Good evening,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Trudeau discusses NAFTA, Suu Kyi at United Nations
Canada won’t be rushed into renewing NAFTA, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the United Nations on Wednesday, admitting it was possible the three member nations might fail to conclude a new North American free-trade agreement before the Sept. 30 deadline set by the United States. Mr. Trudeau said U.S. President Donald Trump would need to drop tariffs imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum June 1 to get Canada back on board (for subscribers).
Mr. Trudeau also said Canada might reconsider whether Myanmar’s embattled de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is still deserving of her honorary Canadian citizenship. Ottawa has faced growing pressure to revoke Ms. Suu Kyi’s honour over her failure to protect the Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority from military attacks in Myanmar.
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Russian-Canadian Pussy Riot member says he believes he was poisoned by Russian operatives
Pyotr Verzilov says “someone from the Russian security forces” poisoned him on Sept. 11, the day he lost consciousness after attending the court hearing of a fellow activist in Moscow. In an interview with The Globe and Mail’s Mark Mackinnon, Mr. Verzilov said he believed he was targeted either as punishment for Pussy Riot’s protest during Russia’s hosting of the soccer World Cup this summer, or to halt an investigation by his anti-government website Mediazona into the murder of three Russian journalists. Mr. Verzilov is just the latest in a long line of Russian dissidents to fall mysteriously ill after displeasing the Kremlin.
Kavanaugh denies allegation of sexual misconduct from third woman
Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee, is now facing a third allegation of sexual misconduct. Julie Swetnick detailed her allegation in a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee a day before the Republican-led panel is set to hold a high-stakes hearing in which Justice Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of a sexual assault in 1982, will testify.
“This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone,” Justice Kavanaugh said in a statement regarding the latest allegation. “I don’t know who this is and this never happened.”
New Brunswick’s People’s Alliance ready to talk with Liberals, PCs to ensure ‘government has stability’
On Monday, the New Brunswick election produced a near tie, with the incumbent Liberals winning 21 seats and the Progressive Conservatives 22. With 25 votes required for a majority in the legislature, the balance of power now falls to the Green Party and the People’s Alliance, each of which won three seats. In an interview with The Globe’s Jessica Leeder, People’s Alliance leader Kris Austin said he is ready to explore deals to stabilize the government, but due to the party’s language platform, any deal will be tricky, Ms. Leeder writes.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s benchmark stock index rose slightly, while U.S. markets closed lower after the U.S. Federal Reserve increased its interest rate by a quarter-percentage point.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index finished up 9.78 points to 16,169.28. In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed off 106.93 points to 26,385.28. The S&P 500 index was down 9.59 points to 2,905.97, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 17.10 points to 7,990.37.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
Faith Goldy doesn’t want to be mayor of Toronto
Faith Goldy is a “troubling extremist,” writes Denise Balkissoon. In her campaign for mayor of Toronto, she is manufacturing controversies to become what those who research extremists call a “digital martyr,” and this bid for attention appears to be working. So how do traditional journalists use balance, fairness and free speech against those who purposefully manipulate them, Ms. Balkissoon asks? “It’s tempting to see her as an individual, unseemly gnat, but an idle swat is not going to send such a sizable swarm away. I don’t think Toronto can ignore what she represents any longer.”
TALKING POINTS
Ford government decision is a step backward for investor protection
“Premier Doug Ford continually states that his government is ‘for the people.’ A government that is ‘for the people’ would respect the policy-making process that is ensconced in legislation, avoid creating uncertainty in the capital markets and, most of all, seek to ensure that everyday investors are benefiting, not suffering, from current market practices.” - Anita Anand, J.R. Kimber Chair of Investor Protection and Corporate Governance at the University of Toronto
Pay-equity victory for Ontario midwives a reminder that gender equality still long way off in health care
“The work of midwives has been chronically undervalued and underpaid because it’s a female-dominated profession and that needs to be corrected, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) has ruled.… The decision is obviously a victory for the province’s 900 midwives. It is also another warning to governments to take pay equity issues more seriously – something the Supreme Court did forcefully with two decisions it issued in May.” - André Picard
Mixed feelings as Roberto Osuna signs peace bond
“In this moment, the Jays have become utterly characterless. Where they were once Jose Bautista’s team, Alex Anthopoulos’s team or Josh Donaldson’s team, they have become no one’s team. They’re a bunch of guys who play baseball for a living. For the foreseeable future, they won’t play it very well.” - Cathal Kelly
LIVING BETTER
If you have a bad habit you can’t seem to break, here’s some advice: Start by identifying the patterns and triggers that are causing the behaviour. For example, if the bad habit is snacking in front of the TV to escape the stress of work, the pattern is unhealthy eating and the trigger is stress. Try replacing the bad habit with a good one, such as eating something healthy, or walking off a stressful day.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Bring on the price war: How European discount airlines are shaking up the Canadian market
Air Canada and WestJet are under attack as two experienced international airlines - Norwegian Air and Level - quietly launch their ultra-low-cost carrier service (ULCC) in Canada. Competition is heating up within Canada as well, with Edmonton’s Flair Airlines more than doubling its flights, and WestJet launching Swoop.
You can’t blame Canadian travellers for greeting this new burst of discounting with a weary “It’s about time,” writes John Daly (for subscribers). Canada is the last G7 country without a thriving ULCC market. Industry executives and analysts estimate there are about 10 million people the new discounters can go after.
Will we finally see European-style discount prices? Or will the newcomers fail, like so many have before?
The great whale watch: How a data blitz put the plight of endangered animals into sharper relief
In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, environmental change is bringing North Atlantic right whales into a shipping and fishing danger zone in search of food. Right whales are among the most endangered of all marine mammals, numbering fewer than 500, and after a period of recovery in the early 2000s, their numbers are in decline once again. Last year was devastating, with a dozen dead right whales killed by ship collisions and fishing gear. Now, a massive research project has given marine experts a better picture than ever of what’s going on down below, Ivan Semeniuk reports.
Evening Update is written by Dianne Nice. 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.
Dianne Nice