Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
In what could be its final hearing, the House Jan. 6 committee aims to show that Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen election fuelled the U.S. Capitol attack, nearly leading the United States to a constitutional crisis.
The prime-time hearing will dive into the 187 minutes that Trump failed to act on Jan. 6, 2021, despite pleas from aides, allies and even his family. The panel is arguing that the defeated president’s attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory have left the United States facing enduring questions about the resiliency of its democracy.
Ahead of the hearing, the committee released a video of four former White House aides – press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, security aide General Keith Kellogg, White House counsel Pat Cipollone and executive assistant to the president Molly Michael – testifying that Trump was in the private dining room watching the chaos unfold on TV, but did not take action to stop the breach.
The hearing will also show outtakes of a Jan. 7 video that White House aides pleaded for Trump to make as a message of national healing for the country. The outtakes will show he struggled to condemn the violent mob of his supporters taking on the Capitol.
Related:
- Analysis: Upcoming Jan. 6 hearing to examine what happened inside the White House during the Capitol riot
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Rogers replaces chief technology officer amid the fallout from nationwide outage
Rogers Communications has a new chief technology officer in the wake of a nationwide outage earlier this month that resulted in the company promising change and investment to ensure network reliability.
Canada’s largest cellphone company handed responsibility for the systems that support 12 million customers to veteran telecom executive Ron McKenzie. He joined Rogers’ technology team three years ago and led the company’s technology transformation projects during the pandemic. He has three decades of telecom experience.
A company spokesperson confirmed that Jorge Fernandes will be stepping step down from his role as chief technology and information officer. Fernandes joined Rogers just over four years ago from Vodafone.
The lengthy, nationwide shutdown of wireless and internet services on July 8 outraged customers, prompted a government review and created new regulatory challenges for Rogers’ planned $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc.
- Opinion: The Rogers network outage proves Ottawa’s case for fourth network
- Opinion: Canada is allowing Russia’s energy blackmail to win the day in Europe
Parents, minor-league associations question transparency of Hockey Canada’s equity fund; Trudeau says ‘reckoning’ needed
Parents of players, and the hundreds of associations across the country that oversee minor league play under the Hockey Canada umbrella, understand the annual fee they pay to the organization is intended to cover costs such as insurance but many were caught off guard by the revelations uncovered this week that those same fees were used to build a fund that paid out settlements in sex assault claims.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today during an event in Nova Scotia that the sport’s national body “has to do an awful lot” to regain the trust of Canadians. “There needs to be a real reckoning with what we saw from that organization, and the willful blindness to something that other organizations have been faced with – struggled with – but made good decisions around.
Read more:
- London police to review its investigation of sexual-assault allegations following a 2018 Hockey Canada event
- Explainer: Hockey Canada faces revolt over its handling of sexual-assault allegations. Here’s what to know
Germany had warned Canada it may be forced to cut off aid to Ukraine without pipeline turbine stranded in Montreal
Germany’s Foreign Minister said Berlin warned Ottawa it could be forced to suspend aid to Ukraine if a Russian gas pipeline turbine stranded in Montreal, a result of Canadian economic sanctions, isn’t returned.
Annalena Baerbock said the German government told Canada if the missing turbine led to a stoppage of natural gas from Russia, it could spark popular uprisings and force Berlin to halt support for Ukraine. The Ukrainian government is largely dependent on Western aid in its fight against Russia.
Baerbock told a German news outlet on Wednesday that domestic political repercussions played an important role in negotiations with Canada. The Trudeau government agreed to release the turbine earlier this month and even allow the import, repair and export of up to five more turbines for Nord Stream 1, a pipeline that delivers natural gas to Germany and is majority-owned by Gazprom, a Russian state-controlled company.
Read more:
- Canada’s decision to repair Russian turbines could weaken Western resolve, retired general Rick Hillier says
- Parliamentary hearings to probe Canada’s decision to import and repair Russian pipeline turbines despite sanctions
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Biden tests positive for COVID-19: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the U.S. President was experiencing “mild symptoms” and has begun taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug designed to reduce the severity of the disease.
It’s getting harder and harder to leave China, even as record numbers head for the exits: Since Chinese President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, many elite figures who once thought themselves untouchable have been caught up in his sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
Income of more than $220,000 needed to buy a home in Toronto, Vancouver, new data shows: While home prices have been going down in cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Hamilton, the income required to purchase a home in these markets still remains higher due to stress test rates and rising mortgage rates.
Scientists put monarch butterflies on endangered list: The monarch butterfly fluttered a step closer to extinction Thursday, as scientists put the iconic orange-and-black insect on the endangered list because of its fast dwindling numbers.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index inched up to eke out its fifth day of gains on Thursday, lifted by strength in industrials, miners and technology firms that helped counterbalance declines in energy producers.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index closed up 42.18 points, or 0.22 per cent, at 19,062.85. The S&P 500 gained 39.05 or 0.99 per cent, closing at 3,998.95. The Dow was up 162.06 or 0.51 per cent to close at 32,036.90. The NASDAQ closed at 12,059.61 gaining 161.96 points or 1.36 per cent.
The Canadian dollar traded for 77.55 cents US compared with 77.62 cents on Wednesday.
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TALKING POINTS
Latest N-word controversy proves two solitudes endure at CBC/Radio-Canada
“The danger is that CBC’s journalism becomes increasingly tainted by management’s desire to hew to the demands of the English-language network’s woke work force. But that will only further exacerbate the French-English divide at the broadcaster.” – Konrad Yakabuski
The Democrats need a new star. They’ve found one in Jamie Raskin
“In a party dominated by old voices that people are tired of hearing, he is a fresh source of principle and conviction.” – Lawrence Martin
Does the mayor of Toronto need more power? Maybe. Does the city? Definitely
“That Toronto can’t get much done is due less to the fact the mayor is not a supreme executive leader, than to the fact its ability to control its fate is perpetually handcuffed by the province.” – The Editorial Board
LIVING BETTER
The biggest (and best) films of the summer are already available to stream. Here’s where to find them
Some of the biggest (even best) films of this summer movie season are already available digitally for home viewing, writes Barry Hertz. He outlines how you can watch Jurassic Park Dominion, The Black Phone and more on streaming services – and gives his reviews for each.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Lost luggage, cancelled flights and $14,000 rental vans: For Canadian musicians, this summer is a logistical nightmare
Delta SugarScott Doubt/Supplied
By all appearances, the live-music business in Canada is booming this summer after two years of relative hibernation. The recent Winnipeg Folk Festival, for example, drew 74,000 attendees – just shy of the record 76,000 people who showed up three years ago.
Behind the scenes, however, the picture is troubling. Mid-level acts and working-class artists in particular are struggling with logistical issues and surging costs. Crew members are in short supply; people have left the business after two dry years. Bands can’t find crew vans, tour buses or even car rentals. And the ones available are jaw-droppingly expensive. West Coast alt-rocker Art d’Ecco was floored by a quote he recently received for a rental van – $14,000 for a single week. Even if bands locate a tour bus, drivers are in short supply and the price of fuel is elevated.
On top of it all, many musicians are being paid performance fees initially negotiated in 2020 or 2021. Now, finally playing the postponed gigs, the inflated 2022 expenses have them hoping to break even at best. At worst, the gigs are leaving them deeply indebted. Brad Wheeler and Marsha Lederman have the full story.
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.