CTV National News for Friday, March 13, 2026: Rising death toll, massive new deployment in Middle East

·23 min·4 clips

The newscast opens in the Middle East. It says the death toll is climbing, and the U.S. has ordered thousands of troops and other military resources to the region, adding a major wave of force after nearly two weeks of war with Iran. The report keeps the uncertainty around Iran's supreme leader in view as questions mount about his well-being and whereabouts. Another international story follows: investigators are looking into a synagogue attack in which a 41-year-old drove a truck loaded with fireworks into the building, injured a security guard, and was himself wounded during a firefight with security guards. Authorities have not found a motive, but they describe it as an anti-Semitic attack. The focus then shifts to Canada. The unemployment rate rose after the country lost 85,000 jobs. The losses were broad-based across services and manufacturing. Quebec saw the biggest drop, and British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba also declined. Ontario held employment steady, but its unemployment rate still rose as more people looked for work. The report uses job fairs and the story of Zara Box to show what the slowdown feels like on the ground. She has spent years looking for full-time work and is now unhoused. The hour closes with a Canadian strongwoman whose world records and regional competition plans give the ending a harder, more personal lift.

As heard by us

A compact national roundup that moves from war to jobs without losing pace.

The episode keeps its focus on crisis and consequence. The Middle East war leads, with the death toll climbing, a major U.S. deployment to the region, and the uncertainty around Iran's supreme leader still hanging over the story.

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Why you'd press play

You want the Middle East conflict update and Canada's unemployment shock in one newscast.

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