Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
At least seven federal cabinet members are expected to be moved out of their portfolios, with Defence Minister Anita Anand moving into an economic role, as part of a significant shuffle to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s front bench.
According to a Liberal government source, the seven ministers confirmed to be leaving cabinet are David Lametti, Marco Mendicino and Mona Fortier, along with four other ministers who have said they are not running in the next election: Joyce Murray, Omar Alghabra, Helena Jaczek and Carolyn Bennett.
The shuffle, set for Wednesday, is seen by political insiders as a much-needed refresh for the Liberals who have been facing challenges and political pressure from Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
Remains of two children missing in Nova Scotia floods found by RCMP
In a news conference, Nova Scotia RCMP said they have found the bodies of two children missing since Saturday when torrential flood waters washed the vehicle they were in off a road. A 52-year-old man’s body was discovered yesterday, and search teams are still looking for a fourth missing person, a youth under 18 who was travelling with the man.
Torrential rain over the weekend dumped up to 250 millimetres of water on several parts of the province, washing out roads and bridges and causing widespread damage. Authorities also reminded people to use extreme caution on the province’s waterways, as police continued their search for a man who went missing while tubing down a river about 80 kilometres west of Halifax.
Workers with CN Rail assess the damage to a washed-out rail line outside of Truro, N.S. on Sunday, July 23, 2023.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
Missing Chinese foreign minister removed from his post
Qin Gang, who became the country’s youngest foreign minister in 70 years, has been removed from his post, Beijing said. Meanwhile, Qin had not been seen in public since June 25, sparking widespread speculation about his whereabouts and disrupting Chinese diplomacy at a time when Beijing is trying to repair relations with the West.
Chinese officials have disappeared from public view in the past, including President Xi Jinping himself, who vanished for two weeks in 2012 just before taking the top job, an incident that has still never been explained.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, right, in Beijing, China, on June 18, 2023.Leah Millis/The Associated Press
Federal outsourcing takes place without IT expertise, memo reveals
The department responsible for billions of dollars in federal outsourcing contracts prepared an assessment of its own shortcomings when it comes to IT work, acknowledging in a note to the minister and deputy minister that its team lacks proper training and is leery of ranking outside contractors based on performance.
The note was obtained by The Globe and Mail through access to information. Total spending on outsourcing – which is officially described as professional and special services – reached $14.6-billion in the 2021-22 fiscal year, the most recent data available. The Globe’s reporting on federal outsourcing has led to numerous House of Commons committee studies into the matter.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Russia and Ukraine: The European Union will look at helping fund the costly transportation of grain out of Ukraine after Russia halted a deal that allowed Black Sea exports vital to global food security and launches new drone strikes on Kyiv, a top agriculture official said Tuesday.
Foreign interference: A former RCMP officer charged with helping China conduct foreign interference has been granted bail.
Listen to The Decibel: How government infighting led to a refugee crisis in Toronto. Dustin Cook, The Globe’s Toronto municipal affairs reporter is on the show.
Emmett Till national monument: President Joe Biden signed a proclamation establishing a national monument honouring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, located across three sites in two states, became federally protected places.
Secret criminal trial in Ontario: Identities of the judge, lawyers and accused were all concealed from the public, but this is the latest in a series of undisclosed or confidential court hearings to be revealed in Canada in the past year and a half.
Review of TDSB after principal died by suicide: Ontario will review the circumstances that led to the death of a principal who had filed a lawsuit against the Toronto District School Board for failing to protect him after a confrontation during a diversity training session.
MARKET WATCH
AI mania drives Wall Street higher ahead of earnings, TSX slips
The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed higher on Tuesday, leading gains on Wall Street amid investor excitement about artificial intelligence before earnings reports from megacap technology companies Alphabet and Microsoft after the bell.
The TSX closed with a modest loss, but found support from a rally in the materials sector after China pledged to step up policy support for its resource-hungry economy. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended down 30.59 points at 20,551.53, after posting on Monday its highest closing level in 2-1/2 months.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 26.83 points to 35,438.07, the S&P 500 gained 12.82 points to 4,567.46 and the Nasdaq Composite added 85.69 points to 14,144.56.
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TALKING POINTS
Data-sharing lessons Canada can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic
“We know pandemic threats will come, but we do not know when, nor predict their cause. Our next challenge may not look a lot like our last. The only way to be prepared for what may come is to have the best pipeline of data as an engine for decision-making and from which to ensure transparency and trust.” - Tania Bubela, Colleen M. Flood, Kimberlyn McGrail, Sharon E. Straus,Sharmistha Mishra
Young people in China face an increasingly grim economic future
“If the economy is going to grow (or at least avoid a contraction) in the long run, the government must create the conditions for job creation in high-productivity sectors, and for greater investment in higher education.” -Nancy Qian
LIVING BETTER
It’s a sad day in personal finance when the cool new perk at work is letting you dip into your paycheque early
With pay on demand, employees of participating companies can request salary they’ve earned to date instead of waiting for the usual direct deposit of their paycheque, but Rob Carrick isn’t impressed by this workplace “perk.”
“Anyone besides me see a downside here? Managing your finances from payday to payday is the personal finance equivalent of learning to read. Mastery of your spending is how you find your way to saving, investing, managing debt and building wealth.”
- News: Airlines increasingly using dynamic pricing for everything from luggage to legroom
- Spending on fun isn’t impossible – it’s just hard, experts say
- Investor newsletter: Two star products for investors who want to park money safely at no cost
TODAY’S LONG READ
From left, Gabrielle Roitman, Kayla Seffing, Maddy Hiller and Casey Myer take a selfie in front of an "Oppenheimer" movie poster before they attended an advance screening of "Barbie," Thursday, July 20, 2023, at AMC The Grove 14 theaters in Los Angeles.Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press
Theatres cash in on Barbie and Oppenheimer demand with higher ticket prices at some screenings
Almost one and a half million Canadians visited a Cineplex movie theatre during this past weekend’s Barbenheimer bonanza, helping the North American box office soar to record heights.
But at a number of Cineplex locations, a general admission ticket for either Greta Gerwig’s Barbie or Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer cost $1 more than a ticket for slightly older releases. Landmark Cinemas, Canada’s second-largest exhibitor, also priced some of its Barbie and Oppenheimer screenings $1 higher than other titles. The practice of charging more for different titles is referred to as “variable” or “dynamic pricing.”
Evening Update is written by Sierra Bein. 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.