Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Public servants could strike Wednesday if no deal reached with Ottawa
More than 150,000 federal public servants – including 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency agency workers – could go on strike by Wednesday midnight, if a deal is not reached with Ottawa by 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
A strike could affect public services across the country, including immigration and passport processing, employment insurance claims as well as tax filings.
The federal government has been in negotiations for new collective agreements with nearly all unions representing more than 300,000 federal public servants over the past year.
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Teck’s Keevil launches fresh appeal for investors to reject Glencore’s takeover offer
Teck’s controlling shareholder has again forcefully rejected Glencore’s merger offer, raising the possibility that the Swiss giant will boost its bid as the Canadian company attracts the interest of global mining players.
Norman B. Keevil says he is open to a deal that would enlarge the company, but not before the planned split of the business that would see the creation of two new operations, one devoted to base metals, the other to coal. A shareholder vote is scheduled for April 26.
As The Globe first reported yesterday, Teck has been approached by Vale, Anglo American and Freeport-McMoRan, which are all interested in exploring transactions if the planned split happens, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
Meanwhile, Teck CEO Jonathan Price says a widely distributed media report claiming Teck’s biggest B-class shareholder, China Investment Corp., favours Glencore’s hostile takeover proposal over Teck’s proposed split isn’t accurate.
Fox News-Dominion Voting Systems trial to start tomorrow after delay
Dominion Voting Systems’s US$1.6-billion defamation trial against Fox Corp. and Fox News, originally scheduled to start today, will proceed with jury selection tomorrow, Judge Eric Davis announced. He did not give a reason for the delay.
The Canadian company has accused Fox of ruining its reputation by airing baseless claims that its machines secretly changed votes in favor of Joe Biden, who defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The closely watched case is the first major legal attempt to hold accountable those who pushed 2020 election conspiracy theories, which largely led to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Explainer: What you need to know about the defamation lawsuit.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Third day of battles in Sudan: More than 180 people have been killed and at least 1,800 wounded in the crossfire of gun battles in the streets, air strikes and bombardment as the army and a powerful rival force fight for control of the country
China, Ukraine top G7 agenda: Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations delivered a show of unity, vowing to continue pressing Russia to withdraw from Ukraine and condemning Chinese aggression toward Taiwan.
CBC pausing Twitter feed: CBC/Radio-Canada says it is “pausing” its use of Twitter, a day after its main account was labelled “government-funded media” by the social media platform. The public broadcaster says its journalism is impartial and independent and to suggest otherwise is untrue.
SpaceX postpones flight: Elon Musk’s company called off the highly anticipated debut launch of its newly combined Starship cruise vessel and Super Heavy rocket in the final minutes of countdown because of a frozen valve, delaying the test flight for at least two days.
Olivia Chow running for Toronto mayor: The crowded mayoral race just got another star candidate, with the former city counsellor and NDP parliamentarian announcing her return to politics. The by-election is set for June 26.
Algonquin drops Kentucky Power deal: Algonquin Power & Utilities has terminated its deal to acquire Kentucky Power in a widely anticipated move, removing significant pressure on the balance sheet of the Canadian company as it grapples with higher borrowing costs and unclear growth.
MARKET WATCH
Major U.S. stock indexes ended with slim gains today, helped by financial and industrial shares while investors braced for a heavy week of corporate results and comments from Federal Reserve officials that could give more insight into the path of interest rates. Canada’s main stock index also rose, helped by gains for the technology sector and a fresh record high for the shares of takeover target Teck Resources.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 100.71 points or 0.30 per cent to 33,987.18, the S&P 500 gained 13.68 points or 0.33 per cent to 4,151.32, and the Nasdaq Composite added 34.25 points or 0.28 per cent to end at 12,156.45.
The S&P/TSX Composite advanced 62.06 points or 0.30 per cent to 20.641.97. The loonie traded at 74.66 U.S. cents.
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TALKING POINTS
Embarrassing and condescending, 2023 Canadian Screen Awards failed our film and television artists
“No amount of challenging circumstances and good intentions can excuse what aired on CBC Sunday night. Humourless, dispiriting, condescending, and ultimately disrespectful to anyone who was nominated or won an award, the 11th annual CSAs were painful to endure.” - Barry Hertz
With no Crosby or Ovechkin in playoffs, the NHL needs McDavid to win now
“A good analogy for the McDavid situation might be quarterback Tom Brady. What if Brady played his entire career in Cleveland, put up the same numbers and never won anything? The NFL would be a different league now.” - Cathal Kelly
LIVING BETTER
GUY PETERSON/AFP/Getty Images
To some, the oceans are a workplace or a grocery store; to others, a prison and a cemetery. It is more urgent than ever to understand all that the seas do for us, and how lawlessness and environmental destruction are hurting it. Watch the first episode of Dispatches from the Outlaw Ocean, a documentary series about the colourful characters of the marine world.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Meet the Chinese billionaire who donated to the Trudeau Foundation
Zhang Bin is president of the China Cultural Industry Association, a government-backed body that promotes Chinese soft power around the world.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
Zhang Bin, a wealthy Chinese businessman, finds himself in the middle of a controversial 2016 donation to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation that The Globe and Mail has reported was linked to the Chinese government, allegedly part of Beijing’s meddling in Canadian democratic processes.
A Chinese citizen with a home in Quebec, Zhang is president of the China Cultural Industry Association, a government-backed body that promotes Chinese soft power around the world. He is also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body, and, according to a now-deleted profile of him on the industry association website, a member of the ruling Communist Party.
An examination of corporate records in Canada and Hong Kong, reports in Chinese state media, and interviews with associates paint a picture of a highly connected and highly talented networker, whose close ties to Beijing should have raised flags long before now. Read the full story by James Griffiths.
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