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Many Canadian MPs and senators who belong to an international parliamentary alliance critical of the Chinese government were targeted by hackers linked to Beijing, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation says.
The FBI say the Canadian government never informed the parliamentarians of this People’s Republic of China cyberattack despite the fact the FBI passed on this information to foreign capitals in 2022.
Liberal MP John McKay and Conservative MP Garnett Genuis are co-chairs of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China and they are among about 30 Canadian parliamentarians who belong to the global organization. They were only informed last week by the alliance that they were among 18 Canadians MPs and senators who were targeted.
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Friday, April 19, 2024.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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Ontario issues tougher rules for cellphone use and vaping in schools
The Ontario government is set to give school leaders the authority to notify parents, take away devices and suspend students who don’t comply as it strengthens its crackdown on the use of cellphones and vaping in schools.
The new policy builds on a 2019 ban on cellphones in classrooms that school boards were inconsistent on implementing, according to confidential documents obtained by The Globe and Mail. Groups representing educators and school boards said the new rules could be just as difficult to enforce.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said cellphones were a dangerous distraction for students, and that by restricting their use he expected test scores and graduating rates to rise.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce speaks to journalists at the Queen's Park Legislature in Toronto, on August 25, 2023.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
B.C.’s retreat on drug decriminalization spurs concerns about fates of similar plans
Experts say that similar efforts in other cities across Canada could be affected by British Columbia’s decision to roll back part of its landmark experiment with decriminalizing possession of small amounts of hard drugs, including in Toronto, where officials have asked Health Canada to approve a decriminalization plan that is even more sweeping than what was tested in B.C.
B.C. Premier David Eby announced Friday that his government has asked Health Canada to amend an exemption to federal drug law so that police can once again arrest people for using small amounts of illicit substances in public spaces, including in hospitals and restaurants, after a public and political outcry that blamed the decriminalization pilot project for a growing sense of disorder in B.C. communities.
Adults will still be allowed to possess up to 2.5 grams of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine or methamphetamine if they use the substances at home, in a tent in a sanctioned park, or at one of the province’s safe drug consumption sites, the Premier said.
Members of the Vancouver Police Department walk past a tent on Hastings Street in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, February 23, 2023.Rich Lam/The Canadian Press
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Also on our radar
How ‘gentle density’ measures up to the hype as cities tackle Canada’s housing crisis: The idea of mixing apartments and houses is being embraced by many Canadian cities and by the B.C. government. However, there remains strong opposition elsewhere, notably in Ontario.
Delegates gathered in Ottawa making strides toward global plastics treaty, Environment Minister says: Delegates gathered in Ottawa for a key negotiating session are making strides toward a global plastics treaty, says federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Founder of Freshii suing company that bought his restaurant chain: Freshii founder Matthew Corrin is suing the company that bought his healthy-food chain, alleging the new owner failed to honour an agreement that allowed him to serve as executive chair.
Toronto small business forced to close after losing money to cheque fraud that TD couldn’t stop: A Toronto staffing agency says it was forced to close its doors after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars to cheque fraud – and the former owners are asking why their bank was repeatedly unable to stop the scam from happening.
What might Gaza look like after the war? ‘Day-after’ talks under way with no easy solutions: The fighting continues. Still, there are already “day-after” talks: Who will govern postwar Gaza? Who will rebuild the 41-kilometre strip, if anyone? Where will the money come from? And – crucially – will the horrific war finally trigger momentum to create a sovereign Palestinian state?
Morning markets
Global stocks and U.S. futures advanced as investors looked toward the Federal Reserve’s latest decision on Wednesday and U.S. jobs data on Friday. The Japanese yen jumped sharply against its peers, reversing an earlier slide on suspected intervention.
In early trading, Europe’s STOXX 600 index was up 0.39 per cent. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.45 per cent, Germany’s DAX was 0.16 per cent higher and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.27 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index gained 0.81 per cent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.54 per cent.
The dollar traded at 73.21 U.S. cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Canada needs to have a plan for the U.S., no matter who becomes president. That starts with making us matter more
“Canada’s vulnerability to U.S. regression is clear. That single market accounts for 78 per cent of our exports and a quarter of our GDP. Even Germany leans less heavily on its combined EU neighbours. Securing access for our goods has preoccupied our political leaders since before Confederation. We have never found an escape clause from or an antidote to our geography. It’s the same story on defence, where Canada has benefited for decades, if not as a free rider, then at least as a heavily discounted one. We are North American – usually for the better.” – Edward Greenspon, Janice Gross Stein and Drew Fagan
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Ten Mother’s Day gift ideas for your mom in 2024
Mom and the mother figures in your life deserve the very best. From a pearl bracelet to Japanese pruners perfect for flower arranging, these sweet gifts are sure to brighten her day on Sunday, May 12. Here are 10 gift ideas, listed in no particular order.
Moment in time: Bigfoot hoax
A plaster cast of footprints believed to be made by a Bigfoot on display at Expedition: Bigfoot! The Sasquatch Museum in Cherry Log, Ga., on Aug. 8, 2019.John Bazemore/The Associated Press
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re showcasing hoaxes.
The most remarkable thing about Bigfoot, also known as Yeti, Sasquatch or the Abominable Snowman, isn’t their possible existence, it’s that whenever they are photographed, the picture is out of focus. It’s one reason – aside from lack of any credible physical evidence – that none has been scientifically proved to exist. The large, hairy bipedal-human or ape-like, foul-smelling, mythical forest creature with enormous feet is – sorry believers – a hoax, a myth, a legend. Kind of like the Loch Ness Monster, only on dry land. The story of Bigfoot goes back many centuries, in almost every country. Most often seen by hikers or woodsmen, the tall dark beast roams the woods and mountains, often using its mysterious powers to warn people. And then they vanish, leaving only footprints. Still, the believers are out there: In the continental United States there have been more than 10,000 eyewitness accounts of the creature in the past 50 years. None of which were captured by a working camera. Philip King.
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