Good morning,
These are the top stories:
Top Canada, U.S. trade officials in push to make NAFTA progress
Over the course of the past month NAFTA negotiations have moved into high-gear, after the U.S. decision to withdraw its toughest proposals and compromise on issues. The White House is pushing for a deal to be agreed to by the end of next week while Canada is demanding concessions to make it happen. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo will be in Washington this week for high-level talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Key sticking points in the talks include Canada’s continued protection of its dairy and poultry industries through supply management. The U.S. wants a firm limit on how much U.S. government contracting firms in Canada and Mexico can bid on. (for subscribers)
Elsewhere on the trade front, the U.S. has been escalating its trade war with China, and that has repercussions for Canada. Caught in the middle are Canadian pork and scrap aluminum exporters.
China hit back at Trump administration plans to slap tariffs on $50-billion in Chinese goods, retaliating with a list of similar duties on key U.S. imports including soybeans, planes, cars, whiskey and chemicals.
Investors are wondering whether one of the worst trade disputes in many years could now turn into a full-scale trade war between the world’s two economic superpowers.
This is the daily Morning Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for Morning Update and all Globe newsletters here.
How a secretive, cult-like group in upstate New York drew more than $100-million from two Bronfman daughters
Keith Raniere is the founder of a group called Nxivm, a cult-like organization based in Albany, N.Y., that allegedly divided its adherents into “masters” and “slaves.” For the past two decades it has offered what it describes as self-discovery courses, but Mr. Raniere is facing allegations that he forced women to have sex with him. He is set to stand trial in court on charges of sex trafficking and forced labour. Clare and Sara Bronfman, the youngest daughters of Edgar Bronfman, became involved with Nvxim and, according to court filings, they have spent more than $100-million on Mr. Raniere and related ventures. Mr. Raniere attracted several wealthy individuals to his projects but the Bronfman sisters became major benefactors.
Ontario Human Rights Tribunal gains steam as alternative route for sexual assault cases
Human rights tribunals have emerged as an alternative to civil courts for victims of workplace-related sexual assault and harassment. The system offers a different way of resolving sexual assault and harassment complaints from the court system, with some accusers finding it swifter and friendlier. One recent case that appeared before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal saw a woman awarded $208,736 plus $50,000 in interest after her employer and landlord was found to have sexually assaulted her.
Toronto police agree not to march in Pride Parade
The Toronto Police Service won’t be marching in the city’s Pride parade for the second year in a row. Chief Mark Saunders said that the decision by the TPS to withdraw shows that the service is “listening closely to the community’s concerns.” Chief Saunders’s announcement came one day after Pride Toronto and other LGBTQ groups officially requested that the TPS not participate. Police have been roundly criticized by the LGBTQ community over their handling of the investigation into alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur as well as missing-persons cases involving two women in the Gay Village. Last year, uniformed police officers were disallowed from marching after organizers agreed to requests by the group Black Lives Matter.
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
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Ghosts of war: My journalist father’s Vietnam odyssey, revisited
Robert Reguly was Washington bureau chief for the Toronto Star when he began covering Vietnam, where his war reporting delivered a fearless, first-hand look at the brutality of the conflict. Fifty years later, after his death, his son Eric Reguly retraces his father’s footsteps through the Southeast Asian country.
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks sink on trade fears
Global stock markets faltered on Wednesday as rising Sino-U.S. trade tensions overshadowed a bounce on Wall Street and left investors reluctant to take positions in anything but the safest of assets. Tokyo’s Nikkei gained 0.1 per cent, but that’s about as far as the green goes this morning. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 2.2 per cent, and the Shanghai composite 0.2 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.5 and 1.3 per cent by about 5:35 a.m. ET. New York futures were also tumbling. The Canadian dollar was at 78.0 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Don’t be fooled by the ploys of animal-exploiting businesses
“Humane washing can be clever, and for some consumers, even convincing; we all want to spend with a clear conscience. But know that for companies that profit off the exploitation of animals, animal welfare is never the primary goal. And no amount of good deeds, grand donations, or soothing rhetoric can change that.” — Jessica Scott Reid
In Canada, we criminalize public-interest speech
“Courts in a free and democratic society should not permit legal action to be initiated when its principal goal is to stifle constitutionally protected expression. Specifically, criminal-libel charges should never be brought against critics of the official actions of public employees. Instead, those who hold public positions of power should accept that criticism – including commentary that is crude and hyperbolic – comes with the territory, and simply grow a thick skin.” — David Pritchard and Lisa Taylor
With friends like Fox, Trump doesn’t need enemies
“Presidents have a limitless base of expertise on which to draw: the giant bureaucracy, expert reports and studies, think tanks and universities. This President doesn’t need them. The Fox bloviators are good enough. Some of its talking heads graduate to major White House jobs, the latest two being national security adviser John Bolton and chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow. With White House officials and Congressional lawmakers, the Trudeau government has waged a strong lobbying effort, particularly on the trade issue. If it wants to be more effective it should focus on where the real power lies – at TTN, the Trump Television Network.” — Lawrence Martin
HEALTH PRIMER
I want to run to work. How do I develop a routine?
With warmer weather on the way across the country, the prospect of running to work is on the table for many Canadians. But there are a host of practical concerns standing in the way of turning what is in theory a great idea into a reality. If you’re interested in running to work, consider a garment carrier to keep your clothes from crumpling and wet wipes to help you freshen up.
MOMENT IN TIME
50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. assassination
April 4, 1968: The sanitation workers’ strike was seven weeks old when Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. returned to Memphis, Tenn. The predominantly black work force was protesting poor pay and deadly job conditions; the civil-rights leader had come to support their struggle. In a speech on April 3, he urged the community to stand with the workers. “You may not be on strike, but either we go up together or we go down together.” There were difficult days ahead, he continued, and suggested he might not be there to see them. The following evening, he was killed by an assassin’s bullet at the age of 39. It was the end of a singular American prophet: a passionate opponent of racism and the Vietnam War who helped lead his country toward a more just future. Fifty years later, the country has changed in ways King could not have predicted, even electing its first black president. But there is also much that he would have recognized – persistent inequality, prejudice and violence. “The nation is sick, trouble is in the land, confusion all around,” he declared in his final speech. “But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” — Joanna Slater
Morning Update was written by Mayaz Alam
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.