Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Only a third of Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members actually participated in the union’s strike vote, according to details in a recent Federal Labour and Employment Board decision.
The decision, centred around a complaint from a member of PSAC, included information provided by the union to the board on vote participation rates. Of 120,000 federal workers represented by the union, 42,421 exercised their right to vote. Amongst those who did vote, more than 80 per cent voted in favour of a strike.
To date, PSAC has declined to share the exact number of members who voted to strike. Legally, a union does not need the majority of its members to participate in a strike vote in order to achieve a strike mandate.
- Union leader accuses government of trying to undermine strike action
- For striking federal workers, public sympathy could play a big role in the eventual outcome
- Opinion: How working from home gave Canadians a big pay raise - and why nobody wants to give it up
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was sent to you as a forward, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters here. If you like what you see, please share it with your friends.
Canadian academic Hassan Diab convicted in 1980 Paris synagogue bombing
Lebanese-Canadian academic Hassan Diab was convicted in absentia by a court in France on terrorism charges over a bombing outside of a Paris synagogue in 1980 that killed four. A warrant is out for his arrest and he has been sentenced to life in prison.
Diab, who lives in Ottawa, denies wrongdoing. His lawyers say he’s a victim of mistaken identity and that he was in Lebanon at the time of the incident. His supporters are calling on Canada to refuse any new extradition request from France.
French authorities are accusing Diab of planting a bomb outside of a synagogue where 320 worshippers had gathered to mark the end of a Jewish holiday on the evening of Oct. 3, 1980.
- Read more: Hassan Diab trial puts Canada extradition law back in spotlight
- Watch: Hassan Diab speaks about his guilty verdict from French court
Canada pledges $39-million in sniper rifles, non-lethal aid for Ukraine
Defence Minister Anita Anand announced Canada’s sending $39-million in weapons and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine today, bringing the country’s total spending commitment on Ukraine to more than $8-billion since Russia’s invasion began in 2022.
The donation include $35-million in cash to help Ukraine buy fuel and first-aid supplies while the remainder will be used to buy 40 sniper rifles and ammunition from a company in Winnipeg, along with new radio sets for the eight Leopard 2 tanks that Canada has donated to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the United States said it will soon start training Ukrainian troops to use its Abrams tank and Germany announced a deal to establish a hub in Poland to repair tanks deployed in Ukraine during a meeting of allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
- Read more: ‘A perfect example of what not to do’: Former U.S. envoy on Trudeau’s reported NATO comments
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
U.S. Supreme Court to act on abortion pill limits today: The top court is poised to determine whether mifepristone will continue to be broadly available in the United States as it weighs a bid by Joe Biden’s administration to defend the drug in a challenge to its regulatory approval by anti-abortion groups.
Canadians take shelter in Sudan: Many have fled the country’s capital of Khartoum for other parts of Sudan after violence broke out last weekend. The city’s airport is inaccessible and Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister said Thursday that there are currently no means of evacuating Canadians from Sudan. Sudan’s army said it agreed to a three-day truce so people could celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr but heavy firing still continued.
Twitter shelves ‘government-funded’ labels: Twitter has removed its ‘government-funded’ labels for the CBC in Canada, BBC in Britain, NPR in the United States and other media outlets in China, Iran and Russia, as global news organizations evaluate their presence on the social-media platform and its use as a communications tool amid its mercurial moves.
British deputy PM resigns: Dominic Raab resigned from the government on Friday after an independent report found he had bullied officials.
What to know as Teck split vote approaches: Shareholders will decide on Wednesday whether to approve the company’s planned split into Teck Metals, which would hold its critical minerals mines, and Elk Valley Resources, which will hold its metallurgical coal. At least two thirds of votes cast by shareholders must be in favour for the vote to succeed.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index rose on Friday, led by gains for technology shares, while the materials sector lost ground as gold prices fell.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended up 62.46 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 20,693.15. For the week, the index advanced 0.6 per cent, its fifth straight weekly gain.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 22.34 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 33,808.96, the S&P 500 gained 3.73 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 4,133.52 and the Nasdaq Composite added 12.90 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 12,072.46.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.85 cents US, according to XE.com, compared with 74.24 cents US on Thursday.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
TALKING POINTS
In an AI future, we will all be middle managers
“We will not be unemployed, but asked to do far more less meaningful work. That follows, because we live in a culture obsessed with output and productivity, and supervised AIs may make it possible to do more in less time.” – Tim Wu
Adolescents are in the midst of a full-blown mental-health crisis
“By definition, people who are depressed or unhappy see the world in a negative light, and we are just starting to see the consequences.” – Jean M. Twenge
LIVING BETTER
A to Z spring fashion and beauty shopping guide
If you’re finding it difficult to keep track of what’s trendy these days, Caitlin Agnew and Odessa Paloma Parker have compiled a lexicon of what’s in this season. Cargo pants, buzzy skincare ingredient retinol and the colour purple all make the guide.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Affordable art for all: How the online market changed the art-buying game
Supplied
Collecting art was once reserved for the wealthy and considered ultra-exclusive. Then came street artist Banksy, whose use of the public canvas broke down barriers and made art much more accessible.
Banksy’s rise happened to coincide with the birth of e-commerce marketplaces, including art platforms such as Saatchi Art and Artsy, which helped democratize the buying and selling of art.
In 2021, global online art sales reached an estimated US$13.6-billion, accounting for 20 per cent of the entire art market, according to the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. Now, first-time art buyers can peruse hundreds of online art sites and purchase paintings, drawings and sculptures starting in the hundreds of dollars.
Here, we speak with five Canadian artists who share their thoughts on how the digital art space has expanded their reach and changed their careers.
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.