Your World Tonight - Trump levels new tariff threat; Measles cases soar in Alberta; Teaching AI to teachers; and more

Episode Date: July 11, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump has thrown Canadians yet another curveball on tariffs, saying they will jump to 35 per cent as of August 1st. We have extensive coverage including political reaction, economic impacts, and how it figures into Trump’s wider trade war.And: Canada is still the heart of the measles outbreak in North America. But the epicentre has shifted from Ontario – to Alberta.Also: Should teachers use A.I. in the classroom? If so – how? A.I. companies in the U.S. are setting up an academy to teach the teachers. But there are questions about whether companies with a vested interest in A.I. success should be the ones leading the way.Plus: Wildfires on the Prairies, Trump in Texas, and more.

I'm Joshua Jackson, and I'm returning for the Audible original series, Oracle, Season 3, Murder at the Grandview. Six forty-somethings took a boat out a few days ago. One of them was found dead. The hotel, the island, something wasn't right about it. Psychic agent Nate Russo is back on the case, and you know when Nate's killer instincts are required, anything's possible.

This world's gonna eat you alive. Listen to Oracle Season 3, Murder at the Grandview, It was sent yesterday, they called. I think it was fairly well received. It's what we need. So we'll see what happens. U.S. President Donald Trump sending a letter and message to Canada. He wants more out of ongoing trade negotiations. And he's threatening even higher tariffs to get it. It's another surprise move catching Canadian officials off guard. The letter is flailing. it's factually incorrect and other efforts do come to mind. From outrage to outreach the latest Trump twist has Ottawa revising its timeline on trade talks

and the Prime Minister bringing together his cabinet, talking to premiers and mapping out a plan in a global trade war that's hard to navigate. We're dealing with a very unpredictable US administration. We're not the only ones. Every single country on this planet. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Juanita Taylor. It's Friday, July 11th, just before 6pm Eastern. Also on the podcast. Teachers are looking for ways so that we can use it as a GPS system, not as a driverless car. Adding AI to the three Rs as artificial

intelligence becomes more common in classrooms. Should teachers be trained to harness the technology and manage the risks? risks? Donald Trump has thrown Canadians yet another curveball on tariffs, 35% coming into effect August 1st. That's up from 25% and if Canada retaliates, Trump is threatening an even higher rate. It's all coming just days from a deadline the Prime Minister has set to get a deal. We have full coverage of the developments beginning with David Thurton in Ottawa. We're going to see. It was sent yesterday, they called. I think it was fairly well received. It's what we need. So we'll see what happens.

Donald Trump talking to reporters hours after announcing another round of tariffs could be coming Canada's way. In a letter posted on social media last night he said Washington will charge a 35 percent tariff on non-CUSMA compliant goods previously being taxed at 25 percent starting August 1st. A move separate from the tariffs on steel and aluminum and oil. Trump cited the flow of fentanyl across the border and how Canada shelters dairy and poultry farmers from competition, including American producers.

The prime minister wasn't available, but Mark Carney said in a statement, Canada will continue to work with the United States. Some of Carney's cabinet ministers were speaking today. But I believe we are now focused on August 1st as the deadline. That's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson acknowledging the moving deadline. What was expected to happen next was some sort of trade deal by July 21st. That's now been pushed back to August 1st. Trump's latest flare up underscores the need for new trade partners, according to industry

minister Melanie Jolie. We're in solution mode and we're trying to make sure that ultimately while the U.S. is becoming weaker, we will become stronger and we will diversify and turn ourselves towards Europe. Jolie still taking a diplomatic approach. That wasn't the case for B.C.'s premier. I've reviewed the letter. The letter is flailing.

It's factually incorrect. And other efforts do come to mind. David Eby singling out instead the U.S. president's false claims that fentanyl is pouring over the border. Manitoba's premier Wab Kinew calling the letter a distraction. So there's no shortage of things to do in Manitoba these days. We've got wildfires, we've got a president who's at it again. And what I will say is that no matter what happens on those fronts, Manitobans will always work together, will always help one another out towards that safe,

clean and healthy future and will never be the 51st state. Alberta's Premier Daniel Smith warned about hitting back too hard. She called any additional tariffs from Ottawa attacks on Canadian consumers. Premiers will be given a chance to air their concerns. Carney says he'll be hosting a First Minister's meeting on July 22nd, after an unusual Cabinet meeting next week to deal with an unpredictable President. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa. It's hard to predict what the latest tariff threat will mean for Canadian businesses.

Different industries are facing different rates based on what they produce. But what they do have in common is uncertainty, and that alone is causing damage. Senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong reports. After a night of scrambling phone calls and spreadsheets, Canada's business community got some clarity today. The latest tariff threat will not apply to the vast majority of Canadian exports, but this whole episode serves as a stark reminder

the tariff itself isn't the only thing keeping business owners up at night. The unknowns around what will this be, what will it apply to, is quite toxic. That's Matthew Holmes, executive vice president with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The impact of the tariffs is clear and it's not good. The manufacturing sectors lost 55,000 jobs. Areas like Windsor, Ontario, that are highly reliant on the auto industry and trade in general, have seen unemployment spike to 11%. But the bigger picture, the Canadian economy right now, is one of surprising resiliency. GDP fell in April, but only contracted 0.1%.

And after three straight months of job losses, numbers released this morning GDP fell in April but only contracted 0.1%. And after three straight months of job losses, numbers released this morning show Canada's jobs market rebounded in June. RBC's Assistant Chief Economist Nathan Janssen. I think as far as the worst of it, I think we're cautiously optimistic. Canadian products that are compliant with the Canada-US-Mexico free trade agreement are exempt from tariffs. To figure out how much

of Canada's exports are compliant, Janssen went through customs data line by line. So when we've done that it's about about 94 percent of our exports to the United States in 2024 were from products that are covered explicitly as zero duty rates under the USMCA trade agreement. The White House says that exemption still stands and economists say that gives Canadian businesses more wiggle room than they may have expected in March and April. It certainly looks like the USMCA Cosmo backstop has been, you know, maintaining duty, act duty free access for a large share of Canada's exports.

In a way, the biggest impact and the latest tariff threat is that it pushes the deadline for Canada-U.S. talks down the road. Initially, that deadline was July 16th. After the G7, Mark Carney said, it was July 21st and now Trump says it's the 1st of August. Holmes says that buys Canada some time, but he warns there's risk there as well.

But the complacency also is dangerous if we think, oh, this will go away eventually. You know what, this is just some bluster. We don't need to take it seriously. We do need to take it seriously. To that end, he says last night's threat should only serve to inject yet more urgency into plans to diversify and grow the Canadian economy. At the same time, Ottawa negotiates to bring the trade war to an end. Peter Armstrong, CBC News, Toronto. When the trade war might end though, is anyone's guess, the latest threats seem to take Canadian

officials by surprise and they're not alone. Chris Glover joins us tonight from Washington. So Chris, walk us through what Donald Trump is saying to justify his latest threat against Canada. The US president mentioned fentanyl and what he called Canada's failure to stop the flow of the drug as the reason. But keep in mind, the amount of fentanyl seized at the Canada-US border is minimal, especially

when compared to the Mexico border. So to that end, Trump added that other financial issues, including Canada's protection of things like the dairy industry, made the trading situation unsustainable and a threat to national security, Trump said. And you're right to point out that this was all a bit of a surprise, especially when you consider trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. had recently ramped back up and things had been pretty quiet. Some thought that that was a promising sign, especially compared to all the turmoil last month

when Trump terminated trade talks with Canada over Ottawa's proposed digital services tax. Ultimately, that was rescinded and trade negotiations resumed. Now, a Canadian official telling CBC News both sides had met as recently as yesterday afternoon, just hours before Trump's surprise letter. So despite all this, the trade negotiations are continuing just

with that new threat looming large. And Chris, this is part of Trump's global trade war. What is he saying about other countries tonight? If trade deals are not reached by August 1st, Trump says most trading partners will see new amped up tariffs and letters to that effect are flying all over the globe. So far US officials have announced deals with only three countries, China, the UK and Vietnam and they say that they're close with several others but that leaves many countries without deals and some Southeast Asian countries are facing new tariffs in the range of 25 up to 40 percent. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is today on his first official visit to Asia and Rubio says he is not concerned that tariffs are going

to alienate countries and he says the time is now for those running trade deficits with the U.S. to bend their knee. I understand why you don't want that to change. But I think most mature leaders and everybody here is a mature leader understands that that's not a sustainable dynamic. It was one that had to be changed and that's what the president's doing. Now Rubio also made a bit of news today saying the odds are high that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could hold face-to-face talks soon, but he didn't say when.

All right. Thank you so much for this tonight, Chris. Thank you. That's Chris Glover in Washington. Still to come on the podcast, prairie wildfires, flames breach a northern Saskatchewan community, and more Manitobans flee to safety. And with big crowds gathering in Calgary, Alberta struggles to contain a massive measles outbreak. What should teach the teachers? AI companies in the US say they will set up an academy

to show them how to use the technology in the classroom. Wildfires on the prairies are threatening several communities tonight. In Manitoba, thousands of people are being evacuated from Garden Hill First Nation. While in Saskatchewan, a fire has made its way into the village of Beauval. Cameron McIntosh is hearing from anxious evacuees as fire crews try to save what they can. Video posted by firefighters shows an intense scene. Thank you God! A wall of orange-red flames and black smoke on the edge of Boval, Saskatchewan.

The fire roaring into some backyards. Watch the propane tanks! The Muskeg fire reached the village about 400 kilometers north of Saskatoon Thursday night. Those videos quickly making the rounds. Telling you to see those videos was something else. Shirley Martin evacuated from Boval to Saskatoon last week. We all know the the fires were coming but we didn't know when it was coming. Seeing the fire, watching firefighters save homes she says brings anxiety and hope. So I'm very grateful for those men and women up there for what they're doing.

Boval Mayor Rick Laliberte says the village is evacuated. No homes have been lost so far as firefighters tried to push the flames back. In recent days, lightning and near drought conditions have sparked new fires in forests in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba in what has already been a record-setting fire season. In northern Manitoba, water bombers are hitting several large fires, including one near Thompson, where 12,000 people have been warned to be ready to leave. As evacuations of a couple of other communities, Snow Lake and Garden Hill First Nation, have put about another 6,000 people on the move.

In Garden Hill, military Hercules aircraft idle on the runway. About 4,500 people need to be airlifted out. The planes can carry about 100 people per trip, but aren't flying full. They can't take off with max capacity. Chief Dino Flett says heat is thinning the air, The planes can carry about 100 people per trip, but aren't flying full. Chief Dino Flett says heat is thinning the air, making it harder for big heavy planes to get lift. So they carry lighter loads. That slows things. Still, he's hoping to have everyone out this weekend.

Evacuees are being flown to Winnipeg far from the fires but not the smoke hanging thick and gray over the city. Russell Wood says the flames came dangerously close to his home. They had to sprinkle down my house last night because I was so close to my house. Like many others he doesn't know when he'll get back or what he'll return to, hoping this unrelenting wildfire season spares his community. Cameron McIntosh, CBC News, Winnipeg. A Quebec mother accused of abandoning her three-year-old daughter last month has been denied bail. The judge has ordered the woman to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

She had reported her daughter missing on June 16th and told police she had no memory of her whereabouts for several hours. After a massive four-day search, the girl was found alive and alone on the side of a highway in eastern Ontario. The mother has been charged with child abandonment and criminal negligence, causing bodily harm. The geography of Canada's measles outbreak is shifting. Alberta is the new hot spot. In fact, the province's case count is so high, it's all but equal to the number of cases confirmed in the entire United States this year. Alberta's low vaccination rates and big events like the Calgary Stampede are contributing to the risks. Health reporter Jennifer Yoon reports.

Mingling, sharing food, talking, the fun at the Calgary Stampede draws big crowds. An ideal opportunity for measles to spread among rodeo goers, adding to the worst outbreak of the virus in about half a century. So serious, some hospitals are asking patients to wait in their cars to be seen. The stampede is such a large event with so many people from so many places represents a special kind of risk. Dr. James Talbot was the chief medical officer in Alberta from 2012 to 2015. We now have the worst record in North America.

We have over 1200 cases. Texas, which has 10 times our population, has 750. So it gives you an idea of how badly we're doing. In confirmed cases, Alberta is now just behind the total for all of the United States. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humankind. It can cause a rash, a cough, and a runny nose, but can also lead to pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death. Canada had mostly contained the virus through vaccinations in the 1990s, but with falling vaccination

rates, measles is now back. This is just an appalling situation. Dr. Lenore Saxinger is an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta. What we're seeing is very under-vaccinated populations are having very high rates of disease and it's basically network spread and so it's very hard to contain that. It's caused health authorities in other provinces and territories to warn people about traveling to Alberta. Dr. Martin Lavois is BC's Deputy Provincial Health Officer. And we recommend being careful when you travel to places where measles is circulating. For example Alberta and Ontario. For months Ontario was the

epicentre of the measles outbreak in Canada with over 2,200 people infected, hundreds hospitalized and one measles-related death. New cases are now dwindling in Ontario while taking off in Alberta. Talbot is among those accusing the Alberta government of not doing enough to curb the spread. The province has been very slow to react to this. Alberta's health ministry says it is taking the measles outbreak seriously. It says it's running ads encouraging people to get vaccinated and kept clinics open longer

to make the shots more accessible. Jennifer Yoon, CBC News, Toronto. US President Donald Trump was in Texas today getting a first-hand look at the devastation caused by last week's deadly floods. At least 121 people were killed, and many more are still missing. As local officials react to criticism about how they responded to the emergency, Washington is also facing questions about its role.

Katie Nicholson reports from Texas. Cheers for the president as his motorcade whipped through disaster struck Kerrville, a Republican stronghold, and one of the communities hit hardest by last week's flash flood. I've gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I've never seen anything like this. This is a bad one. We just visited with incredible families that, I mean, look, they've been devastated. They lost their child or two children.

And just hard to believe. This visit comes after a week of criticism aimed at state and federal authorities. Democrats have called for investigations into whether vacancies at the National Weather Service led to gaps or accuracy issues in forecasts. And into the Federal Emergency Management Agency's handling of the disaster. While CNN and the Washington Post reported that a new rule from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requiring her to personally approve expenses above $100,000 may have delayed FEMA's

response to the floods. I heard this I would, for the first time. But Republican Congressional House Representative Pete Sessions says he's going to talk to Nome about the criticisms and says now other help will be needed. Now we're going to clear out the hundreds of campers and trucks and 18-wheelers getting back to a circumstance where we look at the roads and bridges, not just their stability, but how we're going to replace them. Sessions says that likely means a supplemental federal bill to unlock funding. And supplementals are always difficult to get through Congress. Criticism from people who

don't want to spend the money I want the president and states to understand this is critical and we can get this done by working together standing next to him fellow Republican representative Chip Roy stresses other levels of government need to step up the federal government is not an ATM and too many people often view it as an ATM we need the federal government to do its job, stand up, help secure, be there with resources that are hard for a state and local to do. But we can do this. We're Texans and people are showing that right now.

Texans have already raised 30 million dollars in donations to help their own. People need to see their faces, remember these people, you know. Down the street, Liz Ross prays next to a memorial for the dozens from Kerrville who died. Flowers, teddy bears, toys intertwined into the fence around their pictures. Ross believes if Texas needs help, the president who once vowed to gut FEMA

will answer the call. You know, despite what we think about our president, he is a worker and he will make sure that this country is taken care of. But in this moment, in this fiercely independent state, Texans are doing their best to care for each other. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Kerrville, Texas. The UN says since May, almost 800 people have been killed trying to access aid in Gaza. Most died near distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The group is backed by Israel and the US. And Israel runs security near the four hubs. Raveena Shamdasani is with the UN's Human Rights Office. Where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food and medicine and where they are being attacked, where they have a choice between being shot or being fed, this is unacceptable and it's continuing. Israel's military says it is investigating the reported deaths and it has ordered soldiers to open new routes to the distribution sites. Teachers in the US will soon get a lesson on how to use and manage artificial intelligence in

the classroom. The technology is becoming more widespread even in the very place meant to develop human intelligence. Canadian teachers are watching with interest and concern about who's paying for it. Deanna Sumanek-Johnson reports. Would it run over us with the danger of a driverless car? Helping teachers teach in the age of artificial intelligence. That's why Microsoft and OpenAI say they're investing $23 million US

to establish the National Academy of AI Instruction in partnership with the second largest teachers union in the US. Randi Weingarten is the president of the American Federation of Teachers. She says it will provide needed tools. Teachers are looking for ways so that we can use it as a GPS system, not as a driverless car. That we can navigate it, that we can harness it. Should AI even be allowed in schools was once the key question. But as it spreads quickly, the discussion has shifted to how to use it ethically and in the service of educational goals. In

Canada, places like Alberta and Quebec have rolled out AI guidance for schools, but nationwide it's a patchwork without comprehensive details. Heidi Yepman is the president of Canadian Teachers Federation. Teachers are really struggling with artificial intelligence. They're struggling on their own because there are no policies and frameworks put in place. She isn't sure that guidance should come from the tech giants, a concern shared by Tamara Phillips, a high school English teacher and curriculum leader in a school board outside of Toronto. My one like hesitation is that when the creators of various AI platforms are rolling out the learning,

we aren't necessarily embedding what we talk about as humanized pedagogy and the practices that are needed in classrooms to build integrity and AI literacy into that learning. Her colleague, Jamie Mitchell, a high school math teacher, admits many of his coworkers are still wary of AI in a classroom, but he's found ways to make it work and is now helping his colleagues. One of the ways that math teachers have been using AI is to teach students how to turn say chat GPT into a tutor with some very intelligent prompting and then arming that student with the ability to ask chat GPT for math help when they're

at home. But what can't be overlooked is the impact AI might have on teachers confidence and authority says Johanathan Woodworth. He's an assistant professor at Mount St. Vincent University teaching aspiring teachers how to integrate technology in class. It changes teachers' perception of themselves. For example, a lot of teachers are thinking, if I integrate AI, am I actually the teacher who owns this, who is pedagogically in charge of the teaching? Just one more challenge for educators struggling to manage a new technology that promises to have all the answers but raises so many questions.

Deanna Sumanac-Johnson, CBC News, Toronto. Some of the signature hard-driving sounds of drummer Norman Marshall Villeneuve, a legend of the Montreal and Canadian jazz scene. Villeneuve died this week after suffering a brain aneurysm. He was 87. Born in 1938 in Montreal's St. Henry neighbourhood, Villeneuve was drawn to music early in his life. In a 2017 interview, he said it was clear during his first piano lessons that he preferred the drums. I get the twig from a tree, or pencil.

Teacher couldn't tell me enough time, Norman, stop playing with the pencil. I want to be a drummer. Villeneuve's frenetic style was perfectly suited for the bebop era of jazz. The Montreal scene of the 50s and 60s was thriving. He collaborated with Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones, and performed with greats such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Well, he was just overflowing with enthusiasm, very optimistic and very loving. His personality was, here let me hug you.

Villeneuve appeared on dozens of recordings and released several albums of his own. He also established music scholarships for percussion students, ensuring his legacy and his beat will go on. Thanks for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, July 11th. I'm Juanita Taylor. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.