The Evening Update newsletter will pause Monday and resume on Tuesday.
Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Trudeau’s use of Emergencies Act was appropriate, inquiry finds
The 10-month public inquiry into the three weeks of protests that gridlocked the nation’s capital and clogged several border crossings early last year has culminated in a report which finds that the Emergencies Act was needed to end the protests.
After hundreds of hours of witness testimony and thousands of pages of document disclosures from police agencies and all levels of government, Justice Paul Rouleau concluded that the threshold for invocation was met, but added that the use of the Emergencies Act could have been avoided if not for failures in policing and breakdowns in federalism.
Among Justice Rouleau’s findings:
- Cabinet’s worry that it was facing a worsening situation, one that was at risk of becoming dangerous and unmanageable, was a reasonable concern.
- Evidence supporting both a subjective and objective reasonable belief in the existence of a public order emergency was credible and compelling.
- The freezing of financial assets without due process was an effective measure, but should have included a specific “delisting mechanism” for those whose accounts had been frozen but who left the protests. Justice Rouleau called the absence of this capability a “failing.”
- A series of policing failures contributed to a situation that spun out of control. What began as lawful protest descended into lawlessness.
- Justice Rouleau took Canada’s political class to task for failing to co-ordinate and co-operate across different levels of government, calling the events of last winter “a failure of federalism.”
- The Ontario government, under Doug Ford, should have provided the Ottawa residents with a clear message that they had not been abandoned by their provincial government during a time of crisis.
During a news conference this afternoon responding to the findings of the inquiry, Prime Minister Trudeau welcomed the results. He did however express regret over calling convoy protesters a “fringe minority.”
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CSIS documents reveal Chinese strategy to influence Canada’s 2021 election
Chinese diplomats and their proxies backed the re-election of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the 2021 federal election campaign – but only to another minority government – and worked to defeat Conservative politicians considered to be unfriendly to Beijing. The full extent of the Chinese interference operation is laid bare in both secret and top-secret Canadian Security Intelligence Service documents covering the period before and after the September, 2021, election.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Rogers, Shaw and Videotron extend takeover deadline again pending final approval from Ottawa
Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Videotron Ltd. have extended the self-imposed deadline for their deal until March 31 as they await the federal Industry Minister’s approval. The extension is the latest in a series of delays for Rogers’s planned $20-billion takeover of Shaw, which has been in the works for nearly two years.
Niagara sees ‘surge’ in demand for services as Quebec migrants transferred to Ontario
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says it began transferring migrants arriving in Quebec to Ottawa and Niagara Falls in July as Quebec’s shelter system – and hotels rented by IRCC – reached capacity.
The Regional Municipality of Niagara says the federal government is doubling the number of hotel rooms for asylum seekers in the region, which has officials worried about their ability to provide services.
- Andrew Coyne: Close the Roxham Road ‘loophole’ in the Safe Third Country Agreement? The whole agreement is one big loophole
Five former Memphis police officers plead not guilty in death of Tyre Nichols
Five former Memphis police officers on Friday pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges stemming from last month’s beating of Tyre Nichols. Police video captured images of the officers beating and kicking Nichols, hitting him with a baton, spraying him with pepper spray and firing a stun gun at him on Jan. 7 following a traffic stop. The case has renewed an U.S. national discussion of race relations and police brutality.
Chinese balloon flew through ‘radar gaps’ during journey over Canada, Norad says
The deputy commander of Norad says a suspected Chinese spy balloon passed through “radar gaps” during its flight over Canada. Lieutenant-General Alain Pelletier says that affected the military’s ability to track its flight path as it flew over central British Columbia.
Appearing before a parliamentary committee this morning, Pelletier and Major-General Paul Prevost of the Canadian Armed Forces strategic joint staff said the Chinese balloon passed near several Canadian military bases during its journey through Canada on Jan. 30-31, but did not pass over anything of particular significance before it re-entered the United States and was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index fell today to its lowest closing level in four weeks, including losses for commodity-linked stocks, as investors weighed how much further central banks will raise interest rates.
The S&P/TSX composite index ended down 91.18 points, or 0.4%, at 20,515.24, its lowest closing level since Jan. 20. For the week, the index lost 0.5%.
The S&P 500 declined 0.28% to end the session at 4,079.09 points. The Nasdaq fell 0.58% to 11,787.27 points, while Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.39% to 33,826.69 points.
The loonie was trading at 74.22 cents (U.S.), off 0.09 cents.
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TALKING POINTS
We must urgently reinvent public transit for the postpandemic world
“In terms of delivery, more thinking outside the box is required. In addition to continued focus on service quality in key areas such as punctuality, reliability, cleanliness, safety and security, transit agencies must seek new partnerships to service evolving customer requirements and to retain and attract riders.” – Andy Byford
Radio lets in the world. We shouldn’t be in a rush to phase it out
“For the listener, turning on the radio is as easy as opening and closing a book. Turn on the dial, turn it off. No one is intimidated. No one has to go through the barbed-wire fence of the internet to reach it.” – Elizabeth Hay
LIVING BETTER
A smart kitchen re-do
Can smaller be better? When cookbook author and food columnist Lucy Waverman downsized to a condo, remodeling the kitchen was a top priority – and it wasn’t without its challenges. For starters, the building had no gas line, which was a potential dealbreaker for someone used to cooking on a six-burner gas stove. But with the help of a designer, Waverman got what she was looking for: an open (but not too open) floorplan, a giant pantry wall and easy-to-clean porcelain counter slabs. Read full story.
TODAY’S LONG READ
A winter fuel package
We did the math, and spring is still 40,320 minutes away (give or take a few). But until then, we’ve rounded up the 25 best movies, books, albums and more to fuel you through until the thaw. From a new season to Succession to a heartbreaking and hilarious Canadian film debut, these offerings are what we’re most excited about as winter draws to a close.
The Globe and Mail is collecting stories and experiences from readers who are living with or have lived with long COVID/post-COVID-19 condition. Has long COVID affected your life? Share your story with The Globe
Evening Update is written and compiled by Andrew Saikali. 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.