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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Trudeau draws cheers, jeers with talk of CETA at France’s National Assembly
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in France today and became the first Canadian head of government to address France’s National Assembly. Mr. Trudeau’s appearance started with a warm welcome but when his speech turned to the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, the Canada-EU trade deal, he was faced with a chorus of boos. The most notable dissenters were far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who ended up leaving the Assembly before Mr. Trudeau was finished speaking. CETA was signed by Canada and the European Union and the majority of its provisions went into effect last year but parts of the deal still need to be ratified by each of the EU’s member states.
National Gallery rebuffs Quebec museums’ offer to share ownership of David painting
The National Gallery of Canada is defending its decision to pursue the purchase of Saint Jerome Hears the Trumpet of the Last Judgment, a 1779 painting by Jacques-Louis David. The National Gallery values the painting at US$5-million and is selling The Eiffel Tower, a 1929 Marc Chagall painting, in order to finance its purchase. Two Quebec museums want to share custody of the David, which currently hangs in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts but whose legal guardian is Quebec City’s Musée de la civilisation. The National Gallery says the idea of joint custody with the two Quebec museums isn’t feasible. “That doesn’t really work with Old Master pictures,” Marc Mayer, director of the National Gallery, said. “It’s a piece of canvas with some paint on it that’s 250 years old. It’s not a child of a divorced couple that shuttles back and forth.”
‘Significant gap’ in oversight of how political parties use voter data: privacy watchdog
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien says that there is a “significant gap” between Canada and the rest of the world when it comes to oversight of how political parties use voter data. Mr. Therrien’s comments came earlier today at a House of Commons committee meeting where he was the opening witness at a set of hearings that were launched in the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. The revelations, which Canadian whistleblower Christopher Wylie helped to bring to light, have prompted a broader discussion on how corporations and political campaigns use personal data on social media sites. Mr. Wylie has accepted an invitation to appear before MPs, and executives from Facebook, which has come under fire for allowing Cambridge Analytica to misuse the data of more than 87 million people, will appear at the committee on Thursday. Liberal, Conservative and NDP MPs expressed support for stronger oversight of both political parties and internet companies.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index climbed to a 12-day high on Tuesday, boosted by rising technology and energy shares. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 0.35 per cent to 15,353.30. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks were up as strong Netflix and UnitedHealth earnings gave investors optimism about the corporate earnings season. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.87 per cent to 24,786.63, the S&P 500 gained 1.07 per cent to 2,706.38 and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.74 per cent to 7,281.10.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
Starbucks, the coffee giant, is closing 8,000 of its U.S. stores for the afternoon on May 29 to train its employees on preventing racial discrimination. The move comes after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia store.
TALKING POINTS
Comey’s God complex has hindered his impact
“James Comey has an image problem. He’s being depicted as wearing a halo, as having a God complex. He can’t get enough of the limelight. He paints Donald Trump – and who can doubt it? – as a florid narcissist. But it takes one to know one, critics say. The comely Mr. Comey is a mirror-lover himself. Everything is inflated about the former FBI director. There’s his towering, basketball-playerish height. And there’s his extraordinary love of microphones. While most FBI directors tend stay in the background, Mr. Comey did end-runs around his then-attorney-general Loretta Lynch to get before the cameras. There’s his newly published book, which is full of fire and fury itself. It’s called A Higher Loyalty. A fitting subtitle, a wag suggested, might well be: To My Own Interests.” — Lawrence Martin
Canadians back Ottawa on energy projects, but seek balance
“The key for Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Horgan and Ms. Notley, is to resolve the current impasse on the Trans Mountain pipeline in a way that demonstrates governments can strike the kind of balance Canadians are looking for on energy projects. Perhaps for Canadians who are in a dour mood when it comes to the country’s ability to balance local concerns with a broader public interest, the current pipeline firestorm could be an opportunity to find a pragmatic balanced path forward where Canadians can reconcile their environmental aspirations with economic priorities.” — Monica Gattinger and Nik Nanos
Humboldt’s ‘Logan Effect’ bolsters Canada’s dismal organ donations
“Polls consistently show that close to 90 per cent of Canadians support organ donation but only about 20 per cent have actually registered as organ donors. Why is there such a disconnect between intentions and action? There are many potential reasons – or perhaps excuses is the more appropriate term. We tend to be a bit squeamish about death, even thinking about it. There’s a generalized ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude that often leads to people not bothering to register as donors. The horrific Humboldt crash shocked many out of that complacency. There are about 280,000 deaths in Canada annually. A 2014 study found that there just over 3,000 potential donors – only about one per cent of deaths. That makes it all the more important that everyone sign a donor card – we can’t afford to miss any potential donors, because each one is an opportunity to save lives. Yet, miss them we do.“ — André Picard
LIVING BETTER
At first glance, doing a squat seems fairly straightforward. But as with most exercises there’s a proper way to squat so as to ensure minimum stress on your body while also getting the most out of it. Proper form is important. Make sure that your toes are slightly turned out and keep your feet hip-width apart before going down.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
What if the Trans Mountain pipeline is never built?
The oil industry’s sure bet suddenly looks like a massive gamble, with big implications for Canada’s political and economic future. With Ottawa and Alberta in a political standoff against B.C., the pipeline’s future is at risk. (for subscribers)
PLAYOFFS
In the NBA, the Toronto Raptors host the Washington Wizards for Game 2 of their first round series. The Raptors broke their long-running streak of losing in Game 1 with a 114-106 victory. Tip off is at 7 p.m. ET.
On the ice, the Winnipeg Jets are in Minnesota to take on the Wild in Game 4 of their Stanley Cup playoffs series. The Jets are up 2-1 after a 3-2 victory in Game 1 and a dominant 4-1 win in Game 2. The Wild took Game 3 in Minnesota 6-2. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET.
Toronto FC, the reigning MLS champions, are at home to play C.D. Guadalajara in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League finals match-up. Kick-off is at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Evening Update is written by Mayaz Alam and Omair Quadri. 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.