Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The public inquiry into foreign interference, led by Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, heard today from cabinet ministers Karina Gould, Bill Blair and Dominic LeBlanc, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Here are highlights from each of them.
Government House Leader Karina Gould was minister of democratic institutions from Feb. 1, 2017, until Nov. 20, 2019. Gould said in the prehearing interview that, after the 2019 election, she was informed “CSIS had observed low-level foreign interference activities by China, similar to what had been seen in the past.” The threshold for telling the public about interference attempts during an election was high, she said, because doing so could itself be seen as interference.
Former Public Safety minister Bill Blair said he was briefed after the 2019 election on alleged Chinese meddling in the Don Valley North Liberal nomination race. In a prehearing interview, he said he was not concerned because it was not firmly substantiated. He also told the inquiry he did not see “substantial evidence” of Russian efforts to influence the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, but did see evidence of Russian efforts to influence public opinion outside elections.
Current Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told the foreign-interference inquiry he was given briefings in February and May of 2023, during which he was made aware of disinformation campaigns targeting Kenny Chiu and Erin O’Toole. He told the inquiry that diaspora members were often targets of interference attempts.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the last on the schedule. Early in his testimony, he was questioned about intelligence briefings, and told the inquiry that he mostly relies on in-person briefings, rather than reading reports. His main message appeared to be that he turns to his national-security adviser, Jody Thomas, to tell him what is important.
Visit our live blog for Steven Chase’s reporting during today’s inquiry.
- Liberal Party member warned MP Dong of CSIS surveillance, national security source says
- Campbell Clark: PMO staffers say intelligence reports on foreign interference fuzzier than advertised
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Bank of Canada holds rate steady, says it’s more confident in inflation easing
Canada’s central bank held the key interest rate steady at 5 per cent for the sixth consecutive time today, in a widely expected move.
But the Bank of Canada said that it’s growing more confident that inflation is moving back to its target. High interest rates are meant to cool the economy and slow down inflation.
BoC Governor Tiff Macklem did not specify when the bank will start lowering interest rates but said in a news conference that a June rate cut was “within the realm of possibilities.” While headline and core inflation has declined in recent months, Macklem said that the central bank needs to be sure it is “not just a temporary dip.”
- Market reaction: Traders slash bets on June rate cut
- Opinion: As the Bank of Canada resists cutting interest rates, is it falling behind the curve again?
- Grocery inflation to fall below 2 per cent this spring, report predicts
Alberta government introduces legislation to allow the province to cancel funding deals provincial agencies arrange directly with Ottawa
Premier Danielle Smith has rolled out legislation designed to give Alberta the power to block funding deals between Ottawa and provincial entities such as municipalities, universities and housing authorities, accusing the Prime Minister of using federal cash to subvert her government’s priorities.
The governing United Conservative Party today introduced a bill requiring entities under Alberta’s purview, including health agencies and school boards, to obtain the province’s consent before entering, amending, extending or renewing agreements with Ottawa.
Smith, speaking to reporters before the legislation was tabled, said the proposal is about defending Alberta’s constitutional jurisdiction. It is Smith’s most aggressive legislative attempt to stymie programs, plans and policies she considers at odds with her government’s goals.
Ontario PC government says it supports bill declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government will support a bill from the New Democrats that declares intimate partner violence an epidemic in the province.
Nearly a year ago, the Ontario government had rejected the move, arguing the term epidemic is reserved for the spread of an infectious or communicable disease, not violence against women. Supporters of Bill 173 said it’s an important step in making systemic changes to address the urgency of the problem.
While the PC government’s support means the bill will head to a legislative committee for study, advocates say it should be passed into law immediately.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Israeli military confirms strike that killed three sons of Hamas leader: An Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip killed three sons and three grandchildren of Hamas’s top political leader today. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile people to be killed in the war so far. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza. Also, Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr but celebrations are overshadowed by the crisis in Gaza and Israel’s expected military offensive in Rafah city.
- Opinion: Like Arafat, Netanyahu is choosing political power over securing his people’s future
Ontario government releases new housing bill: The Ontario government unveiled a new housing bill today that, among other changes, would eliminate requirements for parking spaces in developments near major public transit stations and bring in promised “use-it-or-lose-it” rules meant to get developers sitting on approvals to start construction.
Former Trump executive sentenced: Allen Weisselberg, a retired executive in Donald Trump’s real estate empire, was sentenced today to five months in jail for lying under oath during his testimony in the civil fraud lawsuit brought against the former president by New York’s attorney-general.
Spring real estate update: Real estate brokers say March was a “weird” month. Plus, the return of bidding wars is spreading across the Greater Toronto Area.
High risk of another year of record-breaking wildfires: Persistent drought and months of above-average temperatures have raised the risk of a repeat of last year’s ferocious wildfire season.
MARKET WATCH
U.S. stocks tumbled to a lower close on Wednesday after hotter-than-expected inflation data threw cold water on hopes that the Federal Reserve would begin cutting interest rates as early as June.
The Bank of Canada, meanwhile, held its key rate steady again but governor Tiff Macklem said a cut in June is possible.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 422.16 points at 38,461.51. The S&P 500 index was down 49.27 points at 5,160.64, while the Nasdaq composite was down 136.28 points at 16,170.36.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 162.65 points at 22,199.13.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.15 cents US compared with 73.65 cents US on Tuesday.
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TALKING POINTS
Doug Ford may not be able to get you a family doctor. But he can bring back paper bags
“So while Mr. Ford’s paper-bag coup is a small win for him personally, it doesn’t help the perception that his government is a glorified consumer-rights watchdog, fighting for your paper bags and toll-free roads while Ontarians line up at emergency rooms because they don’t have access to a family doctor and struggle to find affordable housing.” – Robyn Urback
Pay CEOs for performance, not failure
“Given the poor results, Canadian Tire did something very rare for a major public company: It did not pay cash bonuses to its executives, even though there was the ready excuse of poor weather. This is unusual, but it shouldn’t be.” – The Editorial Board
LIVING BETTER
Could a sound bath help you become a better leader?
A sound bath is when a facilitator plays a variety of calming instruments, generally including singing bowls, which are made from crystals or metals and struck gently with a mallet. Many people will experience these performances differently, but what’s proven is that the vibrations from the instruments decrease tension in the body. Sound baths can also help people access the theta state. When we’re in this state, our brain waves have a frequency of four to eight hertz, which is said to be where our creativity and intuition are at their highest. Here’s what to know.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Calgary’s Stampede Elm witnessed city’s transformation from cowtown to boomtown over 125 years
The 125-year-old American elm tree, known as Stampede Elm standing in a parking lot near downtown Calgary on March 24.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
The Stampede Elm was an American elm tree planted in the early 1900s that until this week lived in the Calgary Stampede parking lot on a patch of grass, surrounded by concrete. The beloved tree had been a fixture for roughly 125 years, just north of the Saddledome arena, but was cut down Monday to clear the site for a new event centre. While the felling leaves a massive space, both literally and figuratively, city staff have been working on a way to keep the tree living on.
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.