Good evening,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Theresa May says she’ll quit if her Brexit deal passes, in bid to win over opponents
British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced she will resign if her withdrawal agreement with the European Union is approved by Parliament. She has struggled for months to get the agreement through the House of Commons, but it has been rejected twice by overwhelming margins.
This comes a day after a new poll shows that support among voters for Ms. May’s Brexit approach has plummeted to just 7 per cent, while 81 per cent said she was doing a bad job.
What’s next: Her announcement means the Conservatives could hold a leadership contest as early as late May. But the offer to step down might still not be enough to get her deal approved by MPs.
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters on our newsletter signup page.
Jody Wilson-Raybould calls for investigation into confidentiality breaches in the Supreme Court appointment process
Former federal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is calling for an investigation of confidentiality breaches in the Supreme Court appointment process, after published reports that she recommended a Manitoba judge for chief justice of Canada’s highest court - a recommendation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected (for subscribers).
She would not comment on the veracity of the reporting, but said she was not - as some have suggested - the source of the stories.
The dispute over leaks comes after Ms. Wilson-Raybould publicly accused Mr. Trudeau and senior officials of putting improper pressure on her when she was attorney-general to support a negotiated settlement for SNC-Lavalin, which faces charges of bribery and fraud. Read more on that story here.
Boeing outlines proposed updates to software system, new pilot training requirements for 737 Max
Boeing today outlined proposed updates to the software system and new pilot training requirements for its 737 Max aircraft, which are grounded worldwide after two unexplained crashes (for subscribers). But it gave no timeline for the changes and did not say when the global fleet of 371 Max planes will resume flying.
An Ethiopian Airline Boeing 737 Max crashed earlier this month, killing all 157 on board, including 18 Canadians. A Lion Air 737 Max crashed off of Indonesia last October, killing 189 people.
In both crashes, there are reports the pilots fought – and lost – a fight with the plane’s automated anti-stall system that points the nose toward the ground.
Ousted OPP veteran Brad Blair sues Doug Ford for $5-million for defamation
Doug Ford is being sued for $5-million by Brad Blair, a fired police commander who is alleging the Ontario Premier “maliciously” ruined his reputation in a "deliberate act of reprisal.”
Last fall, Mr. Blair was a deputy commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and acting as the interim leader. He was passed over in favour of Toronto Police Superintendent Ron Taverner, a friend of Mr. Ford.
That decision led to a lingering controversy centred on the potential for politicized policing. In December, Mr. Blair launched a legal action in an attempt to force a review of the hiring process. Read more on the story here.
Police street checks had ‘disproportionate and negative’ impact on black Nova Scotians, independent report says
Members of Halifax’s black Nova Scotian community are calling for a ban on police street checks after an independent report released this morning said the practice has had a “disproportionate and negative” impact on black people.
Criminologist Scot Wortley was commissioned in 2017 by Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Commission to study the practice of racial profiling in police street checks.
One of his recommendations is that the province consider banning street checks altogether, but Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey stopped short of committing to that.
ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY
Canadians share top science prize: Two of Canada’s pioneers in artificial intelligence have claimed the world’s top prize in computer science: Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio were named co-winners of the prestigious Turing Award today. They will share the US$1-million prize with, Yann LeCun, who worked with Dr. Hinton in Toronto in the late 1980s.
Alleged abduction update: Chinese student Wanzhen Lu, believed to be the victim of a violent abduction in Markham, Ont., is out of hospital and waiting to be reunited with his family as police hunt for the men suspected of kidnapping him, officers say.
Enbridge Line 3 approval confirmed: A Minnesota regulator has confirmed its approval of Enbridge Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement, allowing the $7-billion project to move forward, the company says (for subscribers).
Johnson & Johnson cleared in lawsuit: A New Jersey jury has cleared Johnson & Johnson of liability in a lawsuit brought by a man who said that asbestos in the company’s talcum powder products caused his mesothelioma.
Rogen teams up with Canopy Growth: Pineapple Express star Seth Rogen and screenwriter Evan Goldberg have teamed up with Canopy Growth to launch a Toronto-based Canadian cannabis brand called Houseplant.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index finished flat today, as worries of global economic slowdown curbed investor appetite for risk. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was down 22.63 points at 16,132.53.
U.S. stocks eased as Treasury bond yields fell again and a prolonged inversion in the yield curve fanned fears of a U.S. economic slowdown.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 32.14 points to 25,625.59, the S&P 500 lost 13.09 points to 2,805.37 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 48.15 points to end at 7,643.38.
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
Even in space, women can’t escape the flaws of biased design
“The fact that design has historically excluded women, not to mention those with disabilities and people of colour, isn’t merely fodder for Twitter exasperation or good-natured yuks on morning TV. It’s discriminatory, sometimes dangerous, and it works to keep certain segments of the population from ever feeling completely at home in the world. Or, indeed, in outer space.” - Elizabeth Renzetti (for subscribers)
Help for retirees living the RRSP ‘tax nightmare’
“Suggestion for retirees: Route a little bit of income every month into a high-interest savings account held within a TFSA to build a pool of money for paying taxes.” - Rob Carrick (for subscribers)
Sorry, Montreal, but Vancouver needs a Major League Baseball team more
“Vancouver has had a fraught history with its professional sports franchises, but that doesn’t mean it’s not ready for the sport that best suits the climate, culture and swing of the ocean city.” - Dave Bidini, author of Baseballissimo.
LIVING BETTER
If you weren’t already a nervous flier, the recent crashes of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in Indonesia and Ethiopia may have stirred some anxiety. Here are some ways to cope with a fear of flying (for subscribers).
- Cognitive behaviour therapy: This involves singling out the underlying fear, identifying what triggers the anxiety (such as size of plane, turbulence etc.) and helping patients become experts in these aspects to make the triggers less threatening.
- Education: Turn away from the headlines, experts advise, and look at the big picture - that air travel is safer than ever.
- Meditation and mindfulness: Research has shown that these can be effective treatments. Several apps are available to guide meditation, while flight-specific programs can be accessed through the in-flight entertainment systems of many airlines.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Hey Siri, what’s your gender? Female-voiced digital assistants spur sexism debate
Apple’s Siri can prattle off the height of celebrities at the drop of a hat. Amazon’s Alexa can order a fresh batch of toilet paper to your door. Google’s Assistant can help tune your guitar, while Microsoft’s Cortana does impressions on request.
Just say the word, and these digital assistants will respond to your queries with synthetic pep and nary a hint of complaint. But ask any of the devices about their gender and they seem to demur.
Pose the question to Siri, Cortana or Assistant, and each will insist they transcend such human constructs. Alexa replies, “I’m female in character.” But all of these artificially intelligent aides will answer in a woman’s voice, at least according to their default settings for Canadian users.
Critics argue this chorus of fembots reinforces stereotypes about women being servile, while members of the tech industry insist they’re simply catering to consumers. Read the full story here.
Evening Update is presented by S.R. Slobodian. 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.