Your World Tonight - U.S./Canada trade talks on shaky ground, Churchill Falls deal imminent, Reflecting on wildfire losses, and more

Episode Date: August 16, 2026

Talks are in their final stretch to reach a new trade deal with the United States. The U.S. is set to slap a 50 per cent tariff on a wide-range of Canadian goods on Wednesday - everything from hockey sticks and ice skates, to plywood and tulip bulbs. And sources tell CBC News the prospects of a new trade deal aren't looking good.Also: Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette are set to hold an important meeting in St. John's tomorrow...with the Prime Minister joining them. Talks of a new deal on Churchill Falls energy have ramped up over the last week - and Radio-Canada has confirmed Quebec's premier is heading to Newfoundland to sign an agreement.And: The Bradley Creek wildffire in B.C. has destroyed hundreds of structures. But members of the Okanagan Indian Band say the loss is much greater than burned down buildings - it's the erasure of priceless belongings and lost memories.Plus: Tropical Storm Lala hits Hawaii, Why Colombia's earthquakes caused less damage than Venezuela's, and more.

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It obviously will be very hurtful to the companies that make products in Canada, and that includes international and American companies. for the worst. Canadian exporters are watching the clock as a deadline on U.S. tariffs ticks closer, and CBC News has learned significant gaps remain between the two sides. This is your world tonight. I'm Tashana Reid. Also on the podcast, Quebec's premier is heading to St. John's on Monday, where she is expected to sign a new hydroelectric deal with Newfoundland and Labrador. And there were a cedar oak. baskets, beautiful. And there's a couple of them

was way over 100 years old. First Nations in British Columbia reflect on what's been lost in the wildfires. Talks are in their final stretch to reach a new trade deal with the United States. In three days' time,

the U.S. is set to slap a 50% tariff on a wide range of Canadian goods. Everything from hockey sticks and ice skates to plywood and tulip bulbs. Kate McKenna, is following this story from Washington and has some new details about how things are going. Kate, sources are telling you prospects of a new deal aren't looking good. Yes, sources are saying that the U.S. is digging in and so are the provinces.

And it's putting the Canadian negotiating team in a tough spot. You might remember that one of the big subjects in these talks is the U.S. wanting Canadian provinces to remove their ban on selling American alcohol. That is one of their rationales for a new slate of tariffs set to take effect Wednesday. While the booze ban was put in place as retaliation after the U.S. slapped tariffs on key sectors like steel, aluminum, auto, and lumber, so some provinces have said they've got no plans to back down unless those tariffs are also dropped or meaningfully lowered. That has been the Canadian negotiator's goal to get this week's tariffs dropped and to make real progress on the sectoral tariffs. But sources say the U.S. won't go as far as Canada wants, especially on lumber. And unless the provinces call off the booze ban, the U.S. will move ahead with $28 billion in new tariffs.

That will hit Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia hardest. But both sides remain at the table. U.S. trade representative Jameson Greer met with his Canadian counterpart again on Sunday, even though it's Greer's birthday, marking their third meeting in one week. We're hearing that both sides are making some progress, but a big distance between both sides continues to exist. And things are really down to the wire now. They've only got one or two more days left to make a deal. Then the new tariffs are set to kick in.

What happens if no deal is reached? Well, it's a good question. Prime Minister Mark Carney hasn't ruled out hitting the U.S. back. In fact, sources told us when he met with the premiers last month, he was asked to draw up a list of potential retaliation. I was able to ask Greer in Iowa a couple of days ago whether the U.S. would respond if Canada retaliates. And he says his understanding is that Canada wants to take a more conciliatory approach,

but if Canada does go ahead and slap on new counter tariffs, then the U.S. won't tolerate that, hinting that this week could see some escalation and trade tensions if no deal is reached. Kate McKenna reporting from Washington. Thank you. Thank you. It's not just Canadian companies bracing for impact. American farmers and contractors say the Trump administration's tariffs will harm their businesses. Caroline Bargut reports. For more than 125 years, April Hemis' family has been growing corn and soybeans in north central Iowa.

But every time U.S. President Donald Trump slaps on a new tariff, her business gets hit, and American consumers ultimately pay the price. In my case, it's corn and soybeans, and it goes to feed their pigs and cows and chickens. So it affects our prices that we get paid for everything, and then we have to pay. Jack Plain is an Iowa bean farmer. I have 200 acres that I farm. He says American industries are paying the price, even if they aren't directly targeted by these tariffs

because Canadians stop buying products made or grown south of the border. But our president is, I'm a Republican, but I think Donald went too far in some of the things he does, and he's pushed a lot of people away. You know, a lot of countries are at standoffish with us because of his policies. The construction industry has already seen price increases because of sectoral tariffs on Canadian lumber, steel, and aluminum, says McCrena Wilkins, Director of Insights at the Associated General Contractors of America, and added 50% tariff on products like concrete and plywood could cause widespread disruptions and even the cancellation of some U.S. construction projects. I want to maybe emphasize how interconnected our supply chain has been.

We import a significant amount of lumber and plywood from Canada. That means that we don't necessarily need mills or the same number of mills to produce that material. It would be very hard for the U.S. to scale up in a particularly short period of time in order to maybe accommodate trying to expand the lumber and plywood industry locally or domestically. As the August 19th deadline approaches, U.S. and Canadian trade delegations continue to negotiate. Daniel Ress Schoffen is the Associate Director for North American Risk at the Washington, D.C. firm control risks. I think that we are certainly going to see some progress made on some of the tariff issues.

There's a lot of low-hanging fruit, but then there's also a lot of more persistent long-standing disputes that are going to be a little bit harder to, I think, unwind. He will be watching to see if Canada budges on dairy import quotas, which has been a long-standing issue for the U.S. And if the provinces agreed to put American booze back on liquor store shelves. Caroline Bargut, CBC News, Washington. Donald Trump says he has ordered the U.S. War Department to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.

In a post on his truth social platform, the U.S. president says he has a very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and said the joint U.S. South Korea exercises are too costly and hostile. to North Korea. In the same post, Trump also criticized South Korea's president for not joining his war on Iran. The annual training exercises were scheduled to run for 11 days, starting Monday. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham and Quebec Premier Christine Frischette are set to hold an important meeting in St. John's tomorrow, and the Prime Minister will be joining them. Talks of a new deal on Churchill Falls Energy have ramped up over the last week,

and Radio Canada has confirmed Quebec's premier is heading to Newfoundland to sign an agreement. Paula Diane Perez reports. The deal seems to be inching towards the finish line. Our colleagues at Raja Canada have confirmed the Quebec Premier is said to sign a new Churchill-Fault's agreement on Monday. According to sources with direct knowledge of the file who are not authorized to speak publicly, There's a guaranteed transmission access of 985 megawatts through Quebec, meaning Newfoundland and Labrador can sell up to that amount to outside markets. It's a win-win situation, says Louis Beaumier with the Trudeau Energy Institute. He says Quebec will be able to increase its production capacity.

The hydroelectric project has had a complicated history. The first deal signed in 1969 gave Quebec access to most of the plant's electricity, at a very low rate until 2041. It's been a source of tension between the two provinces for decades. To replace that deal, the two provinces reached a memorandum of understanding in 2024. But a new government took over Newfoundland and Labrador last fall and said the MOU wasn't in the best interest for the province. Under a new deal, as first reported by Hacogacca Nadar, sources say each province would receive significantly more electricity than the previous memorandum of understanding stipulated.

To reach that increase in electricity production, the two sides have agreed to increase the generating capacity of the existing Churchill Falls plant and add wind power. They would also develop an even more powerful hydroelectric facility at Gull Island. Pierre Olivier Pino is chairholder in energy sector management at Achesne Montreal. He says even if the premiers sign an agreement on Monday, they cannot call it a done deal yet. You know, the Inus have not yet given their full agreement to the project.

So we should be very careful in announcing that this project will actually be developed before getting an agreement of a third party that hasn't been yet into the negotiations. Jodi Ashini was elected Grand Chief of the Inu Nation over the weekend. The Churchill River sits within his land claims. Ashini wasn't available for an interview by deadline, but she commented on the apparent deal in a video posted to social. media on August 13th. That was done very fast without any consultation, and it's important now that we start

getting into the talks with Newfoundland and Quebec again on what Gull Island is going look like in the future. Experts say questions remain about whether the Newfoundland and Labrador Premier will hold a referendum on the deal as he promised during his election campaign. With the Quebec provincial election campaign set to start in a few weeks, some also question whether a new government could challenge the terms of any signed agreement. Paula Diane Perez, CBC News, Montreal. Still ahead. Last week's deadly earthquake in Colombia was similar in size to the twin tremors

that struck Venezuela in June, but the level of destruction was an order of magnitude smaller. You'll hear why that is, and how the two countries are faring. Later on your world tonight. A sigh of relief. For more residents of six, Summerland, BC, as they return home in the wake of the out-of-control wildfire raging through the district. Those not yet clear to return are holding their breath and holding out hope. Helen Pike has the details. Feeling really relieved, really, really relieved and really grateful.

Anastasia Hernandez is one of the many evacuees heading home. Her priority, sleeping in her own bed tonight. So I'm just going to go pack up where we were staying, collect the kids and the pets, and head home and hopefully at some point to find out what the Edom's instructions are. This is a critical alert from District of Summerland. Wildfire evacuation order partially downgraded to a... 800 properties now safe for re-entry. That's on top of 400 others announced Friday.

Thousands more still waiting to go home. Go, go, go! Eight days ago, Melody Willis had to leave her Garnet Valley farm on a moment's notice. So we left with nothing. Our four chickens, our four dogs, and our one horse. Her animals are all safe now. So this is Gabby, Paisal, Willow, and Daisy. She's pretty sure the Bald Range fire reached her farm.

Our neighbor was able to find out from a firefighter that a place is gone. But as other Summerland residents return home, she's still waiting for official word about hers. But right now we don't know anything. So that's frustrating, I find. Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes stops to talk before he checks on his own place. He lives inside one of the communities now allowed to return. As mayor, I also feel a little bit guilty that I'm able to go home when so many residents aren't. Rapid damage assessments of the area are done.

Official calls have started, but he understands it's difficult to wait by the phone. Official word needs to be 100% accurate. So now that we have that information, that process can start. The main highway through the community is now fully open to traffic, according to the province's transportation ministry. Security guards, pylons, barricades, block off neighborhoods that are still closed. The fire continues to grow, but away from Summerland. Smoky conditions in the morning, helping with the battle.

With weather heating up across the Okanagan Valley as the day continues, officials are still on alert for thunderstorms. Helen Pike, CBC News, Summerland. British Columbia. The Bradley Creek Fire in BC has destroyed hundreds of structures. But members of the Okanagan Indian Band say the loss is much greater than burned down buildings. It is the erasure of priceless belongings and lost memories. Jacqueline Jeline Jelineau has that story.

My uncle might be houseless. He's not homeless in this nation. This is our nation. Michelle Lewis is helping her 91-year-old uncle, Frederick Lewis. He's an elder with the Okanagan Indian band who lost his home in the Bradley Creek Wildfire. It was one of hundreds of buildings lost in the fire. Some were cabins for vacationers built on leased land, but most were properties where Okanagan Indian band members have been living for generations.

I'm not worried for myself. I'm worried for the people who's going to be here long term. Elder Lewis says homes can be rebuilt, but the land his people forged, for generations has been turned to ash. He worries about the environment his grandchildren will grow up in. You're looking at all our watershed, it's all burnt off, so it's going to actually take years to rebuild all that. Lewis worked in forestry and as a firefighter and has watched his homeland change over the decades. It's been just getting drier and drier. He says he's never seen fires burn as fast as the Bradley Creek wildfire. More important, to him than his home, Lewis also lost invaluable keepsakes, including berry-picking baskets belonging to

his late wife, a gift from her great-grandmother. There's a couple of them who was way over a hundred years old, and they were in perfect condition. I can't really think of how valuable or, you know, like they really were. It's not the money thing on it. It's just a losing such a precious things like that. Many living on Okinawain Indian Ban Land are still on evacuation order as the Bradley Creek wildfire continues to smolder. But some, like Sharnel Paul, have been able to return home. My little guy who was so excited to be home today, so he was running around the yard. Immediately after returning home, Paul and her family of eight got back in their vehicle and

drove down to a beach to join members of the Okanagan Nation Alliance to pray for rain. I think what I've been thinking about more is the berries and the animals and how dry it's been. We kind of need more water. So it was nice that we came to pray for the water and the rain and everyone, not just ourselves. For most, it's still a wait-and-sea situation with no timeline on when the evacuation orders might be lifted. The Ucanagan Indian Band Chief Dan Wilson says more information will be available in the coming days. Jacqueline Jellano, CBC News, Vernon, British Columbia. Emergency workers in Indonesia sift through concrete rubble,

racing to find survivors following Saturday's massive magnitude 7.7 earthquake. At least 53 people are confirmed dead, with more than 100 others injured. Around 5,000 people have been forced to evacuate, with many now living in makeshift camps. Officials have declared a two-week state of emergency as search teams clear, collapse, buildings, hospitals, and homes. Those efforts are being complicated by hundreds of aftershocks that are rattling the region, causing power outages and landslides. Several areas of Hawaii are under flash flood warnings after Category 1 Hurricane Lala slammed the big eye. Island overnight. At least one person is dead and tens of thousands of people have lost power. As Michelle Allen reports, the worst of the storm appears over, but the threat of more torrential

rain remains. As Tropical Storm Lala elbowed by south of the Big Island, the center of the storm just barely misland. Sunday morning, it weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm. But Lala is still pummeling the island, with hurricane force gusts and nearly one meter of expected rainfall. This is actually the most wind that I've ever felt. This tourist from Florida says it's enough to scare even those used to big storms. I've been through quite a few hurricanes. The worst years was in 2004 in Florida, and I live in Jacksonville, so we do get a lot.

But this is probably the strongest wind that I've experienced myself. The tropical storm warning for the Big Island was lifted Sunday morning as the storm brush passed. Warnings are still in place for the rest of the Hawaiian Islands. Forecasts initially predicted the hurricane may go over the Big Island, which would have been the island's first direct hit from a hurricane in 155 years. But even just skimming the island's perimeter caused serious damage. The National Hurricane Center says to brace for flooding, mudslides, and large waves. Michael Brennan is the center's director.

So I do want to touch on post-storm safety as the big island now is sort of coming out of the direct impacts. The other islands will soon as well. There are widespread power outages. There's flooding. as a hazard to remain after the storm. Brennan says there are power lines down in floodwaters, and many roads and bridges have been washed out. Hawaii Governor Josh Green urged people to stay off the roads

in an update Saturday night. So again, please be very safe. You definitely want to be home. He says there was a fatal storm-related car accident in the South Point area, which is closest to the storm. The director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department says traffic lights out and power outages are causing accidents. Dr. Jim Ireland says they're seeing people hospitalized

from trying to clean up. But we did have some storm-related accidents. We had three people who, at least three people that I know of have fallen off their roofs, taken into the hospital in serious condition, people trying to fix repairs at their house, their roofs, chainsaws, cleaning up trees. So we're not out of the woods yet. Governor Green says he'll be declaring the storm a major disaster. Once they're finished responding to the weekend storm-related emergencies,

he says his team will head out Monday to take stock of the damage. Michelle Allen. CBC News, Vancouver. In one of its largest aerial attacks since it was invaded, Ukraine launched hundreds of drones into Russia, striking an online retail giant's depot, destroying billions of dollars worth of merchandise. Russia also carried out air strikes, including Torching Keeves' landmark bookmarket. Michelle Song has the details. Cruise tackle flames at a major retail distribution warehouse near Moscow after Ukrainian drones attacked it overnight. One employee who evacuated the facility says many people will lose their jobs. Wildberries is often referred to as the Amazon of Russia.

Moscow says it's shot down more than 800 Ukrainian drones overnight. And officials say it's the largest scale air attack by Ukraine this year. Ukraine has grown its deep strike missile and drone capabilities this year and has targeted Russian warehouses, oil refineries and military facilities. all to strategically squeeze Russia's economy and civilians. The question becomes, is it pivotal? Andrew Rusulis is a former official for Canada's Department of National Defense. He says both sides are hitting each other hard, but both countries are resilient.

But the Russians can reorganize. It hurts them. Does it stop them? No, it doesn't. Russia is a very big country. Yes, and they can build more warehouses. Ukraine's capital was also under attack Sunday. Russian drones struck homes and sparked a fire at Kiev's book market. Destroyed books were scattered all over the ground. Nadia Lieberman works at the market.

She says we live in a country where we expect an attack every day. Every day we live under missiles, under shelling. Another vendor cries out there's nothing left. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media, accusing Russia of attacking 13 regions this week and launching thousands of drones and aerial bombs. Russia is regularly, almost nightly, attacking Kiev other key Ukrainian cities. Marcus Kolga is a senior fellow at the McDonald-Lorese Institute. He says Ukraine needs other countries to continue to provide weapons.

We need to be looking at ways to supply Ukraine with the weapons that needs. to protect its skies. You know, a lot of those supplies have been exhausted. The United States has exhausted their supply of, or is close to exhausting their supply of patriot missiles thanks to its war in Iran. A Spanish fighter jet also intercepted a suspected Russian drone near the Ukraine and Maldova border.

Another case of Russia's war in Ukraine fueling concerns in neighboring countries. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. In Colombia, hopes of finding any more survival of last week's earthquake are dwindling. Nearly 300 people were killed in the quake that toppled dozens of buildings. The scenes in Colombia are reminiscent of the damage in Venezuela, which was struck by back-to-back earthquakes in late June. Freelance reporter Cody Weddell, now with more. At the sites of the over 170 collapsed buildings in Colombia, rescue crews continue their

frantic effort to reach anyone who may be alive under the rubble. But a critical 72-hour window when experts say a person can survive under debris ended on Thursday. Relief efforts have turned to the thousands who were left homeless by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake. In the city of Pereira, Alberto Sevalo is living in a tent with his family. We've been treated well and given hygiene supplies, he says, but Seballo lost everything in the earthquake. including his business and motorcycle. The earthquake forced four major hospitals to close in the city of Kali,

which is home to 3 million people. The full impact in some rural areas remains unclear. As you can imagine, these are quite remote mountains in communities. Edward DeBerg, with U.S.-based NGO Project Hope, has been traveling to small towns in the earthquake zone to assess the damage to health care facilities. In the mountain town of El Agila, the only hospital's roof collapsed and parts of the building buckled. The destruction of this hospital left about 10,000 people without medicines, without medical attention.

A temporary clinic for the town has been established in an old colonial home. The devastation in Colombia is strikingly similar to that suffered next door in Venezuela, when back-to-back earthquake struck there in late June. While both had similar magnitudes, the damage. in Colombia likely won't be a severe, according to geophysicist Dr. Dean Whitman at Florida International University. Because this earthquake occurred much deeper beneath the Earth's surface. That makes it farther away. So at the closest you're going to be, even if you're right on top of it, you're still going to be 70 miles away from it. Whereas in Venezuela, that earthquake was maybe

10 miles deep. At a tent camp in Venezuela, volunteers. hand out food from a pickup truck. Nearly two months on, tens of thousands of Venezuelans still live off donations and intense. The twin earthquakes in Venezuela killed well over 6,000 people. Cruise there continued to dig through rubble as desperate family members like Valeria Alcala hoped to recover the bodies of loved ones. It would help me rest easier, she says, knowing my stepfather and mother had a dignified burial. More than seven weeks on, she is still waiting. A glimpse of what's ahead for survivors in Colombia as the recovery process begins.

Cody Weddle for CBC News, La Waiida, Venezuela. And finally. Chrysalis number two. I just found the second one. I'm so excited. Mary Ann Lapp is a butterfly enthusiast outside of Winnipeg. And in a single day, she counted 20 caterpillars munching away on milkweed in her back. A positive sign.

It's really about saving our planet. It's about creating a community with nature and with living things around us and we're part of it. The monarch is one of the most recognizable butterflies in the world, known for their vibrant orange wings, black veins, and white speckles. Across North America, its population has been in decline, but some communities in Canada say they are seeing more of the delicate creatures. Marika Olenick is the curator of the Living Prairie Museum. And we talked to a large number of people across the city.

We're seeing lots and lots of monarchs this year in Winnipeg, tons. Monarchs face a number of threats, including pesticides, climate change, and the decline of food sources. So habitat loss is probably the biggest issue that monarchs are facing. So we're only in about 50% of the sustainable population right now from monarchs. So although a lot of people are helping and there's a lot of awareness about this species, we're definitely not out of the woods. One of those places trying to help improve the population is a Sineboin Park Zoo, growing butterfly-friendly plants to help monarchs and other species.

Laura Burns is the zoo's conservation programs manager. It seems like maybe these weather trends this year have been helping not just monarchs, not just Paushik, probably other butterflies as well. The zoo will also be part of a Canadian Wildlife Service project that puts teeny tiny radio transmitters on adult butterflies as they journey south to Mexico. With hopes there will be more of them migrating. And on that note, I leave you with Casey Musgraves, Butterflies. Thanks for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Sunday, August 16th. I'm Tashana Reid.

Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca.com.