Good morning. Canada has started to deliver aid in Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to agree to a ceasefire. More on that below, plus a look ahead on the trade file for the week and a look back at how science saved sick sea stars. Let’s get to it.
Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped into the central Gaza Strip, Aug. 4.Abdel Kareem Hana/The Associated Press
TOP STORY
Canada begins airdropping aid to Gaza
The latest: After a weekend of protests across Israel calling for the government to accept a ceasefire deal that would see Hamas release the 22 remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war, Netanyahu made it clear he would continue to pursue a military solution.
What else: On Sunday, 600 former senior officers of the Israeli military, as well as the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence services, wrote to U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for him to force Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges at home, to end the war.
The latest for Canada: Canada has joined five other countries in carrying out airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It was the first time that Canada has directly delivered help to the besieged Palestinian enclave, where aid organizations say famine is spreading. Previous loads of Canadian assistance were airdropped by the Jordanian air force.
The context: Israel has banned the United Nations agency UNRWA from operating in the territories under its control, instead funnelling aid via the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has no background in aid distribution. The UN said Friday that 1,373 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking food since May 27, including 859 who had been killed in the vicinity of GHF sites.
Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomes Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 17.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Trade
Canada to meet Mexico; EU to suspend U.S. tariff countermeasures
The latest: The European Union says it will suspend its two packages of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs for six months after reaching a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump. The EU-U.S. agreement leaves many questions open.
What’s next for Canada: Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand are heading to Mexico City this week to hold bilateral meetings with government officials, just days after both countries failed to reach trade agreements with the U.S. The two days of talks, which will tackle trade and the broader relationship between the countries, begin today.
What else: With never-ending tariff drama, the Canadian economy limps along.
Where else: Trump says he will hit India with higher tariffs for buying Russian oil
Explained: What are the current tariffs between Canada and the U.S.?
Chef Michael Smith cooking Pichanas steak over an open fire at The Inn at Bay Fortune in Fortune, PEI, on July 14.AL DOUGLAS/The Globe and Mail
How We Live
These chefs say a good steak dinner doesn’t need prime meats
The latest: For many chefs, sirloin and filet mignon aren’t their first choice for a good steak. You will never find those cuts served at Chef Michael Smith’s restaurant. “They’re part of a system that values convenience over flavour or beefiness,” he says. No matter what cut it is, consumers are paying more than they ever have for beef. Since 2020, striploin cuts have increased in price by 67 per cent and rib cuts by 75 per cent. New restaurants are increasingly building menus with just one steak featured on them.
What’s next: Need some midsummer barbecue inspiration? Try this wood-grilled steak with jalapeño chimichurri.
Health
Health Canada taking longer to approve generic drugs
The latest: Health Canada’s long timelines to assess generic drug applications is also extending the wait until the cheaper pharmaceuticals can come to market, new data show. Health Canada is supposed to issue rulings on new generics within 180 days of accepting submissions. In the fiscal year that ended March 31, the regulator hit that target 84 per cent of the time, down from 94 per cent the year before and 100 per cent in three other recent years.
What’s next: The federal regulator’s delays also means both public and private insurers may spend more on drugs before the less expensive alternatives become available. Health Canada says the growth in volume and complexity of submissions has increased the time needed for its reviews. But the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, which shared the internal Health Canada data with The Globe, says the delays are even worse than they appear.
Policy
Nexus travel-card changes raise human-rights concerns
The latest: Canadians renewing their Nexus travel cards or applying for new ones must now say whether they are male or female, even if they are transgender or non-binary. The change follows Trump’s executive order that says the American government will now only recognize the male and female sex.
What else: Immigration lawyer Maureen Silcoff said: “The U.S. policy is clearly at odds with the Canadian policy on gender identity.”
Bookmarked
- The Weston family: Philanthropist and former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston dies at 83.
- World: Trump’s deadline for Russia to end Ukraine war looms, with special envoy Steve Witkoff to visit Moscow.
- Retail: Canadian hockey brand pulls product line that faced criticism for demeaning women.
- Nature: A mysterious illness has killed billions of sea stars. Now scientists say they’ve solved the case
- Conversation starter: How the ‘discovery’ of fentanyl changed North America.
The Quote
Of course, if there’s one thing that could cause Bell and Telus to resolve their differences, it’s the prospect of being forced either to compete with foreign carriers or to divest their service providers. But if competition, and consumers, were really what this were about, that’s what we’d do.
If Bell doesn’t like competing with Telus on its own broadband network, it really won’t like the alternatives, writes Andrew Coyne.
The Shot
In Uzice, a two-hour drive south of Belgrade, men wave the Serbian flag and shout at police. In early July, protesters were trying to shut down a road connecting to Montenegro.GORAN TOMASEVIC/The Globe and Mail
Civil unrest is sweeping Serbia. Award-winning Globe photographer Goran Tomasevic documents the student-led protests calling for democratic reform in his home country.