Your World Tonight - Trump/Putin summit, Air Canada uncertainty, park pass popularity, and more

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

Trump and Putin meet in Alaska. The opening scene included warm handshakes, and a shared ride in a presidential car. Despite the casual atmosphere the stakes are high, as they talk about the future of the war in Ukraine.And: The union representing Air Canada's flight attendants has rejected the company's request for binding arbitration. The union says it wants to keep negotiating. Without a deal, hundreds of flights have been cancelled, with a strike set to start early Saturday.Also: The federal government is encouraging the trend of vacationing inside Canada this year by offering free admission to national parks, and discounts on train travel and museum visits. The pass has been successful — maybe too much so, as the parks struggle to handle the crowds.Plus: Global talks to end plastic pollution collapse without a deal, a groundbreaking rocket launch from Cree territory in northern Quebec, and more.

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Certain conditions apply. This is a CBC podcast. There's nothing set in stone. I want certain things. I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today. A historic summit of superpowers that could reshape the war in Ukraine

and reset global politics. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir, Putin meet in Alaska, two of the most powerful leaders on the planet shaking hands on the tarmac and sharing a limousine, a carefully choreographed spectacle with an uncertain outcome. Welcome to your world tonight. I'm Anandram. It's Friday, August 15th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast. We're going to go to the gate now and see what happens. There's been quite a bit of stress on our end, but now we're just worried if we're going to come home. We've got family there that we're visiting calling just to confirm. Are we going to make it?

Are we not? What are our plans? It's pretty hard to plan ahead right now. Nervous flyers, Air Canada customers taking off without knowing if they'll have a flight home, as Canada's largest airline and its flight attendants remain locked in a labor fight. With a strike deadline just hours away, that could land in a total shutdown. They smiled and laughed, like old friends. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin greeted each other this afternoon at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska. The two leaders are discussing the war in Ukraine and how to end it. Lisa Xing has more on the expectations and implications.

Touching down in Anchorage, Alaska, one after the other, U.S. President Donald Trump clapped as Russian President Vladimir Putin walked towards him, smiling. A remarkable scene as the leaders shook hands, walked the red, carpet and stopped for pictures before getting into Trump's presidential limo together. Earlier on Air Force One, Trump laid out his goal. Ukraine's future hangs in the balance. Putin and Trump here to negotiate a stop to the war. I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today.

Everyone said it can't be today, but I'm just saying I want the killing to stop. I'm in this to stop the killing. Trump, joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff. Though Putin, perhaps setting the tone, laid flowers at a memorial commemorating U.S. Soviet cooperation in World War II before heading to Alaska. On Thursday, flattering the U.S. President saying, the current American administration is making energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is notably absent, though Trump has said he hopes the initial meeting will pave the way for a second one involving Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik is cautiously optimistic. President Trump needs to get something, anything out of him. Otherwise, he will be humiliated yet again. However, there are major hurdles. Neither Moscow nor Kiev are willing to compromise on key demands. Moscow wants territorial concessions, Kiev security guarantees. And if Russia does not stop the war, Trump sticking to his threats. Yes, it will be very severe.

I'm not doing this for my health, okay? I don't need it. I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives. The U.S. president has long wanted to end the fighting, fancying himself a dealmaker, campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize, and growing increasingly frustrated. That in patience, worrying European leaders, he might offer up territorial concessions, though in recent days he has promised any land negotiations will be left to Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president, reminding the world, Russia continues to attack his country ahead of the summit. We count on a strong U.S. position, he said. Everything will depend on it. There is also the question of what exactly Trump is. is planning to offer up. Natural resources in Alaska, trade deals, stronger ties with the U.S. All of this, even a meeting on U.S. soil, already seen as a win for Putin. Peter Rao is a senior fellow at Think Tank Hudson Institute. He hasn't yet met at this level of legitimacy with a major Western leader. And that's something that President Trump was willing to give in return for what he hopes is a meaningful conversation that yields some sort of ceasefire.

The other outcome, the talks don't go well, and the bloodshed continues. Lisa Sching, CBC News, Washington. The clock is ticking towards a strike deadline that could ground all Air Canada flights and leave tens of thousands of Canadians stranded. Flight attendants will walk off the job at 1 a.m. Eastern on Saturday if the two sides can't reach an agreement. Philip Lyshanac has the latest. Andreas Mendez's flight out of Toronto's Pearson Airport has been

push back three hours. It's well before the deadline Air Canada flight attendant set to walk off the job, so he's hoping he and his wife make it out for a wedding anniversary trip. We're hoping that it's just a delay and we make it to tamper today because we have plans. Fingers gross. He's already looked at rebooking with another airline to get back at additional expense just for peace of mind. His wife, Cisley Darchville, says not knowing if their flight will make it out, is nerve-wracking. That's crazy, and I told my husband I'll never fly Air Canada again, but there we are. By midday, Air Canada had canceled more than 300 flights impacting almost 56,000 passengers.

Coupie, the union representing 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants, says the major issue is ground pay, the work flight attendants do before and after flights. Morgan Cowie says she's worried about her flight to Vancouver, but she understands. We do support the idea that fair wages are important for all of the flight attendants. So if this is something that they need to do, we'll figure it out. Todd McNamara, who is checking in for his flight at Pearson, said most people don't know workers only start getting paid once the aircraft has left the gate. I used to be a flight attendant 25 years ago.

That's what brought me to Toronto. And when you work a 14-hour day and get paid for seven hours, that's the industry standard. And I don't think it's right. Air Canada says what the union is asking for is, financially unsustainable. The company has put a counteroffer on the table. In anticipation of a work stoppage, spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick says the airline is winding down operation. Best solution obviously would be a negotiated settlement, but you know, time is short, so we're beginning to act. Why are they canceling your flights? We're at the table. We want to talk.

But for its part, QPie has rejected the company's request for federal arbitration. Natasha Steyas with the Flight Attendance Union, she says Air Canada would rather the government intervene than bargain in good faith. We don't want to have our rights as Canadians stripped away. We just want to speak with the employer. We want to get a collective agreement. The strike deadline is 1 a.m. Saturday morning.

Air Canada says check its website before heading to the airport. Helpy Shadok, CBC News, Toronto. Air Canada has asked us, the federal government to step in using a controversial section of Canada's labor code. The flight attendance union is urging the federal government not to. Marina von Stackelberg now on what that intervention looks like and why experts say it's problematic. With the future of thousands of flights up in the air, Air Canada has asked Jobs Minister Patty Heidu to force binding arbitration and stop the strike.

CUPY National President Mark Hancock says Ottawa has no business intervening. And the company is counting on this government, the liberal government, Minister Haidu, to come in and save the day. And they're going to use probably 107. Section 107 of the Canada Labor Code allows the minister to intervene in a labor dispute to, quote, maintain or secure industrial peace. It was once an obscure piece of legislation. But recently, the liberal government has relied on 107 to send employees back to work at ports, rail yards, and at Canada Post.

Unions and legal experts say that sets a dangerous precedent for labor relations in this country. It really is a troubling development. Barry Idlin is an expert at McGill University. And so it basically just allows the labor minister of this unilateral power to intervene to order workers back to work against their will. and that is extremely concerning. Unions are now taking the federal government to court over its unprecedented use of Section 107. They argue it violates the charter right to strike

and sours the bargaining process. Chris Roberts is with the Canadian Labor Congress. We have a real concern that employers are getting the message that they can simply surface bargain, let the issues run the impasse, and at that point, the government will intervene. Until recently, Ottawa usually needed to pass back-to-work legislation. At least it forced the government to introduce legislation in the House of Commons

to have that legislation scrutinized by the opposition parties and the media and by the public. There would be some accountability. Craig Monroe, a Vancouver employment lawyer that represents companies, says the government needs some way to step in. My view is that ultimately there needs to be some capacity for the government to resolve the tension that exists between the right to strike and the impact that that strike might have on the broader public, the national economic interest.

So far, the Labor Minister won't say if or when she'll stop the strike. Instead, she's calling on the Union and Air Canada to work with federal mediators, to get a deal done. Marina von Stackleberg, CBC News, Ottawa. One more note on this. The Air Canada Labor dispute is also affecting bargaining between Canada Post and its workers.

The two sides were supposed to meet today, but the union for the 55,000 employees says talks with the Crown Corporation have been pushed to Wednesday because federal mediators are tied up with Air Canada. Mail carriers rejected an offer earlier this month. Sticking points include wages and job security. Coming right up, in Atlantic Canada, some relief from the weather,

but not enough to stop several raging wildfires, pushing resources to the limit. And throwing away an opportunity, global talks to end plastic pollution collapse without a deal. In Newfoundland and Labrador, fire crews are feeling the strain, as the province's biggest fire keeps spreading. Even as cooler weather arrives, firefighting resources across Atlantic Canada are being tested, along with the resolve of many residents,

finding out they've lost everything. Shane a luck has the latest. A haze of smoke hangs over Newfoundland's Bay Verte Peninsula from thousands of hectares of burning forest. Thursday night, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan went up in a Coast Guard helicopter to see the Kingston fire for himself. It is very thick smoke.

I mean, you cannot see your hand in front of your face if you were in that smoke. The fire has consumed at least 100 homes, along with a school that serves 60 children, says Education Minister Bernard Davis. Unfortunately, Cabinet Academy School in Western Bay has been lost. This is certainly a massive loss for the community. Some people who live in the area like Louis Power are in shock.

It's hard to take in. People are devastated. Everyone. Power thinks more resources should be sent in, may be diverted from the Paddy's Pond fire burning near St. John's. The way it looks, everything is pertaining around Paddy's Pond. Like, we're abandoning. With several fires still burning across Newfoundland,

resources are stretched thin. Craig Cody is the director of the province's wildfire response program. He says each water bomber crew can do just eight hours of duty-shifted and these resources must be used carefully. These duty hours are incredibly valuable and must be used strategically. But temperatures have dropped, and from St. John's to Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, there was this. Rain, the answer to many prayers across the region. In Nova Scotia, too, an increase in humidity and a drop in temperatures is helping firefighting efforts

in the Annapolis Valley. Dave Steves is with the province's Department of Natural Resources. The conditions down here today are a bit more favorable than they have been in the days previous, but we're still dealing with a relatively explosive situation regarding the amount of moisture that's left in the fuels around. The fire there, believed to have been caused by a lightning strike, has grown since yesterday at noon, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 homes. Megan Yelland is pregnant and expecting a baby girl. She and her partner Michael Zeman were home Thursday night when search and rescue crews told them,

to leave quickly. It's a little heartbreaking to go through the baby nursery and pick out all the items that we had just gotten as gifts and have to prioritize. In New Brunswick, the largest fire is north of the city of Miramishie. Natural Resources Minister John Heron said there is rain in the forecast, but it could be a mixed blessing. The rains that we have been receiving, unfortunately, are bringing lightning along with it, which can be very problematic. Officials are still hoping for a rainfall that would help extinguish nearly two dozen fires burning across the province and deter any more. Shane Aluck, CBC News, Halifax. The East Coast could be in store for a different climate-related threat.

Forecasters say there is a chance the region could feel the effects of Hurricane Aaron late next week. For now, the storm is in the Atlantic, making its way towards Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Aaron is the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season. Plastic. We drink from it. We eat with it. It's part of our everyday lives. But the material is clogging our landfills and waterways. And the countries tasked by the UN to come up with binding rules on cutting that pollution can't agree on how to stop it.

Bridges Stringer Holden has more on the impasse. This meeting is adjourned. At the United Nations, another attempt in a year's long effort to curb plastic pollution failed, with countries clearly divided. It's hard enough to get five people to pick where. to go for dinner, let alone 180 countries that come from different economic, geographical, political situations and circumstances. Anthony Marante is the senior plastics campaigner for non-profit Oceana, Canada.

He was in Geneva for the negotiations. Extended to a third year after no agreement was reached to create a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution last December. Consensus is officially dead. Bjorn Beeler is with the international pollutants, nation network. He says the impasse has been the same at every conference, how to curb plastic pollution. But many countries, including Canada, want measures to slow new plastic production, something oil and gas-producing countries like Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have blocked. When a new draft treaty was

presented, production wasn't in it. It is unfortunate that some of the largest countries in the world want to stand on the path that leads us to making more plastic and to continuing the pollution crisis that we have, but we're happy to see Canada stand on the right side of this. Most plastics are created from fossil fuels. The countries who vetoed the treaty want to focus on better design and recycling instead. Despite only 9% of plastics being recycled globally, say researchers. Recycling does play a role, says Krista Seaman, Vice President of Plastics at the Chemical Industrial Association of Canada. When you have the proper systems for collection, sorting, and recycling in place, we can actually start to have

some really significant impacts on recycling rates. But experts say recycling puts the responsibility on the public. Canada was among the majority of countries pushing for an approach involving sustainable production. What's clear from all sides is that plastic pollution is a major problem. We've been making plastic for over five decades now. We have seen plastic wash up on our shores, fill our oceans, fill the stomachs of wildlife, like whales and seabirds and dolphins. While this session has been adjourned, some are suggesting countries that want to cap new plastic production break off and do so on their own. Bridget Stringer Holden, CBC News, Vancouver.

Flash flooding across Pakistan has killed nearly 200 people. Most of the deaths are in the country's mountainous northwest. Days of heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow, triggering widespread landslides, homes and villages, are buried, and five people were killed when a rescue helicopter crashed. Crews are scrambling to find survivors under mounds of mud and debris. Forecasters say the rain may not let up for another week. Mark Carney has booked a business trip to Mexico. The Prime Minister will meet with President Claudia Shanebaum September 18th.

The visit is aimed at improving economic ties between the two countries and finding ways to navigate the U.S. trade war. both nations have been subjected to tariffs by the U.S. Ottawa has been trying to diversify the country's trade portfolio. However, Shane Baum has said Mexico doesn't plan to strike a bilateral deal with Canada. So with Canada-US relations struggling, the summer plans of many Canadians involved staycations, and the Canada Strong Pass was supposed to help with free admission to national parks and discounts on train travel and museums.

But the pass has been so popular, the parks are overwhelmed. Sophia Harris has that story. Your kids can see the most incredible places in our country at no cost this summer. Ottawa billed the Canada Strong Pass as a way for Canadians to more easily see their country this summer. It includes free entry to national parks and a 25% discount for camping. So you can stay and explore the outdoors a little longer. Nothing's available. But Lauren McVicker of Halifax says the pass makes seeing Canada more difficult.

because when he and his wife tried in June to book a July camping trip at a nearby National Park, they were out of luck. Now, I anticipated with the Canada Strong Pass, there'd be a higher demand for these campsites, but I didn't anticipate that it would be such a demand that everything was sold out. Increased demand this summer also means more traffic. Banff is home to Banff National Park. Mayor Corey DeMano says the town is on track for a record-breaking year in traffic volume. We are so glad that people can connect with their national park system,

but we do know that we cannot handle that volume of vehicles into the long-term. Brings-Edward Island National Park is reporting record numbers of visitors and, at times, full parking lots. The park is also pleading with visitors to stay off the environmentally sensitive sand dunes. I see an awful lot of people walking on the... the dunes. I see a lot of people digging in the dunes. Mike Kelly lives near and is a frequent visitor to PEI's national parks. This year with parks being free, it is overcrowded. If you're going to invite the whole world here for free, you should be ready for it. We do balance ecological

protection with visitor enjoyment. Julia Grisavik is with Parks Canada's southwestern Ontario field unit. She says park crowds and traffic are well managed and nothing new. We've been experiencing eight consecutive years of higher than normal visitation. Connecting visitors to those sites is part of our mandate. So we happily welcome people. Beggars can't be choosers. Back in Halifax, McVickers says after several tries online, he and his wife finally managed to book their camping trip,

but they had to switch sites five times out of their six-night stay. We could not find two consecutive nights in one's camping spot. Every single day I'd have to take the tent down and move to a different tent site. and then repeat the process to next day. And McVicker has another gripe. International tourists also get free admission to Canada's parks this summer, but next year, the U.S. plans to impose a surcharge for foreigners visiting its national parks.

Sophia Harris, CBC News, Toronto. Seven years, 700 mines, one historic liftoff. It was a groundbreaking moment in Northern Quebec this morning when a student-built rocket launched from Kree land. As Jala Bernstein reports, the project marks a powerful partnership that could shape Canada's future space endeavors. As dawn broke over a remote part of the Cree Nation of Mysticany

in northern Quebec, A team of bleary-eyed Concordia students watched seven years of work blast off into the atmosphere. Now that was the largest student-built rocket ever flown. The excitement in the air, electric, a historic moment for the first launch from Cree soil. The very launch itself makes this a success, though former Space Concordia President Hannah Jack Holgrove says not everything went according to plan. The rocket came apart in the air earlier than expected. and it didn't reach space. But there is good news.

The students are now working to retrieve the nose cone, essentially the tip of the rocket and the data inside. We did get telemetry from the nose cone, which means the nose cone is safe. The students reached out to the creination of mysticity asking if they could use their land roughly six months ago. Pamela McLeod is coordinator of land management and environment. So we'd never received a request like this before.

And so it was a bit, you know, a bit unusual at first, of course. You know, it was a little surprising, but at the same time, we're, you know, very much interested. After discussions around minimizing any potential risks, McLeod says the community decided to go ahead with the launch. I think we saw it as an opportunity to be a part of something that historic, but an opportunity also to collaborate. She says they were eager to integrate their culture, giving the rocket a Cree name. In Cree, we also called it Chikabesh.

Chukhavis means star boy. The rocket was a years-long project that hundreds of students worked on, initially building it for a science competition that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team sought out sponsors to fund the work. Charles Bessenga Kianda is an associate professor of engineering at Concordia University. He says compared to a typical NASA launch budget of billions of dollars, they had a total of about one million to work with. It is an overwhelming success.

He says the students showed it's possible. We are able to do this in Canada. It is being done by students. And I hope this message gets heard by everybody around Canada. We can do it here. The launch, proof of the opportunities that arise when indigenous experts and scientists collaborate to inspire the next generation of minds.

Jela Bernstein, CBC News, Montreal. We end tonight. night at a New Brunswick golf course. On the upswing, after being handicapped by its cross-border geography. The future of our club is back and very bright, and the club is vibrant. Stephen Leach is the manager of the Arustook Valley Country Club. It's nestled in the rolling hills along the New Brunswick main border and getting squeezed by harder customs rules. The club is in Canada, but only accessible by an American road, meaning Canadian golfers cross into the then back into Canada to play around, all without going through customs.

Technically that's illegal, but for decades it was cool. And the club symbolized an age of relaxed Canada-US border controls. Things started to change after 9-11. It's really been hard on the people who live on it, especially the Peterson's. The club made headlines after post-9-11 rules, which made it harder to get to. In recent years, the problem got even worse. worst first, with pandemic border restrictions, and now that far less chill Canada-U.S. relationship status. The club's livelihood was being threatened, but it wasn't the only property

affected. The neighboring Peterson family farm was also partially cut off. The only difference, part of the farm does have access to a Canadian road. And now the family has stepped in to give the club a new link. It made all the difference for them to donate best land and be able to build this road and drive straight out to the clubhouse. It's just been phenomenal. For golfers like Lynn Dueling, making their tea times is now a lot easier and perfectly legal. This summer, the Peterson family donated a narrow tract of land through their property all the way to the clubhouse.

Named in honor of the farm's late owners, the Nick and Marion Peterson Memorial Trail allows Canadian golfers to access their Canadian course without having to leave the country. Thanks for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Friday, August 15th. I'm on and the run. Take care. podcasts.