Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Canada expels a top Indian diplomat over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Canadian national-security authorities have what they consider credible intelligence that India was behind the mid-June fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons today.
A prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia, Nijjar was designated a terrorist by New Delhi and part of a separatist movement seeking an autonomous state for adherents of Sikhism.
Trudeau said he informed the opposition leaders before telling Canadians that India was responsible for the assassination, but did not provide further details. He said he raised the issue personally “in no uncertain terms” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in New Delhi last week.
The Canadian government has ruled out severing diplomatic relations with New Delhi but is considering measures to respond to what Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said was a “grave violation” of Canadian sovereignty.
She told reporters she had already expelled from Canada a “top Indian diplomat,” Pavan Kumar Rai, Canadian head of New Delhi’s Research and Analysis Wing – the Indian foreign intelligence agency,
Nijjar was shot dead in his truck by two masked gunmen outside the Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, B.C., a brazen killing that outraged his supporters and intensified global tensions between Sikh separatists and Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Parliament resumes: The minority Liberals say affordability issues and public safety will top their fall agenda as they face dwindling public support and are running out of time to deliver on election promises. Top executives from Canada’s major grocery chains met with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne to discuss measures to stabilize grocery prices.
War in Ukraine developments: Amid increasing whispers of stalemate, Ukraine’s counteroffensive so far has resulted in the liberation of only a few smaller towns and villages though Ukrainian officials insist the push is continuing.
Auto talks updates: In Canada, contract talks continued between Ford and Unifor union officials ahead of a midnight strike deadline. The last-ditch talks happen as targeted strikes in the United States by 12,700 United Auto Workers enter the fourth day.
Atlantic Canada cleans up: Post-tropical storm Lee battered the Maritimes this past weekend, flooding coastal roads and uprooting trees, with power still out for thousands of residents in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In photos: Lee leaves the Maritimes
Reisman returns to Indigo C-suite: Indigo Books & Music founder Heather Reisman has been reinstated as the company’s chief executive officer, reversing her retirement at the bookseller in turmoil.
U.S. and Iran trade detainees: A U.S.-bound plane carrying five Americans freed by Iran left Doha in a prisoner swap for five Iranians held in the United States and the transfer of US$6-billion in Iranian funds in a rare moment of co-operation.
Another allegation against Brand: British police have received a sexual assault allegation after media outlets published claims by several women against Russell Brand. Promoters postponed the remaining dates in a string of live gigs by the comedian, who denies the allegations.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index closed lower, as the technology and health-care sectors led broad-based declines ahead of domestic inflation data that could help guide expectations for the Bank of Canada’s interest rate outlook. Major U.S. indexes were nearly unchanged as investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision on Wednesday.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose fell 129.51 points or 0.63 per cent to 20,492.83. The dollar traded at 74.14 U.S. cents.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 6.06 points or 0.02 per cent to 34,624.30, the S&P 500 added 3.21 points or 0.07 per cent to end at 4,453.53, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.91 points or 0.01 per cent to 13,710.24.
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TALKING POINTS
What Canadians don’t understand about our economic situation – which is a lot – can hurt us
“Inflation scares and confuses people, in ways unlike any other economic force. It has a way of messing with their thinking, distorting their views, altering their choices. And that can spill all over the economy.” - David Parkinson
Babcock quits but it’s another sign of a much bigger problem in the NHL
“Hockey still walks around like this is 1940-something and if the coach doesn’t like the look you gave him when he called a bag skate, well, you’re back on the bus to Moose Jaw, pal.” - Cathal Kelly
Read more: Mike Babcock resigns as head coach of Blue Jackets amid investigation
LIVING BETTER
Blending a fruit smoothie for breakfast or a snack is a convenient (and tasty) way to boost your nutritional intake. But if your go-to smoothie pairs up banana and berries, you might not be getting the lift you think you are. Mixing certain fruits may break down your smoothie’s flavanols content, according to new research. Flavanols has been linked to better memory and cardiovascular health.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Supreme Court lacking expected applicants for empty seat as October session looms
A man walks past the Supreme Court of Canada, Friday, June 16, 2023 in Ottawa. An Alberta woman who tried to take her fight over COVID vaccine rules to the Supreme Court has died. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian WyldAdrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
In a field made thin by a shortage of bilingual candidates, francophone judges from Alberta and Manitoba have emerged as leading contenders to fill a seat on the Supreme Court of Canada that has been vacant since the resignation of Russell Brown in June.
The court resumes hearing cases on Oct. 11, and Chief Justice Richard Wagner said publicly when Brown resigned that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should promptly exercise the necessary care and consideration in choosing his successor.
But few, if any, judges from the courts of appeal of Western Canada have applied, as some of the West’s top legal talent sits out the contest. Appeal courts are above trial courts in the legal hierarchy and have been the source of most Supreme Court appointments. Read the full story by Sean Fine
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