Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland outlined Ottawa’s plan for dealing with inflation Thursday, pledging to focus on fiscal restraint, boosting productivity and delivering on recently promised programs that will help Canadians afford higher prices.
The package of measures add up to $8.9-billion, she said, but all of that spending was previously announced and accounted for in previous budgets.
Those measures include a range of enhanced benefits to individuals through programs such as the Canada Workers Benefit, a 10-per-cent increase to Old Age Security for seniors over 75, and increased funding for child care and rent support. The minister also noted that many federal income support programs such as the Canada Child Benefit, the goods and services tax credit, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for low-income seniors are designed to automatically increase in line with inflation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland takes part in the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency surrounding the government's use of the Emergencies Act in Ottawa on June 14, 2022.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Jan. 6 committee probes Trump pressure on Pence to reject election
Donald Trump’s closest advisers viewed his last-ditch efforts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to reject the tally of state electors and overturn the 2020 election as “nuts,” “crazy” and even likely incite riots, witnesses revealed in stark testimony to the Jan. 6 committee on Thursday.
Gripping new evidence also detailed how the mob that stormed the Capitol that day came within 40 feet of where Pence and his team were sheltering, highlighting the danger Trump had put him in.
With live testimony, including from Pence’s counsel, and other evidence from its yearlong investigation the panel is dissecting as unlawful and unconstitutional the plan from conservative lawyer John Eastman to reverse Joe Biden’s election victory. The pressure Trump put on Pence, including at a Jan. 6 rally, led directly to the insurrection at the Capitol, the panel said.
Television news crews set up for coverage prior to the start of the second day of hearings to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 13, 2022.SHURAN HUANG/The New York Times News Service
Leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Romania meet Zelensky in Ukraine to support fight against Russia:
The leaders of Germany, France and Italy, all criticized in the past by Kyiv for support viewed as too cautious, visited Ukraine on Thursday in a display of solidarity with a country pleading for weapons to fend off Russia’s invasion.
Air raid sirens blared in Kyiv as the visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Italy’s Mario Draghi began. The leaders were joined by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on a tour of the nearby town of Irpin wrecked early in the war.
After holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the European Union leaders signalled that Ukraine should be granted EU candidate status, a symbolic gesture that would draw Kyiv closer to the economic bloc.
Scholz said Germany had taken in 800,000 Ukrainian refugees who had fled the conflict and would continue to support Ukraine as long as it needs. “Ukraine belongs to the European family,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, France's President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi walk to the press conference area on June 16, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.Alexey Furman/Getty Images
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ottawa introduces legislation to regulate AI, brings back massive fines for data abusers: Ottawa is augmenting its much-delayed consumer privacy legislation by proposing a new law that would govern the use of artificial-intelligence algorithms and data usage more broadly as the federal government tries to catch up with more progressive tech regulations around the world.
‘It’s a dog-eat-dog world’ as Canada’s housing cool-down helps ignite rental market wars: Just as Canada’s home sales and prices cool off, the rental market is catching fire. Rents in many parts of the country are nearing or surging past prepandemic records, just as property values and home resale transactions declined for the second consecutive month in May, according to national data released on Wednesday.
OPP officers testify on role of police communication at inquest into 2015 triple-femicide case: Police communication was a focus Wednesday at the inquest into the triple-femicide case, as four senior OPP officers provided testimony about their roles after the murders – and the challenges of responding to high-risk incidents in a rural community.
Kevin O’Leary sees more pain ahead for the crypto industry as investors rush for the exits: Kevin O’Leary believes the major dips in the market this week are just the beginning of a wider meltdown. If anything, he says the next fall for crypto will be much bigger.
WestJet boosting flights in Western Canada, de-emphasizing eastern routes as part of new strategic plan: WestJet Airlines says it will emerge from the pandemic with a renewed focus on Western Canada, boosting its flight schedule in its traditional home turf while “de-emphasizing” markets in the eastern parts of the country.
Listen to Stress Test: Retirement might look different for Gen Z and millennials. Here’s how to plan for it
MARKET WATCH
North American markets faced a harsh reckoning Thursday following the U.S. Federal Reserve’s outsize rate hike a day earlier, with Canada’s main stock index dropping more than 600 points at closing time.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down more than three per cent or 607.50 points at 19,004.06.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 741.46 points at 29,927.07. The S&P 500 index was down 123.22 points at 3,666.77, while the Nasdaq composite was down 453.06 points or 4.1 per cent at 10,646.10.
The Canadian dollar traded for 77.35 cents US compared with 77.23 cents US on Wednesday.
The August crude contract was up US$2.15 cents at US$115.24 per barrel and the July natural gas contract was up 44 cents at US$7.46 per mmBTU.
The August gold contract was up US$30.30 at US$1,849.90 an ounce and the July copper contract was down about five cents at US$4.11 a pound.
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TALKING POINTS
Women make up the most compelling candidates in the UCP leadership race
“If you want to look at where the UCP contest is going, and who is leading the break from the leadership of Alberta’s current Premier, look at the four women who’ve already stated their interest in running in the Oct. 6 contest. They account for half the declared candidates. And they represent a broad range of political views within Alberta’s conservative movement, with each distancing herself from the outgoing Mr. Kenney in one way or another.” – Kelly Cryderman
What the crypto crash says about Pierre Poilievre’s judgment
“I understand the allure Mr. Poilievre holds to many disenfranchised people out there, with his spectacular promises to get rid of the so-called “gatekeepers” allegedly ruining the lives of so many. Gatekeepers such as the Bank of Canada, which Mr. Poilievre regularly trashes. But the same gatekeeper, it turns out, did issue cautions about this very situation. Who looks stupid now, Mr. Poilievre?” – Gary Mason
It’s not enough for Toronto police to release data on racism. They have to act on it
“As the force itself acknowledges, these differences cannot be explained away by the behaviour of the individuals involved, which means responsibility lies with the police. Chief James Ramer points to systemic racism. I’d suggest systemic racism and years of inaction – itself a reflection of systemic racism.” – Akwasi Owusu-Bempah
Will Colombia elect the Trump-like Rodolfo Hernandez this weekend?
“A boastful millionaire real-estate developer, Mr. Hernandez is campaigning hard against corruption (of which Colombia has much) and promises if elected to immediately declare an emergency so that he can annul democratic procedures and lock up all of those corrupt Colombians. He also seeks to legalize cocaine, but he never says how.” – Robert Rotberg
LIVING BETTER
Three grams of omega-3s a day lowers blood pressure, study finds
Dietary guidelines recommend eating oily fish, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, twice a week to help guard against heart disease. A steady intake of omega-3s is thought to prevent abnormal heartbeats, improve blood vessel function and lower blood triglycerides (fats).
Research also suggests that consuming omega-3 fats helps lower blood pressure. So far, though, studies have been unable to determine the optimal amount that’s needed to benefit blood pressure. Now, an updated review of studies has determined the ideal daily dose.
Leslie Beck delves into the research.
TODAY’S LONG READ
The 10 best films of 2022 (so far), and how to watch them right now
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Tom Cruise portraying Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in a scene from "Top Gun: Maverick."Paramount Pictures/The Associated Press
Canada’s summer movie season has so far proven to be far less complicated than this time last year. But even with the jet-blasted thrills of Top Gun: Maverick and the cash-conjuring skills of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (the latter already set to stream on Disney+ starting next week), theatres still feel neglected.
In 2019, there would be two or three new high-profile titles duking it out each weekend. This time around, openings are more spaced out, studios and distributors nervous to overcommit. Which means that now is the perfect opportunity to catch up on all the excellent 2022 films that you might’ve missed while binging Stranger Things.
Here are the 10 best films of 2022 so far, and how you can watch them right now.
Evening Update is written by Emerald Bensadoun. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.