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Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue will head a public inquiry into foreign interference by China and other states that are hostile to Canada, two sources say.
After months of negotiations, the minority Liberal government has reached an agreement with opposition parties on the terms and timing of the long-awaited inquiry.
Justice Hogue is expected to submit an initial report by Feb. 29, 2024 about foreign interference by China, Russia and other foreign state or non-state actors, including any potential impacts on the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
The Canadian flag flies on top of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, March 6, 2023.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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Bank of Canada holds key rate steady, but leaves door open for further hikes
The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate unchanged at 5 per cent yesterday as the Canadian economy is showing signs of a slowdown.
But the central bank said it is still concerned about inflation and warned it will raise rates in the future if consumer prices begin to increase again.
The widely anticipated decision offers some relief to homeowners and other borrowers who have been hit hard by rising interest payments over the past year-and-a-half. The bank has raised interest rates 10 times since March, 2022, including twice over the summer, in an effort to deal with high inflation.
- Homeowners with mortgages to get short-term relief, but future Bank of Canada rate hikes a ‘looming’ fear
- David Parkinson: The Bank of Canada looks determined to undersell its shift in policy direction
- Opinion: Tiff Macklem reads the tea leaves: Bank of Canada was right to hit pause on interest rates
Ontario vows to toughen lobbying rules in wake of Greenbelt controversy
The Ontario government promised yesterday that a new review of the Greenbelt would be public and open, and pledged to toughen penalties for illegal lobbying as it faces questions and fierce opposition to its decision to open parts of the environmentally protected area to housing development.
The province’s Attorney-General said Premier Doug Ford asked him to draw up proposed new lobbying rules, with increased penalties for violators “up to and including jail time.”
Paul Calandra, the new Housing Minister, said yesterday that he has asked senior bureaucrats to draw up options for what he pledged would be a “public, open and accountable” review of the 800,000-hectare Greenbelt, which arcs around the Greater Toronto Area.
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Also on our radar
Journalist Peter C. Newman dies: He went from Czech refugee to magazine editor, historian and media maverick. Peter C. Newman spent decades documenting Canadian rogues and adventurers in big business and politics. He died early Thursday at age 94 of complications of Parkinson’s disease.
Enbridge’s acquisitions clouded by debt worries: Enbridge Inc.’s deal to buy three U.S. natural gas utilities has raised questions about how the new acquisitions will affect the company’s balance sheet. The deal cost Enbridge US$9.4-billion in cash, plus US$4.6-billion of assumed debt. Two credit-rating agencies reaffirmed Enbridge’s investment-grade rating after the latest acquisition was announced, but they also put the energy company on a negative watch.
Olympic athlete gave fraudulent medical documents to delay lawsuit, court says: The Olympic champion showjumper Eric Lamaze submitted forged medical documents in an attempt to have a long-running lawsuit against him suspended, according to an Ontario Superior Court judge, pleading with the court that he was too ill with brain cancer to participate.
Organizers tried to reduce convoy’s footprint, lawyer says: The organizers of the convoy protests tried to reduce the impact of their actions on residents in Ottawa, but police did not allow them to do so, a defence lawyer said yesterday at the trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, the main architects of the demonstration.
CBC stands to get largest share of C-18 cash, experts say: Experts say the CBC will likely receive the largest share of the $172-million from the federal Online News Act, raising concerns that smaller news outlets won’t be able to compete with the state-funded broadcaster and larger news organizations.
Canada advances to semi-finals: Canada’s men’s basketball team has booked its ticket to the semi-finals of the FIBA World Cup for the first time in history after a 100-89 win over NBA star Luka Doncic and Slovenia. Canada will play Serbia for a chance to face the U.S. or Germany in the finals.
Morning markets
Rate concerns weigh on stocks: World stocks slid for a third straight day on Thursday and were choppy in Europe, as new signs of sustained inflationary pressures in the United States and rising energy prices globally boosted the case for higher-for-longer interest rates. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.25 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 added 0.27 per cent and 0.54 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.75 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.34 per cent. New York futures were mixed. The Canadian dollar was lower at 73.27 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Phoebe Maltz Bovy: “But if you treat an established, open-at-school gender transition like a state secret, you’re effectively compelling parents to misgender their children for potentially years on end, and more or less asking for a situation where the kid is outed in unpredictable and potentially upsetting circumstances.”
Editorial: “Watching Canada’s biggest bank further bulk up underscores the urgency for a new approach. Too little competition in banking affects all Canadians. Think of high fees for basic services such as a chequing account. Think of small businesses, which employ close to two-thirds of the country’s workers, and their struggles to find fairly priced financial services and to secure the loans they need to build and expand.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Frozen fruit ice is so simple and delicious
Social media is full of food trends, some more bizarre than others. One trend is freezing juicy fruit whole or in pieces and grating it over yogurt, whipped cream or sour cream to be served for dessert, breakfast or a quick, icy snack.
Moment in time: Sept 7, 1996
Rap musician Tupac Shakur, shown in a 1993 photo.The Associated Press
Tupac Shakur is shot
He was one of the most influential and prolific figures in hip hop. The six-time Grammy-nominated Tupac Shakur, né Lesane Parish Crooks, had five No. 1 albums during his five years in the professional rap scene. His name and music became synonymous with poetic rawness, and he was considered a masterful storyteller. The 25-year-old’s life and career were cut short when he was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas – a homicide that remains unsolved and rife with conspiracy theories. Las Vegas police have said in the past that the investigation quickly stalled partly because witnesses refused to co-operate. Mr. Shakur’s death came amid his feud with rap rival the Notorious B.I.G., who was also fatally shot six months later and whose case also remains unsolved. Both men were entrenched in the infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry, which dominated the hip-hop scene during the mid-1990s. In June, 2023, Mr. Shakur received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Then, in July, Las Vegas police confirmed they had served a search warrant in connection with his death but provided few details, propelling the case back into the spotlight almost three decades later. Mahdis Habibinia
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