Your World Tonight – CBC Podcast

Episode Date: January 17, 2026
Hosts: Susan Bonner & Stephanie Skenderis

Episode Overview

This episode dives into several of the most pressing global and national stories of the day. Primary coverage centers on the Canadian government's controversial gun buyback program rollout, escalating "Hands off Greenland" protests in response to U.S. attempts to annex the island, environmental threats from drift logs in British Columbia, legal battles over oil exploration in the Arctic Refuge, and Canada’s evolving immigration struggles. The episode also highlights lighter moments, including music's impact on child development and a special release from Dolly Parton.

Main Story: Canada’s Gun Buyback Program Rollout

[00:40–04:33]

Key Discussion Points

• Overview & Intent:

  • Ottawa has banned ~2,500 models of “assault-style” firearms since 2020.
  • The new buyback program offers compensation to Canadians who voluntarily surrender or deactivate their prohibited guns.
  • The government has allocated nearly $250 million with a target to collect around 136,000 firearms.

• Practicalities & Challenges:

  • Public Safety Minister Gary Ananda Sangaree emphasizes public safety over property rights.
  • The process is first-come, first-serve, and early declaration doesn’t guarantee compensation.
  • The initial pilot in Cape Breton yielded fewer turn-ins than expected (25 out of a goal of 200).
  • Rollout improved: easier registration, longer window for declaration.

• Provincial Pushback:

  • Manitoba and Ontario refuse to allocate provincial resources, arguing for better spending on frontline policing. RCMP will fill in federally.
  • Saskatchewan and Alberta have legal measures in place to block the rollout, and Ottawa is currently not running the program there.

• Resistance & Criticisms:

  • Some gun owners resent what they see as an unfair seizure of valuable property from law-abiding citizens.
  • There is skepticism about the program's effectiveness in improving community safety.

Notable Quotes

• On Banned Firearms' Purpose:
  “These are firearms designed for war, for killing people. They have no place in our communities.”
  — Public Safety Official / Gun Buyback Advocate [01:52]

• On Property Rights:
  “You are taking personal property that they have worked hard to buy and just said to them, you can't have that anymore. We live in a country that is supposed to be freedom of choice.”
  — Diane Harnois, Edmonton gun store owner [03:53]

• On the Urgency:
  “I urge you to declare as early as you can because submitting a declaration does not guarantee compensation. Declarations will be processed on a first come, first serve basis.”
  — Public Safety Official [02:25]

International Focus: “Hands Off Greenland” Protests

[07:19–10:48]

Key Discussion Points

• Escalating U.S. Pressure:

  • President Trump is pushing to annex Greenland, threatening tariffs on European countries that oppose the U.S. move.
  • Trump claims the U.S. needs Greenland for “safety, security and the survival of our planet.”

• Greenlander & Indigenous Resistance:

  • Protestors in Nuuk, Denmark, and Iqaluit mobilize with the unified message: “Hands off Greenland.”
  • Deep solidarity expressed by Inuit and indigenous communities across the Arctic.

• International Response:

  • NATO and EU underline their commitment to international law.
  • U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Coons signals Arctic security as a shared NATO priority, not a unilateral U.S. concern.
  • European Council coordinates responses to U.S. tariff threats.

Notable Quotes

• On Greenland’s Resolve:
  “We are only 57,000 people against the biggest power in the world.”
  — Protest Organizer, Nuuk [08:19]

• On Solidarity:
  “My entire maternal family is Greenlandic and it's all one homeland. It's important for us to show up for our homeland and understand that this is a part of an international situation, an international struggle.”
  — Lakulak Williamson, Iqaluit Protestor [08:49]

• On Security Rhetoric:
  “I haven't seen any Russian or Chinese combat ships up here.”
  — Major General Soren Andersen, Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command [09:47]

Environmental Justice: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Lawsuit

[10:48–13:48]

Key Discussion Points

• The Gwich’in Lawsuit:

  • The Gwich’in First Nation and allied groups are suing the Trump administration to stop oil and gas development in ANWR’s coastal plain.
  • The area is sacred for caribou calving—a linchpin in their way of life.

• Resource Tensions:

  • Some local Alaskan Indigenous voices support development, citing improvements in living standards tied to resource revenues.

• Legal & Economic Uncertainty:

  • Industry analysts are skeptical oil companies will rush in, anticipating prolonged court battles and marginal economics.

Notable Quotes

• On Cultural Threat:
  “Our whole way of life depends on the caribou and the animals, the water, everything that is in the coastal plain.”
  — Kristen Moreland, Gwich’in Steering Committee [11:44]

• On Perpetual Legal Battles:
  “Any company that does win the rights to explore can anticipate that they will need two engineers and 146 lawyers because they will be in court for a very, very long time.”
  — Doug Matthews, Oil and Gas Consultant [13:14]

Climate & Biodiversity: Drift Logs Threatening Ocean Species

[21:59–24:54]

Key Discussion Points

• Ecological Destruction:

  • Drift logs—many originating from forestry operations—are decimating barnacle and mussel populations on B.C. shores.
  • This disruption is rippling through the food chain, affecting birds, fish, and sea mammals.
  • Logs act as sandpaper, stripping intertidal communities from rocks.

• Degree of Impact:

  • University of Victoria research finds that 20–80% of barnacles on some shorelines have been wiped out.
  • Logs lost from river “booms” and forestry operations are a main source.

• Policy & Industry Change:

  • B.C. is shifting away from booms to barges, reducing the expected scale of the problem.

Notable Quotes

• On Ecosystem Loss:
  “They literally braid like sandpaper. They braid off these sessile organisms... all those small interstitial organisms, which are the primary food for so many species, disappear as well.”
  — Thomas Reinken, University of Victoria [22:34]

• On the Broader Impact:
  “Too much [drift logs] will remove all of those nice habitat forming species and then we lose the food for things like birds and fish and sea stars.”
  — Chris Harley, University of British Columbia [24:15]

Briefs: Other Major Stories

Canadian PM Mark Carney in Qatar

[04:33–07:11]

• Strengthening trade and investment ties; first Canadian PM visit to Qatar.
• Carney agrees to serve on U.S. “Board of Peace” to oversee Gaza plans.
• Qatar’s diplomatic rising role and $500B sovereign wealth fund attract Canadian attention.
• Human rights concerns noted but Canada taking “the world as it is.”

Quote:
“It is clear that in the world where, you know, the trading relationship is different, where countries are looking to diversify, I think it is in Canada's best interest to really diversify, engage with partners.”
— Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne [06:06]

Canada’s Mounting Temporary Resident Expirations

[14:40–17:50]

• With expiring/expired visas, over 2 million temporary residents face deportation; few expected to leave voluntarily.
• Immigration lawyers predict a surge in undocumented migrants.
• Many, like Indian graduate Abhishek Parmar, have lost pathways to permanent residency due to job loss (often tied to international tariffs).

Quote:
“90% of all my consultations right now are about PR strategy and about ways to extend my status.”
— Amanjit Kaur Varma, Immigration Consultant [16:30]

Uganda Election Fallout

[14:00–14:40]

• Artist-turned-opposition leader Bobi Wine in hiding after election loss and alleged fraud.
• Museveni (81) re-elected amid claims of ballot manipulation and mass protests.

Human Interest

Music Education’s Brain-Boosting Power

[24:54–27:36]

• Early childhood music programs, such as RCM Smart Start, shown to benefit cognitive, social-emotional, and linguistic development.
• Hopes to expand access, particularly for vulnerable children, despite shrinking school music budgets.

Quote:
“Probably one of my most, most favorite things about music is that it really connects with our emotions and our memory.”
— Sheila Lee, Music Therapist [26:32]

Memorable Moment & Uplifting Close

Dolly Parton’s 80th Birthday Gift

[27:45–28:56+]

• Dolly Parton releases “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” with Reba McEntire, Queen Latifah, Lainey Wilson, and Miley Cyrus.
• Proceeds support Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.
• Parton's message: use blessings to “shine a little light forward.”
• Her hopeful ballad provides a fitting end to a heavy news day.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Gun Buyback Program: 00:40–04:33
• PM Carney in Qatar: 04:33–07:11
• Hands off Greenland Protests: 07:19–10:48
• Arctic Refuge Lawsuit: 10:48–13:48
• Uganda Election Crisis: 14:00–14:40
• Canada Temporary Residency Issues: 14:40–17:50
• Drift Logs & BC Coastal Threat: 21:59–24:54
• Music Education Benefits: 24:54–27:36
• Dolly Parton’s Special Release: 27:45–end

Signature Quotes

• “We are a free people. We have always been a free people.”
  — Stephanie Skenderis on Greenlandic resistance [01:15]

• “I haven't seen any Russian or Chinese combat ships up here.”
  — Major General Soren Andersen, Denmark [09:47]

• “Our whole way of life depends on the caribou and the animals, the water, everything that is in the coastal plain.”
  — Kristen Moreland, Gwich’in Steering Committee [11:44]

• “You are taking personal property... We live in a country that is supposed to be freedom of choice.”
  — Diane Harnois, Gun Store Owner [03:53]

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