Your World Tonight - The Prime Minister’s priorities, G.M. cuts jobs over Trump’s trade war, CBC News inside Iran, and more

Episode Date: May 2, 2025

Prime Minister Mark Carney holds his first news conference since Monday's election win, dropping details of his upcoming meeting in Washington with the U.S. President, a visit from the King, and his priorities for a minority Liberal government.Plus: Trump tariff fallout. General Motors slashes shifts, and hundreds of jobs at its Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant – citing American auto levies. The union for the workers calls the measure ‘reckless,’ and vows to fight the decision.And: CBC News is inside Iran. Senior International Correspondent Margaret Evens gets rare access to the nation amid uncertain times across the Middle East, and ongoing talks with the U.S. over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.Also: Testimony from the alleged victim in the sexual assault trial of five former junior hockey players, Canadian war vets honoured in the Netherlands, and more.

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades, he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's personally, Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. This will be an incredibly exciting time as we take control of our economic destiny to create a new Canadian economy that works for everyone. If you think you have a busy month ahead, check out Mark Carney's schedule, visiting a president, hosting the king and queen,

swearing in a cabinet and starting a new session of parliament all before the end of the month. And all in the middle of a cross-border trade conflict that just took more Canadian casualties. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Scanderres. It's Friday, May 2nd coming up on 6pm Eastern, also on the podcast. Yes, I think the negotiation is good for two countries, especially for Iran, because we are in the close situation right now. CBC News is in Iran, under close watch and granted rare access to the country. Speaking with Iranians as tension simmers with the Trump administration and nuclear talks hit another snag.

Also... It takes courage to stand up and to fight back. And you don't always win, but she's doing the right thing. The woman at the centre of a scandal that shook Canadian hockey testifies at the trial of five former players. It's an ambitious agenda on an aggressive timeline. The Prime Minister is laying out a comprehensive plan for the country. And after running a campaign centered on the US President, one of Mark Carney's first tasks

is a trip to Washington to meet Donald Trump face to face. Olivia Stefanovich reports. On Monday, Canadians elected a new government to stand up to President Trump and to build a strong economy. In his first press conference since winning the federal election that saw a record turnout, Prime Minister Mark Carney says he's getting right to work to fulfill his main campaign promise. On Tuesday I had a very constructive call with President Trump

and we agreed to meet next Tuesday in Washington. Our focus will be on both immediate trade pressures and the broader future economic and security relationship between our two sovereign nations. In a rare gesture to support Canada's independence, Carney announced King Charles will visit Ottawa and open the new session of Parliament on May 27th. This is an historic honour which matches the weight of our times. CBC News has learned Carney personally invited Charles when they met before the campaign started,

marking the first time Canada's head of state will read the throne speech since 1977. The government will also be placing before Parliament. Last delivered by the King's late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The Bloc Québécois released a statement opposing the royal visit, but some don't think it's going to set Kearney back at all. It is actually quite a coup to have such a monumental visit so early in his term. Jason Easton was an advisor to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who worked directly on the Canada-U.S. file.

He says the King's visit sends a strong message to Trump, known to be a big fan of the royals. Having the King deliver the throne speech and opening this session of Parliament is the clearest and loudest demonstration yet that candidate's sovereignty is not up for negotiation. Easton says Carney will need to tread carefully when he speaks with Trump as to not cause a blow-up like when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went to the White House in February. You don't have the cards right now. Trump is known to be unpredictable

and the Prime Minister's office is preparing for every and any eventuality. Do not expect white smoke out of that meeting. There'll be white smoke probably later somewhere else in the world this month. Kearney himself is expecting difficult conversations. Tariffs will likely not be lifted after the first set of meetings, but that is the goal in time, along with resetting the relationship between the two countries who once considered themselves the closest of allies. Olivia Stefanovic, CBC News, Ottawa.

Carney's long to-do list also tackles some other issues that emerged during the campaign. Affordability, public safety, housing, and immigration. Some of those were major talking points for opposition parties. And today, Carney said he's ready to work with them in a minority government, even promising to help the conservatives get their leader back in the House of Commons. Evan Dyer has more. Canadians also sent a clear message that their cost of living must come down and their communities need to be safe.

Affordability and crime were conservative issues in this election more than liberal ones, but today Mark Carney seemed to say that conservative voters' concerns had registered with him. As Prime Minister, I've heard these messages loud and clear, and I will act on them with focus and determination. Carney pledged to stiffen penalties for criminals, including making bail harder to get for those charged with stealing cars, with home invasion, human trafficking and smuggling. The PM repeated his promise to build more houses, but he also promised to reduce the

number of non-Canadians in the country putting pressure on the housing supply. We will return our immigration to sustainable levels by capping the total number of temporary workers and international students at less than 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2027. Carney was asked about how he planned to deal with other parties, including whether he'd seek to renew the Liberals' governing arrangements with the NDP. No. Short answer, no. And why not?

Why? That's my response is we have, we campaigned on a very clear set of objectives, very clear policies to back those up and we received the highest number of votes in Canadian history. NDP sources told CBC News that they had no interest in renewing the agreement either. The PM was also asked about the future of his main rival, Pierre Poliev, who lost his seat and now needs to find a way back into parliament. Alberta MP Damien Couric offered today to step aside in his riding of Battle River Crowfoot, one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. Today Carney said he wouldn't place any obstacles in Poliev's way.

I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible. No games, nothing, straight. Political analyst Jeremy Geo said that should pave a clear path for Poliev back to the Commons. I think as soon as the beginning of the next parliamentary session, this session until June, it will be theoretically impossible to have him back in the House, but we'll have the leader of the official opposition in place in his seat by probably September. At times, Carney's remarks seem to imply criticism of some of his predecessor's approaches.

He said the previous government's spending had been unsustainable, and he also promised his government would be a catalyst of major nation-building projects and not, as he put it, an impediment. Evan Dyer, CBC News, Ottawa. Mark Carney may be trying to move quickly, but so are some of the issues he's trying to confront. General Motors is laying off more than 700 workers at its Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant, with the company blaming U.S. tariffs and trade war uncertainty.

Philipp Lee Shanock has more on that. 750 jobs lost is never good for you know our city. Custodia Fernandez waits outside GM's Oshawa assembly plant to pick up her husband. While workers here have been told not to speak to the media, she says what many fear. People are losing their jobs and you know the future doesn't look so good if they move the factory down to the states. General Motors announced plans to cancel a third shift at the plant laying off more than 700 workers. In a statement the company blamed changes in demand and quote an evolving trade environment. This shift is not leaving without a fight.

trade environment. This shift is not leaving without a fight. Unifor local president Jeff Gray says the company has no valid business reason for moving some production of the popular Silverado pickup truck to Fort Wayne, Indiana. And they're moving them to the United States and that is directly appeased Donald Trump at the expense of Canada. Gray says a union wants to work with the company, the province and the federal government to find a way to keep that production here. He says trucks produced at the plant should be sold at home. Canadians buy as many pickup trucks as we could possibly probably build here in Canada. Flavio Volpe of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association says 1500 workers from parts supply companies could also be

impacted. This is the effect of the Donald Trump tariff on Canadian vehicles and General Motors is not impervious to this stuff. They make pickup trucks that Americans really like and they're 25% more expensive right now. Volpe says most of those trucks could find a home in Canada but it could take a while for the company to shift to a build where you sell model. We have to stop the bleeding in this country or we're not going to have an auto industry. Unifor national president Lana Payne says battling US tariffs is exactly what Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected to do. You get to sell here you need to build here and that message I

believe has to be delivered by the Prime Minister to these automakers. Stellantis has also announced their pausing production in Windsor. Prime Minister Carney offered his sympathy to affected workers and their families. And making sure that companies act in true partnership as well in maintaining employment and investment in Canada and if not there will be consequences for those companies. He said the government would fight for the auto sector, a battle he'll likely be taking to the White House next week.

Philip LeChanoc, CBC News, Toronto. Coming right up with tension between Iran and the US rising and nuclear talks teetering, CBC News is in Tehran with special access. And the woman who accuses five former Team Canada hockey players of sexual assault tells her story in court. Plus, we take you to the Netherlands for a special ceremony honouring Canadian soldiers. It's one of the most dangerous countries in the world for foreign journalists, access extremely rare.

And tonight, CBC News is there, inside Iran, with government representatives following our team's every move, speaking with Iranians ahead of a fourth round of nuclear negotiations with the U.S. that are suddenly postponed. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has more from Tehran. In Tehran, Iran's teetering talks with the United States on its nuclear program hang in the air, especially at traditional Friday prayers. The leading cleric full of praise for Iran's negotiating team and warnings about their opponents' devilish ways.

It is a receptive crowd. Since they are violators and tyrants and respect no laws, negotiation with the Americans is useless, says 82-year-old Abdullah. They have always broken their promises, says Fatima Hojat. The Friday sermon is the Iranian leadership's method of choice when they want to deliver some of their more strident messaging to their domestic audience, but also to the outside world. Behind closed doors, it's more complicated. Ali Shamkhani is an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

We are not pessimistic towards negotiations, he says. Neither are we optimistic. Shamhani says Iran takes US President Donald Trump's earlier threats to bomb Iran, unless it agrees to US demands, seriously. But he also downplays them. We see it as part of an act complementary to the negotiations, he says. The old enmity between the two countries is preserved not only on a skull ridden down with the USA mural recently given a fresh lick of paint here, but in the former US embassy,

now a museum called the Den of espionage but many Iranians have moved on eager to step out of isolation and beyond past stereotypes. Nabol is 33 years old. Yes I think the negotiation is good for two countries especially for Iran because we are in the closed situation right now. In the markets out buying groceries, people blame decades of Western sanctions for soaring prices, putting pressure on Iran's leadership to ease economic pain. The value of the Iranian Rial dropped 50% over the past year. dropped 50 percent over the past year. Layla is one of an increasing number of young women in the Iranian capital risking arrest by choosing not to wear a headscarf despite strict laws.

If we make peace with the United States, we're hopeful that the situation will change, she says, and that young people like me do not have to emigrate abroad. The aim of a deal would be to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, much like the agreement Trump pulled out of in 2018 during his first presidency. Analysts including Sassan Karimi from the University of Tehran, say the three rounds of indirect talks so far have been positive, but hardly substantive. It showed that they both have enough political will to do so. But this was only the first phase.

Whether there's enough political will to go beyond it is another question. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Tehran. Joining me with more on these US negotiations with Iran is the CBC's Paul Hunter in Washington. Paul, let's pick up on what Margaret just said. Where do things stand in terms of political will and what are the sticky points? Well, there certainly seems to be political will on both sides to somehow get this landed. No one's being particularly transparent about it. So you have to kind of read between the lines.

But the fact talks have not broken down is a big positive indicator. Each side has their so-called red lines, the US demanding Iran have no nuclear weapon capability at all. Iran insisting it has a right to its own nuclear program even if it's not weaponized. So is there a middle ground there? Trump clearly wants this resolved. He wants a win and he wants to be the guy that brings it about. So there are two ways forward, negotiation or military action. The Trump view right now seems to be that negotiation is absolutely a better option than war in the Middle East.

Now, as Margaret noted, this all sounds more than a little like the deal that Trump tore up in 2018. So how is this new plan different? Yeah, who can forget 2018 when Trump said of the old Barack Obama deal, quote, this was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never ever been made. It didn't bring peace and it never will." Except now Iran is closer than ever to having nuclear weaponry. So here we are, working toward a new deal, which indeed echoes aspects of the earlier

one. Some differences, the new one would be extended 25 years and have a stronger verification process to keep Iran nuclear weapons free. If Iran, by the way, is ultimately allowed a low-level nuclear program, it would also get relief from those hardcore sanctions it's been facing. As for the U.S., Iran is suggesting there'd be tremendous economic opportunities for American interests if this all works out. Okay, so talks seem to be eking forward but then

at the same time the US is threatening military action so how does that square? Yeah and just setting aside that Israel has been pushing for a military strike the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is among those pushing hard on Iran for example to back away from its support for Houthi rebels in Yemen. Hegseth posting on X this week to Iran. He wrote, we see your lethal support to the Houthis and you were warned you will pay the consequence at the time and place of our choosing. Hard words.

But again, the US has by no means given up on negotiating toward reaching a deal. Donald Trump never wanted to shy away from using whatever leverage he has to strike a deal, threats included, Stephanie. Okay, Paul, thanks so much. You're welcome. The CBC's Paul Hunter in Washington. The trial of five former members of Canada's junior hockey team resumed today. The men are all charged with sexual assault, dating back to one night in 2018 and all five have pleaded not guilty. Today the alleged victim known

as EM under a publication ban began her testimony. Jamie Strashan reports. Outside of the courtroom in London Ontario supporters of the alleged victim in this case known as EM gathered among them, longtime writer and activist Judy Rebic. It takes courage to stand up and to fight back and you don't always win, but she's doing the right thing. Inside is the second week of this trial wrapped up. EM took the witness stand attempting to piece together the details of an alleged

sexual assault in a downtown London hotel more than seven years ago when she was 20 years old. At the time, Michael McLeod, Dylan Dubay, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formonton were all members of the gold medal winning team at the 2018 World Junior Hockey Tournament in London for a Hockey Canada gala celebrating the victory. EM told the court she was out with friends and met the players at a bar, where she consumed multiple drinks including at least eight shots, mostly with Michael McCloud, who she had never met before. I was less aware of my surroundings.

Mentally, I felt just all over the place, she told the court. On the dance floor, she testified the players circled around her, moving her hands to touch their crotch areas. It felt claustrophobic, but I'm really drunk at this point. Dancing and going along with what's going on, she testified. Later she would leave the bar and have sex with McCloud at his hotel. That act is not the focus of the trial. Court heard he texted teammates. The Crown says EM did not consent to the alleged sexual acts was followed. London criminal defense lawyer Nick Cake has been watching the trial. The importance for

EM would to be to be as credible and as reliable as she can be. I appreciate that this took place some seven years ago. Memories fade over time. She should be forthright if she doesn't remember things. The jury has already seen a number of videos from the early morning hours of June 19th, 2018 from the hotel, including two from the end of the night, both from McCloud's phone. In the first, taken at 3.25am, EM is clothed and asked if she is okay with all of this stuff. She responds, yeah, I'm okay. In the next video, this one at 4.26, EM is naked but wearing a towel and says it was all consensual. Are you recording me?

K, good. You're so paranoid. Holy, I enjoyed it. It was fine. I'm so sober. That's why I can't do this right now. Why did people feel like they needed to videotape her at the end? Jessie Roger is executive director of ANOVA, a London-based gender violence advocacy group. They caution the videos are snippets of time, the words without context and proof of nothing. Just because she said it was so doesn't mean that she gave that freely or she felt safe enough to be honest when somebody had a camera in her face after a really traumatizing night. EM was in the Corp building but testifying from a different room by video feed. Her testimony continues on Monday.

Jamie Strash in CBC News, London, Ontario. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you wanna make sure you 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. In the Netherlands today, grief and gratitude marking 80 years since liberation from Nazi occupation and thanking the soldiers who made it happen. A special ceremony, honouring Canadian veterans in the land they helped liberate

and remembering those who never left. CBC's Chris Brown is there. That 98-year-old Felix Labelle and 21 other Canadian Second World War veterans could even make this trip to the Netherlands is remarkable. In his wheelchair, he navigated between the rows of white gravestones at the Grossbeek Cemetery, each engraved with a maple leaf.

It's with humility that I think of those who died and when someone shakes my hand, I tell them you're shaking the hand in the name of the ones who died for our country. In a ceremony with a strong Indigenous presence reflecting the 120 Indigenous soldiers killed in battle, Canadian and Dutch officials lauded those who fought and those who didn't make it home. 7,600 Canadian soldiers were killed during the vicious battles of February and March 1945

to liberate the Netherlands, including Barbara Wood's father, Robert Kindersley. It's very emotional to still be around to be able to point out my name. Wood, who's 89, says her father was an engineer and he was killed just days after the war officially ended when a German bomb he was trying to defuse detonated. He had that one job to do, his suitcase was packed.

Unfortunately it was a booby. Came to him, killed him immediately. He had sent me a letter to say, I'm going to be home for your birthday. My birthday was in June. He didn't make it to my ninth birthday. Youngest guy, very here, 16 years old. But many stories of Canada's fallen soldiers weren't known. So Dutch volunteers such as Elsa Schapberg have spent countless hours

calling relatives in Canada and tracking down details on more than 2,000 soldiers. We write to museums, we write to the mayor of little towns. We contact everybody to find family and to be honest most Canadians always want to help. The highest ranking member of Canada's delegation here is honorary Lieutenant General Richard Romer who today opened a Canadian war display near Appledorn. 80 years ago he was a reconnaissance pilot now 101 he fears some lessons of that war are being forgotten as the alliances that have protected Europe are weakening.

To see it starting to come apart a little bit is not very encouraging because the big nations like Russia and others will take advantage if they possibly can. So I'm hopeful that Canada will do its part. For the Dutch, the valor of the Canadians who liberated them is taught in schools. This was a chance to say thanks to some personally, likely, for the last time. Chris Brown, CBC News, Grossbeek. And finally, we close tonight with the sudden loss of a trailblazing singer-songwriter. American musician Jill Sobule has died after a house fire.

She was 66. We had a drink, we had a smoke, she took off her overcoat. I kissed a girl. I kissed a girl. Sobule's 1995 breakthrough song, I Kissed a Girl, widely considered to be the first song with an openly gay theme to chart on the Billboard Top 20. Sobule scored another hit with Supermodel, from the soundtrack to the 1995 film Clueless, joking she was a two-hit wonder. And while she continued to expand her back catalogue, Sobule always embraced the success of her biggest song and the path it carved out for queer voices in pop music.

It was a cross to bear for, I mean it was positive and negative. I was so glad I had that song. I wanted that out there. On the other hand, the label, like I said, didn't know what to do with it. So they put, let's put it in novelty land as opposed to, here's an empowering queer song. I kissed a girl.

Throughout her career, Sobiel continued to write and perform witty and honest songs about social and personal issues, including eating disorders, depression, and 2SLGBTQ Plus rights. She was also an early adopter of online crowdfunding methods and released an album paid for entirely with fan donations. Sobule was scheduled to perform songs from her one-woman show tonight in her hometown of Denver, Colorado. A tribute concert will be held in her honor instead. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, May 2nd. I'm Stephanie Scanderis. Thank you for being with us. Good night. I kiss the girl for the first time. I kiss the girl and I make do again. I kiss the girl. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.