Good evening. Let’s start with today’s top stories:
The foreign interference inquiry continued today with CSIS Director David Vigneault pushing back on the notion that he didn’t fully brief the Liberals on Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
Mr. Vigneault said he repeatedly told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet that Chinese interference in the elections was clandestine and deceptive but did not affect the overall results of the vote. ”It is indeed something that I communicated,” he said. “In our assessment we saw foreign interference in both the 2019 and 2021 elections.”
His testimony comes two days after Mr. Trudeau testified that Mr. Vigneault did not recount specific warnings mentioned in notes prepared for an Oct. 26, 2022, briefing about meddling by China and Ottawa’s lack of strong countermeasures. Mr. Trudeau played down the reliability of information gathered by CSIS, including the notes for the October briefing.
Mr. Vigneault told the inquiry he did not make the comments in the briefing note because he was discussing very specific incidents of foreign interference with the Prime Minister.
- Listen to The Decibel: What we’ve learned from the foreign interference inquiry
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Government pledges to crack down on mortgage fraud and corporate ownership in latest housing announcement
In a pre-budget housing announcement Friday, the federal government pledged to crack down on mortgage and real estate fraud, restrict the buying of single-family homes by corporate investors and provide low-interest loans of as much as $40,000 for secondary suites. According to Ottawa, this could see nearly 3.9 million new homes built in Canada by 2031. However, this will be challenging: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said last week that housing starts are expected to decline this year before recovering in 2025 and 2026, reflecting the ongoing effect of higher interest rates on new construction.
- See also: Canada’s banking regulator announces a cap on mortgages to highly indebted borrowers
- Home prices in Canada expected to climb 4.9 per cent in 2024 as sales rose last month: CREA
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith touts proposed provincial law limiting access to federal funds
She calls it her “stay out of my backyard bill.” In a fireside chat in Ottawa today, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith plugged her government’s proposed law to stop municipalities from bypassing the province to access federal funding, adding that she hoped other provinces would adopt the approach.
The provincial priorities bill requires entities under Alberta’s purview, including universities, school boards, housing agencies and health authorities, to obtain the province’s consent before entering, amending, extending or renewing agreements with Ottawa. Ms. Smith has said deals that do not have Alberta’s blessing will be illegal under the proposed legislation.
- Calgary vows to continue funding talks with Ottawa despite Alberta bill
Supreme Court rules Ottawa acted dishonourably in reneging on 1877 land promise to Indigenous community
The Supreme Court ruled today that the government acted dishonourably in reneging on an 1877 land promise to an Indigenous community in Alberta, the Blood Tribe. The unanimous ruling was written by Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin, the first and only Indigenous judge in the court’s history, and said the Blood Tribe cannot sue because of a time limit. Faced with a 145-year-old broken promise – conceded by the federal government at the court, after it denied the Blood Tribe’s claims for decades – the court found a middle ground, making a “declaration” – a statement about rights without direct legal consequences. Read more from Sean Fine here.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Gaza: Poland today called the killing of a Polish aid worker by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza a murder and demanded Israel’s support for a Polish investigation into the case. Damian Sobol, 35, and six other workers of the World Central Kitchen charity were distributing food in the territory when they were killed in an April 1 attack.
- Meanwhile: Israel on edge, expecting Iranian retaliation after embassy strike
- Also: Several writers decline recognition from PEN America to protest its stand on the Israel-Hamas war
Courts: A former Canadian Space Agency engineer has been acquitted of a charge of acting for a Chinese aerospace firm while employed by the federal agency.
Real estate and taxes: A Tax Court of Canada case from last year involving a foreign landlord went mostly under the radar, but the legal community is taken aback by its implications for renters. Kerry Gold reports.
‘HELP’: Three men stranded on a Pacific island survived for more than a week and were rescued after they used palm fronds to spell out “HELP” on the beach. Navy and Coast Guard aviators spotted the message from several thousand feet in the air.
TV woes: Broadcaster Corus Entertainment Inc. reported a $9.8-million second-quarter loss as revenue fell 13 per cent year-over-year to $299.5-million from $343.9-million.
Arts roundup: Read our review of feature film Housekeeping for Beginners, check out the books shortlisted for the $60,000 Donner Prize, which recognizes the best public policy book by a Canadian, and take our arts and culture quiz.
MARKET WATCH
U.S. stocks sold off today after major American banks’ results failed to impress, capping a week marked by market-moving inflation data, evolving expectations for U.S. Federal Reserve policy, and looming geopolitical tensions.
The S&P/TSX composite index ended down 210.12 points at 21,899.99, its biggest decline since Feb. 13. The S&P 500 lost 75.65 points to end at 5,123.41 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 267.11 points to 16,175.09. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 475.84 points to 37,983.24.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.64 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
The Canada Health Act is 40. Does it need updating or do we need a fresh start?
“One of the biggest flaws with the current law, and our health system more generally, is the lack of accountability, beginning with a lack of data.” – André Picard
The tragic Mideast miscalculation: Mistaking Netanyahu for Israel
“He is, as prominent Israelis have repeatedly warned, the worst possible person to be called on to respond to an atrocity.” – Doug Saunders
Justin Trudeau brings That Guy with him to the public inquiry on foreign interference
“You know the guy: Ask him a factual question and the response is a purring, generic values statement so distantly related to the original question they could legally get married.” – Shannon Proudfoot
LIVING BETTER
Sleep in sweet tented suites at Bhutan’s Punakha River Lodge
AndBeyond’s travel philosophy is to immerse you in the locale with several dashes of “the unexpected” along the way so while you may want to stay in your room, you won’t.Images Courtesy of andBeyond
Solana Cain travels to Bhutan – a Buddhist kingdom that was never colonized and has preserved its ancient traditions – and learns that the most important mindset to have in the place is “not to question but to listen, witness, learn and embrace.” See more of her review of Bhutan’s latest five-star sleepover, andBeyond’s Punakha River Lodge, a luxury camp that can accommodate only 20 guests within six tented suites and two villas.
- See also: A photographer’s wander in Bhutan
TODAY’S LONG READ
The memory race: Alzheimer’s trial brings at-risk patients hope for the future, but new doubts in the present
The Toronto Memory Program is a publicly funded neurology clinic diagnoses and treats Alzheimer’s and related disorders, as well as operating a large clinical trial unit.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Could a new model of testing and drugs based on the theory that Alzheimer’s disease is best combatted years before forgetfulness sets in make it as treatable as Type 2 diabetes? As researchers run trials to find out, doctors and patients are unsure about what to do for now. Kelly Grant reports on one of two major clinical trials that experts are watching with renewed optimism after two decades in which nearly every experimental drug for the disease failed.
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.