Morning Update: CSIS warned public safety minister’s office about China targeting Chong, director says

Good morning,

CSIS director David Vigneault said the spy agency deliberately sent a May, 2021, note warning about China’s targeting of a Conservative MP and his relatives to then-public safety minister Bill Blair’s office and intended for this information to reach the minister because it was considered of high importance.

The testimony yesterday from Vigneault appeared to be an effort to defend CSIS, as a Commons committee probes why the MP, Michael Chong, wasn’t warned of the intelligence for two years.

Blair told the committee last week he didn’t receive the note, and said it would have been up to Vigneault to bring it to his attention.

• RCMP have opened investigation into China’s targeting of Michael Chong and his relatives
• Editorial: Four moments of truth for a public inquiry into election interference

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Trump pleads not guilty to all 37 criminal charges over classified documents

Donald Trump is the first former U.S. president in history to face federal indictment after being arraigned yesterday for mishandling classified documents and obstructing efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty to all 37 criminal counts.

Trump did not say anything during a nearly hour-long appearance in a Miami court, with his lawyer speaking on his behalf. He was released with no conditions, so he is free to travel around the country and abroad.

Trump, who is seeking to reclaim the White House next year, is polling far ahead of other candidates in the Republican presidential nomination race and has vowed to keep running even if criminally convicted.

• David Shribman: The tumultuous Trump saga graduates from the unprecedented to the dangerous
• E. Jean Carroll can pursue $10-million lawsuit against Donald Trump, judge says

Ottawa declined watchdog’s request for funding to deal with complaints over access to information

The federal government refused a request last fall from Canada’s Information Commissioner for additional funding, which she was seeking in order to reduce a backlog of complaints about how Ottawa responds to access to information requests.

Caroline Maynard said new funding is necessary so the current backlog of 3,472 complaints can be handled by her department.

Last week, The Globe launched Secret Canada, an investigation into the country’s broken access systems. The investigation revealed that public institutions throughout Canada are routinely breaking freedom of information laws by overusing redactions and failing to meet statutory timelines, and that they are facing few – if any – consequences for ignoring precedents set by courts and appeals bodies.

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Also on our radar

Brown’s exit confirms need for better process, Chief Justice says: Richard Wagner, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said yesterday the harassment allegations against former justice Russell Brown are “unfortunate,” but added that Canadians should feel good that there was a process to deal with the situation.

• Campbell Clark: Hushing up the fall of a Supreme Court judge

Rainfall may bring relief from wildfires: Firefighters battling wildfires across the country may get some relief, because heavy rainfall and strong winds are in the forecast. Nearly 450 wildfires were burning from coast to coast yesterday, just over half of which were considered out of control.

Vegas wins Stanley Cup: The Vegas Golden Knights have won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, beating the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5. Forward Jonathan Marchessault, who ended the post-season with a 10-game points streak, received the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

Toronto businessman to buy Ottawa Senators: Billionaire Michael Andlauer will be the next owner of the Ottawa Senators, after his $950-million bid for the team was accepted. Under the deal, a group of investors led by Andlauer will own 90 per cent of the team, with the remaining 10 per cent retained by the two daughters of the club’s late former owner, Eugene Melnyk.

• Who is Michael Andlauer, the new owner of the Ottawa Senators and how did he make his money?

CRA knew clawbacks would cause hardship: The Canada Revenue Agency was aware that an increase in its debt collection activities could lead to financial difficulties for low-income Canadians, but decided to continue.

Morning markets

Markets await Fed: Global shares edged higher and the U.S. dollar held near three-week lows on Wednesday as traders were all but certain that the U.S. Federal Reserve will refrain from hiking interest rates later in the session. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.31 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.58 per cent and 0.74 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei added 1.47 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.58 per cent. New York futures were mixed with Nasdaq and S&P futures up but Dow futures posting modest declines. The Canadian dollar was higher at 75.27 US cents.

What everyone’s talking about

Many Canadians don’t know the first thing about real sacrifice

“Hate on Justin Trudeau and the Liberals all you want, but at least they are trying to do something. Yes, they have missed climate targets but the carbon tax they’ve introduced is real; they are almost certainly taking a big political hit for it as well. The easier avenue would be the one the federal Conservatives and their most unserious Leader, Pierre Poilievre, want to take – and that is to do nothing.” – Gary Mason

Postmedia is in a crash dive – Ottawa should let it decline

“Time will soon grind further upon Postmedia, and it should be allowed to decline. Federal subsidies work only to keep payments flowing to hedge funds, with debatable returns for taxpayers.” – Marc Edge

Today’s editorial cartoon

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Living better

How to use ChatGPT to plan your next trip

Planning a trip can be complicated. Travel guidebooks can have too much information to look through and a simple search on Google can give you dozens of unhelpful websites. Some tech-savvy travellers have found another solution – artificial intelligence. Here’s a helpful guide for how to use AI chatbots to book your next vacation.

Moment in time: June 14, 1994

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Riots in Vancouver after Stanley Cup loss

Say what you will about Vancouver’s reputation as an oasis of peace and mindfulness: It’s not because of its hockey fans. When the Canucks lost a tightly contested Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals 3-2 in New York to the Rangers, about 60,000 frustrated fans who had gathered on Robson Street began coursing through Vancouver’s downtown core for its first of two hockey-related riots (the second was in 2011, after the Canucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Bruins), looting, drinking and clashing with hundreds of city police and RCMP. By the time the mob dispersed about four hours later amid clouds of tear gas, one man had been shot in the head by a police rubber bullet, 200 others had suffered minor injuries, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage had been incurred. Witnesses blamed the aggressive actions of the riot squad for inflaming the crowd; TV cameras had caught police attacking bystanders. But a review conducted by the Vancouver police absolved the department of responsibility. “No officer made any mistakes,” Chief Raymond Canuel told reporters. “I’d give them an A.” Simon Houpt

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