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The deal reached between Ottawa and the union representing public servants is expected to be a source of motivation for workers across the country to push for higher wages as inflation remains an issue for Canadians.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada and the federal government reached a tentative agreement early yesterday to bring 120,000 striking employees back to work after one of the largest work actions in Canadian history.
Labour experts says the wage increase, expected to cost Ottawa $1.3-billion a year, will push other unions to seek higher wage settlements as inflation has taken a toll on Canadians’ spending power over the past couple of years.
Canadian Revenue Agency employee Steve Leonhard pickets as PSAC members continue to strike in Ottawa on Monday, May 1, 2023.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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Trudeau asks for probe into CSIS report China targeted MPs
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has asked officials to investigate after a secret report by CSIS, seen by The Globe and Mail, highlighted attempts by China to target Canadians MPs who were involved in a parliamentary motion to declare Beijing’s oppression of its Uyghur minority as genocide.
In Question Period yesterday, Pierre Poilievre asked Trudeau why no action was taken on the report, which was produced in 2021. The Conservative Leader noted the Chinese diplomat reported by The Globe as being involved in targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong is still listed as working in Beijing’s Toronto consulate.
”This is absolutely unacceptable and it shouldn’t have happened,” Trudeau told the Commons of the targeting of Chong by China.
Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian bard, wrote the tune for a nation’s identity
Legendary Canadian folk singer and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot died yesterday. He was 84.
More than any other singer-songwriter, Lightfoot personified Canada. His robust songs about winter nights, morning rain, being bound for Alberta and sailing on Ontario’s Georgian Bay came closest to expressing for many Canadians the essence of life in the Great White North.
With his death, Canada loses a masterful composer, a distinctive vocalist and one of its most beloved chroniclers.
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Also on our radar
Ottawa criticized for new proposed gun ban: The federal government released a newly proposed ban on assault-style weapons yesterday which won’t have any impact on guns that are currently legal in Canada. But gun-control groups say the Liberal government has broken an election promise and are more concerned about winning votes than securing public safety.
Polish farmers’ resentment grows: The European Union’s support for Ukrainian farmers has led to grain from the country piling up in silos in Poland, creating problems and resentment for Polish farmers who are seeing prices for their crops drop.
Inquest finds Myles Gray’s death a homicide: A jury in a coroner’s inquest into the death of Myles Gray has found his death while in police custody a homicide, and recommended that the Vancouver Police Department add more training for officers when it comes to dealing with people in mental-health crises.
AI pioneer warns of technology’s dangers: Geoffrey Hinton, an artificial intelligence researcher, has quit his job at Google, saying that part of him regrets his work and that he’s worried about the technology’s role in producing fake content online, potential job losses as a result of AI and its ability to possibly outsmart humans in the future.
Public allegiance to Charles sparks backlash: A move to make the royal coronation more inclusive by having people across the realms publicly swear allegiance to King Charles has sparked criticism of the Royal Family with many politicians saying it showed how tone deaf and out of touch they had become.
Morning markets
Markets await Fed: Global shares sought direction on Tuesday, as caution set in ahead of the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy meeting, while bumper profits at Europe’s biggest bank gave financial stocks a boost. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.02 per cent. Germany’s DAX slid 0.28 per cent while France’s CAC 40 lost 0.47 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.12 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.20 per cent. New York futures were slightly lower. The Canadian dollar was down at 73.67 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Tony Keller: “A lot of people in the criminal-justice system are not criminal masterminds. They are instead severely broken people. Their freedom may need to be restricted for a time, for their good and ours. But unless their time behind bars includes activities and treatments aimed at helping them get better, their stay as guests of the Crown – however long or short – may not be a benefit to society.”
Cathal Kelly: “So what does Florida do? They make it worse. They turn their own barn into the temporary headquarters of a bunch of true believers, hard-core hosers and hockey revolutionaries. It doesn’t matter how many of them there are. They will be heard. And in being heard, they will have proved that you can’t keep Canada out. We find a way.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by David Parkins, May 2, 2023.Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Check your big bank savings account - you could be making zero interest
When it comes to overpromising and underdelivering, the big banks’ savings accounts set the standard. Depending on your balance, most of these accounts give you low to zero interest. Here are Rob Carrick’s four reasons why alternative bank savings accounts are better than what the big banks offer.
Moment in time: May 2, 1967
Jim Pappin, right and George Armstrong struggle with the Stanley Cup as Leafs teammates rush to their aid, May 2, 1967.Fred Ross/The Globe and Mail
Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup
It could not have been better scripted: The only two Canadian teams in the six-team National Hockey League squared off in the Stanley Cup final in Canada’s centennial year. The Toronto Maple Leafs, vying for their fourth Cup in six seasons, played their rival, the Montreal Canadiens, who had won the previous two Cups. The team rosters were legendary and included several future Hall of Famers, including both head coaches. Toronto also iced one of the oldest lineups – the average player age was 31. Montreal won the first game at home, pulling away in the third period for a 6-2 victory. Goalie Terry Sawchuk then backstopped the Leafs to a 3-0 win in Game 2. Toronto also won the next game, but it went to double overtime. Montreal stormed back 6-2 in Game 4 in Toronto to tie the series at two games each. But then, the Leafs skated away with the series. They secured a convincing 4-1 win at the Montreal Forum in the fifth game and then closed the series with a 3-1 victory on home ice. It was the last time that Toronto hoisted the Stanley Cup. Maybe the Maple Leafs will end the drought this year? Bill Waiser
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