Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
A special committee hired by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation that is probing donations to the charity tied to two wealthy Chinese businessmen say it can’t rule out the possibility that the cash sent may have been part of an “influence scheme” targeting the Trudeau government.
The special committee, headed by lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright, said it did not believe the motivation for the 2016 donation was intended to influence the foundation’s activities, but said it could have been targeting the recently elected Trudeau government. “We could not exclude the possibility that the donations in question may have been part of a wider influence scheme,” said the Feb. 5 report posted on the Trudeau Foundation website. The investigation did not find any evidence that the two billionaires or the Prime Minister “were involved in any illegal activities in connection with the donation itself.”
The probe did, however, find that the foundation’s handling of tax receipts related to the donations from Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng violated the Income Tax Act and that the Prime Minister’s brother, Alexandre Trudeau broke rules by accepting the $200,000, which he wasn’t authorized to do.
- The Editorial Board: The truth should not be [redacted]
- FAQs: What to expect from the public inquiry into foreign interference and how we got here
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Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire demands
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’s ceasefire and hostage-release agreement, calling the terms “delusional.” He said Israel will press on in its war against Hamas until achieving “absolute victory.”
The militant group’s detailed, three-phase plan said all hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and the end of the war. The plan would have effectively left Hamas in power in Gaza – directly opposing Israel’s wartime objective of destroying the group’s governing and military abilities.
Netanyahu made the comments after meeting U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who is in the region hoping to secure a ceasefire agreement. In response to Netanyahu’s comments, Blinken said an agreement between the sides was still possible. Meanwhile, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said a delegation would travel to Cairo for more talks, a sign that the negotiations would continue.
Ex-RCMP intelligence director sentenced to 14 years for breaching secrets law
Former RCMP director Cameron Ortis has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for breaching Canada’s secrets act. His actions, said Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger, undermined Canada’s reputation among its Five Eyes intelligence allies and potentially put lives at risk.
Justice Maranger said the sentence – a first for specific charges under the Security of Information Act – is a severe penalty and “fit and just” considering Ortis’s offences. In November, a jury found Ortis guilty of four counts of violating the secrets act. He was also found guilty of breach of trust and unauthorized use of a computer.
With his pre-trial custody credits applying to the sentence, Ortis will serve more than seven years in prison.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Poilievre’s stand on puberty blockers: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he opposes the use of puberty blockers for minors, speaking about transgender medical care after Danielle Smith’s introduction of new restrictions in Alberta.
- Marsha Lederman: Naheed Nenshi feels like the leader Alberta needs right now
Peel Region police investigating extortion cases: A police force in the Greater Toronto Area says it has charged five people and is investigating more than two dozen cases of alleged extortion targeting predominantly South Asian businesses.
Senate bill headed to scrap heap: A bipartisan $118-billion U.S. Senate bill to tighten border security failed today but hope lives on for approval to send aid to Ukraine and Israel.
Bombings in Pakistan: Bombs ripped through two separate political offices in southwestern Pakistan today, killing at least 30 people, officials said, a day before the country was set to elect a new parliament.
Russia attacks targets across Ukraine: Russia fired cruise and ballistic missiles and Shahed-type drones at six regions across Ukraine this morning, authorities reported, killing at least five civilians and wounding almost 50 others, including a pregnant woman.
PMO’s office vandalized: Five environmental protesters have been arrested outside of the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council for blocking traffic and spraying paint on the building’s entrance.
China’s advantage in the Arctic: The country is gaining a major foothold in the Arctic as Russia, facing a severe budget crunch from its military assault on Ukraine, increasingly relies on Beijing and unprecedented levels of Chinese corporate and state investment to develop the northern region.
MARKET WATCH
S&P 500 at record high amid upbeat earnings
Wall Street’s major stock indexes rose on Wednesday, with the benchmark S&P 500 registering a record closing high, as investors applauded overall strength in U.S. earnings and monitored Federal Reserve comments for clues on interest rates.
The S&P 500 index was up 40.83 points or 0.82 per cent closing at 4,995.06, while the Nasdaq composite was up 147.65 points or 0.95 per cent at 15,756.64.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 11.44 points or 0.05 per cent at 20,969.18.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 156.00 points or 0.4 per cent at 38,677.36.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.24 cents US compared with 74.04 cents US on Tuesday.
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TALKING POINTS
Prescribing a strong dose of competition
“The new and pending changes to the Competition Act are essential. Just as important is changing the culture of business in Canada.” – The Editorial Board
Conservatives discover the Charter can work for them, too
“But the broader conservative lament, that “unelected judges” are undoing the work of elected parliamentarians, or that government’s discretion to act in the public interest has been unduly confined by the Charter, is ahistorical, not to say alegal.” – Andrew Coyne
LIVING BETTER
What to do in Whitehorse when you’ve only got 72 hours
As Johanna Schneller writes, tourists don’t leave Whitehorse to go into the wild; Whitehorse is already there.Travel Yukon
Just a two-hour flight from Vancouver, Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon, is one of the country’s fastest-growing municipalities, with 800 people moving to the 32,000-strong city each year. Johanna Schneller writes about lying on her back at midnight in an open plain of snow just outside of the city, hoping to see the northern lights dance and learning the art of long-exposure photography in time to capture the Aurora. Read more on what to do if you find yourself up north.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Here’s your cross-Canada restaurant guide
Épicerie Pumpui MontrealMatthew Perrin/Supplied
Date night can mean different things to different people. The Globe asked industry pros to narrow down the best date-night spots in cities across the country, ultimately resulting in this list of 26 restaurants. Discover where to go and what to eat in your city, according to local experts in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax and more.
- Also: Eight bold wines to celebrate Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day
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.