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A review by the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency into Canada’s approach to Chinese foreign interference has found an “unacceptable state of affairs” in which the country’s spy agency and the public safety department fail to track who has read and received key reports.
The review also describes an environment of tension within CSIS, as well as its disagreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser as to what types of information should reach the government’s highest levels.
At a time of heightened public attention on how Ottawa deals with foreign threats, the report paints a picture of a government system in which key information sometimes gets missed amid internal confusion involving the many organizations that alert key decision makers.
The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, March 18, 2024.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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University of Toronto files court notice over pro-Palestinian encampment
The University of Toronto will argue in a looming court battle with student demonstrators that a pro-Palestinian encampment must be dismantled to protect the free-expression rights of other university students.
The university filed a notice of motion with the Ontario Superior Court yesterday seeking an order to remove the encampment and to authorize police to arrest protesters.
The University of Toronto alleges that the encampment has denied entry to some people and thereby prevented them from using part of campus based on their beliefs. That runs contrary to a core principle of inclusion, the university argues. It also says the encampment, and a temporary fence that the university itself put in place to prevent an encampment from occurring, limit the free expression of those who hold views that differ from those involved in the protest.
- Netanyahu acknowledges ‘tragic mistake’ made in deadly Israeli strike on Rafah tent camp
- Spain and Norway formally recognize a Palestinian state, with Ireland to follow suit
- Ottawa extends special visa program so 5,000 Palestinians can join family in Canada
Uncertainty underlies health care for 10,000 people in Sault Ste. Marie as clinic cuts off patients
In 1961, when Barry Armstrong was working as a repair apprentice at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., he was approached about joining a new union-sponsored clinic that would offer primary care with no out-of-pocket costs. That clinic, eventually named the Group Health Centre, opened in 1963, and would make history as the first centre of its kind in Canada.
But now more than six decades later, Armstrong can’t rest easy because as of June 1, he will no longer be a patient of the GHC. On the last day of May, 10,000 of the clinic’s 60,000 patients will be derostered, or cut off from accessing primary care at the centre, because of a shortage of family practitioners that has stretched the facility’s resources.
All over Canada, fewer doctors are choosing to go into family medicine and many are leaving the profession, citing its punishing hours and never-ending paperwork. The Ontario College of Family Physicians has warned that by 2026, 25 per cent of people in the province could be without primary care, with remote and rural areas affected the most.
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Also on our radar
Disinformation campaign hobbled pandemic treaty, WHO says: A tidal wave of disinformation was among the damaging factors that doomed the world’s two-year effort to negotiate a legally binding treaty on equity and fairness in future pandemics, the head of the World Health Organization said yesterday.
Trump’s fate moves to the jury’s hands: After hearing five weeks of testimony and today’s closing arguments, the jury in the Donald Trump hush-money trial is expected to begin weighing the former president’s fate. The proceedings are the least serious of the four criminal indictments Trump faces, which also include prosecutions for trying to overturn the 2020 election and absconding with classified documents.
Gildan shareholders set to vote on human rights probe: After a boardroom battle that ended last week with the return of CEO Glenn Chamandy, shareholders now have to confront Gildan Activewear’s human-rights and labour record abroad. The BC General Employees’ Union, which is one of Gildan’s investors, has asked the company to assess the effectiveness of its human-rights infrastructure.
Latin America, Caribbean facing more extreme storms: A new study released by the United Nations Population Fund says that about 41 million people living in low-lying regions of Latin America and the Caribbean are threatened by storms and flooding that are becoming more extreme because of climate change. The stronger storms could endanger lives, damage critical infrastructure and cut people off from vital services such as health care.
Rafael Nadal cheered at possibly his last French Open: The 15,000 or so fans greeted Rafael Nadal with loud applause and chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” all throughout his match at Roland Garros yesterday. But unfortunately for Nadal and his fans, the 14-time French Open champion lost the match in what might be the last time he plays at the tournament he dominated for over 20 years.
Morning markets
Global shares held near all-time highs ahead of U.S. and European inflation data later this week that could signal the timing and number of central bank interest rate cuts.
MSCI’s world share index was flat on the day, as was Europe’s broad STOXX 600, both near to record highs hit this month. In early trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.28 per cent, Germany’s DAX advanced 0.08 per cent and France’s CAC 40 gave back 0.46 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.11 per cent lower at 38,855.37, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.03 per cent on the day at 18,821.16.
The Canadian dollar traded at 73.36 U.S. cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Tony Keller: “Immigration was relatively high and relatively popular. We were an exclusive club that also admitted a lot of new members – economic immigrants, family reunifications and refugees – but we chose the new members. All of which has largely broken down under the Trudeau government.”
Robyn Urback: “Who asked Ontario’s government to blow upward of $225-million to accelerate the introduction of beer and wine in corner stores? Is there an overworked nurse in Thunder Bay who has been pleading for respite in the form of 12-packs at her local convenience store? Have parents of children with autism been banging on the Premier’s door, demanding better access to Coors Light?”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Why you should take up tai chi
It may look gentle, but tai chi packs a punch. According to a paper out of the University of Ottawa, there have been more than 500 trials published over the last 45 years about the benefits of tai chi. Here are five reasons to pick up this slow-moving exercise.
Moment in time: May 28, 1885
Battle of Frenchman Butte.Supplied
Battle of Frenchman Butte
The Cree called the cannon the “gun that speaks twice” – the boom when the shell was fired and the explosion when it landed. On this day during the 1885 North-West Rebellion, the Alberta Field Force, under the command of General T.B. Strange, skirmished with a Cree party north of Fort Pitt on the North Saskatchewan River. The military column had arrived the day before, interrupting a thirst dance that the Cree were holding for spiritual guidance at the base of Frenchman Butte. Thrown into turmoil, the Cree, led by war chief Wandering Spirit, hurriedly moved a few miles north to a more defensible position along the valley of Little Red Deer Creek. Here, they dug two rows of defensive pits (still visible today) on the north side of the muskeg-filled creek valley, later called Stand-off Coulee. Stranded on the other side with his force, General Strange directed cannon fire on the Cree position, forcing the warriors to pull back from the battleground to rejoin the rest of the camp hiding safely to the north. Even though the Cree successfully stopped Strange’s advance that morning, they were thoroughly shaken by the bombardment and fled north through the boreal forest, trying to put distance between themselves and the pursuing Canadian troops. Bill Waiser
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