Morning Update: MPs vote to call Brenda Lucki to testify on allegations of political interference in RCMP’s N.S. shooting investigation

Good morning,

MPs will hold a hearing next month into allegations that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, at the request of the Liberal government, tried to put pressure on Mounties investigating the Nova Scotia mass shooting to help advance Ottawa’s gun-control agenda.

Notes from RCMP Superintendent Darren Campbell made public this week allege that Lucki said she had “promised the Public Safety Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office” that the RCMP would disclose the type of firearms used in the mass shooting because it would support the government’s “pending gun-control legislation.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denied that his office put pressure on Lucki to act in a way that could give momentum to the Liberal firearms-control legislation, saying he and his office did “absolutely not” interfere in the RCMP’s decisions on this matter. “It is extremely important to highlight that it is only the RCMP, it is only police, that determine what and when to release information,” he said.

• Why the RCMP withheld some details after 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting
• Former RCMP commissioner defends Mountie behind Brenda Lucki allegations

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European Union grants Ukraine candidacy status after nearly two-decade struggle

The European Union formally granted candidate status to Ukraine, putting the country on course for eventual membership. The journey to full membership will still take years – and likely reforms from the country postwar – but is a step Ukraine has sought for two decades.

All 27 EU leaders supported opening membership to Ukraine and neighbouring Moldova, which is also considered a possible target of Russian expansionism, according to European Council president Charles Michel. “A historic moment. Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU,” Michel wrote on Twitter. “Our future is together.”

The Globe and Mail spoke to Masi Nayyem, a Ukrainian soldier injured in a land-mine explosion earlier this month, which took his eye and required a six-hour brain surgery to remove pieces of shrapnel from his head. For him, this news brings some relief. “From a personal perspective, this is what I lost my eye for,” he said.

Thunder Bay police chief faces hearing on misconduct allegations

Hours after Thunder Bay Police Chief Sylvie Hauth announced she would retire next year, a provincial tribunal revealed that she will face a hearing over three counts of alleged misconduct related to a criminal investigation into a member of the city’s police board.

In a statement to media on Thursday morning, Hauth said she would be retiring from the service next June. Later in the day, the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC), a tribunal that oversees policing services in the province, released notice of the hearing, along with the findings of its initial investigation into the Chief.

The probe of Hauth’s conduct concerns a criminal investigation into Georjann Morriseau, who was chair of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board at the time. (She still sits on the board, but not as chair.)

According to the OCPC findings, the police force launched the probe of Morriseau in November, 2020, after they came to suspect her of leaking information about an internal investigation. The following month, Hauth decided to transfer the investigation into Morriseau to the Ontario Provincial Police, according to the OCPC document. In its findings, the tribunal cites a 2021 memo in which Hauth said she knew “it would not be appropriate for a police service to investigate any of its members or board members.”

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Also on our radar

Ukraine signals withdraw from Sievierodonetsk as Russians inch forward: Ukraine signalled on Friday its troops were withdrawing from the key eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, the scene for weeks of heavy fighting, and a move that would be a significant setback in its struggle to defeat Russian forces. Sievierodonetsk’s fall would leave only Lysychansk - its sister city on the western bank of the Siverskyi Donets River - remaining in Ukrainian hands.

How the U.S. Supreme Court is remaking America’s legal landscape: The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority has knocked down a 111-year-old New York gun law, ruled in favour of public funds for religious schooling and now appears poised to overturn a half-century of abortion rights. After decades of the Supreme Court taking an incremental approach to the law, critics say that judicial caution and modern precedent are being dispatched by conservatives on the bench.

Monkeypox outbreaks have re-emerged outside of Africa, and experts say it was only a matter of time: The WHO convened an emergency committee Thursday to decide whether the outbreak, which has 210 confirmed cases in Canada, should be declared a global emergency. Although its spread came as a surprise to many, epidemiologist Anne Rimoin says the warning signs have been obvious for years.

Patrick Brown expresses concerns about Conservative MPs’ talk with soldier facing charges over vaccine-mandate criticism: Conservative leadership candidate Patrick Brown says he hoped Tory MPs received guarantees that convoy members would obey the law with their coming activities before they agreed to meet with them this week.

Canada needs 5.8 million new homes by 2030 to bring prices down to affordable levels, CMHC says: A new report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. shows 5.8 million new homes are needed by the end of the decade to lower home costs and ensure residents are not spending more than 40 per cent of their income on housing.

China may have tried to discourage Canadians from voting Conservative, federal unit says: A federal research unit detected what may be a Chinese Communist Party information operation that aimed to discourage Canadians of Chinese heritage from casting their ballot for the federal Conservatives in the last election, according to a report obtained by The Canadian Press. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa denies the allegations.

Morning markets

Tempered inflation woes: Global stocks were headed for their first weekly gain in a month as recent declines in commodity prices helped ease inflation fears for analysts and investors. Around 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.26 per cent, and Germany’s DAX increased 0.57 per cent. France’s CAC 40 grew 1.80 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei advanced 1.23 per cent, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 2.09 per cent. U.S. futures were higher. The Canadian dollar was trading at 77.15 U.S. cents.

What everyone’s talking about

Gary Mason: “I don’t believe Hockey Canada paid millions, if that’s the case, simply to keep this woman quiet. It paid the money because it believed her. And the organization didn’t want this going to court where the exposure would be horrible for their star players and their potential professional careers.”

Sheema Khan: “Imagine, then, the gut-punch upon discovering that the highest law of the land – to which new citizens pledge allegiance – makes no such guarantees of fundamental rights and freedoms whatsoever. All owing to the notwithstanding clause, which is enshrined in the Charter.”

Today’s editorial cartoon

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Living better

Can you retire this year? New survey shows inflation is making it difficult for some Canadians

A new survey shows rising inflation and cost of living has caused just over half of older Canadians to delay their retirement. Mounting financial pressure can raise a lot of questions: Should people prioritize paying off their mortgage before retiring? What financial factors should people consider before moving to another country? Here’s a look at the answers to these questions, and more.

Moment in time: June 24, 2018

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Ban on women driving lifted in Saudi Arabia

Four years ago, women in Saudi Arabia were finally given the right to get behind the wheel and hit the road. The milestone, the world’s last lifted ban on women driving, was a culmination of 61 years of waiting and, more recently, agitating for change. In 1990, 47 women were arrested for driving in protest of the ban. The Arab Spring in 2010 provided more inspiration for the protest, and in 2011 a woman driving illegally was caught and proudly told a journalist, “Write this down. I am the first Saudi woman to get a traffic ticket.”

When the ban was officially removed in 2018, it was part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, a plan to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and modernize some aspects of Saudi society, including aiming to have women in 30 per cent of the Saudi work force by 2030. Around 40,000 licences were issued to women seven months after the ban was lifted.

Saudi Arabia’s female drivers still face strict guardianship laws, however. While women can get driver’s licences without a guardian’s approval, they still need permission to receive an education, get married and apply for a passport. Nyren Mo

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