Evening Update: Canada to retaliate with $3.6-billion in measures against U.S. over aluminum tariffs

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:

Canada to retaliate with $3.6-billion in measures against U.S. over aluminum tariffs

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced that Canada will place $3.6-billion in retaliatory tariffs on the United States, after President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will be reimposing 10-per-cent tariffs on most Canadian aluminum. Canada’s tariffs will kick in in 30 days, while tariffs from the U.S. will start on August 16.

In Canada’s list of possible targets, many include aluminum, such as American-made washing machines. But the federal government is still consulting Canadians on precise targets with the goal of inflicting “minimal damage on Canada with strongest possible impact on the United States.”

Canada and the U.S. had a trade war in 2018 before agreeing to lift tariffs last year.

More on economy

• Lawrence Martin: With his Canada-bashing, Trump treats an ally like an enemy
• Canada added 419,000 jobs in July, with more than half of pandemic losses now recouped. However, Friday’s report also shows that the economic fallout has disproportionately affected visible minority communities.

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Exclusive: Ontario police invited to start using phone alerts for emergencies such as active shooters

Ontario is pushing ahead with inviting police across the province to start using direct-to-cellphone alerts to warn the public about “active shooters,” instead of waiting for any recommendations from the public inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting.

While authorities worked on a direct-to-cellphone alert to tell Nova Scotians about the mass shooting threat, it was not sent because of communications bottlenecks and confusion around how police were supposed to work with the provincial public servants who issue the alerts. Police resorted instead to sending out Twitter warnings, but it did not happen until the attack’s final hours.

The Nova Scotia mass shooting, which took place in April, raised concerns among police chiefs across Ontario for the need of a new way to alert “an impending threat that doesn’t fall into the parameters of an Amber Alert or an extreme-weather event.”

Lebanon’s President says explosion investigation will look for possible ‘external interference’

President Michel Aoun said the investigation into Tuesday’s Beirut explosion will also examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference, alongside other potential causes such as negligence or an accident. He said 20 people had been detained so far, with many being port employees.

Amid the probe, there is growing anger from Lebanese people, many of whom view the explosion as a symptom of years of the government’s neglect and corruption. The country itself also faces mounting debt that exceeds 150 per cent of economic output, severely challenging the recovery process.

More on Beirut explosion

• Warnings flashed for years of explosive chemicals at heart of Beirut
• Canada in talks with Lebanon to provide emergency grain exports; Nova Scotia to provide $1-million to Lebanese Red Cross

Masks to combat COVID-19: Which countries are embracing, requiring or rejecting them? A global guide

With a growing body of research showing mask-wearing can limit the spread of the disease, many Canadian provinces and cities – along with a growing list of other countries – are embracing mandatory mask policies and legislation. The Globe has put together a breakdown of how mask-wearing is evolving around the world and how its politicization is impacting the practice.

More COVID-19 updates

• Saskatchewan doctors call for masks, more caution in back-to-school plan
• More COVID-19 warnings posted for U.S. and Canadian flights to B.C.
• Quebec’s top doctor says a return to lockdown this fall is ‘unlikely’
• White House turns down Democrats’ offer to meet halfway with $2-trillion coronavirus plan

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Advocates call for addressing anti-Indigenous racism in health: A Duncan, B.C. hospital directed Connor Sutton, an Indigenous military corporal, to a homeless shelter while he was seeking help with serious symptoms. Professor Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, who is leading the investigation into allegations of racism in the province’s health care, said she is considering Sutton’s case in her review.

Ontario announces funding for child care: The Ontario and federal governments are earmarking $234.6-million for childhood and early years settings among licensed daycare facilities.

Second Cup to shutter more cafes: As work-from-home drags down sales in coffee shops, the Second Cup Ltd. is planning to close more underperforming cafes and will begin selling its coffee in grocery stores. Its revenue fell 45.7 per cent in the second quarter to $3.5-million.

Spain’s former king reportedly in Abu Dhabi: Dogged by mounting corruption allegations involving Saudi Arabia, former king Juan Carlos left Spain on Monday and has reportedly been staying at Abu Dhabi’s exclusive Emirates Palace Hotel.

U.S. penalizes Hong Kong leader, other officials: The U.S. has placed sanctions on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, the territory’s current and former police chiefs as well as eight top officials over the crackdown on political freedoms in the territory. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the officials and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.

• More on U.S-China relations: Trump unveils bans on owners of WeChat and TikTok, stoking tension with Beijing

MARKET WATCH

The Canadian dollar fell against its broadly stronger U.S. counterpart on Friday as a trade squabble between Canada and the United States offset stronger-than-expected domestic jobs data. In Toronto, the S&P/TSX composite index was unofficially down 34.62 points, or 0.21 per cent, to close at 16,544.48.

The Nasdaq closed lower on Friday, as data showed a sharp slowdown in U.S. employment growth and investors worried that legislators would not be able to agree on another fiscal stimulus bill to bolster the economy from a coronavirus-induced recession. Unofficially, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 51.17 points, or 0.19 per cent, to close at 27,438.15, the S&P 500 gained 2.23 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 3,351.39 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 97.09 points, or 0.87 per cent, to 11,010.98.

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TALKING POINTS

The myth of cultural fingerprints: In this pandemic, Canada has just as much in common with the U.S.

Andrew Coyne: “If Canadians have done a better job of pulling together in the pandemic, it may be less because we have more trust in government than because we have more trust in each other.”

Folly and Furey: Newfoundland’s new premier has a thankless task ahead

Konrad Yakabuski: “Even before the pandemic, it was a mystery as to why anyone would want to be the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, given the province’s disastrous public finances, depressing demographics and legacy of failed get-rich-quick projects. The pandemic has only heightened the mystery.”

How broken systems allowed Matthew McKnight to get away with sexual assault for years

Karlee Kobasiuk: “Sexual violence is a national crisis. But for victims of sexual violence, justice is not about just locking up the perpetrator and throwing away the key: That only offers us momentary relief. If you are a victim of sexual violence, justice is about being believed.”

LIVING BETTER

Four music documentaries to stream, including a lively oral history of long-gone Creem magazine

Want something different to watch than movie reruns? Arts reporter Brad Wheeler recommends four music documentaries, which range from a lively oral history on Creem – a Detroit-based edgy rock n’ roll magazine whose wild ride began in 1969 – to a backstage glimpse at Taylor Swift in Miss Americana.

TODAY’S LONG READ

One year after the Manitoba manhunt: The grief and unanswered questions left behind

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Last July, the death of Chynna Deese, Lucas Fowler and Leonard Dyck ignited an unprecedented search for Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky across Western Canada. Starting in Port Alberni in B.C., the manhunt stretched across four provinces and nearly 3,000 kilometres until the bodies of McLeod and Schmegelsky, who had died in a murder-suicide, were discovered on Aug. 7 in northern Manitoba. Now, The Globe looks back at the manhunt as well as the grief and questions still left unanswered.

Read more: Globe documentary tells the story of a search for two fugitives and the Cree trapper who helped close the case

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