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It’s been three years since a national-security watchdog agency completed a review of Global Affairs’ Global Security Reporting Program and there is still no indication when the report will be made available to the public. A national-security watchdog said China’s imprisonment of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig prompted it to delay the release of its 2020 review of Ottawa’s foreign intelligence collection unit, saying “at the time there were high sensitivities with detailing anything to do with” the Global Security Reporting Program.
The National Security Intelligence Review Agency says they have since started a redaction and translation process for the report, which began after the Two Michaels were freed, but says Global Affairs Canada has taken over the review process.
The Globe and Mail
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Israel and Hamas four-day truce starts today, some Israeli hostages will be released
A ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas forces began in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the first respite in 48 days of conflict that has devastated the Palestinian enclave. The deal involves the release later on Friday of 13 Israeli women and children held hostage by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
By mid-morning, 60 trucks carrying aid had crossed from Egypt at the Rafah border point, according to Gaza border authorities. Both sides signalled that the pause would be temporary before fighting resumed.
Toronto hate crimes spike
Toronto’s police chief says hate-crime incidents targeting Jewish and Muslim communities have risen to a “staggering” degree since Hamas’s unprecedented attack against Israel on Oct. 7. The department also announced the biggest collection of charges against a group of 11 people police say were motivated by hate when an Indigo book store was defaced with red paint, and fake posters accused the chain’s Jewish founder of financing genocide.
Chief Myron Demkiw told the Toronto Police Services Board that the past six weeks have seen a total of 78 hate incidents reported, compared with 37 during that span last year.
The “deeply concerning” increase, he said, is largely being fuelled by 38 antisemitic acts (versus 13 during the same period last year) and 17 incidents targeting Palestinian, Muslim or Arab people compared with a single case last year. (Census data from last year shows that 3.6 per cent of Toronto’s population identified as Jewish while nearly 10 per cent said they were Muslim).
Read more:
- Understanding Hamas’s tunnel network in Gaza
- Opinion: How Canadians feel about the Israel-Hamas war, according to new survey
- In Vancouver, Jewish and Palestinian restaurants try to find a new normal
Posters of children held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are displayed with toys across from the Kirya, headquarters of Israel's Defence Forces ahead of an anticipated hostage release, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 23, 2023.Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
Huawei funds launch of Alberta AI researcher Richard Sutton’s lab after federal restrictions
Richard Sutton, a professor at the University of Alberta and one of the country’s most accomplished artificial intelligence researchers, is launching a new non-profit lab with $4.8-million in funding from Huawei Canada.
All of the work done by Openmind, which is separate from Prof. Sutton’s role at the University of Alberta, will be open-source. However, the move could prove controversial, as Canada banned the use of Huawei 5G equipment and has restricted funding for research collaborations between publicly funded universities and entities with links to countries considered national-security risks, including China.
Openmind will be based in Edmonton and kicks off Friday with a weekend retreat in Banff. Sutton says the Openmind Research Institute will fund researchers following the Alberta Plan, a 12-step guide he co-authored last year that lays out a framework for pursuing the development of AI agents capable of human-level intelligence.
Computing scientist Richard Sutton at the University of Alberta.John Ulan/University of Alberta
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Also on our radar
Geert Wilders and his populist party score stunning victory in Dutch election: The Party for Freedom leader is in the pole position to become the Netherlands’ next prime minister, but still has to negotiate a coalition with at least two other major parties.
Origin’s top shareholder rejects Brookfield’s revised US$10.6-billion bid: Origin Energy’s top shareholder said on Thursday it would reject a complex new offer by a Brookfield-led consortium to buy Australia’s biggest energy retailer made after it became clear investors would vote down an earlier $10.6-billion bid.
Ukraine asks Canadian companies to invest in country as it seeks to rebuild from Russian invasion: Ukrainian business and political leaders are urging Canadian companies to come to Ukraine to forge partnerships, invest and help rebuild their country.
Dublin stabbing that injured three children sparks riots
Three young children were among five people injured in a knife attack in Dublin on Thursday that sparked riots in the city centre. Police have not yet ruled out any motive, including whether it could be terror-related.
Morning markets
World stocks muted: Global shares drifted on Friday in the absence of guidance from Wall Street, which was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, but were still on course for their best month since November 2020. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.18 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC added 0.05 per cent and 0.09 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.52 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.96 per cent. New York futures were narrowly mixed. The Canadian dollar was higher at 73.06 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
On housing affordability, the Liberals stick with the low-hanging fruit
“While Canada is welcoming nearly one million permanent and non-permanent newcomers every year, the housing market is also increasingly controlled by those at retirement age, or older. People who have been in the housing market for decades have a jump on everyone else, and the calls for addressing this generational inequity are only going to get louder.” – Kelly Cryderman
Ottawa misses another chance to show leadership on financial crimes
“Perhaps the most telling sign of Ottawa’s lack of urgency was its failure to keep a mere months-old promise to provide details about the structure and mandate of the forthcoming Canada Financial Crimes Agency.” – Rita Trichur
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Holiday shopping just got easier: Our 2023 gift guide is out now with 60 practical and stylish items for every person on your list (and at every budget). Use our sortable guide to choose a price point and a recipient, or scroll through the entire list for Canadian-made gifts. See the guide.
Moment in time: Nov. 24, 1429
Joan of Arc unsuccessfully besieges La Charité
Joan of Arc at the Coronation of King Charles VII, July 17, 1429.Louvre, Paris, France / Bridgeman Images
When she was 13, a French peasant girl who could neither read nor write said she had visions of saints who urged her to support French Crown prince Charles of Valois in the Hundred Years War against England. Joan of Arc eventually got the attention of the Dauphin, whom she met in March of 1429 when she was 17. Her piety impressed him and he agreed to send her with a relief French army to the siege of Orléans. Astride a horse and brandishing her banner and not a weapon – she never fought or killed anyone – she eventually planned battles and troop movements and was an inspiration as she helped secure a massive victory by driving back the English. However, Joan’s luck was to run out. She was ordered to lay siege to the town of La Charité on this day in 1429. But Joan’s army, with little artillery, was unsuccessful and the attempted liberation was soon called off. Within a year, she was captured by the English, tried for heresy (including for wearing men’s clothing) and burned at the stake in punishment. She was posthumously cleared and was canonized in 1920. Philip King.
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