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The Conservative Party is criticizing Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, the judge running the public inquiry into foreign interference, for not granting it full standing in the first phase of the inquiry.
The decision by Hogue means Conservative MPs cannot ask questions of witnesses or gain access to any evidence presented outside of the hearings. The party says the move is unfair given it was their members – foreign affairs critic Michael Chong and former party leader Erin O’Toole – that were targeted by the Chinese government.
The first part of the inquiry will examine foreign interference by states such as China in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The second phase will examine what reforms are necessary to fight foreign interference.
The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill is shown from Gatineau, Que., on Thursday, March 12, 2020.Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press
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Ontario altered land-use policies of municipalities to allow for development
The Ontario government imposed two dozen policy changes on the city of Hamilton and the regions of Halton, Peel and York by rewriting their official plans – documents that guide what gets built and where, a Globe and Mail analysis has found.
The government changed local planning decisions by making lands zoned for commercial use available for housing and imposing greater height limits on residential buildings, documents show.
The Greenbelt scandal that rocked the Ford government has revealed how the province used different types of regulatory tools to force more housing on cities and towns – removing land from environmentally protected areas, expanding urban boundaries and issuing special decrees known as minister’s zoning orders.
Canada’s anti-money-laundering agency levies largest-ever fine against RBC
The Royal Bank of Canada was hit with a $7.475-million fine yesterday by the federal agency responsible for combatting money laundering and terrorist financing. It was the largest-ever fine imposed by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada.
RBC committed three violations of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, FinTRAC found. The penalty was imposed for administrative violations committed by the bank and not for criminal offences related to money laundering or terrorist activity financing, the agency said.
The fine is the first monetary penalty FinTRAC has ever imposed on any of Canada’s six largest banks.
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Also on our radar
Bank of Canada’s interest rate decision: The Bank of Canada will deliver its latest rate announcement at 10 a.m. ET. Economists widely expect the bank to hold its policy rate at 5 per cent for the third consecutive decision. All eyes will be on the tone of the statement and any signs that interest rates have peaked. Follow our live coverage.
Reader’s Digest Canada to end after 76 years: The Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest magazine will shut down its operations in 2024 after a 76-year run because of “declining ad sales revenues, increased production and delivery costs and changes in consumer reading habits,” employees were told in an online meeting yesterday.
Ottawa holds talks with Meta over Bill C-18: The federal government resumed talks with Meta, Facebook’s parent company, over the Online News Act this week as Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge implied the tech giant could still be subject to regulation despite barring Canadians from accessing news on its platforms.
- Andrew Coyne: With Google’s agreement to pay off the Canadian media, the shakedown in C-18 is made explicit
Cities are leery of tall buildings casting too much shade: Cities across the country are dealing with an urban design paradox – heat is a growing threat to public health, but new buildings are often required to avoid casting shadow. Whether that building regulation makes sense in light of the warming climate is an important question to answer for urban planners.
Consumer debt, credit delinquencies on the rise: A new report by credit-rating agency Equifax Canada highlights rising consumer debt and credit delinquencies as high interest rates, surging housing costs and inflation are taking a toll on Canadian households. Credit counsellors say they expect those effects will worsen in coming months and years.
U.S. to bar extremist West Bank settlers: In a rare move against Israel, the U.S. State Department said yesterday it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Morning markets
World markets advance: Global equities rose on Wednesday after U.S. employment data reinforced investors’ convictions that rates may soon start to fall, which has pushed down bond yields and lifted gold in the past few trading days. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.28 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 added 0.15 per cent and 0.22 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished 2.04-per-cent higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.83 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was up modestly at 73.64 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Gary Mason: “The video has been viewed more than four million times as of this writing. Many of those who’ve watched it are, I’m sure, people whose dream of owning a home seems to become more distant by the day. The type of people whose desperation might make them gullible enough to believe Pierre Poilievre has all the answers, and that he will help them to live happily ever after.”
Editorial: “Free Jimmy Lai: That is the message that democratic countries like Canada need to make clear to China’s rulers.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Five myths about lifting weights
Strength training is an important part of any workout regimen. But the overabundance of misinformation can be enough to stop you from even beginning. There are many benefits for lifting weights, but let’s take a look at the myths around the exercise.
Moment in time: Dec. 6, 1917
The aftermath of the 1917 Halifax ship explosion.Library and Archives Canada via CP
Halifax explosion devastates city, kills almost 2,000
The SS Mont-Blanc slipped through the antisubmarine net and steamed into Halifax Harbour on this day in 1917, its deadly cargo known only to a few. As the French munitions ship glided toward Bedford Basin to join a transatlantic convoy, it collided at low speed with a Belgian relief ship. The Mont-Blanc, laden with tonnes of explosives, caught fire and drifted toward shore, attracting rescue boats and the attention of people onshore in the bustling wartime city. About 20 minutes later, after 9 a.m., it exploded. Much of Halifax and Dartmouth were levelled in what was then the biggest human-made blast. Almost 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 injured by the shock wave, fire and tsunami. “City shattered by explosion,” read the front-page headline in The Globe the next day. “A large part of the north end of the city and along the waterfront is in ruins and the loss of life is appalling,” the report said. Aid flooded in from surrounding cities, including Boston, to care for the injured as thousands lost homes, schools and workplaces. To this day, the people of Nova Scotia send a Christmas tree to Boston as thanks. Eric Atkins
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