Good evening, let’s start with the passing of Brian Mulroney, Canada’s 18th prime minister.
With his blend of charm, logic and quick-wittedness, Brian Mulroney helped revive the Canadian economy and negotiated the most important trade agreement in the country’s history. He signed ground-breaking environmental agreements and he helped lead the global fight against apartheid in South Africa.
He also led endless rounds of failed constitutional negotiations, and so angered Western voters that they supported a new political protest party in response.
After leaving office, he tried to defend his record, but he could never satisfactorily explain the hundreds of thousands of dollars he took in cash-stuffed envelopes from a German arms dealer.
Still, history will remember how intensely he fought to bequeath a Canada at peace with itself and proud in the world. If he didn’t quite get there, it was not for lack of trying, or passion. John Ibbitson reports.
Nelson Mandela greets people as he walks with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on his arrival in Ottawa, ON June 17, 1990 for a three-day visit to Canada. Former prime minister Brian Mulroney is dead at 84. His family announced late Thursday that the former Tory leader died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.Wm. DeKay/The Canadian Press
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Brian Mulroney earlier today, lauding him for pushing for sanctions against apartheid in the mid-1980s.
“For us, his passing is made profound by the fact that we have lost this friend and ally in the year in which we are marking 30 years of freedom and in which we pay tribute to all those around the world who supported our struggle for freedom and democracy,” Ramaphosa said.
Mulroney passed away yesterday in a Florida hospital following a recent fall at his Palm Beach home. He was 84. He had been treated for prostate cancer almost a year ago and underwent a heart procedure in August.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed a state funeral is planned and there will also be opportunities for the public to offer their condolences.
- Editorial: “Under his watch, the Canadian economy was transformed. This country’s standing as a middle power reached its modern zenith”
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Pressure mounts for inquiry into Israeli troops firing on Gazans waiting for aid
Pressure is mounting for an inquiry into Israel over the deaths of Palestinians who were fired at as they queued for aid. Gaza health authorities said Israeli forces had killed more than 100 people trying to reach a relief convoy near Gaza City early yesterday, with famine looming nearly five months into the war that began with a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Alexey Navalny’s funeral marked the end of an era of hope in Russia
Thousands of Russians ignored the busloads of riot police. They were there to mourn. They were all ages and kept chanting Alexey Navalny’s name and clapped as his coffin passed. Some called the security forces “assassins.”
With the mourners defying official pressure and the threat of arrest, it was a sign that there are still those who reject Putin’s authoritarianism and war-mongering. But the mood was sombre, and a defeated air hung over the mourners both on the street and online. Mark MacKinnon reports.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ukraine official says Russia massing forces around key city in country’s east
Russia is accumulating large forces around Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine as it seeks to make a breakthrough in the Donetsk region, sources say.
Ukrainian forces battling Russian efforts to advance in the Bakhmut direction say they have been experiencing a large Russian push over the last three weeks and are facing constant attacks as Moscow troops send in wave after wave of infantry and target them with a variety of artillery and drones.
The Body Shop to close nearly a third of stores in Canada, seeks creditor protection
The Body Shop will shutter nearly one-third of its stores in Canada and is seeking protection from its creditors, just weeks after its U.K.-based parent company began restructuring under its new owners, German private equity firm Aurelius Investment. The Body Shop operates 105 stores across Canada, 33 of which will immediately begin liquidation sales. The Body Shop has more than 700 employees in Canada. It isn’t known how many jobs will be cut as part of the restructuring.
Alberta’s latest budget tightens the purse strings far more than expected
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her finance minister are citing soft oil prices as a reason for a more restrained budget. Announced yesterday, Alberta’s 2024-25 budget reveals a financial picture far tighter than anyone would have predicted. The $367-million surplus forecast for the coming year, beginning April 1, allows just a sliver of wiggle room.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index gained almost 200 points on Friday, helped by strength in energy stocks as the price of oil moved higher, while U.S. markets closed out the week with new record highs for the Nasdaq and the S&P 500.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 188.74 points at 21,552.35. n New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 90.99 points at 39,087.38. The S&P 500 index was up 40.81 points at 5,137.08,while the Nasdaq composite was up 183.02 points at 16,274.94 as artificial intelligence continued to drive strength in the tech sector.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.72 cents US compared with 73.69 cents US on Thursday.
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TALKING POINTS
Canada is no longer one of the richest nations on Earth. Country after country is passing us by
Andrew Coyne: “A society that cannot look forward to a future of rising living standards is one that is deprived of one of the primary motive forces of human behaviour – hope.”
I was a broadcast journalist. Now, TV is the last place I go for news
Wendy Mesley: “I understand why people don’t watch the legacy stations any more. If I’m being honest, the stories, tone and presentation are just not working. I have lots of other options, and they’re better. By 10 or 11 at night, I have all the information I need.”
LIVING BETTER
Music books round-up
Brad Wheeler gathers together an eclectic mix of memoirs and bios from a timely, in depth, look at Joni Mitchell, to Jonathan Cott’s curious take on the Beatles’ Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, looking at the double A-side single from 1967 to examine the band at a pivotal era in its career.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Life lessons from winter camping in the Canadian Shield
Having been raised in a Latin immigrant household, photographer Joel Rodriguez wasn’t always familiar with the experience of camping. Then some friends invited him to try the hostile winter landscape of the Canadian Shield. How could he say no?
That was four years ago and camping has turned into a winter tradition. Each time is like a pilgrimage, letting him explore the vast expanses of Ontario. This year, he helped guide others as they experienced winter camping for the first time.
Evening Update is written and compiled by Andrew Saikali. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.