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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is blaming Canada’s spy agency for not informing Conservative MP Michael Chong that he and his family were being targeted by China after he spearheaded a parliamentary motion that condemned Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur minority.
In its explanation of the matter, he said, CSIS didn’t send the report up the chain of authority because it felt this “wasn’t a significant enough concern.”
Security experts said it’s difficult to understand why intelligence assessments of this kind would not be flagged for the Prime Minister’s national-security adviser, the RCMP and other government departments.
Conservative MP Michael Chong rises during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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University of Waterloo cuts ties with Huawei
The University of Waterloo is cutting ties with Chinese telecom company Huawei, saying the partnership is incompatible with federal security rules.
National security agencies have flagged Huawei as a serious security risk for its close ties to the Chinese government. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has warned that Beijing is increasingly using joint academic research programs with Canadian universities to obtain technology for economic and military advantage.
Why a program for first-time homebuyers fizzled in Toronto and Vancouver
A federal program for first-time buyers has not been as successful as Ottawa hoped when it announced the initiative with much fanfare in 2019.
The federal government said the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive would make it easier for as many as 100,000 families to buy a home in the country’s pricier markets. But fewer than 400 households have taken advantage of the program over the more than three years it has been offered.
Several real estate professionals say the problem with the program is that it restricts the amount buyers can borrow making it almost impossible to purchase a home in hot housing markets across the country.
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Also on our radar
CRA strike ends: The public-sector union representing Canada Revenue Agency employees has struck a tentative deal with the federal government, ending a strike of 35,000 workers just after the tax season wrapped up.
What we know about the man charged with abetting suicide: Kenneth Law, a Mississauga man charged with aiding suicide in the deaths of two Canadians, was once an engineer and later became a chef who was forced to declare bankruptcy shortly after the pandemic touched down in Toronto.
Bodies recovered in Quebec floods: Police in Quebec say search teams have recovered two bodies in an area near Quebec City that has been hit hard by flooding. The bodies have yet to be identified, but they were found in a location close to where two volunteer firefighters were swept away during a rescue mission on Monday.
Russia accuses Ukraine in Kremlin drone attack: Russia vowed to retaliate after accusing Ukraine of trying to kill President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack at the Kremlin in Moscow. Videos posted to Russian social-media accounts showed what appeared to be a small drone flying over the walls of the Kremlin late at night before it exploded above the Kremlin Senate.
Younger people losing interest in monarchy: As the coronation of King Charles III approaches, the Royal Family is struggling to stay relevant among young people who have become increasingly disinterested in the monarchy. Several recent polls in Britain have found that the vast majority of people between the ages of 18 and 25 either don’t support the monarchy or don’t care.
- Canadian astronauts to attend King’s coronation with Prime Minister, Governor-General
- Opinion: King Charles, and our odd fascination with rich strangers
TD, First Horizon call off US$13.4-billion deal: The deal between First Horizon Corp and Toronto-Dominion Bank Group ended because the banks did not have clarity on if and when they would get the regulatory approvals to close the deal, the banks said in a statement.
Loblaw calls out suppliers for increased costs: Loblaw executives say that the reason for price hikes at the grocery store is because of “outsized cost increases” by companies that produce consumer packaged goods. But an industry representative is questioning Loblaw’s assertion, saying the grocer is trying to deflect consumer anger for not doing enough to fight food inflation.
Wealth managers notify clients about data hack: Several of Canada’s major wealth managers are telling clients that their personal information has been breached in a cyberattack. Names, addresses and social insurance numbers were stolen as part of the data hack, and have affected major companies and organizations, including Procter & Gamble, Hitachi Energy and the City of Toronto.
Morning markets
European markets slide ahead of ECB: Europe’s stock markets and the euro sagged on Thursday as investors waited for another European Central Bank rate rise after the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled that its marathon hiking run might finally have hit pause. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.65 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 were down 0.63 per cent and 0.73 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.27 per cent. Markets in Japan were closed. New York futures were little changed. The Canadian dollar was slightly higher at 73.52 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
David Parkinson: “Maybe what the Fed has declared is a conditional conditional pause. There are no promises, or even promises of promises. But the U.S. central bank has opened a window, just a crack, through which the sweet scent of a rate pause has drifted in. Even if the Fed is still reluctant to breathe that fresh air.”
Rob Carrick: “We actually have two housing problems to fix in this country – unaffordable home ownership and expensive rent. No wonder so many young people are furious about what’s happening in the housing market.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by David Parkins, May 4, 2023.Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Three things to consider when buying a family cottage
According to a new Re/Max report, more and more Gen Xers are looking to buy a cottage property. In order to afford it, many are planning to rent it out and others are selling their city homes and moving into cottage country. Tax columnist Tim Cestnick says there are a some things to take into account if you’re in the market for a recreational property.
Moment in time: May 4, 1944
Ingrid Bergman in a scene from the film 'Gaslight', 1944.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images
Ingrid Bergman film Gaslight is released
In the #MeToo era, the term “gaslighting” has carved out a substantial space in the lexicon, easy shorthand for manipulating a person into thinking that, essentially, they are the villain of their own story. And for that, we can thank Ingrid Bergman and George Cukor. Sort of. Almost 80 years ago, the Hollywood star and her prolific director released the psychological thriller Gaslight, which focused on a young woman (Bergman, at the height of her stardom) whose husband (Charles Boyer) delicately manipulates her into believing that she is slowly going insane, hence the “gaslighting.” The film was a hit, more than doubling its budget at the box office and earning seven Academy Award nominations and winning two, including Best Actress for Bergman. But the movie can’t quite claim to have invented the term. Cukor’s movie was an adaptation of a 1940 British film directed by Thorold Dickinson, which itself was adapted from Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play of the same name. Perhaps the raw power of Cukor’s film has simply gaslighted us all into believing it to be the originator of the term, then. Barry Hertz
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