gets personal, targeting one of the bank's governors and accusing her of fraud. In the Middle East, it was a day of mourning, and mass protest. A day after, a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital. People across Israel took to the streets turning up the pressure on the Netanyahu government to bring hostages home and end the war. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has more from Jerusalem.

In Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, the culmination of a day designed to put pressure on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire. for hostages deal. There were marches, blocked roads and protests outside the homes of government ministers. 20 hostages are still believed to be alive, including Yehuda Cohen's son, Nimrod. Another day for protest, another day to make sure the issue of the hostages stays in high priority. Hamas accepted a deal put forward by mediators last week, based on a 60-day ceasefire. day ceasefire and an initial release of half the hostages. Netanyahu has yet to formally respond,

bringing people to the streets across Israel, here in Jerusalem, outside Netanyahu's office. Opinion polls have consistently shown that a majority of Israelis favor a ceasefire in exchange for the release of the hostages. But despite sustained pressure at demonstrations like this one, it hasn't budged the prime minister. Many Israelis, including protester Dina Maltynski, say that's because he fears hardliners in his cabinet will topple his government if he ends the war. It still feels like he's spitting in our face and just not listening. And I think it's just because he wants to stay in office. International pressure has also increased on Netanyahu after the UN's hunger watchdog confirmed a famine in Gaza city.

last week, and in the wake of outrage over the killing of at least 20 people, including five Palestinian journalists, in a double strike on a hospital in Khan Yunus on Monday. Journalists in Gaza City, including Marwan Al-Hul, paid tribute to their colleagues. Our message is clear. We need protection. Khad al-Kurd says Palestinian journalists won't stop reporting. We will continue our work to show the war the crimes that are being done against us as journalists and as Palestinian. The Israeli military said an initial incomplete investigation suggested its soldiers were aiming what it said was a Hamas camera placed near Al Nasser Hospital. It did not explain the second hit on the same location minutes later as would-be rescuers arrived on the scene.

Margaret Evans, CBC News, Jerusalem. For the first time ever, a U.S. president has fired a governor of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Lisa Cook was the first black woman ever appointed to that role, targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump, in a move that's raising questions about the bank's independence and the future of U.S. monetary policy. The CBC's Cameron McIntosh has more from Washington. From the opening bell, some anxious moments on Wall Street.

top indexes, including the Dow Jones, SMP 500, and the U.S. Dollar Index, weathering initial concerns over Donald Trump's attempt to fire a Federal Reserve governor. We need people that are 100% above board, and it doesn't seem like she was. Trump defending his decision to fire Lisa Cook, accusing her of mortgage fraud. She can't have an infraction, especially that infraction, because she's in charge of, if you think about it, mortgages. Cook has never been charged. Trump alleges she took out two mortgages on two homes, claiming each as her primary residence.

He posted her termination letter on social media. A Biden appointee, Cook is the first black woman on the board. She started her 14-year term in 2022. Through her lawyer said she will sue to keep her job, arguing Trump can't fire her without cause. It's actually unprecedented. The president, a president has never tried to. to remove a governor from the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve. Scott Alvarez is a former general counsel of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. If people are removed for rumor and not because there's been some finding of wrongdoing, then I think the board is vulnerable to being reshaped by every president any time. and then the Fed loses all credibility on monetary policy decisions.

Trump has made no secret of his desire to influence monetary policy. Critical of the Fed for not cutting interest rates, he has repeatedly taken shots at Fed Chair Jerome Powell, repeating them again today. You know, he's too late, nickname is too late, costing us a lot of money, hurting the housing. As the central bank, the Federal Reserve is designed to be. independent from political interference.

Governors are appointed by the president, but don't take direction from the White House. While some economists have also been critical of the Fed on rate cuts, this sends an alarming message, says economists, Attican Bacchuscan. These moves, these type of political interference moves, just damages Fed's credibility even more. Cook's future looks likely to be decided in court, where some of Trump's other high-profile firings have been overturned. Trump has appointed three of the Fed's seven governors and is making no secret of his desire to replace Cook

with someone who shares his desire to see interest rates lowered, promising to drive down housing costs. We'll have a majority very shortly, so that'll be great. Once we have a majority, housing is going to swing and it's going to be great. All as investors and markets watch on. Cameron McIntosh, CBC News, Washington. Wildfires have battered communities across Canada. summer fueled by hotter, drier weather. It's making the work of fighting the fires harder

than ever. As exhausted crews are getting pushed to the limit, and officials across the country look for solutions. But one proposal that could give them some relief is getting some heat. Julia Wong reports. We were trying to fight it with whatever we had. Dirt, a couple skid steers, pails, five-gallon pails. Sean Guernsey and his relatives jumped into action. when wildfire burned close to his family's property near Pierce, Alberta in 2023. The property was saved, thanks in part two residents who stepped up. It was a 24-hour period before we saw official firefighters. As Canada endures another brutal wildfire season and resources have been stretched thin,

should other models of fighting wildfires be explored. In the state of Victoria, in Australia, the volunteer-run Country Fire Authority responds to bushfires. Chief Officer Jason Heffernan. We operate exactly like any other fire service would operate across the country or, in fact, across the globe. The only difference is the people that are in the truck responding to the incidents that ultimately are tending to the needs of our communities are not paid. Heffernan says this model works for communities down under. There's lessons to be learned. Don't discount the value that volunteering can bring. Some provinces such as Alberta are trying a different approach.

Since 2024, anyone can sign up to be a wildfire reservist. They can help out in firefighting camps doing odd jobs or work on hotspots. Reservists get a day and a half of training and undergo a fitness test. They get paid during training and if they are deployed. Alberta Forestry Minister Todd Lowen says, people want to help. Their lives are already disrupted and they want to be involved in help where they can. And of course, we want to make sure that that opportunity is available for them. Wildland fire ecologist Bob Gray argues firefighting is dangerous work.

He says a day and a half of training isn't enough. You're potentially creating an incident inside of an incident if you don't have trained, physically fit, qualified people on the fire line. So I don't think it's a great idea. At least eight firefighters died in Canada last year. Gray says the risks for those without extensive training are great. They won't recognize the dangers, you know, being able to understand fire behavior. understanding, actions and reactions, you don't have any type of mental model. As for Guernsey, he plans to sign up as a reservist next year.

He acknowledges the work is dangerous, but thinks locals can play a big role, from knowledge of the region to their investment in their community. I'm not encouraging recklessness. Hopefully people can be wise, but you should be allowed the decision whether or not you fight for your place, for your neighbors, for your lives. with close to 8 million hectares burned this season alone, big questions loom over how Canada should tackle wildfires in the future and who should help to do it. Julia Wong, CBC News, near Pierce, Alberta.

A Legionnaire's disease outbreak has been redeclared in London, Ontario, after 25 additional cases were reported. The outbreak first confirmed in early July, but was declared over earlier this month. Health officials now say they believe they have pinpointed the source of the outbreak to Sofina Foods. They say nine cooling towers, air conditioning units on large buildings, tested positive for the bacteria that causes legionnaires. Dr. Joanne Kieran is with the Middlesex London Health Unit. We had hoped that the remediation efforts undertaken by operators earlier this year

was sufficient to end the outbreak. But with several weeks in the heat, the bacteria likely re-grew and started transmitting again. Sofina says they will continue to work closely with the health unit to fully address its findings. To date, the 2025 outbreak has hospitalized nearly 100 people and killed four. It's a condition that's right out of a horror movie script, a flesh-eating parasite that gets in your body when a fly lays eggs in an open wound. But screw worm is a very real and serious concern, and tonight there's new fear about what it could do to humans and livestock after a human case was confirmed in the United States. Anait Singh reports.

It's horrific what's going to happen if it gets out of hand. Kip Dove is nervously watching an outbreak of a parasite that has the potential to devastate his cattle herd. The rancher from Oakville, Texas, lives about 200 kilometers from the U.S. Mexico border. It's an issue that will affect every single person in one way or the other because when you go to the store to get something to eat, you don't get much to eat without farmers and ranchers. The issue is the new world's crewworm fly. It's not really well known in Canada or in the U.S. where it was eradicated in the 1960s. But 50 years later, the parasite is slowly reappearing uncomfortably close in parts of Central America all the way up to southern Mexico. Now, U.S. officials have confirmed a human case in an American traveler from Maryland who picked it up in El Salvador in early August.

In February, there was also a human case in a Canadian who recently returned to Toronto from Costa Rica. Both have since recovered. Isaac Bogosch is an infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital. The issue here is this infestation is being seen in places where historically it hasn't been seen for decades and decades. The screw worm does not spread human to human and it can be treated by physically removing the larvae from the skin. But being infected is a pretty grotesque experience. This is a fly that will lay its egg on an animal, a mammalian host, either a human or live. livestock or a wild animal, and typically it'll lay the egg in a wound.

The screw worm can eat through live tissue, and this can cause significant pain, tissue destruction, disfigurement. By the 2000s, the parasite had been eradicated all the way to the Panama-Columbia border, but in recent years' cases have popped back up through the region. The U.S. government is turning to a technique used 50 years ago to eradicate the insect, breeding and then releasing millions of sterile male flies into defected areas. Michael Libman is an infectious disease specialist at McGill University. So the females landed up mating with all these sterile males and produced no offspring.

In August, Washington announced a new $750 million U.S. facility in southern Texas. It will produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says screw worm is not currently present in Canada. It is monitoring the outbreak in Mexico and Central America, but says the parasite cannot survive winter temperatures. in Canada. In Ayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto. There are heat warnings across much of Alberta tonight. Temperatures expected to soar above 30 degrees Celsius and stay there for most of the week.

Well, that's a bit of a switch in the weather for southern Alberta. has been damp and rainy for most of the summer, a relief for farmers after several years of drought. Paula Duhatchik has more. So rain is the be-all and end-all in agriculture. Graham Finn raises cattle near Madden, Alberta, where it's been a dry couple of years. We can't never have too much as grazing people, but it really hurts us when we have too little. Normally, he gets 12 to 13 inches of rain every single year, but for the past three years, that's about how much he's gotten in total.

But along these foothills, it's been pretty desperate since 2022. Desperate that is, until now. Rain has come. Trevor Hadwin is with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada. He says southern Alberta has gotten a pile of rain this summer. In many areas, about 150% of what's considered normal, while other parts of Canada, including northern Alberta, stay hot and dry. Southern Alberta is the anomaly this year.

Because it's been like Vancouver here, we're getting lots of rain every day. Leroy Newman grows wheat, barley, and canola south of Calgary. He says he's expecting to harvest about 50% more grain than he did last year. So it's been like four or five years since we've had a good crop. It's a matter of breaking even all those years to finally getting ahead and having a crop that we can make a real profit on. Well, driving to the area east of Calgary and seeing green hills in August, it's just, I can't remember when I last saw that. It's just astonishing. University of Saskatchewan professor John Pomeroy says the rainfall saved this patch of the prairies from severe drought.

But it might not last. So it's great for the ranchers and for growing hay, but it also is very, very weird. Pomeroy studies water systems from his lab in the Rocky Mountains. And, of course, the glaciers continue to disintegrate and melt away. He says the glaciers, he monitors, are still melting quickly, a problem because these glaciers provide a sort of drought insurance for the future, a source of water on the prairies when summers aren't as wet as this one. Without the glaciers, we're dependent upon rainfall in late summer,

and rainfall is very fickle, and we know not to ever trust it. For now, though, the wet weather has helped recharge streams and soil, setting farmers up for another good season. We've got that much moisture now that we're prepped into next year. So we can drop a little or we could go back to our average and it'll be just great. Still, he points out that when your boss is Mother Nature, what happens next year is still anyone's guess. Paula Dewhawcich, CBC News, Calgary.

We end tonight on a social note and some engaged. news. It might seem like frivolous showbiz gossip to some, but the fact is when this couple makes an announcement, whether it's about their relationship or a new record, people tend to lose their minds. And today, it was about as big as it gets. Cue the sound of hearts breaking. Pop superstar Taylor Swift and Super Bowl champion, Travis Kelsey, are engaged. Swift and Kelsey made the announcement in a joint Instagram post showing photos of the couple and an enormous diamond ring. One line caption that read,

Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married. A milestone in a pop culture courtship between two all-American darlings captivating people around the world. It's felt like an epic fairy tale, but the love story, still a relatively new one. Here's Kelsey just two years ago on his podcast when he was having trouble trying to break the ice. Well, I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44

songs that she sings. So I was a little butt hurt. I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for with my number on it. Not right now. Oh, your numbers in 87 or your phone number? You know which one. So she didn't.

There were doubters who said it wouldn't last. Cynics who tried to shake it all off as a publicity. stunt. But today, the congratulatory messages are pouring in from other pop stars, even the U.S. President sending best wishes to the happy couple and their engagement and a new era. But stay tuned. The announcement of the wedding date is yet to come. Thanks for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Tuesday, August 26th. I'm John Northcott.

Come, is this in my head? I don't know what to think. He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said, Marry me, Juliet, you never have to be alone. I love you, and that's all I really know. I'm talking to your dad. Go bring out. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.