The Buzz March 21st 2026: Canada’s Role in the Aftermath of War

Welcome to the weekend and welcome to The Buzz.

War is hell. Especially a war where you really don’t know why it’s happening.

Donald Trump has listed all kinds of reasons why, in his words, he’s “obliterating” Iran, but most of them he abandons after they don’t seem to stick. These days, as he desperately tries to get one-time allies to help him out in the Persian Gulf, he’s focused on two reasons. His most common refrain is to claim Iran was either a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, or a few months away from “nuking” the U.S. He offers no proof. Even ultra-anti-Iran hawk John Bolton says there’s no evidence of such an imminent threat from Iran. But the other reason he often mentions relates to October 23, 1983. Many of those who work for Trump probably need to look in history books to learn what happened on that date. While I envy their youth, I do remember the date. Very well.

Back on that day, I was the weekend anchor for CBC’s The National. October 23rd was a Sunday, and I was woken up early that morning by the show’s producer, a grizzly, cigar-smoking veteran of many years, many wars, and many networks, by the name of Des Smith. “Hundreds” of US Marines have been killed in an explosion in Beirut, he said. “Hundreds?” I asked. “Hundreds,” he responded while telling me to get to the office right away. I spent most of the next twenty hours in the studio handling bulletins, updates, and that night’s broadcasts.

It had been a devastating suicide attack on the Marines’ poorly defended barracks, and 220 young soldiers were dead. Investigations would prove that Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia group, directed and supplied by Iran and Syria, was responsible. Americans were horrified and demanded retaliation. President Ronald Reagan initiated a series of investigations, but he needed a diversion to move past Beirut. Sound familiar? Two days later, the U.S. invaded the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada. You get points if you remember why. I’ll tell you this much – they named the Grenada operation, Urgent Fury. Sound familiar? The current operation in Iran is called Epic Fury. It, by coincidence, started just days after more damaging revelations on the Epstein affair. Wag the dog, anyone?

While many Americans, probably most actually, have no recall of October 23rd, 1983, it's what their President often mentions… wanting them to believe this current, estimated at 200 billion dollars, pounding of Iran, is finally payback for the horror of that day almost 43 years ago.

Welcome to the weekend and welcome to The Buzz.

It’s always good to look for new and different sources for takes on world affairs.

Canada is not getting into the war; that’s been made clear over and over again.

Pierre Poilievre had an interesting week.

This was the week Mark Carney celebrated his first anniversary as prime minister by holidaying in Italy.

If you listened to Good Talk last week, then you heard Chantal give you a heads up that the Don Cherry story was about to light up the discussion vibes in Quebec.

Marc Miller, he’s the federal culture minister, was talking AI this week, and the way he was talking suggests the government is about to move into the discussion about AI in at least one respect.

It’s hard to believe, but the NDP is literally just days away from picking a new leader.

The day Justin Trudeau was sworn in as the country’s 23rd prime minister back in November of 2015, the last place he stopped and got out of his car before heading to Rideau Hall was 24 Sussex Drive.

Something about being in your late seventies makes you keep looking for ways to make it into your eighties and beyond.

That’s going to do it for this week. The Buzz will be back in seven days. Stay safe.

Subscribe to 'The Buzz' with Peter Mansbridge