Your World Tonight (CBC) — September 16, 2025

Episode: Food insecurity grows in Canada, Kirk suspect charged, Freeland steps down, and more

Episode Overview

This episode of "Your World Tonight," hosted by Susan Bonner, delivers a comprehensive evening briefing on the day’s most significant stories from Canada and around the globe. Main themes include Canada’s escalating food insecurity crisis, Chrystia Freeland’s surprise cabinet resignation, updates on the high-profile killing of American commentator Charlie Kirk, a UN inquiry into Gaza, and a tribute to the late actor Robert Redford. The episode closes with a dramatic story of an emergency airplane landing in downtown Toronto.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rising Food Insecurity in Canada

[00:37–04:56]

• Staggering Statistics & Lived Experience
  • Susan Bonner sets the scene, tying Canada's affordability crisis directly to rising grocery costs:
    • “It’s a dilemma facing people across the country. An empty stomach or an empty wallet.” (00:48)
  • Colin Butler reports from London, Ontario where the cost of living is causing distress for people like Greg Cowie, who depends on disability benefits:
    • "Cost of living is uncomfortable, difficult." (02:37)
    • After rent, only $300/month is left for food. Meals are scaled back to essentials.
• Food Bank Surge & Municipal Emergencies
  • One in four Canadian households struggles to pay for groceries—seven Ontario cities, including Orillia, have declared hunger emergencies:
    • Chris Peacock (The Sharing Place Food Center, Orillia): “We need action and we need it now.” (03:51)
• Systemic Causes & Political Inaction
  • Professor Valerie Tarasuk (University of Toronto) highlights the longstanding nature of the problem:
    • “Political parties have been talking kitchen table politics for years, but none have actually addressed what’s on Canadian families' plates.” (04:10)
  • Food bank visits nationwide have doubled in five years.

2. Chrystia Freeland Steps Down from Cabinet

[04:56–07:48]

• Freeland's Departure
  • Reporting from Ottawa, Tom Perry details Freeland’s resignation as Minister and her decision not to seek re-election, surprising the political establishment.
  • MP James Maloney (Liberal): “She’s been a role model and a leader in caucus.” (05:32)
  • Freeland's decision follows her December 2024 resignation from the Finance portfolio, which accelerated Justin Trudeau’s own resignation.
• Legacy & New Role
  • Jenny Kwan (NDP) notes her instrumental role in Trudeau’s departure.
  • Noted for negotiating the new NAFTA despite antagonism from then-President Trump, who said:
    • “She was terrible, actually. She was a terrible person.” (06:37, Trump quote)
  • Developed unexpected alliances—Doug Ford (Ontario Premier):
    • “She’s always a friend… she’ll do a great job over in Ukraine and I support her all the way.” (06:49)
  • Freeland takes a new position as Canada's Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.
  • On Russia's invasion:
    • Freeland: “This is not the behavior of a superpower. This is the last gasp of a failing kleptocracy.” (07:14)

3. Economic Policy and Political Divide

[07:48–08:19]

• The 2025 federal budget will be unveiled on November 4.
• Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne promises tough but necessary generational investments:
  • “I’m not sugarcoating anything… this is a transformational moment. This is nothing like business as usual.” (08:01)
• Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre criticizes the Liberals for deficit spending.

4. The Charlie Kirk Case: Charges and Political Fallout

[09:27–12:17]

• Murder Charges Announced
  • In Utah, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson is charged with killing American activist Charlie Kirk; prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
  • Texts reveal the act was politically motivated, targeting Kirk at a public event.
    • Robinson: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” (10:47)
• Political & Social Reaction
  • Trump's statement after Kirk’s murder:
    • “We’ll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It's hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart.” (11:47)
  • Governor Josh Shapiro (PA), victim of political violence, denounces selective outrage:
    • “Some from the dark corners of the internet all the way to the Oval Office want to cherry pick which instances of political violence they want to condemn.” (12:04)
  • The case sharpens the US political divide.

5. UN Panel Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza

[12:27–15:45]

• UN Commission Findings
  • Navi Pillay (Panel Chair):
    • “The ongoing genocide in Gaza is a moral outrage and a legal emergency.” (13:19)
  • Reports 18,000 children killed, obstruction of aid, mass displacement, and targeted infrastructure destruction.
  • Chris Sidoti (Commissioner):
    • “These deaths are not accidents… they are the direct consequence of a military strategy of saturation bombing and scorched earth.” (13:44)
• Israeli & Public Responses
  • Israel rejects the findings—Israeli Ambassador Danielle Mehran calls the report “Hamas falsehoods laundered and repeated by others.” (13:59)
  • Some Israelis, e.g., Mehtav Levi:
    • “What’s happening in Gaza isn’t a genocide. Nobody’s trying to get rid of the Palestinians.” (14:23)
  • Palestinians interviewed are skeptical the report will change realities.

6. CBC Reporter Suspended Over Antisemitic Remarks

[15:45–18:26]

• Elisa Serre (Radio Canada) is suspended for anti-Semitic comments on US policy and Jewish communities.
• ITA Yudin (Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs):
  • “It was clear it was not appropriate…certainly not on our national broadcaster.” (16:30)
• The comments come amidst a documented rise in antisemitism in Canada.
• Minister Stephen Guilbeault calls for higher journalistic standards, while Opposition calls for outright firing.

7. Canadian Immigration System & AI Concerns

[18:26–21:53]

• Applicants notice confusing or erroneous rejections, raising concerns that AI or automation is overriding human judgment.
• Mario Bellissimo (Immigration Lawyer):
  • “It does not instill the confidence we need in an immigration system to foster a belief that we are processing applicants in a fair and transparent manner.” (19:49)
• Both Bellissimo and Vancouver lawyer Will Tao stress the need for better oversight.
• IRCC denies that AI tools make final decisions, but insiders acknowledge pressure to process nearly one million backlogged cases rapidly.

8. Remembering Robert Redford

[21:53–25:19]

• Tribute to a Hollywood Icon
  • Makta Gebra Celeste and Susan Bonner reflect on Redford’s career—from failed athlete to acclaimed actor, director, and founder of Sundance.
  • Redford on his start:
    • “He wanted to be a painter…by osmosis, celebrity happened to him.” (23:06, paraphrased by Bonner)
  • Sean Means (film critic):
    • "Robert Redford was the golden boy. So many of his movies he played somebody who was sort of an outsider but with the stunning good looks that he could fit in or stand out." (24:03)
  • Meryl Streep memorializes him:
    • “One of the lions has passed.” (25:01)

9. Emergency Plane Landing in Toronto

[25:19–27:50]

• Live air traffic recordings capture a small plane’s engine failure and an astonishing emergency landing in a city soccer field.
  • Calm pilot: “I think I might have an engine failure…I'm landing at a soccer field…there are people though.” (25:49–26:30)
• No injuries; the pilot’s composure is widely praised.
• An aviation club CEO underscores the importance of pilot competency.

Notable Quotes

• Greg Cowie, on food insecurity:
  • “Small scale meals, being content with hot dogs and stuff like that. But I had to cut back a number of years ago when I was put on disability.” (02:50)
• Valerie Tarasuk, University of Toronto:
  • “This is a problem that isn’t going to fix itself. Families, seniors and children across Canada are struggling to pay for what they eat.” (04:31)
• Prime Minister Mark Carney (per reporter):
  • “She’s been a role model and a leader in caucus.” (05:32, about Freeland)
• Chrystia Freeland, on Russia:
  • "This is not the behavior of a superpower. This is the last gasp of a failing kleptocracy." (07:14)
• Chris Sidoti (UN Commission):
  • “These deaths are not accidents. They are not collateral damage. They are the direct consequence of a military strategy of saturation bombing and scorched earth.” (13:44)
• Sean Means (film critic) on Redford:
  • “He was depicted either as the person of privilege or he was depicted as the rebel. So many of his movies he played somebody who was sort of an outsider looking in, but with the stunning good looks that he could fit in or stand out.” (24:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Food Insecurity in Canada: 00:37–04:56
• Chrystia Freeland's Resignation & Legacy: 04:56–07:48
• Federal Budget Preview & Political Divide: 07:48–08:19
• Charlie Kirk Murder & Political Fallout: 09:27–12:17
• UN Genocide Report on Gaza: 12:27–15:45
• CBC Antisemitism Controversy: 15:45–18:26
• Immigration & AI Concerns: 18:26–21:53
• Robert Redford Tribute: 21:53–25:19
• Toronto Emergency Plane Landing: 25:19–27:50

Memorable Moments

• The heartbreaking personal account of Greg Cowie’s meal strategies highlights the human cost of inflation in Canada.
• On-the-ground reporting from a tense and divided US, both regarding the Kirk case and President Trump's contentious rhetoric.
• The dramatic, calm air traffic exchange as a small plane glided to safety between Toronto bleachers—a rare aviation story with a happy ending.
• The poetic finality of Meryl Streep’s tribute to Redford: “One of the lions has passed.”

This episode provides a balanced, in-depth look at urgent domestic challenges and global controversies, blending hard investigative journalism with moments of human resilience and cultural reflection.