Your World Tonight – November 13, 2025

Podcast: Your World Tonight – CBC
Hosts: Susan Bonner, Stephanie Skenderis
Episode: Carney’s Major Projects—Part 2, Ultraprocessed Foods and Cancer, the Epstein Files, and More
Date: November 13, 2025
Duration: ~25 minutes

Overview

This episode of “Your World Tonight” delivers a brisk recap of the day’s major stories, weaving together Canadian politics, global crises, health research, and a lighter Canadian oddity. Key themes include Canada’s ambitious infrastructure push led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, mounting doctor-government tensions in Quebec, a demand for transparency around the Epstein files, Sudan’s worsening humanitarian crisis, Canadian Arctic security threats, lessons from British health privatization, new findings linking ultraprocessed foods to early colorectal cancer, and an unusually polite bus hijacking in Hamilton.

1. Canada’s Major Projects Expansion: LNG, Mines, and No Pipeline

[02:00–06:15]

• PM Mark Carney’s Infrastructure Push:
  • Announced a new batch of major nation-building projects to “counter losses” from U.S. tariffs and boost Canada’s standing as an energy superpower.
  • Notable projects: Silissims LNG terminal in B.C. (second largest in the nation), new transmission lines, three mines in ON, QC, & NB, and an Inuit-owned hydro project for Iqaluit.
• Economic Framing:
  • Carney warns that “U.S. tariffs and the associated uncertainty…will cost the Canadian people about 1.8% of our GDP. That’s about $50 billion…$1300 for every woman, man, and child in this country.” ([04:30])
  • Government counters this with $1 trillion in investment over five years: “That’s $3,500 for every Canadian worker, twice what the Americans are taking away.” ([04:45])
• No Oil Pipeline—for Now:
  • While some expected an oil pipeline, Carney’s list omitted one; CEO Don Farrell: “We want to pick projects that are ready to move forward.” ([05:20])
  • Carney signals ongoing talks with Alberta: “Oil is not off the table.”

2. Quebec Doctors vs. Health Reform: A Province in Crisis

[06:15–10:35]

• Government Pushback:
  • Health Minister Christian Dubé announces a reversal on controversial “surveillance” of doctors, committing not to apply it: “It just shows that we are listening to what the doctors are saying.” ([06:55])
• Doctors’ Frustrations:
  • Law ties physician pay to performance targets and opens doctors to fines if protesting through “pressure tactics.”
  • Dr. Michael Kalin (Montreal): “Our system is dying by a thousand cuts here, and if a clinic closes, it will be a guillotine. It’s going to be disaster—catastrophic for patients.” ([08:05])
• Escalating Response:
  • Hundreds of Quebec doctors applying for licenses elsewhere since October.
  • Daniel Béland (McGill): “The sense that physicians are really, really frustrated…has turned public opinion overall against the government…” ([09:55])
• Negotiation Standstill:
  • Federations demand the law be suspended before talks resume.

3. Epstein Files: New Evidence, Pressure on Trump, and Survivors Speak

[11:10–14:20]

• Latest Developments:
  • Over 20,000 Epstein estate documents released, with many linking to Trump.
  • House vote imminent on whether to release DOJ’s full files.
  • Trump, silent in public, claims on social media this is a “hoax” to distract from U.S. shutdown.
• Survivor Demands:
  • Haley Robson: “Sir, with all due respect, this is not a hoax...The cat is out of the bag and the cat is not going back in the bag. So I’m not going away.” ([12:45])
  • Lawyer James Marsh: “We need to see what’s in the actual files from the government, the FBI—the people…preventing this kind of activity…to find out who knew what when, who was aware of it and who didn’t do anything.” ([13:30])
• Political Prognosis:
  • Even if the House passes the release, likely to stall in the Senate.
  • Emails suggest Ghislaine Maxwell vouched for Trump; an Epstein email reads: “Trump spent hours with the victim while at his house and called Trump a dog that hasn’t barked.” ([14:10])

4. Sudan Humanitarian Crisis: Starvation, Displacement, and Civil War

[14:20–17:35]

• Personal Tragedies:
  • “How do you feel when losing your wife, children and sisters in the same war?” says Mohilddin Bakit, displaced by RSF violence. ([15:00])
  • Testimonies of torture, malnutrition, and trauma from refugees.
• Scope of the Crisis:

  • 21 million Sudanese living with acute food insecurity; UN’s appeals are only a quarter-funded.

  • Abdul Rabbu Ahmed: “Right now, I feel extremely desperate…I’ve lost my hope, my colleagues.” ([16:05])
  • UN fears atrocities could expand to North Kordofan.
• Global Inattention:
  • “A forgotten war,” says Margaret Evans.

5. Ukraine War: Pokrovsk Siege and Soldier Resilience

[17:35–19:35]

• New Frontline Dynamics:
  • Pokrovsk in Donetsk region nearly surrounded; Russians reportedly outnumber Ukrainians 5:1.
• On the Ground:
  • Ukrainian drone operator “Goose”: “Almost all of the city now is a gray zone. It is not controlled by the UA side or the Russian side.” ([18:40])
  • Col. Volodymyr Pelevi: Ukrainian troops walk 10km on foot into the city. “Very difficult for our troops.” ([19:10])
• Strategic Stakes:
  • Only 1,000 of 60,000 residents remain; the outcome may shift momentum.

6. Canadian Arctic Security: Rising Espionage Threats

[19:35–20:25]

• CSIS Warning:
  • Dan Rogers (CSIS): “Non-Arctic states, including the People’s Republic of China, seek to gain a strategic and economic foothold in the region. Russia…remains unpredictable and aggressive.” ([19:55])
• Collaboration:
  • CSIS working with Indigenous Arctic and Northern partners for intelligence-sharing.

7. Surgery Wait Times: Lessons from UK Privatization

[20:25–23:05]

• Comparing Systems:
  • England privatized some surgeries (e.g., cataracts); Scotland enhanced public system.
  • Alison Pollock (Newcastle Univ.): “We have in a way a natural experiment…England deciding to pursue privatization…Scotland deciding not to.” ([20:55])
• Results:
  • 60% of taxpayer-funded cataract surgeries in England now done in private, vs. 2% in Scotland.
  • Scotland’s wait times decreased more; in England waits remain longer and inequalities increased.
  • Dr. David Urbach: “Scotland…improved wait times across the entire population…a really important lesson for us.” ([22:20])
  • Concern that for-profit expansion draws staff from public hospitals.

8. Health Focus: Ultraprocessed Foods and Early Colorectal Cancer

[23:05–25:30]

• Alarming Trends:
  • Rising rates of colorectal cancer among younger adults.
  • New UK- and US-based research finds a direct link between intake of ultraprocessed foods and early colorectal polyps—a precursor to cancer.
• Science and Advice:
  • Dr. Andrew Chan (Harvard): “We found…those who ate the highest levels of ultra processed food had about a 1.45 fold higher risk of developing a colorectal polyp.” ([24:15])
  • Dr. Shadi Ashmala (colorectal surgeon): “We feed them to our kids, to our teenagers, to our young adults, to everybody. That should tell us that the screening ages for colorectal cancers need to come down…” ([25:10])
  • Both call for reduced consumption and earlier screening, but also recognize cost and access barriers.

9. Offbeat Canadian Story: “The Courteous Bus Hijacker”

[25:30–End]

• The Incident:
  • Hamilton man commandeered a city bus while the driver was on break—proceeded to make all scheduled stops, even refusing a rider with an expired pass.
  • Constable Trevor McKenna: “We were surprised…he didn’t follow the scheduled route, but he was making the scheduled stops…there wasn’t a scratch on it.” ([25:50])
• Resolution:
  • No injuries, no damage; suspect faces criminal charges despite the “polite” execution.

Notable Quotes

• Mark Carney:
  “The U.S. tariffs and the associated uncertainty…will cost the Canadian people about 1.8% of our GDP. That’s about $50 billion lost from our economy.” ([04:30])

• Dr. Michael Kalin:
  “Our system is dying by a thousand cuts here, and if a clinic closes, it will be a guillotine. It’s going to be disaster—catastrophic for patients.” ([08:05])

• Epstein Survivor Haley Robson:
  “Sir, with all due respect, this is not a hoax...The cat is out of the bag and the cat is not going back in the bag.” ([12:45])

• Dr. Andrew Chan:
  “We found…those who ate the highest levels of ultra processed food had about a 1.45 fold higher risk of developing a colorectal polyp.” ([24:15])

• Constable Trevor McKenna (about the bus hijacker):
  “He didn’t follow the scheduled route, but he was making the scheduled stops…there wasn’t a scratch on it.” ([25:50])

Conclusion

This episode provides a thoughtful, well-paced look at key developments shaping Canada and the world. The blend of political, global, scientific, and human-interest stories, interlaced with direct voices from policymakers, patients, survivors, and public servants, delivers both insight and relatability—a model evening news magazine.