Morning Update: Morneau pays WE organization $41,366 to cover past travel expenses

Good morning,

Appearing before the House of Commons finance committee, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he reimbursed $41,366 to WE Charity Wednesday for travel expenses that the group covered for personal trips his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017. This prompted his second public apology this month related to his involvement with WE.

Separately, the Prime Minister’s Office said Wednesday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, will testify at the finance committee.

It was also revealed Wednesday that the federal contract to administer the $900-million program to pay students for volunteer work wasn’t signed with the well-known WE Charity, but rather a recently created affiliate called the WE Charity Foundation. WE Charity said it used the foundation to sign the contract to ward against legal liabilities associated with it.

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Privy Council ‘concerned’ about claims surrounding Julie Payette

In a recent CBC News report, sources said Governor-General Julie Payette created a toxic environment at Rideau Hall by verbally harassing employees. The report also included allegations of harassment against Assunta Di Lorenzo, her long-time friend and secretary.

The Privy Council Office said on Wednesday it is “very concerned” about these allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received calls — including from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh — to look into them.

Quebec police say father killed two daughters, died by suicide

Chief Inspector Guy Lapointe of the Sûreté du Québec said Martin Carpentier killed his daughters – Romy, 6, and Norah, 11 – with a blunt object following a serious car accident on July 8. The 44-year-old killed himself soon after. This means all three were dead before the Amber Alert was issued on the afternoon of July 9.

A coroner’s inquest will now look into the deaths. While the facts of this case are still unclear, it’s rare for a father to commit such a terrible crime completely out of the blue, said Simon Lapierre, professor of social work at the University of Ottawa.

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

B.C. imposing new COVID-19 restrictions: More than 70 people have contracted COVID-19 and close to 1,000 others across B.C. are in self-isolation after packed events in Kelowna, B.C. The province responded that it will require all patrons be seated at designated seats and prohibit dance floors and self-serve liquor service.

Zimbabwe intensifies crackdown: The government attributed new restrictions, including a dusk-to-dawn curfew, to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with growing unrest over a collapsing economy, many Zimbabweans believe the crackdown is aimed at blocking a major planned protest next week and crushing the opposition.

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Calgary man faces terrorism charges: Hussein Sobhe Borhot is facing terrorism charges over allegations that he travelled to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. This is one of only a handful of cases in which prosecutors here have arrested and charged a Canadian who is alleged to have joined a violent extremist group overseas. Borhot is set to appear in court on Friday.

Jason Kenney tacitly approves of Calgary mask law: Alberta’s Premier has given tacit approval to Calgary’s incoming mask mandate, arguing policies around face coverings are best made by local lawmakers. Calgary city council voted to make masks mandatory in indoor public spaces on July 21.

More from Alberta:

• Tim Querengesser: Alberta appears to be crusading against its own cities – and Canadians should take note

MORNING MARKETS

Global stocks gain as earnings eclipse U.S.-China tensions: European stocks rose on Thursday as better-than-expected corporate earnings offset worries about rising cases of COVID-19 and a sharp escalation in tensions between the United States and China. Around 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.63 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.56 per cent and 0.57 per cent, respectively. In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.24 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.82 per cent. New York futures were higher. The Canadian dollar was trading at 74.77 US cents.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

With a paramilitary presence in Portland, what’s next in the land of the free? Martial law?

Lawrence Martin: “How astonishing can it get with the 45th president? Are we to imagine federal stormtroopers acting as political props, unleashed throughout the great republic to do his authoritarian bidding against the Democrats, denying protesters due process?”

We must make sure that the work-from-home trend does not sideline women’s careers

Linda Nazareth: “The reality is that although there are things that parents may appreciate about not having to slog into work, they may find themselves paying a substantial price in terms of their career advancement.”

The distance come, and the progress made: Remembering John Lewis

Paul Saltzman: “I miss him deeply. And yet, in another way, I am happy for him. He believed in love and in the existence of divinity on Earth and in heaven, and I’m sure he is being welcomed to the top of the mountain and the infinite beyond by Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Lillian Miles, Fannie Lou Hamer, Paul Robeson, and so many others who shared the journey with him and us.”

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

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LIVING BETTER

Thirteen expressive and enjoyable rosés to savour this summer

The Globe’s wine writer Christopher Waters believes rosés can be just as tasty to drink in autumn, winter and spring as it is during the summer. But for those who are looking to enjoy the stylish pink wine now, here are his 13 recommendations, which range from a couple of new premium releases from Canadian wineries to some selections coming in portable cans and Tetrapak containers.

MOMENT IN TIME: July 23, 1914

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Komagata Maru escorted out of Vancouver Harbour

The Komagata Maru incident has come to symbolize widespread racist and anti-immigrant sentiment in Canada at the beginning of the 20th century. While Canada welcomed European immigrants, laws restricted people from non-white and “Asiatic” countries. One of these laws prevented migrants from entering Canada if they had not made a continuous journey from their home country – effectively barring people from India, since there was no direct transportation from the subcontinent. But by that time, a small wave of immigrants from India had settled on the West Coast, where they found jobs and a better quality of life. Spurred by the idea that Indians were members of the Commonwealth with a right to enter Canada, in 1914, businessman Baba Gurdit Singh chartered the Komagata Maru ship and took 376 passengers from Hong Kong to Vancouver.

The boat arrived in Vancouver on May 23, 1914, but was prevented from docking. The passengers were kept on board for two months while food and supplies dwindled. Although the South Asian community in Vancouver mounted a legal challenge to the immigration law, they ultimately lost. On this day in 1914, the warship HMCS Rainbow escorted the Komagata Maru out of Vancouver Harbour. The passengers faced violence upon their return to India. Almost 102 years later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a full apology in the House of Commons for the incident. Cherise Seucharan

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