Your World Tonight - Trudeau’s last day, Canada’s tariff fight, ceasefire uncertainty, and more

Episode Date: March 13, 2025

Mark Carney will be sworn in as prime minister tomorrow in Ottawa. So will his cabinet – which will be slimmed down from the 37 ministers current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has. We’ll have the details of what we know so far… who’s in, who’s out, and when the next election might be called. Spoiler alert: expect it soon.And: Federal Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are in Washington meeting with the commerce secretary, as Canada tries to get some concessions on the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Other premiers are designing their own plans for how to combat tariffs, and they aren’t only worried about ones from the U.S. – Chinese tariffs on some Canadian goods come into effect next week.Also: Ceasefire or no? The messages coming out of Russia are mixed, at best. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is open to a ceasefire, but has laid out a long list of things that should be on the table.Plus: Ontario measles cases jump more than 100 per cent in two weeks, small businesses navigate tariffs and countertariffs, 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 may be my last day here in this office, but I will always be boldly and unapologetically Canadian. My only ask is that no matter what the world throws at us, you always be the same.

A farewell message from Justin Trudeau coming on the same day Mark Carney is sending messages through the makeup of his new cabinet, sticking with some familiar faces during turbulent times while also shuffling other key portfolios in a new era for the federal liberals. Welcome to Your World Tonight. It's Thursday, March 13th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. I'm Susan Bonner, also on the podcast. We are in favor of it, but there are nuances. Not a no, but nuance from Vladimir Putin.

With a U.S.-backed plan for a Ukraine ceasefire on the table, the Russian leader says he supports ending the war, in theory, but won't sign on without finer details from Washington. And in practice, the fighting continues. By this time tomorrow, Mark Carney will be sworn in as Prime Minister. His rise to power has been quick and a new liberal leader will need to keep up that pace, facing unprecedented threats to Canada's economy and its sovereignty, along with an opposition frothing for an election.

Tom Perry has the latest from Ottawa. I am so proud of Canadians. In a video posted on social media entitled One Last Thing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his country a brief farewell message. This may be my last day here in this office, but I will always be boldly and unapologetically Canadian. My only ask is that no matter what the world throws at us, you always be the same. Tomorrow, Trudeau will meet the Governor General at Rideau Hall

to officially resign as Prime Minister. His replacement, Mark Carney, will be sworn in soon after. will meet the Governor General at Rideau Hall to officially resign as Prime Minister. His replacement, Marc Carney, will be sworn in soon after. Carney will bring with him a new cabinet with some familiar faces. We must meet the moment. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie, who is hosting her G7 counterparts in La Malbaie, Quebec, is expected to keep her job. Other key ministers on the Canada-U.S.

file, such as Finance Minister Dominique LeBlanc and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, will likely stay in cabinet. Justin Trudeau's Quebec Lieutenant, Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, is expected to be dropped, while Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau, a staunch supporter of the consumer carbon levy that Carney has pledged to scrap, will switch portfolios. It's the only comment I will make on this today. Gilbo so far saying little about what role he'll play in the new government. Our leader Mark Carney will be sworn in tomorrow as our new prime minister and it will be his prerogative to tell us who will be a part of his next cabinet. Carney is expected to appoint a much slimmed down cabinet with just 15 to 20 members

compared to the 37 ministers currently serving. It will be focused on two priorities, the economy and the ongoing trade war with the US. Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon isn't saying whether he's in or out, but acknowledges a lot is riding on Carney's picks. This is a group of people that need to be ready to face the threats that we are facing from the United States on the trade front. A group of people who will take with them the great pride and the great determination that Canadians are showing.

This new cabinet could be short-lived. Carney is expected to call an election sooner rather than later. If the Liberals win, Carney may or may not expand his team or switch up some of its members. If they lose, those choices will fall to a new Prime Minister. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. It's another high-level and high-stakes meeting for Canadian officials in Washington. Ontario's Premier and the Federal Finance Minister are there for talks with the U.S. Commerce Secretary, a meeting that's been called an olive branch from the Trump team.

But new comments are casting doubt on how much goodwill is coming from the White House. Richard Madden tells us more. And on that note, let's bring in the Premier of Ontario. Ahead of the high-stakes meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Ontario Premier Doug Ford went on popular conservative outlet Fox News, urging the Trump administration to rethink their punishing tariffs on Canadian imports. The world is watching right now and why attack your best neighbour, your treasured ally, that we're your number one customer.

So this does not make sense. I mark my words, it will hurt the American people. Ford along with Canada's ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, and finance minister Dominic LeBlanc secured a meeting with Lutnick three days after Ford briefly imposed a surcharge on Ontario's electricity exports to three northern border states. But Lutnick is showing no signs of sympathy to the Canadians, separately appearing on Fox News moments before they were all scheduled to meet.

Imagine a provincial leader, so the equivalent of a governor, deciding that they're going to attack America and put a 25% increase on energy prices to teach Donald Trump a lesson. I guess what happened, he learned a lesson. As Canada looks to de-escalate the trade and tariff war ignited by the administration, President Trump continues to openly question Canada's very existence from the Oval Office. They need us.

We really don't need them. And we have to do this. I'm sorry. We have to do this. Trump blasting Canada beside NATO's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who listens silently as Trump called to erase the Canada-U.S. border and annex a sovereign country that's also a NATO member. You have to run your own country.

And to be honest with you, Canada only works as a state. We don't need anything they have. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it between Canada and the U.S. Just a straight artificial line. Somebody did it a long time ago. But Trump's push to turn Canada into the 51st state, facing delicate pushback from incoming

U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, responding in his confirmation hearing from Democrat Senator Chris Coons. Would you agree that Canada is a sovereign state and should not be even jokingly referred to as the 51st state? Canada is a sovereign state, yes. How the president and the relationship between the former prime minister in Canada, the nature of that relationship, I don't know. And Hoekstra will likely face a frosty welcome from his northern neighbors as he represents the Trump administration

in Canada. Richard, given the kinds of public comments that we've heard from both the commerce secretary and the president, what can we realistically expect to come out of this meeting? Yeah, I think the odds are low of a breakthrough. Now Canadian officials are hoping to find some consensus on tariffs and Canada is under tremendous pressure to return home with some sort of a win or agreement or else we could see escalation kick up several more notches. The White House has lately been openly hostile to Canada. The administration you heard Donald Trump questioning Canada's existence but the administration is also questioning Canada's strategy going guns

blazing with retaliation and they're comparing it to Mexico. They say Mexico has been less vocal and are choosing to hold off the retaliation plans to give some time to negotiate. So we'll see which strategy will be more effective with this unpredictable administration. The CBC's Richard Madden in Washington. While Doug Ford takes his case to Washington, other premiers are trying to reassure their provinces in the face of a deepening crisis and as rafi Boudicane and tells us some are looking for more from the federal government There's boats in transport to China that are now trying to find a new home

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the federal government cannot leave his provinces canola farmers adrift We need to have urgent urgent engagement by the federal government with the country of China. A second front in an international trade war. Earlier this week, Beijing announced 100 percent tariffs on canola oil and other Canadian goods like seafood and pork. That in response to the federal government putting the squeeze on Chinese products. Hundred percent tariffs on its electric vehicles and 25 percent on its aluminum and steel goods since last

fall. There needs to be action by our federal government before any election call. For now though what the federal government has announced is squarely focused on the US, it's gone to the World Trade Organization and started a dispute resolution process about the steel and aluminum tariffs launched by American President Donald Trump on Wednesday. It shows we're not just retaliating against the United States. We're also trying to use all possible avenues. John Weeks is Canada's former ambassador to the WTO and helped negotiate the country's

initial free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico. He says it's good Canada is engaging through the WTO, but adds it may be harder to tackle the threat from Beijing. It's a very difficult situation. And Weeks says Ottawa may be a little distracted with a surely looming federal election. I suspect some of this is going to have to play out before we can get to a more constructive period anyway. So you know, we're just going to have to tough it out over the next few weeks.

Some like British Columbia are acting now. We're worried and we're anxious as British Columbians, as Canadians, about the unpredictable and chaotic actions of the president. Premier David Eby introducing emergency legislation today. If passed, it would enable his government to respond in real time to future executive orders by the Trump administration without going through the legislature, to direct Crown corporations to prefer Canadian products versus buying American, and to charge fees and tolls to US vehicles bringing in commercial goods from Washington State to his province

via the Alaska Highway. There's a Republican governor and there's a Republican congresswoman. I need that congresswoman and that governor to go to the president and say, what are you doing? There's one more person close to the US president whose attention EB clearly wants to. On Thursday, BC Hydro revised its rebates programs for electric vehicles, excluding Tesla, the brand owned by Trump ally and American billionaire Elon Musk. Rafi Boudjikhan, YonCBC News, Arwa. Coming up on the podcast, Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's open to a ceasefire

in Ukraine with conditions, a widening and worrying measles outbreak in Canada, plus Canada's seafood industry signals trouble ahead. Vladimir Putin has read over the proposed ceasefire deal. Now the rest of the world is reading into his comments about it. Not quite a rejection or an approval. The Russian president says he wants to end the war, but is worried about the details of the agreement. Breyer Stewart has the latest.

As Vladimir Putin addressed the media alongside the leader of Belarus, Russia's president was equivocal. He said he agrees with the ceasefire proposal, but then laid out all of the reasons why there could be obstacles. The idea is right, he said, and we absolutely support it. But there are questions we should discuss, like will it lead to a peace deal that addresses what he calls the root causes of the conflict, and who will be responsible for policing the ceasefire.

Putin thanked US President Donald Trump for trying to secure a deal. A lot of the individual subjects have been discussed. Trump, who was at the White House meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, says negotiations are already underway for a more permanent peace agreement, including discussions about the division of land and whether Russia or Ukraine would get control of quote a big power plant, possibly the nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia which Russia seized in the early days of the war. Now we're gonna see whether or not Russia is there and if they're not it'll be a very disappointing moment for the world. These talks come as Russia has retaken nearly all of the territory Ukraine

seized in the Kursk region back in August. It's where Putin said he visited yesterday and a video was released of him in camouflage talking to military officers. Russia has pushed Ukrainian troops back towards the border and Putin claims some are isolated and will either need to surrender or be killed. It's very hard to rush. Roman Kratsov is a medic who just returned from Kursk. He told CBC it's difficult to evacuate the wounded because many of Ukraine's supply lines have been cut off.

He shared a video of him driving down a muddy, nearly impassable road. Even still Kratsov is wary of a ceasefire. I'm dreaming about peace too, yeah, but the price of this peace, this is the question. He says many civilians want to see a truce, but that the soldiers aren't keen. Count Ole among that group. The 52-year-old history teacher is only going by his first name in accordance with Ukrainian military rules. He was fighting in Kursk, but was pulled out after suffering a concussion.

He's now in northern Ukraine. His 26-year-old son is fighting in the south. I can't say for sure whether we need an immediate truce, he said, but added that as a father, he wants a ceasefire so his son can stop fighting. Prior Stuart, CBC News, London. An outbreak of measles in Ontario is causing concern across the country. Cases started to rise last fall and in the past two weeks they've exploded. A sharp spike in an extremely contagious but preventable disease.

Health officials are blaming vaccine hesitancy. Alison Northcott reports. This Montreal clinic offers measles vaccinations for anyone whose immunizations aren't up to date. Paula Yiannopoulos with the area's regional health authority says with outbreaks in several parts of Canada, prevention is key, especially in schools and daycares. The number of measles cases in Canada continues to grow with a sharp increase in Ontario. There were nearly 200 cases there two weeks ago. Now there are more than 370. More cases than the province has seen in years.

With the 300 some odd cases that we've seen in this outbreak and over the course of the past few months now, that's triple the number of cases that we saw between 2013 and 2023. Dr. Dale Kalina is Chief Medical Information Officer for the Brant Community Health Care System in Brantford, Ontario. He says there is an underlying factor driving outbreaks. And really what we're seeing by far and wide is that the people that are involved in this outbreak are unvaccinated. Public Health Ontario says the cases are growing and spreading primarily due to transmission among people who are unimmunized.

I mean I think that the increases that we're seeing are really striking. I think it's you know first of all it's it's sad when we see this number of cases of a disease that can be prevented by a vaccine. Measles was declared eliminated in Canada in 1998 but Dr. Jana Shapiro, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto's Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases says with these growing outbreaks, that status could soon be at risk. Elimination status is something that's monitored by the WHO, the World Health Organization, and it has to do with having sustained transmission of measles throughout a year, I think a year-long period.

So we're certainly at risk of losing our elimination status. I think there is a scenario where this grows into larger outbreaks. In Quebec, where there are currently 36 cases, data obtained by Radio Canada showed vaccination rates among children and teens has declined since the pandemic. Dr. Sarah Kahn is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton Ontario. And this is definitely concerning in terms of our ability to control this ongoing sort of spreading outbreak. Kahn worries about the impact spring break travel could have on measles outbreaks if more cases are brought back to Canada from abroad. She says public health officials need to ensure people

understand the risks and how vaccines can help. I think a big part of vaccine hesitancy is education and trust. And I think that's what's been lost to a large extent. Khan hopes that can be rebuilt quickly to keep the outbreaks from getting even worse. Alison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal. 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.

Returning to the effects of the ongoing U-Canada trade war, while many industries worry about the charges on their exports to the US, some smaller independent businesses will be hit by Canada's counter tariffs, making US products more expensive to import. Still, as Sophia Harris explains, many companies approve of the retaliation even as costs pile up. Our products are affected by this tariff under this custom code. A crushing blow for Troyanne Santos as she checks the federal government's latest counter tariffs online. Turns out the goods she sells at her La Crosse equipment store in Pickering, Ontario are included in the list. So lacrosse, sticks, protective gear, Nats goals.

It's a terrible gut punch is what it feels like. Last week, the government announced its first round of 25% retaliatory tariffs on American goods such as many types of food and appliances. On Tuesday, Canada hit the U.S. with a second round which includes steel, aluminum, computers and sports equipment. Santos buys almost all her lacrosse gear from the US so now she's facing a steep jump in costs. We have shipments that are coming in on a daily basis so this will affect us immediately. We're gonna have to

increase our prices to reflect that 25% increase. She's not the only small business caught in the crossfires of the Canada-U.S. trade war. That's a lot of chicken in there. Cluck Cluck's Chicken and Waffles in the Toronto area just opened a location in Texas. The fast food chain is also expanding in Canada, but the tariffs may hamper those plans. The problem? Each location needs up to eight deep fryers which are made of steel and shipped from the US. So CEO Raza Hashim presumes they're included in Canada's counter tariffs. Friars are our bread and butter.

Unfortunately Canada does not manufacture any of its own fryers. So overall just not a good situation for us. And how concerning are the counter tariffs for your members? They're very concerning. Simon Godreau is chief economist with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. It surveyed 2,500 small businesses last month. Almost half said they import goods from the U.S. which means they could be affected by the counter tariffs. That can add a significant cost pressure on businesses. Some of them operate on very thin margins.

Even so, three-quarters of businesses surveyed said they support the counter tariffs. We weren't expecting the support for counter tariffs to be so high among small business owners. But I think it comes from a sense that something needs to be done. But Godrill cautions if the counter tariffs drag on, that support could wane. I'm torn and the more I read about it. Back in Pickering, Santos is already on the fence about the counter tariffs, knowing now how much it will hurt her business. Sophia Harris, CBC News, Vancouver.

For some Canadian industries, trade aggression isn't just coming from the United States. Tariffs from China are set to take effect in a week on Canadian crops, pork and seafood. And seafood producers say they don't know how they will handle a second front in the trade war. Kayla Hounsell has that story for us. Workers at this seafood facility are hauling crates of lobster out of tanks filled with water and putting them in boxes with ice packs, getting them ready to send to the Halifax Airport and on to a flight to China, racing time before the industry is faced with tariffs on top of tariffs. So this is the rush to the market this week as it were.

Stuart Lamont is the managing director of Tangier Lobster Company. He's been involved with exporting lobster for more than 40 years. And the shipment his crew is packing today may be the last to make it out before China slaps an additional 25% tariff on Canadian seafood. It comes in the midst of the on-again, off-again trade war with the U.S. and it means Canada's top two seafood markets are posing a problem at the same time. The potential impact is massive. Lobster is a three billion dollar sector in Atlantic Canada.

Three billion in exports alone. The Chinese tariffs on seafood set to take effect a week from today are retaliation for Ottawa slapping a 100% levy on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% on Chinese aluminum and steel last fall. We work hard to diversify but it's difficult when demand is so strong in two countries. Jeff Irvin is the executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada. He says part of the concern now is whether Chinese importers will accept the price with the tariff in place. It's a very price sensitive market at the best of

times. The new Chinese tariffs are not just on lobster but on a long list of Canadian seafood including crab, shrimp and halibut. 83% of all seafood exported from this country goes to the US and China. That means 83% could be tariffed by April 2nd when Donald Trump says US tariffs will be in place. It's just upended the entire marketplace. Former Nova Scotia premier Stephen McNeil has been advising the Prime Minister on US tariffs and when he was Premier he made trade with China a focus. Our customers dictated the price which was the United

States so I broadened our reach. McNeil says the industry needs to further diversify. Lamont says he thinks the Chinese tariff will stick. We will be creative. There will be undoubtedly new price points for Canadian lobster in the weeks to come. As cargo crews load a plane with live lobster, Lamont says he's hopeful China will remain hungry for Canadian seafood but also notes anything that hurts fishermen could also hurt those packing the planes and the wider regional economy. Kayla Hounsell, CBC News, Halifax. And finally for sports fans, it's the season of fast breaks and buzzer beaters and for Canada's best university basketball teams this weekend will be March Madness like never before. 6.9 seconds Saskatchewan needs a three reader.

Sheaves it up. Almost goes. Carlton hangs on and they do it. Lacombe watched by Dedigan. Joseph in the paints. The thrilling conclusion to last year's National Championship basketball games. On the women's side, the Carlton Ravens took the title in Edmonton and for the men the Laval Rouge et Or were champs in Quebec City. This year both tournaments are teaming up for a groundbreaking new format that will see both competitions happening at the same time at the same venue over the next four days at the University of British Columbia. UBC Athletic Director Kavi Ture says it's important to have

both men's and women's basketball showcased together. I think it's going to be super exciting for student athletes and players. It's going to feel like a basketball festival so you know elevating both the men's and women's tournament in a different way. And so games highlighted and feature on each primetime night so that both teams have an equal stage at the event. Tour says the main challenge of combining the tournaments is scheduling. 16 schools are taking part in total and one is getting some very big support. UBC Thunderbirds, I heard you guys are going to the championship.

I just want to say congratulations and good luck. Wawaw, wawaw, that's a Thunderbird sound, wawaw. Legendary basketball big man Shaquille O'Neal giving UBC a shout out on his NBA broadcast. Both UBC's men's and women's teams earned spots in the event. The opening round games started today. The tournaments run through Sunday. Thank you for joining us. This has been Your World Tonight for Thursday, March 13th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.