Your World Tonight - Western premiers meet, PM Carney’s referendum response, tackling ticket scalping, and more

Episode Date: May 25, 2026

The premiers of Canada’s western provinces and territories hold their annual meeting, with the Rockies in the backdrop, and the issues of Alberta’s separation referendum and pipeline tensions looming large in the foreground.Plus: Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney weighs in on Alberta’s separation referendum question, saying Premier Danielle Smith’s plan is "not helpful" and votes such as the one coming up in the fall are, "a dangerous bluff."And: CBC News looks to Ireland, and whether that country’s ban on ticket scalpers can work to keep millions of sports fans and concert-goers from getting gouged by resale markets.Plus: India’s trade delegation to Canada, Iran War negotiations, Tim Hortons’ recruiting drive, and more.

Have you ever wondered how clean the seats on the TTC are? I found, like, chicken bones or, like, bed bogs. Or why so many Toronto restaurant bathrooms are in dank basements? Sometimes it's the most sketchy things. Like, when you go down, it's like, what is this? I'm Hayden Waters, a reporter and producer on the podcast, This is Toronto. From breaking down Doug Ford's obsession with the island airport.

We have to bring Jets in. To being inside an iconic Toronto Strip Club in its final hours. We go beyond the headlines of the day and get to know Toronto and all its big, beautiful, frustrating, wardy, fascinating glory. So find and follow us, this is Toronto, wherever you get your podcast. This is a CBC podcast. It is often advanced that vote for this and it's a free option. Vote for this and we will strengthen our hand in a future negotiation. That is a very dangerous bluff. The Prime Minister leans on his Brexit experience in his most critical comments yet of Alberta's

referendum plan. But some federal conservatives and block MPs, say Mark Carney should butt out. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Tanya Fletcher. It's Monday, May 25th, coming up on 6pm Eastern, also on the podcast. The whole purpose of the legislation in day one was to protect consumers, to provide fairer access to tickets, and to ensure that they were available at face value rather than inflated prices. Ireland found its ticket to fair pricing a few years ago, and some Canadian governments have made moves ahead of the world.

World Cup in the summer concert season. So are there any pearls of wisdom from the Emerald Isle? We begin in Canaanascus, Alberta with the Western Premier's meeting. Now, usually it's a rather low-key gathering with the leaders talking trade, but this year it's being overshadowed by the S-word, separation. And the talk isn't just coming from Alberta. Today, the Prime Minister weighed in from the nation's capital. The CBC's Caroline Bargut is in Canaanascus with our top story. tonight. This is an observation from experience. Prime Minister Mark Carney weighed in on the Alberta separatism debate from Ottawa, just as the Western Premier's conference got set to begin in Canaanascus today. In these separation issues, it is often advanced that vote for this and it's a free option.

Vote for this and we will strengthen our hand in future negotiation. That is a very dangerous bluff. Carney made a direct comparison to the Brexit referendum, which he experienced a decade ago while he was governor of the Bank of England. I saw firsthand what happened in the United Kingdom. When the view was, vote for this, it'll be soft, and then we'll negotiate, et cetera, and they end up. And they're still 10 years later trying to undo what people didn't think they were voting for, but what they ended up having.

In a statement, Premier Danielle Smith said she agreed with the Prime Minister that Alberta should remain a province of Canada and said she will be campaigning for that, adding that 700,000 Albertans signed one of two petitions asking for a referendum on the issue. She said, quote, this is a decision for Albertans, not Ottawa. We do have a substantial number of our members who are very, very frustrated with Ottawa. Rob Smith is the president of the governing party in Alberta, the UCP. He says, despite the frustration, we are not an independence party. We have never been an independence party.

And until such time as the majority of Albertans choose the path of independence, the United Conservative Party will not be an independence party. Albertans will hold a referendum on October 19th on whether to have another referendum to split from Canada. But the latest polling shows that 60% of people want to stay, 35% want to go, and 5% don't know. If you're a UCP voter, if you're a rural Albertan, you're far more likely to say, yes, you know, this isn't working for me. but at the same time, we do see in the cities near unanimous support among some segments of the population, including among NDP voters.

Shatchy Kural is a pollster with the Angus Reed Institute. She says half of respondents found the question confusing. The latest numbers also show Premier Smith's approval rating is waning. The last time we measured Premier Smith's approval level, she was sitting at about 46%, which in provincial politics, parlance, That's pretty bankable. It's not the worst by a far stretch. But now we find with this new poll and these new data, 56%, more than half of Albertans, feel like she has handled this file poorly. The debate is expected to dominate some of the conversations at the Western Premier's conference, which wraps tomorrow. The leaders will also tackle issues surrounding growth, energy, and trade, as well as indigenous economic opportunities.

Caroline Bargut, CBC News, Canaanascus, Alberta. As you just heard, Prime Minister Carney calls the Alberta vote on the separation issue a dangerous bluff. But he's not the only one with opinions on Premier Smith's decision to include a question in her province's fall referendum. Tom Perry continues our coverage from Ottawa. Is it helpful to ask these fundamental questions? No, it's not helpful. Of course it's not. Prime Minister Mark Carney seemingly resigned to the idea. Voters in Alberta are getting a referendum whether they want one or not. Is it the democratic will of Albertans?

Did they vote for this in the last provincial election? No, they didn't. It wasn't on the ballot paper. Karni says Ottawa is looking at the lengthy question being put to Alberta voters to ensure it complies with the Clarity Act. As for the referendum campaign, the prime minister says he will press hard to keep Alberta in Canada and show federalism works.

There's a very strong positive case for Canada, a strong Alberta in a united campus, Canada. Karnie isn't the only one looking ahead to that vote scheduled for October. The House of Commons came back from its break today with MPs back on Parliament Hill. I think we need to have the referendum. Stephanie Coosie, a conservative MP from Calgary, thinks Alberta voters need to have their say. I think that it demands the action of democracy. And I think until we address it, it will be like an itch that is not scratched, like an irritant. Kuzi and other conservatives say they'll campaign to keep Canada together, though there's little sign of any united front with the liberals or the prime minister. Like literally the liberals have campaigned against the entire country for a decade by shutting off access to our natural resources. Michelle Rampel Garner, another Alberta conservative today accused Mark Carney

of pointing a finger at Alberta with his remarks about the risks of separation, an echo of what she calls Carney's fear-based campaign around Burney. Brexit when he was governor of the Bank of England. The Block Quebecois, meanwhile, was today expressing sympathy for its separatist soulmates in Alberta. Block House Leader Christine Normandin says it's not up to Ottawa or the Clarity Act to decide what questions Albertans vote on and that the Prime Minister should leave it up to those voters to decide their future. If I were him, I would refrain myself as a head of government from telling other people how to vote. That, is not going to happen.

The Prime Minister, opposition leader, and MPs of every stripe will have much to say over the coming months as the campaign in Alberta unfolds. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. Coming right up, dozens of news stores, hundreds of renovated locations, and thousands of local jobs. Tim Horton's promises an overhaul after a recent worker controversy. And it's the largest trade delegation from India to, ever visit this country. We'll take a deep dive into the efforts of a trade reset amid lingering

tensions and heightened global uncertainty. Later, we'll have this story. Online ticket scalping. It's become part of the concert or big game experience. But Ireland's law banning resale for profit appears to be driving away the scalpers, or as they call them, ticket totes. Like Taylor Swift that we had here two summers ago or Irish international football games. We no longer see outside the stadium. I'm Dave Seglans in Toronto. Later on your world tonight, how to fix the ticket system. India is sending its biggest ever trade delegation to Ottawa this week.

China's foreign minister will visit Canada for the first time in a decade, and the prime minister is headed to New York to pitch Wall Street on investing north of the border. That's a lot of diplomatic and financial pieces in motion. So let's bring in the CBC's Peter Armstrong. Peter, three very different trips we're talking about here. What connects them? Pretty simple. Money. Canada exported $34 billion with a merchandise to China last year.

Ottawa plans to double its trade with India, $70 billion by 2030. And in New York, Carney is going to speak to the economic club, but he'll also meet with investors and business leaders and capital managers. All told, Tanya, we're talking about trillions of dollars that Ottawa is trying to entice into investing in Canada. That's how Ottawa is framing it at least. How are the other parties looking at this? Yeah, look, the differences are both interesting and important. China's trip is very formal.

Relations between the two countries are still pretty fragile. The question there is how can that detente be pushed forward? As for India, just give a listen here to the Indian Commerce Minister, Pius Goyal, on what he sees happening here. I have come with the largest ever business delegation that stepped out of India. ever in our history. So real enthusiasm. And then you've got the U.S.,

which for all the talk of diversification, the U.S. is and will remain our biggest trading partner. The feds clearly see a need to highlight both the importance and the opportunity for Canada, U.S. trade and investment. So you mentioned Canada wants to double trade with India. Is that a realistic goal? Well, both countries seem to think so. And industry associations tell us that this is a real two-way street

in terms of benefits. We spoke with Prashant Shrivastava from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. And he says Canada needs to diversify, but that India, the fastest growing economy, the world's most populous nation, it has real need for what Canada has. Canada is a energy superpower. India needs huge energy consumption for its battery needs for smart AI-enabled energy grids. Now, the other common thread to all of these trips is that the politics are fraught. So how heavily do those politics way over the week? Yeah, look, they loom large.

The transnational repression and the foreign interference issues, they've not gone away from the India file. As I said earlier, the China detente remains fragile. But Vina Najibullah from the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, she says we need to address the thorny issues, but we've also got to find a way to work together. The more we engage in dialogue and the more we deepen relations, the easier it is to also address some of the challenge.

issues. We need to have open channels. We need to rebuild trust and relationships. And of course, when it comes to the economic diversification, the opportunities are significant. And managing that balance, that's the job. And remember, it's not just the politics of India or China. Trade with the U.S. now comes with political risk as well. Thank you, Peter, for breaking this all down for us. You bet. The CBC's senior business correspondent, Peter Armstrong. As Canada looks to expand trade, it is weighing two foreign bids for submarines. The decision will impact the country's Navy for years to come. Our Lindsay Duncombe got an up-close look at one of the options that recently surfaced the coast of BC.

A sleek black submarine sails towards CFE as Guimalt. Korean sailors wave on deck. This is a show of force, a display of friendship and a sales pitch. We will be able to demonstrate the superior can. capability of our submarine assets, says Korean Navy captain Kibom Kim. The Dosan Aung-Hou completed a 14,000-kilometer journey across the Pacific. The Koreans want Canada to buy 12 of them. Canada plans to buy up to a dozen submarines in the next 15 years, an investment worth billions of dollars. There are two bids, and Canadian Rear Admiral David Patchell

would be happy with either. Especially considering of the four submarines, Canada currently has, only one is working right now. The new submarines are going to add stealth, lethality, presence, distance. They're going to be able to go into the ice in the Arctic and be present in all three of our oceans. The HDW Class 212 CD, silent, modular and lethal. Competing against the Koreans, a German boat, an updated version of a submarine already in use by NATO. If they're both really good submarines, then you start looking at other things. Michael Myers teaches defense policy at the University of British Columbia.

I think the first foremost of those other things is the relationship with our allies, the relationship with NATO, the relationship with South Korea and Japan and the Indo-Pacific. Both bids are also promising thousands of jobs and multi-billion dollar investments. The Germans say they'll invest in EV batteries and critical minerals. The Korean bid includes a promise to use Canadian steel and build armored vehicles in Canada. Buyer's worries all of those additional considerations could get in the way of choosing the best boat. If you put all your eggs in one basket and you're looking at a 40-year procurement and you're trying to get as much out of it, you might build a house of cards that could completely fall down.

Buyer says the week's events, including a welcome ceremony this morning, are aimed not just at Ottawa but at Canadians, to warm them up to a potential big purchase from a new partner. Canada is expected to make a decision by the end of June. Lindsay Duncombe, CBC News, Squimalt, British Columbia. Alcestershire says Ottawa is choosing to lease rather than buy the aircraft because it means getting them into service now instead of waiting up to five years for delivery. A new chapter is brewing in Canada's coffee wars.

Tim Hortons is going on a $400 million. plus offensive and says it's making changes in who it is hiring. Karen Paul's looks at why and the competition it's up against. Can I please get a dark roast, an ice coffee, and a pack of Tim's new rookie cards? Nice. Tim Hortons has always played to its hockey and Canadian roots, with ads featuring NHL players Sydney Crosby and Nathan McKinnon and pop star Justin Bieber. Introducing my new Tim Bebes.

Now the coffee giant says it plans to open 80. new restaurants, renovate 400 others, and hire 10,000 local staff. Because here, it's not just a job. Apply today and take the first step. It comes as Duncan has announced plans to bring hundreds of the donut and coffee shops to Canada as early as this year. Duncan Refreshers, the accessory that's worth getting out of bed for. David Polera is a business consultant and marketing instructor with York University's Shulik School of Business. I think they are going after the same consumer, a younger consumer, the cool factor.

So I think that Duncan is, does represent a real threat. But the plans may also be a response to criticisms, like this TikTok post. Because Tim Horton's upset a lot of people because they hired so many temporary foreign workers. So what coffee will you be drinking? During pandemic era labor shortages, Tim Hortons lobbied Ottawa to expand the temporary foreign worker program. but says that's no longer necessary. In a statement to CBC News Monday,

the company says one of the biggest misperceptions about Tim Hortons is how the temporary foreign worker program has been used. Adding less than 4% of staff were hired through it. Polera says that's important messaging. We do have a youth unemployment problem, and that's something that any company that can address that is going to gain favorability with Canadians. Youth unemployment in Canada is more than 14%.

The youth are definitely finding some challenges in getting that first job, and there's a lot of competition. Erica Seidler is the executive director at the Youth Employment Services Office in Winnipeg. Just opening up the job market and having more opportunities for everybody to kind of get into that is a good sign. Experts say it will be a challenge for Duncan to come in and take on a brand that's so embedded in the local community. think Timbitt's soccer and camp day. But they say the competition will be good for Canadian coffee lovers and local workers. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Winnipeg.

A deal to end the U.S.-Iran war may be close, yes, but just how close is still unclear. While those sides report progress, officials say there are still sticking points over Iran's nuclear program. In a potential sign of movement, though, Iran's president has ordered international internet, access to be restored, ending a three-month nationwide blackout. Our Sasha Petrissik is the latest. In the narrow strategic strait of Hormuz, traffic is building in anticipation of an opening. On global markets, oil prices are falling. As an optimistic world economy cheers on a potential deal to end the U.S.-led conflict with Iran.

And it waits. Yes, says Iranian spokesman Esmail Begai, there has been lots of progress on many topics, but no deal is imminent. We're still work in progress. Iranian negotiators spent the day talking with Qatari mediators in Doha. On the U.S. side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also cautious. So we have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the streets, get the streets open. U.S. officials say that and a declared end to the war would be the first steps in a memorandum of understanding,

followed by talks on ending Iran's nuclear program, which President Donald Trump says is aimed at building weapons. Oh, and they won't. They will never have a nuclear weapon. I'm sure you... On social media, he says talks are proceeding nicely, promising a great deal or no deal at all. Under political pressure to end the war and get gasped, prices down. Democratic Senator Cory Booker says Trump is ready to surrender. This weak nation has put America in a stalemate and Donald Trump is being played as a fool that he is for getting us into this in the first place.

Getting out of it won't be quick or easy, even if the fighting ends now, say analysts like Alexis Ellender. So really we are looking at disruption, you know, higher prices potentially stretching through the remainder of this year and into 2027. Israel may also balk in any quick deal as it entered the fight with its own list of demands to weaken Iran. Still unmet. John Allen is a former Canadian ambassador to Israel. There will be nothing on ballistic missiles, which Israel wanted. There will be nothing on control of the proxies writ large. And of course there's no regime change. So Israel's not going to be happy.

One big hurdle is Israel's war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, one of these Iranian proxies. Tehran insists fighting there must also end. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says we will keep striking them. We will not be letting up on the gas pedal. And indeed, Israeli airstrikes into Lebanon are escalating, despite last month's ceasefire. Sasha Petrusik, CBC News, Toronto. This is your world tonight. I'm Tanya Fletcher.

You can hear your world tonight wherever you are. Just subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast app or download the CBC News app. Just go to the local tab and press play. Big shows selling out online with tickets quickly reappearing on resale websites like Stubhub and Seat Geek at huge markups. It is an ongoing frustration prompting fans, artists, and now politicians to demand stricter laws to stop ticket scalping.

Last month, Ontario banned the resale of tickets for profit, and the UK, California, and New York are all considering similar bans. Our Dave Seglins takes a closer look at Ireland, which has had these laws in place for five years now with mixed results. Troy Parrots, looking for a moment of calm amid the chaos, and he's found it. Mole Rock is a huge soccer fan and a recent member of Ireland's Parliament. There are people who are working to scoop up dozens of tickets without any intention of

actually attending that event themselves. He sponsored the law banning resale of tickets at above face value. So far it appears to be driving out scalpers, known in Ireland as touts. Whether it's a massive concert like Taylor Swift that we had here two summers ago or Irish international football games, we no longer see touts outside the stadium. Equally, when it comes to the large, larger international marketplaces, be it Viagogo or Stubhub, we no longer see them being active in the Irish market. Resale website Stubhub and its parent company, Viagogo, indeed, are almost completely shut down. But the company's Frankie MoQueen says the ban has driven resale activity underground. What we've seen in Ireland on a repeated basis is fraud warnings issued by our competition and consumer protection commission.

Last summer we saw a six-figure scam by one individual for our large. just music festival. But that's fearmongering, argues Adam Webb. He's a music industry advocate based in London, England. He's pushing UK to adopt a law similar to Ireland's. We put a letter together that was signed by artists like Coldplay, Giawaleepa, Radiohead. Again, a lot of major artists saying, look, you know, you've committed to making these changes. Please can we move ahead. But for all its promise, Ireland still has tickets for big domestic events showing up on resale sites based in Spain or the US. Irish MP John Clendenin says

police need to do more international enforcement, like with tickets for an upcoming golf tournament. You know, the Ryder Cup is coming to Ireland next year and we're already seeing inflated prices. Cases where it's up to six times the original face value, that's simply not acceptable. Noel Rock insists for all its flaws, the price cap has brought Irish fans some relief

from always being gouged for their favourite events. goal of this law isn't to entirely eradicate ticket touting, though we'd love to do that. The goal of it is to minimize it in so far as possible and give real sports fans and real music fans the best possible chance of accessing these tickets at face value. No law is 100% perfect, generally speaking. Dave Seagland, CBC News, Toronto. Well, finally tonight. We clean some perks. I helped a girl with cancer. I organized three petitions. I opened a door for people and I youth manners. More than 80 Montreal children have just been awarded for their kindness.

Nominated by their families or schools, the kids were recognized by local charity son youth. 13-year-old Lucas raised money for the Terry Fox Foundation. My school held a presentation about cancer and Terry Fox, and I was really touched by it, so I decided to raise $1,000. And in the end, I donated double that. The program is called Heroes on Bikes. along with a certificate, every winner gets a brand new two-wheeler just in time for summer.

While testing out her new ride, 8-year-old Diana explained why she rushed to summon help when another child was getting bullied. I never want them to be bullied. I want every single kid in the world to be happy. Lucas is happy with his new bike, but even at 13, he's already seeing a larger life lesson in his act of kindness. It's not really about the bike of why he came here. I donated money. So having this fun little thing that I was given on the side is just something very nice to think of. And every single time I use it or, you know, see it, you know, it reminds me of what I did and how good it was. Proudly doing the right thing for the right reasons. This has been your world tonight for Monday, May 25th.

Thanks for being with us. I'm Tanya Fletcher. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.