Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
A Canadian Press investigation highlights four officers with the British Columbia CSIS physical surveillance unit who say it was a toxic workplace where bullying, harassment and worse went unchecked, and where young female officers were victimized.
Their accounts were provided in documents and interviews over several months, and offer a rare unauthorized glimpse inside Canada’s spy agency. Two from B.C. allege they were assaulted by the same senior officer. They also describe their treatment in separate anonymized lawsuits against the federal government, saying they felt unable to go to police.
- Related: CSIS whistle-blowers faced hurdles seeking justice and telling their stories
- Reaction: Claims of toxic workplace at CSIS absolutely ‘devastating,’ Trudeau says
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was sent to you as a forward, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters here. If you like what you see, please share it with your friends.
‘Bumpy landing’ for Canada’s economy, with surprise contraction in third quarter
The Canadian economy took a tumble in the third quarter. Export shipments waned and consumer spending flattened, both signs of a continuing malaise as the country grapples with higher interest rates. Business investment fell at an annualized rate of 10.1 per cent in the third quarter, and housing spending was essentially flat.
- Explainer: Is Canada in a recession? Who makes that determination?
Israeli military confirms release of six Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza Strip
A helicopter carrying hostages released amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel arrives at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv district, Israel today.ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/Reuters
Six more Israeli hostages were released today, according to the Israeli military. They arrived in Egypt hours after two other hostages were turned over to Israel separately. The release mark the seventh consecutive night of hostage releases under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile Israel was to free 30 Palestinian prisoners later tonight under the deal.
The ceasefire is set to expire early Friday, but international mediators are working to extend it while roughly 140 hostages are believed to remain in Hamas captivity.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
COP28: Delegates at the UN climate summit adopted a new fund to help poor nations cope with costly climate disasters. Establishing the fund on the first day of the two-week conference opens the door for governments to announce contributions.
- What is COP28? This year’s climate conference, explained
Crisis helpline: A new toll-free, three-digit suicide prevention helpline launched across Canada this morning. People having suicidal thoughts or other mental-health distress can now call or text 988 to reach a trained responder 24 hours a day, seven days a week – no matter where they live in the country.
Royals and racism: A new book about the Royal Family – Endgame, released on Tuesday, by British journalist Omid Scobie – has raised questions about the identity of who the British media have dubbed the “royal racists.”
TD job losses: Toronto-Dominion Bank says it will reduce its work force by 3 per cent as it faces rising expenses and posted lower fourth-quarter profit today, missing analyst expectations.
Hockey Canada complaints: The national sport organization says it received information on almost 1,900 potential cases of maltreatment during the 2022-23 season – an average of nearly one complaint per 200 players.
Bollywood chat: Aparita Bhandari interviews Anil Kapoor, a star with a career spanning more than four decades in the Indian film industry and with notable appearances in movies such as Slumdog Millionaire.
Spotify Wrapped wrap-up: Spotify’s annual data dump about what its users listen to is here. Globe staffers share what they listened to most this year.
- Bonus: Listen to our 2023 Spotify playlist while you read!
- Who dethroned Bad Bunny as the most-streamed artist on Spotify this year? Take our arts and culture quiz to find out
MARKET WATCH
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its highest level this year while Canada’s main stock index gained more than 100 points today.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 120.09 points at 20,236.29. The S&P 500 gained 17.22 points, or 0.38 per cent, to end at 4,567.80 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 32.27 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 14,226.22. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 520.47 points, or 1.46 per cent, to 35,950.89.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.63 cents US.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
TALKING POINTS
Xi vs. She: China’s government wants women to return to domesticity, but it’s already too late
“Now, as China’s birth rate has dropped precipitately, the government has reversed again, encouraging women to have babies, and exhorting them to return to their domestic roles.” – Maya Wang and Tingting Li
Henry Kissinger was America’s secretary of state of paradox
“While other leading American political figures of the period operated pretty much in a straight line, Dr. Kissinger specialized in detours.” – David Shribman
The war in the Middle East is creating new divides in CanLit
“Open letters may be performative, but they are also of value. People who are justifiably angry and anguished feel compelled to do something, say something. Writers and other artists especially feel the need to voice their views.” – Marsha Lederman
Young people can’t surrender the future to false promises
“Despite the natural pessimism that often shadows these conferences, some of the most consequential decisions about our environment, and ultimately our future, are made at COP. That’s why I want a seat at the table.” – Rachel Parent
LIVING BETTER
The Globe’s best bets for weekend streaming
Jon Batiste in American Symphony, director Matthew Heineman’s new film focused on a year in the life of celebrated musician.Courtesy of Netflix/Netflix
Barry Hertz helps us navigate the endless options on our screens without leaving the couch. From Netflix’s American Symphony to Paramount+’s The Curse and Criterion Channel’s Afire, there’s a little something for everyone in this roundup.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Why Canada’s recent climate-policy struggles may be its most valuable contribution to COP28
Wildfires rage near Kelowna this past August, when extreme heat brought renewed interest in the climate crisis.Shawn Talbot/The Globe and Mail
Canada is facing a fundamental challenge to climate policy consistency that any democratic country will face at some point, so it should have a lot to offer to conversations around how to domestically implement and maintain all the underlying policies required to phase out fossil fuels and triple renewable energy capacity. But the Trudeau government has had a bad year on the climate file and is limping into COP28. However, in Dubai, there’s still a chance to turn missteps into progress, as Adam Radwanski reports.
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.