Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Canada’s unemployment rate jumped above 6 per cent for the first time in more than two years, the latest sign of a weakening economy. The unemployment rate rose to 6.1 per cent from 5.8 per cent in February, and it has risen by a full percentage point over the past year, according to Statistics Canada. The rate was higher in March after an increase of 60,000 people searching for work or temporarily laid off.
The Canadian numbers were in stark contrast to the United States, which today reported its unemployment rate fell a tick to 3.8 per cent. Lately, Canada has struggled to create work for a historic influx of newcomers. As a result, the employment rate has fallen for six consecutive months to 61.4 per cent.
- Read more: How economists and market bets for rate cuts are reacting to today’s surprisingly weak Canadian jobs report
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Federal officials asked Facebook to take down false allegations about Trudeau in 2019 campaign, inquiry hears
Canada’s top civil servant requested that Facebook remove a “false and inflammatory” story about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the 2019 election campaign but bureaucrats did not make a similar request of WeChat, which published inflammatory misinformation about Conservative leader Erin O’Toole and MP Kenny Chiu in the 2021 election, the public inquiry into foreign meddling heard today.
- Earlier: China paid approximately $250,000 to ‘threat actors’ working in Canada, inquiry told
- Recap: A look at what happened this week at the foreign interference inquiry
- Opinion: Busloads of international students show a weak spot in Canadian democracy
Mother of Canadian aid worker rejects Israel’s explanation for his death
Jacob Flickinger was one of seven aid workers killed in Gaza Monday, April 1, 2024. Top left to right: Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom of Australia, Damian Soból of Poland, and Jacob Flickinger of the U.S. and Canada. Bottom left to right: John Chapman of Britain, James Henderson of Britain and James Kirby of Britain.The Associated Press
Sylvie Labrecque, the mother of Jacob Flickinger, a Canadian Army veteran killed during an attack on aid workers in Gaza, is rejecting Israel’s explanation for what happened. Israel has blamed the attack on a breach of policy and a mistaken observation.
Flickinger, 33, was one of seven World Central Kitchen workers killed on April 1 when their convoy was attacked after it delivered 100 tonnes of food to a warehouse. He served in Afghanistan in 2010 and retired from the Canadian military in 2019, and had been in Gaza since March, having joined World Central Kitchen last year as a means to help him recover from PTSD. He leaves behind a partner and an 18-month-old son.
- Opinion: A young life in Gaza, shattered
- Related: Israel dismisses two officers over deadly drone strikes on aid workers in Gaza
- Biden urges Egypt, Qatar leaders to press Hamas to come to agreement for Israeli hostages in Gaza
- The story of José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen, the charity at the centre of the Israeli air strike in Gaza
- Elsewhere: Iran vows to punish Israel at funeral for officers killed in embassy strike
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Tremors: An earthquake between New York and Philadelphia shook skyscrapers and suburbs across the northeastern U.S. for several seconds this morning, causing no major damage but taking millions of people by surprise in an area that’s not used to quakes.
Wildfire season: Preparations for wildfire season have begun in the hopes of mitigating the strain on military resources. Some provinces have reported active wildfires that started this year, including seven in Alberta and two in British Columbia.
Psychedelics for sale: Are magic mushrooms coming to a clinic near you? Sean Silcoff reports on how psychedelic drugs are advancing toward becoming approved pharmaceutical therapies.
Archeology: Decades of archeological research from one of B.C.’s most significant cultural sites is set to be repatriated to an Indigenous group.
Basketball: Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of LeBron James, will enter the NBA draft after one season at Southern California that was shortened by his recovery from cardiac arrest.
Arts: Which rock band sold their catalogue and brand name this week? Test your knowledge with our arts and culture quiz!
MARKET WATCH
U.S. and Canadian stocks finished higher today after a strong American jobs report reinforced the view that the economy remains healthy even as it suggested the Federal Reserve could delay cutting interest rates. The TSX unofficially closed up 212.59 points at 22,264.38 - a new all-time high.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 307.06 points to 38,904.04, the S&P 500 gained 57.13 points to 5,204.34 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 199.44 points to 16,248.52.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.54 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
It’s time for Canadians to have the right to a family doctor
“It’s not too late to build something better, and fortunately, there’s a model for that systemic solution right within our own neighbourhoods.” - Jane Philpott
Can Hudson Bay and James Bay territory be saved before it’s too late?
“It’s a reflection of the weird contradiction in which the world finds itself: In order to cool a warming planet, the argument goes, we have to mine the Earth for critical minerals to make electric vehicles that will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, destroying the peatlands of the far North – giant storehouses for an estimated 35 billion tonnes of carbon – in the process.” - Tanya Talaga
Canada has become a safe haven for officials from Iran’s monstrous regime
“Iranians who have chosen Canada as a sanctuary – as the place where they can restart their lives in peace – should not have to contend with the possibility that the very people they’re fleeing could join them here.” - Samira Mohyeddin
LIVING BETTER
Heading to the Paris Olympics? Here’s where to go and what Canadians to watch for
Determined to make Paris 2024 happen? Follow this who-what-where guide across Le Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
The French capital is set for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Tickets on the resale platform - which opens April 17 - will likely cost more than $650 going forward, a sharp cry from the starting price of $22 in the first round. But whether you find yourself a seat at the Games or just find yourself in the city itself, here’s what Canadians can watch for.
TODAY’S LONG READ
How the Eastern Townships are prepping for the solar eclipse, nature’s Super Bowl event
François Gaudreau, a physics professor and Head of the Science Department at the Cégep de Sherbrooke, carries a telescope across campus. This area is where he anticipates thousands of eclipse viewers to congregate, and his department has been preparing educational programming to welcome them.Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Globe and Mail
A usually quiet part of Quebec is preparing to get much busier as it falls in the path of totality for Monday’s total solar eclipse. One physics professor in Sherbrooke says he’s been preparing for this eclipse for more than two years. Read more on how this part of Quebec is getting itself ready for what some are calling nature’s Super Bowl event.
- Looking forward: Where to see all the total solar eclipses for the rest of this decade
- ‘Plan for the worst’: Eclipse viewings in Canada expected to put pressure on cellphone networks
- Explainer: How to watch a total solar eclipse
- Opinion: What our souls can see in an eclipse’s darkness
Evening Update is written by Maryam Shah. 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.