Good evening and happy Friday,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Montreal declares state of emergency as Canadian Forces arrive in Ottawa
A member of the Canadian Forces helps transport sandbags through flood waters to residents on Friday, April 26, 2019 in Ottawa.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Montreal declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon as flood waters are set to rise. The mayor says the situation is under control, but with heavy rains in the forecast, conditions are expected to change rapidly in coming days.
Members of the Canadian Forces arrived in Ottawa Friday to help deal with flood issues. On Thursday, Ottawa’s mayor declared a state of emergency and officials expect water levels in the Ottawa area to peak Monday or Tuesday. The mayor of Bracebridge, a small town in Ontario’s cottage country, says water levels in two nearby lakes have exceeded those last seen during devastating flooding in 2013. Bracebridge and nearby Minden Hills have also declared emergencies due to flooding.
While touring flooded areas along the Ottawa River, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he believes climate change is among the reasons eastern Ontario homeowners are trying to save their homes for the second time in three years.
Waters slightly subsided in Fredericton, but residents in other parts of New Brunswick are being warned to be ‘vigilant’ as more rain is in the forecast. The Saint John River remains above flood levels in the southern part of the province and the Trans-Canada Highway could be closed for days. Officials said about 70 per cent of the roughly 940 people seeking help from the Canadian Red Cross this year also registered for assistance a year ago.
In Quebec, officials say a dam that is at risk of failing is holding up and about 75 people living downstream from the dam have been taken to safety. The region is expecting more rain in the next 24 hours causing the Rouge River to rise further. Officials said more than 3,100 homes in Quebec are already underwater.
Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings and special weather statements for numerous regions in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick with 20 mm to 50 mm forecast to fall through Saturday.
Putin backs Xi’s vision of a new world order as Russia, China look to deepen ties
Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during their meeting at Friendship Palace in Beijing on April 26, 2019, on the sidelines of Belt and Road Forum.ALEKSEY NIKOLSKYI/AFP/Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Beijing Friday to show himself a trusted stalwart in an effort to cast China’s Xi Jinping as the guardian of globalization and guarantor of free trade. The veiled shot at Washington from Chinese soil marked the latest indication that Russia and China, despite their many differences, have found increasingly common cause at a moment of U.S. disengagement with some of the institutions of global leadership.
The arrival of 37 leaders from around the world for the three-day Belt and Road summit sent the message that they want in to the new private-member club created by Beijing. They come seduced by the prospect of better access to Chinese financing and technical expertise in building bridges, high-speed rail and deep-sea ports.
Despite dire warnings from the U.S. that African countries would be held captive by “predatory” loans from Beijing, a procession of African leaders flew to Beijing this week to ask for more loans.
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WHAT ELSE IS ON OUR RADAR
Dominic LeBlanc taking leave from cabinet: The minister for intergovernmental and northern affairs announced he is temporarily stepping aside from his cabinet role after being diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He said Friday that his treatments will last several weeks and he plans to run in the upcoming fall election. Bill Morneau and Carolyn Bennett will assume Mr. LeBlanc’s cabinet responsibilities.
B.C. seeking ways to relieve gas prices: B.C.'s Premier said he will ask his top civil servant to find ways to reduce the cost at the pump. The average gas price of $1.69 in Vancouver is the highest in North America. Mr. Horgan didn’t elaborate on whether that means his government would consider cutting the provincial taxes, which are levied on every litre of gasoline. One analyst suggests that Mr. Horgan’s opposition to pipeline expansion may have appeased his base, but it may also be backfiring.
Russian agent sentenced to 18 months in U.S.: A judge on Friday sentenced Maria Butina after she pleaded guilty in December to conspiring with a Russian official to infiltrate a gun rights group and influence U.S. conservative activists and Republicans. Ms. Butina will be deported back to Russia after she completes her sentence.
Bombardier cleared in stock-sale program: Quebec’s securities watchdog has cleared Bombardier Inc. of any wrongdoing in a probe of its executive stock-sale program but said the plane and train maker should consider scrapping the controversial plan. The probe came after Bombardier was criticized for launching the share-disposition program last August, prior to the release of bad news that sent its share price sharply lower.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index moved higher to end the week as gains in the materials sector offset an energy pullback. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 37.36 points at 16,613.46.
Four of the index’s 11 major sectors were lower, led by a 1.6-per-cent fall in the energy sector. Oil prices fell on Friday and were on track to halt a seven-week bull run amid efforts to resume Russian oil flows that were interrupted by contamination.
In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 81.25 points to close at 26,543.33. The S&P 500 index was up 13.71 points at 2,939.88, while the Nasdaq composite was up 27.72 points at 8,146.40.
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TALKING POINTS
The fight over tights: Why do women wear leggings?
“Lululemon’s next target for expansion is men. I wish them luck, but I suspect men won’t be that promising a market. Most men don’t give a damn about how they look. Nothing could pry my husband (a stereotypical geezer) from his baggy low-tech, no-name sweat pants. He simply doesn’t care.” - Margaret Wente
Refugee children face a new battle in Canada. We can’t fail them
"When things got especially tough and I felt like no one could help me, I tried to take my own life. I discreetly doused a sandwich in bleach but somehow, I survived. Amal Alshteiwi didn’t. The nine-year-old Syrian refugee in Calgary killed herself last month after being bullied in school.” – Samra Habib
Unfollow the leader: The case for power-sharing in political parties
"The prime minister, as leader of their party, caucus and cabinet, has assumed a level of power that makes them more monarch than minister. Few other parliaments see such party rigidity as Canada’s, and hardly any afford so much power to the leaders and so little to individual MPs.” – Justin Ling
LIVING BETTER
Canadian whisky has long been considered the humble cousin to backwoods-cool bourbon, smooth triple-distilled Irish and sophisticated single-malt Scotch. It was mostly bottled as popular blends and consumed with ginger ale or cola. But our loosey-Canada-goosey production regulations allow more room for innovation. And while other whisky-producing countries are facing shortages of aged spirit, our brands have stocks of liquid gold. Charlene Rooke suggests three bottles that deserve room in your bar.
LONG READ FOR THE WEEKEND
As Spain heads to the polls, exiled politician Carles Puigdemont continues to plot Catalan independence from afar
Carles Puigdemont, the former President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, in Waterloo, Belgium on March 21, 2019.Valentin Bianchi/Hans Lucas/The Globe and Mail
Sitting on a plush couch in the middle of a spacious living room, Carles Puigdemont hardly looks like someone on the run from police in Spain, where he’s wanted for rebellion. The former president of Catalonia now spends his days in Waterloo - best known as the place where Napolean met defeat. He fled Barcelona in 2017 after announcing the region’s independence.
As Paul Waldie reports from Waterloo, despite being in exile, Mr. Puigdemont plays a prominent role in the independence movement and remains a divisive figure in Spain.
On Sunday, Spaniards head to the polls in a snap election where they will choose between those who want to punish separatists and those who want dialogue. Mr. Puigdemont sees Quebec as an example and praises the Canadian government for allowing two referendums.
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley. 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.