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The government’s flagship online streaming bill cleared the Senate Thursday – its final hurdle before becoming law – making platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube do more to promote Canadian film and television.
The passing of the bill took nearly 18 months of heated debate and forensic parliamentary scrutiny.
Bill C-11 was one of the most extensively examined bills in Senate history, with nearly 140 witnesses appearing before a Senate committee in 31 public meetings. It also had extensive scrutiny in the House of Commons.
The Senate of Canada building and Senate Chamber are pictured in Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2019.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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RCMP give timeline of events of James Smith Cree Nation stabbing last year
Almost one year after a stabbing massacre that left 12 people dead – including Myles Sanderson, the man police say was responsible for the killings – and another 17 people physically injured, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have released a preliminary timeline of the events that took place on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby town of Weldon, Sask.
The chronology of events that took place in September of last year offers a glimpse into the scope and complexity of an investigation that included 42 crime scenes, 697 exhibits and 257 interviews with witnesses.
Details of the cause of Sanderson’s death in police custody and of the RCMP’s attempts to locate him when he was wanted on warrants before the attacks were not part of the presentation. Neither were details of the specific injuries received by the victims and the police response to the stabbings. Those things will be the subjects of a coroner’s inquest, slated to take place in 2024.
Photographs of those killed during the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon mass casualty homicides are on display as the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes provides a preliminary timeline presentation of the events in Melfort, Sask., on April 27, 2023.Liam Richards/The Canadian Press
First two Canadian military evacuation flights leave Sudan
Canada has begun airlifting Canadians and citizens of other countries in two flights out of Khartoum, Sudan, which has spiralled into chaos amid fierce fighting between two rival generals.
The first flight carried 45 people and 73 on the second – far below their 100-passenger capacity. There were only seven Canadians on the initial flight, with the rest from other countries. On the second flight, there were 30 Canadian citizens and seven permanent residents and 21 dependants of citizens or permanent residents, the federal government said.
Julie Sunday, an assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs, said the flights were not reaching capacity because of constraints on the ground preventing people from getting to the airport north of the capital city of Khartoum.
Smoke is seen rising from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, April 22, 2023.MOHAMED NURELDIN ABDALLAH/Reuters
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Also on our radar
Province in talks on Ontario Place with group that includes nightclub operator with Ford ties: The Ontario government is in talks to lease a prime spot in its Ontario Place redevelopment to a group that includes a former nightclub operator with ties to Premier Doug Ford’s late brother Rob, as well as a labour union that has long supported the Premier.
Resurgent Tampa Bay forces Game 6 with 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs: The Maple Leafs failed to lock down their playoff series with the Lightning on Thursday, losing 4-2, and will now get a second shot in Game 6 on Saturday in Tampa.
English private schools in Quebec skirt language laws and shun government funding to boost enrolment: To combat declining enrolment, a number of English private schools have begun using a loophole to get out of Quebec’s language laws, renouncing their government subsidies in order to recruit the sons and daughters of wealthy francophones and immigrants.
Springtime in Nunavut brings celebration and outdoor fun to Iqaluit: The end of winter in Iqaluit brings celebration and tests of traditional Inuit skills, such as igloo-building, dogsled racing, ice-fishing and more.
New Teck Resources bid could go directly to shareholders, Glencore says: Glencore PLC, the Swiss commodities giant in pursuit of Teck Resources Ltd., has threatened to take any new offer directly to Teck shareholders unless the board of the Canadian company opens negotiations that might lead to the merger of the two companies. Chinese director Quan Chong stepped down from Teck’s board ahead of failed split vote, as questions remain over how major shareholder China Investment Corp. (CIC) voted.
CMHC forecasts 32-per-cent drop in new home construction because of inflation, labour shortages: Canada’s housing agency predicts that home building could plunge 32 per cent this year, calling it an “alarming” situation given the dearth of affordable places to live in the country.
Morning markets
Investors await rate decisions: A stagnant German economy and sliding yen overshadowed buoyant tech earnings to send shares lower on Friday, with investors betting that next week’s batch of central bank meetings will point towards a levelling off in interest rates. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.44 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 slid 0.59 per cent and 0.98 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed up 1.4 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.27 per cent. New York futures were negative. The Canadian dollar was lower at 73.20 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
This time, Alberta has it right about equalization reform
“Alberta’s proposals draw a connection, rightly, between the equalization program and the biggest public policy challenge facing Canada: how to increase economic growth rates. It’s not only smart politics on the part of the province to underscore the nationwide benefits of equalization reform, but its proposals reflect solid economic thinking, as well.” – The Editorial Board
Net zero is a huge economic boon for Canada, but we need to seize it
“These dynamics are making the tall task of addressing climate change possible, and they are creating enormous opportunities for an energy superpower such as Canada. The next few years will be crucial to turn our decarbonization plans into better jobs and brighter futures for all Canadians.” – Mark Carney
The world is growing tired of Canada’s freeloading on defence
“Canadians may imagine we are only in bad odour because of our failure to meet some arbitrary NATO target, especially after Donald Trump made such a fuss about it. But it isn’t only our NATO commitments in which we are deficient, and it isn’t only the U.S. who are fed up with our chronic malingering. It’s everyone.” – Andrew Coyne
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Save on groceries: Price match, buy in-season products, cook from scratch and more budget-friendly tips
We all have to eat, but wouldn’t it be nice to do it for less money? Even in these inflationary times, there are ways to trim your grocery bill but still fill up on delicious, healthful foods. Prapti Bamaniya reports seven tips to save some pennies without sacrificing taste or nutrition.
Moment in time: April, 28, 1947
Thor Heyerdahl’s raft Kon-Tiki sets off for Polynesia
Norwegian ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl and his balsa raft 'KonTiki' crossing the Pacific Ocean on his drifting expedition from Peru to Polynesia in 1947.Keystone/Keystone/Getty Images
The Kon-Tiki – a hand-built sailing raft made of nine balsa-wood logs lashed together with hemp ropes, a deck of bamboo and wood to support a small thatched cabin, and a main sail of bamboo stems – looked ramshackle and unseaworthy. But on this day in 1947, Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl and five fellow Scandinavians were towed 80 kilometres from the port of Callao, Peru, into a strong westward current. The Kon-Tiki, named after a pre-Incan sun god, flew the Norwegian flag. The destination: Polynesia. The goal: Prove that prehistoric South Americans could have sailed there. And 101 days later, after winds and current carried Mr. Heyerdahl westward more than 8,000 kilometres across the ocean, the raft smashed into a coral island near Tahiti. Mr. Heyerdahl, a writer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany and geography, had proved that early explorers could have made the long sea voyage without modern means of navigation. But controversially, Mr. Heyerdahl wanted to show that it was a race of ancient white men who first accomplished the feat – a racially based theory that does not stand up to scientific scrutiny. Further, anthropologists have since concluded the Polynesian islands were colonized from west to east. Philip King.
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