CTV National News for Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026: Poilievre takes firm stance against Trump during Canada-U.S. trade speech

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Curtis Wright says his separation from his family has been miserable inside a South Texas ICE centre.

1. CTV National News on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, leads with Curtis Wright, a Canadian man held at a South Texas ICE Processing Centre and speaking about his detention conditions. 2. Omar Sachdina anchors, Andrew Johnson reports from Vancouver, and Wright’s family says his separation has been devastating. 3. The episode centers on whether Wright’s months in ICE custody amount to unlawful detention and how his case fits broader scrutiny of U.S. immigration enforcement. 4. Wright says he was flagged at the airport after returning from a business trip in Mexico and has been in federal custody for close to four months. 5. His parents say a misdemeanor drug possession conviction from 22 years ago is the issue that surfaced in the system. 6. Wright describes the centre’s food as something he thinks his dog would not take a second sniff at. 7. He says he went two days on one bottle of water and a frozen waffle. 8. He also says he has had to sleep on a floor with no sleeping bags. 9. The family has filed a federal court challenge alleging unlawful detention. 10. The report says the family hopes Wright can be released and continue fighting to stay in the country from his Houston home. 11. Wright says the experience changed his view of what ICE is doing and who he met inside. 12. He says he previously thought the agency was focusing on 'the worst of the worst.' 13. Wright says what he has seen inside is 'the exact opposite' of that expectation. 14. In another segment, Avery Haynes goes to Puerto Vallarta to meet a high-ranking member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. 15. A man on a motorcycle is described on camera as a sicario, an assassin hired to kill. 16. The cartel member says, 'We’re not terrorists,' and claims regular people and tourists are not targets. 17. He also says the cartel’s leadership situation is unclear after the killing of El Mencho. 18. Michael Akutur reports on Pierre Poilievre telling the Economic Club of Canada that 'What President Trump says about Canada? Is wrong.' 19. The program’s tone is urgent and reportorial, with multiple field pieces, on-camera interviews, and quick transitions between politics, crime, and personal stories. 20. Viewers interested in immigration, trade, cartel politics, and Canadian domestic issues would get the most from this hour.

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