Good morning,
Emergencies Act powers weren’t needed to quell convoy protests, Ontario police force says
The sweeping powers triggered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quell February’s convoy protests were not needed, the Ontario Provincial Police testified before the public inquiry that’s examining whether the federal government contravened the law in its use of the powers.
The provincial police force’s brief opening statement on Thursday focused on the legal requirements the government had to meet before it could invoke the federal Emergencies Act.
- Campbell Clark: Let the inquiry ask tough questions of Doug Ford’s Ontario
Police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022.Cole Burston/The Canadian Press
This is the daily Morning Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Morning Update and more than 20 other Globe newsletters on our newsletter signup page.
Congo’s civilians, displaced and hungry, pay the price for proxy war
For decades, foreign powers have vied for influence in resource-rich Congo, where gold and coltan mines are among the most lucrative prizes in the country’s east.
In just one province, North Kivu, more than 200,000 have been forced to flee from their homes to escape fighting between Congo’s army and the Rwandan-backed M23 militia, according to United Nations estimates. And M23 is just one of approximately 120 armed groups in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, report Geoffrey York and Goran Tomasevic.
The militias and armies in the region are seeking not just mineral resources but also geopolitical influence.
Core inflation shows no signs of relenting in U.S.
Inflation in the United States showed few signs of easing in September, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will deliver another oversized rate hike next month and spurring a sharp sell-off and then a rebound in stock markets.
The U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday that core consumer price inflation, which excludes volatile food and gasoline prices, hit an annual rate of 6.6 per cent last month – the fastest pace in four decades. This puts pressure on the Fed to keep raising borrowing costs, even as the U.S. economy, and the global economy more broadly, are cooling rapidly.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop
Also on our radar
Hockey Canada’s governance review finds flaws in National Equity Fund: The review by retired Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell found that while having a fund to cover uninsured liabilities was not in itself incorrect, the way Hockey Canada administered and deployed the National Equity Fund (NEF) – with minimal disclosure and control over the money – was wrong.
Jan. 6 panel votes to subpoena Trump: The House committee voted unanimously to compel the former U.S. president to testify under oath and turn over documentation related to the 2021 Capitol attack, setting the stage for a potential legal battle with him.
- Analysis: Where does the Jan. 6 inquiry go from here?
- Trump tweet about ‘wild’ protest energized Oath Keepers, trial hears
CRTC launches review of how hearing participants are paid: After an outcry over its decision not to ban an anti-racism consultant condemned for a series of derogatory tweets about “Jewish white supremacists,” the broadcast and telecom regulator says it will examine its criteria for determining how people and organizations taking part in CRTC proceedings are paid.
Canadian oil sands firms to invest $24-billion in emissions projects: The investment by members of the Pathways Alliance – a group that covers about 95 per cent of oil sands production – will be spent on emissions-reduction projects.
Morning markets
Global markets bounce: World stocks rose on Friday, recovering from the previous session’s 2-1/2 year lows on a rally in U.S. stocks and hopes of more Chinese stimulus, while British government bonds rose on speculation of a U-turn on the country’s fiscal plans. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.65 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.49 per cent and 0.65 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei ended up 3.25 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 1.21 per cent. New York futures were modestly lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 72.47 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Danielle Smith’s disastrous first week on the job as Alberta Premier
“How could someone who is supposed to be the leader of a population that includes Indigenous people, members of the LBGTQ community and immigrants from any number of countries – in other words, people who truly understand what discrimination is – compare the lived experiences of these groups with those who chose not to get vaccinated? It was not just tone-deaf, but profoundly hurtful.” - Gary Mason
Trump and Kushner reap their rewards for sucking up to the Saudis
“The eye-popping gall of it all hasn’t attracted the attention it might. Given the deluge of non-stop Trumpian controversies, the country is weighed down with outrage fatigue. But the House Oversight Committee is on it, having launched an investigation into the obvious quid pro quo questions the investment raises.” - Lawrence Martin
Today’s editorial cartoon
Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Need to escape Canada’s cold winters? Try these five underrated destinations
With temperatures starting to dip and winter approaching, travelling to sunnier destinations is once again a realistic and welcome way to escape Canada’s cold weather.
From a family-friendly escape to San Diego to scenic dives in Azores, Portugal, there are a host of under-the-radar spots worth exploring.
Moment in time: Oct. 14, 2015
Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista throws his bat in the air after hitting a three-run homer in the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers in game five of the American League Division Series Oct 14, 2015, in Toronto.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Bautista’s bat flip for the Blue Jays
On this day in 2015, the Blue Jays were playing the visiting Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the American League Division Series. Toronto had lost the first two games of the best-of-five set but were back at the packed Rogers Centre for the playoff decider. Bottom of the seventh inning, Texas leading 3-2, two out, Toronto with two men on base. Jays slugger Jose Bautista facing Rangers reliever Sam Dyson. One ball, one strike, then a mighty swat. Bautista watches, watches, and it’s gone, a three-run shot to left field. Bautista relishes the moment, gives a haughty, vengeful stare at the Texas bench and then flips the bat. Boom. It was an iconic moment in team history that every baseball fan in Canada remembers. Globe and Mail photographer Fred Lum captured the bat in mid-flight and describes his history-recording photograph: “There was Bautista and the bat flip … there was the Blue Jays dugout emptying as the players all climbed over the rail, and then all the fans in the background jumping out of their seats.” The Jays went on to win the game 6-3 and the series 3-2. Lum’s photo won a National Newspaper Award. Philip King
Read today's horoscopes. Enjoy today's puzzles.
If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday morning, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.