Good morning,
Ontario’s Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne, Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford and New Democratic Party Leader Andrea Horwath will spar for the first time on camera tonight in a televised leader’s debate. The writ for the Ontario election is expected to be dropped on Wednesday, with a vote on June 7.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who appeared at a funding announcement with Ms. Wynne and has campaigned for her in the past, says he’s staying away from the hustings once the writ is dropped. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh are planning to campaign for their provincial cousins, however.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Chris Hannay in Ottawa, –n Toronto and James Keller in Vancouver. If you’re reading this on the web or someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, you can sign up for Politics Briefing and all Globe newsletters here. Have any feedback? Let us know –
TODAY’S HEADLINES
New RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki says she commends the first women who came out to complain of harassment in the police force. “But first and foremost, the courage of those employees who came forward to tell their story, I know that was not easy. If we ignore that, then shame on us,” she told The Globe in her first interview since taking her office. The Liberal government has asked the new Commissioner to work on the force’s workplace culture, improve relations with Indigenous communities and boost civilian oversight.
Construction giant Aecon has pulled out of bidding on the new Windsor-Detroit bridge because of safety concerns surrounding its possible acquisition by a Chinese state-owned firm.
North American free-trade agreement talks continue.
The Conservatives raised more money than the Liberals and NDP combined in the last quarter.
A new poll suggests the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion enjoys the support of the majority of Canadians, but most oppose public funding. The debate over the pipeline has pitted B.C. against Alberta and Ottawa. A Nanos Research poll conducted for The Globe and Mail found more than two-thirds of respondents said they support, or somewhat support, the project. About the same amount said they oppose government funding to save the project — an idea floated by Alberta and Ottawa.
The federal government has declared an “imminent threat” to the southern mountain caribou, which primarily reside in British Columbia, which now puts the onus on the province to act.
The number of veterans taking opioids or tranquilizers has plummeted as medical-marijuana prescriptions soar.
The issue of gay-straight alliances in Alberta schools overshadowed the inaugural policy convention for the province’s United Conservative Party, as a resolution related to the clubs sowed division among MLAs. The resolution asked the government to reinstate parental opt-in consent for any subjects of a sexual or religious nature in classes, or in extracurricular activities and clubs. At least three UCP MLAs spoke against it, with one saying the policy is “about outing gay kids.”
And Globe architecture critic Alex Bozikovic explains why he thinks public-private partnerships – a favourite way for governments to fund infrastructure projects – lead to boring-looking buildings.
Linda Nazareth (The Globe and Mail) on Amazon: “ If Amazon does ultimately choose Toronto, a major reason will be because it has a deep talent pool that has been created through education at levels starting with elementary school and ending with postgraduate training. Whatever way we encourage Amazon or other companies to come to Canada, it should not be in a way that puts our next wave of talent in jeopardy. ” (for subscribers)
Alex Usher (The Globe and Mail) on brain drain: “Several media outlets published a story about a report by academics from the University of Toronto and Brock University, which purported to find evidence of a ‘brain drain’ in Canada. Unfortunately, the focus was on the headline results and the conclusions, and not on the actual, highly problematic methodology.”
Yung Wu (The Globe and Mail) on brain gain: “Over multiple decades as an entrepreneur, I never experienced a time when Canadian ventures weren’t seeing their top people poached by firms in Silicon Valley, Boston or New York. That is, until now. The north-south brain drain of tech talent is finally being reversed.”
Adrienne Tanner (The Globe and Mail) on campaign-finance reform in B.C.: “The NDP has promised to review the legislation after the 2018 municipal elections. At that point, they should go back at it and do it right: Disallow big donations all year, every year, and while they’re at it, force every party to disclose who gave.”
Andrew Coyne (Postmedia) on the federal elections bill: “If, then, you think the main ‘threats and challenges’ facing Canadian elections are such comparatively recent menaces as hacking and Russian trolls, this bill may be for you. If, on the other hand, you think the principal threats to the integrity of Canadian elections are the participants — the political parties, including the one that drafted the legislation — you may be less impressed.”
Heather Mallick (Toronto Star) on the prime ministerial residence: “People’s reno miseries are as boring as their dreams. If Canadians became slightly less petty, the PM, with a second house, could watch the 24 Sussex renovation along with us online. It would teach us about modernizing in the greenest possible way, insulation, aging in place, childproofing, and choosing the right countertops. I hate underfloor heating. I like a bevelled edge. Discuss.”
Elizabeth Renzetti (The Globe and Mail) on Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize: “In this land of magical thinking, the President is responsible for a peace accord that has not happened during a summit that has not yet taken place, involving weapons that have not been dismantled.”
Doug Saunders (The Globe and Mail) on California Governor Jerry Brown: “[He’s] condemned, sued and worked to undermine the President’s immigration-enforcement policies and protectionist trade policies. And he has worked to link California’s successful policies to other countries, including Canada, by stepping over Mr. Trump’s inert form. Mr. Brown, after five decades in elected politics, is staking a claim as the more legitimate leader of Americans.”
Derek H. Burney and Fen Osler Hampson (The Globe and Mail) on Mike Pompeo: “To his credit, Mr. Pompeo understands he will need solid support and commitment from American professional diplomats in order to extract success from any of the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
Jan Grabowski (The Globe and Mail) on the Warsaw uprising: “It is most unfortunate that, 75 years after the annihilation of Polish Jewry, Poland still needs to be reminded about these tragic facts.”
Help The Globe monitor political ads on Facebook: During an election campaign, you can expect to see a lot of political ads. But Facebook ads, unlike traditional media, can be targeted to specific users and only be seen by certain subsets of users, making the ads almost impossible to track. The Globe and Mail wants to report on how these ads are used, but we need to see the same ads Facebook users are seeing. Here is how you can help.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop