Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Marie-Josée Hogue opened today’s preliminary public inquiry hearings, vowing to uncover the truth about foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
Allegations of Chinese foreign-influence operations in the past two election campaigns were raised last year by The Globe and Mail, based on secret and top-secret intelligence documents compiled by agents of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Justice Hogue, a Quebec judge and the inquiry commissioner, will recommend ways to limit countries from trying to influence Canadian democracy.
She said the first phase of the inquiry will examine classified documents and hear from witnesses about whether China, Russia or other state and non-state actors, including India, interfered in the past two elections.
- Human-rights groups threaten to withdraw from the foreign-interference inquiry
- Listen to The Decibel: What you need to know about the foreign-interference inquiry
- Foreign-interference FAQs: What to expect from the public inquiry and how we got here
- Conservative Party voices criticism of foreign-interference inquiry
Ottawa to offer low-cost loans for student housing
The federal government says it will offer low-cost loans to postsecondary institutions and builders to expand access to student housing.
Ottawa says it will reform its $40-billion Apartment Construction Loan Program to allow postsecondary institutions to access the fund to expand student housing. The application process for the program is expected to open in fall 2024, and the government expects to have agreements with institutes in place by the end of this year.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser made the announcement as the House of Commons returned from winter break.
- Opinion: Be wary of simple solutions on the foreign student issue
A Palestinian girl looks at bags of flour distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip January 29, 2024.IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/Reuters
Updates from the Middle East
U.S. forces may have mistaken an enemy drone for an American one and let it pass unchallenged into a desert base in Jordan where it killed three U.S. troops and wounded dozens more, officials said Monday. Washington had previously vowed to take “all necessary action” to defend its troops after they suffered the first deadly strike in the Middle East since the Gaza war began.
Meanwhile, Israel launched an assault on Gaza’s main northern city weeks after pulling back from it. Gazans said renewed violence in the enclave made a mockery of a ruling last week by the World Court calling on Israel to do more to help civilians. Israel blames Hamas for the deaths of civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.
- Israel accuses 190 UNRWA staff of being ‘hardened’ militants
- Muslim council cancels meeting with Trudeau over Liberal stand on hate crimes, Gaza
Former NHLer among 2018 world junior players facing charges over sexual-assault allegations
Former National Hockey League player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police in London, Ont., on Sunday morning to face a charge of sexual assault in connection with allegations that five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team attacked a woman in a hotel. “Alex will vigorously defend his innocence and asks that people not rush to judgment without hearing all of the evidence,” Formenton’s legal team said in a statement.
The Globe and Mail reported last week that, according to two sources, London police have instructed five members of the 2018 junior team to surrender to them in advance of criminal charges stemming from an alleged group sexual assault five and a half years ago. Formenton, 24, is the first of the group to be publicly identified.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
MAiD: The country is not ready to expand eligibility for assisted death to people whose only medical condition is a mental illness, Health Minister Mark Holland said Monday.
Crime: U.S. prosecutors allege that the government of Iran recruited two Canadian men associated with the Hells Angels to assassinate Iranian defectors in Maryland as part of an international scheme meant to silence dissidents abroad.
Housing: The furniture empire, Leon’s, plans to build a new Toronto neighbourhood with nearly 4,000 housing units in its first foray into residential building.
From the Canada’s most livable cities series: A comprehensive analysis by The Globe and Mail, in partnership with Environics Analytics Group Ltd., found that Burlington is Ontario’s most livable city.
The Land Act: B.C. prepares legislation to share decision-making power with Indigenous groups over public lands.
Health: What to know about respiratory viruses in Canada this week.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street closes higher ahead of Fed meeting, big tech earnings
Canada’s main stock index rose Monday as technology stocks helped lead broad-based gains despite weakness in energy. U.S. markets also rose as market participants looked ahead to this week’s slew of megacap earnings, economic data and the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 74.78 points at 21,200.06. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 37.25 points to end at 4,928.22 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 173.66 points to 15,629.02. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 226.45 points to 38,335.88.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.39 cents US compared with 74.35 cents US on Friday
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TALKING POINTS
Canada used to punch above its weight, but our defence capacity now seems an impossible dream
“While it is the duty of governments to act, opposition parties must also share in the responsibility to recognize the threats we face, and to advocate for responsible action. So far, no one gets a passing grade. We have been left, alongside our allies, to dream the impossible dream.” – Richard Fadden
Why did an Ontario minister overrule an independent energy regulator?
“The energy sector is complex. The energy transition is making it more complex. Policy makers will have to make and execute on some choices that will not be easy.” – Ian Mondrow
LIVING BETTER
Healthier fast-food options for when you’re on the go
Usually, Leslie Beck’s recommendations for healthy eating include planning meals in advance, cooking most of your food and relying less on highly processed items. But the reality is, hectic lifestyles get in the way of putting a healthy home-prepared meal on the table
For example, if you’re at Tim Hortons, consider a breakfast but skip the processed meat. At Starbucks, you can customize your order to be less sweet by asking for fewer pumps of syrup and skipping the whipped cream. And at Chipotle, not all “build your own” meals result in a calorie-conscious meal. See the full list of her recommendations here.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Sarah Kirk, owner of Border Jumpers, a bar in Beecher Falls, Vermont.Adrian Morrow/The Globe and Mail
Amid a jump in illegal crossings, residents of Canada-U.S. border states scoff at proposals for a wall
The number of apprehensions in the border sector that includes Vermont, New Hampshire and part of New York state rose to 6,925 last year from 1,065 the year before, according to figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. About half of these were Mexican nationals, with significant proportions from India and Venezuela as well.
The increase has prompted Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley to argue for building a wall on at least part of the Canada-U.S. border. But the two countries’ economic and social ties are particularly evident in places such as this. And the heavy-handed proposed solutions, meanwhile, are often met with laughter.
Evening Update is written by Sierra Bein. 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.