Good morning,
These are the top stories:
Ottawa and B.C. are vowing action after a Globe investigation on the trucking industry
The federal government is vowing to probe “all allegations of abuse” of temporary foreign workers and B.C. has ordered a sweeping review of the practices governing the trucking industry in the wake of a Globe investigation that revealed some companies are using untrained foreign drivers.
Several immigration consultants and trucking companies are taking large illegal cash payments in exchange for driving jobs that might help newcomers qualify for permanent residency. Those individuals are then sent on the road with no training, leading to deadly accidents and near misses.
B.C. is now reiterating that it will impose mandatory minimum driver training, which most provinces have. The province is reviewing enforcement standards, which could lead to tougher sanctions for lawbreaking companies.
The department that oversees the foreign-worker program said that “any employer found to have violated the rules will face serious consequences.”
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The only all-candidates English-language election debate is tonight
Federal party leaders – including Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet and the People Party’s Maxime Bernier – are set to take to the stage this evening in Gatineau, Que., at 7 p.m. ET (it will be broadcast on multiple networks and online).
We’re nearly a month into this election campaign, but Nanos Research polling shows all six parties are within two percentage points of where they started. Campbell Clark’s explanation? “Amid the accusations of hypocrisy, the leaders have yet to give voters a clear sense they have some kind of agenda for the country that they might subscribe to,” he writes.
John Doyle, meanwhile, says that it’s “high time we took federal election TV debates with the seriousness they deserve.”
And Adam Radwanski delves into what he says should be the defining issue of this election: climate change. “When some of the biggest policy disagreements are around the most daunting global issue of the 21st century, no one should be able to dismiss this election as lacking sufficient meaning.” (Go here for a comparison of the various climate proposals.)
On the campaign trail, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney spent the weekend helping the Conservatives in the Toronto area. Speaking to Chinese-Canadians, he argued that the Liberals have blown “huge holes” in the immigration system, in remarks that appeared aimed at a surge in asylum claims at the Canada-U.S. border.
Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, called a Cape Breton candidate’s past racist and sexist comments “unacceptable” but would not drop Jaime Battiste from his party. On Friday, the Conservatives dropped Heather Leung as their candidate for Burnaby North-Seymour over offensive comments about the LGBTQ community.
A second whistle-blower has come forward in the Trump-Ukraine saga
The attorney who represents both whistle-blowers said the second individual can not only corroborate the original information, but also has “firsthand knowledge” of key events.
Donald Trump and his allies have called the original complaint politically motivated and said it was based on secondhand knowledge.
The Democratic impeachment inquiry is centred on whether Trump used his powers to push Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden – and if the U.S. President withheld aid to the country as leverage.
In other U.S. political news, it has emerged that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack when he was taken to hospital last week. The 78-year-old is now back home in Vermont after Las Vegas doctors inserted two stents to open up a blocked artery.
More violence in Hong Kong after Carrie Lam invokes emergency powers
Dozens of protesters were arrested on Sunday after they defied new orders that say they cannot wear masks. Tens of thousands took to the streets again, with police firing tear gas and charging with batons and protesters throwing bricks and petrol bombs.
The violence came after the city’s financial centre was virtually shut down on Friday in the wake of the emergency measures. Subway stations were set on fire and buildings associated with mainland Chinese banks were vandalized.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
No education strike in Ontario: The provincial government reached a tentative last-minute deal with CUPE, staving off a strike by 55,000 custodians, secretaries and educational-support workers that would have forced school closings.
Back to boom for Canadian tech sector: Canadian companies drew $2.4-billion in venture- and growth-capital investment in the third quarter, a figure not seen since the dot-com bubble was coming to an end in 2000. Some of the main beneficiaries included B.C. legal software provider Clio and St. John’s-based Verafin, which sells anti-fraud solutions.
Rock drummer Ginger Baker dies: The legendary – and volatile – stick wielder behind the ‘60s groups Cream and Blind Faith died at the age of 80. In the documentary Beware of Mr. Baker, former bandmates Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood recall both his personal destructiveness and impressive musicianship.
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks tread water as weak European data, trade anxiety offset U.S. jobs boost: Global stocks were little changed on Monday as broadly positive U.S. jobs data quelled some fears about an economic slowdown, but nervousness over U.S.-China trade talks persisted and more weak European economic data trickled in. Tokyo’s Nikkei lost 0.2 per cent, while Chinese markets are closed. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.1 and 0.3 per cent by about 4:30 a.m. ET. New York futures were lower. The Canadian dollar was at about 75 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Honey, it’s Ottawa calling, and they’re offering the best cellphone deal ever
Globe editorial: “[Wireless-bill promises make] for some nice campaign sound bites, but so far the solutions on offer are about as convincing as one of those spam robo-calls telling you to drop everything and call now, because you’re the lucky winner of a free night in a hotel somewhere.”
Winter is coming: Why Canada isn’t prepared for the next recession
Konrad Yakabuski: “the parties’ fiscal frameworks are only as reliable as the assumptions they’re based on. And no party is making the one assumption that may end up mattering most. The odds that the next federal government will have to manage public finances through a recession are rising by the day.”
Knowing your family’s medical history could save your life
Ami McKay: “Today, people around the world are “discovering their heritage” through their DNA. Ancestry kits are among the top-selling birthday and Christmas gifts. … And yet we rarely talk about illness between generations and the patterns it can leave in our blood.” Ami McKay is the author of Daughter of Family G: a Memoir of Cancer Genes, Love and Fate.
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
(David Parkins/The Globe and Mail)David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
As I enter middle age, these are the fitness lessons I wish I could teach my younger self
On the cusp of 40, personal trainer Paul Landini reflects on his fitness mistakes. One key piece of advice? Remember that exercising is supposed to be fun: The grownup rules of physical fitness emphasize pain, suffering and drudgery over pleasure, joy and leisure. … If your current workout is leaving you bored and listless, try something new.”
MOMENT IN TIME
Candy apple, 1965
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo librarians working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of 20th-century news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. In the spirit of Halloween, we’re looking at candy this month.
(Boris Spremo/The Globe and Mail)Boris Spremo/The Globe and Mail
The gleaming candy apple, with its glossy-red colour, hard-to-crack sugar coating, Popsicle-stick handle and ripe apple centre, is a healthy/not healthy snack. Its invention is credited to a New Jersey candy maker named William Kolb in 1908, who could not have imagined the business it would create for generations of dentists. It’s a treat often associated with Halloween, carnivals or fairs, or, to those of a certain age, street peddlers and push carts. Kids, such as the young girl above, photographed in 1965, love to crunch through the hard shell to reach the contrasting mushy interior. Taste buds are tingled by the rich flavour combination of sweet and tart. Adults usually see it as a waste of a good piece of fruit. And the visual appeal? Candy-apple red is an officially recognized colour-code name that defines a certain evocative shade and gloss. – Philip King
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