Good morning,
Nathaniel Veltman has been found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder for using his pickup truck to kill four members of a Muslim family in June of 2021 in London, Ont. But whether the 22-year-old, who subscribed to white nationalist views, is also to be legally considered a terrorist for his attack is being left for a sentencing hearing that is to occur this winter.
Under Canadian law, first-degree murder is a charge that is usually supported by prosecutors presenting evidence showing that an accused has plotted a premeditated killing. Yet the Crown can also argue first-degree murder another way, by proving that a slaying was the result of a terrorist conspiracy intended to spread fear.
Veltman’s case marked the first time in a Canadian prosecution that the Crown had argued that white nationalism is a terrorist ideology and was also the first time that a terrorist first-degree murder case was successfully argued before a jury. Legal observers have watched the case closely to see whether it expands the boundaries of terrorism prosecutions.
Left to right: Justice Renee Pomerance, Nathaniel Veltman, and Crown Prosecutor Kim Johnson are seen as the verdict is read in the Superior Court of Justice in Windsor, Ont., in a courtroom sketch made on Nov. 16, 2023.Alexandra Newbould/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 sign-up page.
Former Olympic kayaker banned for life, found to have groomed underage girls
Former Canadian Olympic kayaker Angus Mortimer has been banned from participating in the sport after a panel of adjudicators concluded the 38-year-old used his status a decade ago to groom teenage girls competing in Canoe Kayak Canada’s high-performance program and coerce them into sex acts, in some cases while they were severely intoxicated or unconscious.
A copy of the panel’s reasons for the ban, obtained by The Globe and Mail, details a pattern of alleged abusive behaviour. It says Mortimer would identify vulnerable female athletes, as young as 15, and first approach them on social media. Mortimer would then sexualize the relationship, the document says, first in online messaging apps, and then in person. The alleged incidents that gave rise to the ban took place between 2009 and 2013.
Canoe Kayak Canada posted the ban on its website, saying Mortimer violated the organization’s harassment policy, as well as its sexual harassment policy.
Angus Mortimer of Canada after winning the gold medal in the Canoe Flatwater Racing competition at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro on July 27, 2007.CAETANO BARREIRA/Reuters
Ottawa’s exclusion from Indo-Pacific talks worries business group
Canada remains left out of a U.S.-led trade initiative to expand economic co-operation among Indo-Pacific allies and partners as a counterweight to China, and a group representing many of the country’s largest employers is voicing its concerns.
Talks between Washington and 13 other Indo-Pacific countries yielded a partial agreement unveiled Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in San Francisco, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is attending. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework For Prosperity, whose members include India, Japan, South Korea and Australia, announced co-operation on clean energy and anti-corruption measures.
Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, who was in San Francisco for the APEC summit, said it was troubling that Canada has not been invited to join IPEF. His council represents 170 chief executives whose companies account for 50 per cent of Canada’s annual economic output.
- Analysis: After Xi-Biden summit, the U.S.-China relationship is all smiles — until the next crisis
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) speaks during a meeting with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape (L) during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Leaders' Week in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2023.FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
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
Aid to Gaza halted with communications down for a second day: Communications systems in the Gaza Strip were down for a second day Friday with no fuel to power the internet and phone networks, causing aid agencies to halt cross-border deliveries of humanitarian supplies even as they warned people may soon face starvation.
Ottawa’s research ‘superchairs’ aim to delve deep into Arctic warming, biosensors and more: The latest cohort of “superchairs” were unveiled during an announcement on Thursday at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby B.C., where three of them will be based. The remainder are taking up positions at 17 other institutions across the country.
Myanmar’s civil war reaches Chinese border, marking significant change in the fighting: The United States Institute of Peace, a Washington-based think tank, estimates the Brotherhood Alliance – as the three ethnic armies are called – has taken control of more than 100 military outposts across northern Shan state in central Myanmar.
Bell Canada seeks appeal of network sharing decision by CRTC: BCE Inc.’s Bell Canada is asking the Federal Court for leave to appeal a recent decision by Canada’s telecom regulator, saying the body committed an error of law and exceeded its jurisdiction when it ordered Bell to share access to its fibre network with competitors.
Today at 1 p.m. ET, join reporter Jana Pruden and producer Kasia Mychajlowycz for a Reddit AMA to discuss In Her Defence, their podcast about Helen Naslund, an Alberta woman sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing her abusive husband. They will be taking questions about Helen’s story, the making of the podcast and anything else you want to ask.
Which famous Canadian Ryan received the Order of British Columbia this week?
a. Ryan Gosling
b. Ryan Reynolds
c. Ryan Phillippe
d. Ryan Stiles
Take our news quiz to find out!
Morning markets
Global stocks upbeat: World stocks held near two-month peaks on Friday, while oil prices were set for a fourth week of declines in a boost for the inflation outlook and government bond markets that are increasingly confident interest rate cuts are coming next year. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.99 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.91 per cent and 0.98 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.48 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 2.12 per cent. New York futures were modestly higher. The Canadian dollar was firmer at 72.87 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
When should protest be considered offside?
“Protests of course belong on university campuses, but not when they are intimidating or threatening. Universities have an obligation to allow for protest but even more importantly, to ensure the safety of their students. Jewish students do not feel safe at many Canadian universities right now – and back home, their parents are freaking out.” – Marsha Lederman
Glencore-Teck deal reveals the irony of coal: Profitable and vital, yet endlessly shunned
“Despite how profitable and strategic Teck’s coal resources are, they will soon come under foreign control. It is hard to imagine this unfolding the same way for any other commodity.” – Heather Exner-Pirot
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Why we’re obsessed with instant ramen, plus a recipe for Maggi Masala Noodle chaat
In a world of recipes scaled to feed four to six people, there is huge appeal in warm, nourishing meals that come with just the right time commitment when cooking for one, particularly those well-suited to eating at your desk or curled up on the couch. Rising food prices likely have something to do with the increasing popularity of instant noodles. Cooking at home more than ever during the pandemic had many of us getting tired of it and seeking out quick, cheap, easy and adaptable ways to feed ourselves. Instant noodles are hitting all the right notes. Julie Van Rosendaal explains why.
Moment in time: Nov. 17, 1869
Suez Canal opens
Ships in the Suez Canal at its opening on Nov. 17, 1869.Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The Suez Canal was dug by enslaved people, financed by France and coveted by Britain. The 193-kilometre north-south waterway through Egypt, which links the Mediterranean and Red seas, opened on this day in 1869. Britain, eager to protect its overland trade routes to India, would soon invest in the canal. The Suez allowed ships departing London to reach Bombay, as it was called, about 12 days faster than vessels that journeyed around the treacherous tip of Africa. Britain and other European powers would go on to leverage the canal to secure their colonial grip over India, Egypt and the rest of Africa. About 1.5 million people worked on the canal’s construction, first by hand and later using dredging machinery. The cost of US$100-million was twice the estimate and the six-year time frame became 10 years, slowed by weather, cholera outbreaks, worker fatalities and other features of forced labour. Egypt finally declared control of the canal in 1956, igniting an invasion by Israel, France and Britain. The troops’ withdrawal would score a victory for Egypt and mark the decline of Western influence in the region. Eric Atkins.
Enjoy today's horoscopes. Solve today's puzzles. Read today's Letters to the Editor.
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.