Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Passport processing will be facing major delays in light of the more than 150,000 federal public servants going on strike after the Public Service Alliance of Canada – the largest union representing federal public service workers – failed to reach a deal with Ottawa last night.
Passport applications as well as the delivery of new or renewed passports will only be processed for Canadians facing humanitarian and emergency situations, as well as those abroad. Emergency situations apply to those who have to travel for medical reasons, or those who experience a family illness or death.
The May 1 tax deadline will not be extended as there will be no delay in the electronic processing of tax filings. Here are all the other services that will be affected by the strike.
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U.S. Supreme Court extends temporary block on abortion pill restrictions
The U.S. Supreme Court decided today to hold off on ruling whether to limit access to abortion pill mifepristone until this Friday.
The hold will give the justices more time to consider requests by the Biden administration and the pill’s manufacturer to block a lower court ruling that would greatly limit the availability of the pill while litigation is underway.
They told the justices in their filings that mifepristone might not be available for months if the restrictions were allowed to take effect. Anti-abortion groups are trying to roll back the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medication, less than one year after conservative justices reversed Roe v. Wade, allowing more than a dozen states to outright ban abortion.
- David Shribman: No issues have divided America more than slavery and abortion
Alberta releases new climate plan
Alberta has unveiled an emissions reduction plan today that aims to take the province to net-zero emissions by 2050 but lacks details on how it plans to actually reach that goal.
The government describes the plan as “aspirational”. It points to technologies such as carbon capture and storage as well as past steps taken by the province to lower emissions.
The plan contains no interim targets for reductions, spending or investment. Nor does it propose regulation or legislation to move the province toward net-zero.
- Kelly Cryderman: Alberta’s new climate plan based on the idea that it, not Ottawa, is best-positioned to implement policy
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Dominic Leblanc’s sister-in-law steps down as interim ethics watchdog: Martine Richard, sister-in-law of the Liberal cabinet minister has stepped down as the interim ethics commissioner a day after a House of Commons committee agreed to investigate her appointment.
Another truce announced in Sudan: Sudanese trapped for days in their homes because of fighting in the capital of Khartoum fled with their belongings and tried to leave the city as the army and its paramilitary rival made a new attempt at a 24-hour ceasefire after a failed truce the day before.
After Dominion defamation case settlement, Fox still faces another lawsuit: The network still faces a $2.7 billion lawsuit from another voting technology company, Smartmatic USA, over its coverage of debunked election-rigging claims.
Glencore ups stakes in bid for Teck: Glencore upped the ante in its battle for Teck Resources by optioning the prospect of a higher bid if shareholders reject the Canadian company’s proposal to split the company in two next week.
CBC’s exit from Twitter, explained: NPR was the first to quit Twitter as a response to being labelled as government-funded media. CBC recently followed suit. Here’s what’s going on between Elon Musk’s social media juggernaut and Canada’s largest broadcaster.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index ended its recent winning streak today as lower commodity prices weighed on the energy and materials sectors, but the index clawed back much of its earlier decline in a positive sign for the market’s outlook.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 3.85 points or 0.02 per cent at 20,680.83.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 79.62 points or 0.23 per cent at 33,897.01. The S&P 500 index was down 0.35 points or 0.01 per cent at 4,154.52, while the Nasdaq composite was up 3.82 points or 0.03 per cent at 12,157.23.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.30 cents US, according to XE.com, compared with 74.70 cents US on Tuesday.
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TALKING POINTS
Macron’s pension reform won’t save an indebted France from financial reckoning
“Unfortunately for Mr. Marcon, the pension changes alone will not put enough of a dent in the French government’s structural budget deficit to satisfy European Union guardrails.” – Konrad Yakabuski
Why is Justin Trudeau sowing confusion about a foreign influence registry?
“If Canada had a version of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act, it’s reasonable to believe the RCMP would have something to hang charges on against the operators of these sordid outposts.” – The Editorial Board
Roxham Road’s primary lesson: Canada is neither a closed- nor open-door society
“Closing Roxham Road has been a move to the right (tightening), and was, overall, a development welcomed by the Canadian public. But, most likely, a loosening, or move to the left, is not far off.” – George Melnyk and Crystena Parker-Shandal
The real case for defunding the CBC isn’t the one Pierre Poilievre is making
“The real case for defunding the CBC has nothing to do with its defects, real or alleged. It is simply that it is no longer necessary.” – Andrew Coyne
LIVING BETTER
Taste in wine is changing, says expert Christopher Waters. More and more consumers are favouring lighter and fresher wines of late, over heavier and higher alcohol options. From a mouth-watering rosé from St. Catharine’s, Ont., to an expressive cabernet sauvignon from Argentina, Waters reviews a selection of wines to consider for your next dinner party.
TODAY’S LONG READ
An island of commerce in a sea of hostility to migrants
Crowds of Haitians carry goods as they stream over the border bridge between Ouanaminthe, Haiti to Dajabon, DR.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
Every day, thousands of people cross the bridge over Massacre River from Haiti to a market in Dajabon, a town on the Dominican Republic’s western edge, to sell their wares, trade goods and take jobs loading trucks.
Many streaming into the market come from Ouanaminthe, on the Haitian side of the border. The two towns experience mutual economic benefits from the arrangement; workers from Ouanaminthe need jobs and without the influx of Haitians arriving every day, Dajabon could not function.
Haitians can cross into DR without a passport during the day. But if they venture far from the market, they can be stopped and sent back by the regular patrols of Dominican police and soldiers. The situation is a microcosm for the two countries’ fraught relationship. Wealthier DR relies on labour from impoverished Haiti to run factories, farms and other businesses across the country. But Dominican authorities round up and deport thousands of Haitians daily. The Globe’s Adrian Morrow reports.
Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. 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.