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Three months after saying she did not want to step aside, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki is leaving her post as head of the Mounties.
Her announcement caps a long period of uncertainty over her future. The Globe and Mail reported in November the federal cabinet was dissatisfied with her stewardship of the RCMP – in particular her poor communication skills and the mishandling of major files such as the Nova Scotia mass shooting, systemic racism within the force and the use of the Emergencies Act to end last year’s anti-vaccine mandate protests in Ottawa.
The announcement of her departure after less than five years on the job comes just before the expected release of the Public Order Emergency Commission’s report into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, waits to appear before the Special Committee on Canada-People's Republic of China Relationship on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
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Expand assisted dying to mature minors, report recommends
Canada should expand eligibility for assisted dying to include mature minors and patients with mental illness, and to allow people with degenerative illnesses such as dementia to make advance requests for assisted deaths, a parliamentary committee report tabled in the House of Commons recommended Wednesday.
If Ottawa actually expanded the availability of medical assistance in dying this widely, Canada would have the most liberal euthanasia law in the world.
But, in a reflection of the ongoing public debate around medical assistance in dying, or MAID, the recommendations were not unanimous. A dissenting report by Conservatives on the 17-member committee of MPs and Senators suggested that continued expansions of MAID would be reckless, especially when it came to patients under the age of 18.
National home sales hit 14-year low in January, prices fall again
Canada’s housing downturn deepened further in January, with sales hitting their lowest level since the Great Recession and home prices declining for the 11th successive month.
The trajectory of the country’s housing market is unclear, with borrowing costs at their highest level in years and expectations rising that the Bank of Canada will no longer pause interest-rate hikes after strong employment reports here and in the United States.
Most economists predict that home prices will continue to decline in the first half of the year as borrowers deal with the spike in mortgage rates. But the real-estate industry is reporting that would-be buyers are trickling back into the market.
Life, upended: Nine stories from Ukraine’s refugees on starting over after fleeing the war
It has been nearly a year since the world woke up to war in Ukraine.
In those early days, Russian troops poured into the country from the north, east and south. Missiles rained down on Kyiv and dozens of other cities. And millions of families faced an agonizing decision: stay put and hope the bombs wouldn’t kill them or leave and rebuild their lives somewhere else.
Many had no choice. Their homes were already destroyed and their livelihoods ruined. Others had to weigh splitting up, after Ukrainian officials barred adult men from going abroad.
In the last 11 months, eight million Ukrainians made the decision to leave. The vast majority of them are women and children. Some found the separation from home too difficult and went back. But most have stayed away and tried to start over.
The Globe kept in touch with 19 people who left Ukraine in the first weeks of the war. They come from all walks of life and they’ve endured varying hardships. But each one has seen their life change forever.
- Canada to provide $21-million for Ukraine demining efforts, humanitarian assistance
- Russia bombards Ukraine as West pledges more aid
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Also on our radar
Tory submits formal resignation: Toronto Mayor John Tory has submitted his formal resignation, according to his office, and is pledging to quit effective 5 p.m. tomorrow. The announcement comes five days after the three-term mayor, 68, admitted a lengthy affair with an employee and promised to quit.
Scotland’s leader to resign: A surprise announcement by Nicola Sturgeon that she plans to resign as Scotland’s First Minister has thrown the Scottish independence movement into turmoil and raised questions about a future referendum on sovereignty.
Quebec National Assembly criticizes Bill C-11: Quebec’s National Assembly has unanimously passed a motion condemning the federal government’s online streaming bill for failing to recognize Quebec’s laws on cultural matters, saying it is up to the province to define its cultural direction.
Palestinians sense a new intifada coming: A January poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found a 10-point decline in support for a two-state solution, the lowest since the survey began in 2016. Sixty per cent of Palestinians and two-thirds of Israeli Jews say they believe another intifada is beginning. “Trust is declining to new low points,” the centre reported. The hardening of attitudes comes as the Israeli far right assumes unprecedented influence.
Pablo Neruda died with toxic bacteria in his body: Chilean poet Pablo Neruda died with toxic bacteria in his body, scientists have found, a result that is consistent with – though not proof of – allegations that the Nobel laureate and diplomat was poisoned soon after a military coup toppled Chile’s government in 1973.
Virginia town at forefront of America’s culture wars: A largely agricultural community of 13,000, where rolling hills are dotted with deciduous forests and clapboard farmhouses, Madison feels a world away from the culture wars tearing up state legislatures across the U.S. But the town school board’s decision to ban 21 books from its high school library puts it at the forefront of renewed efforts nationwide to censor books in public school systems.
Morning markets
Global markets advance: Stocks rose on Thursday as economic data from around the world fed hopes that the global economy might not face as hard a landing as feared a few months ago, even as interest rates threaten to remain higher for longer than expected. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.28 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.62 per cent and 1.03 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished up 0.71 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.84 per cent. New York futures were steady. The Canadian dollar was higher at 74.75 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Editorial: “Canada is not broken. We continue to live in a prosperous, peaceful and tolerant land that we are blessed to call home. But millions of Canadians are under great stress, and governments are not moving swiftly enough to their aid. Politicians and bureaucrats at all levels should be laser-focused on helping them.”
Lawrence Martin: “On our own side, the balloon fracas has triggered a good deal of bellyaching from Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong and others as to our own defence unpreparedness ... But the griping ignores a long-standing reality: As shown in poll after poll, Canadians don’t want to pay for major defence upgrades. They have other priorities.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
.Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
Living better
These four RRSP tips can help improve your retirement
A lot of people are do-it-yourself retirement savers – and that’s great. Just make sure you’re doing things properly. When it comes to RRSPs, bad planning could affect your lifestyle later. Consider these ideas to improve the outlook for your RRSP savings.
Moment in time: Feb. 16, 1957
A couple of Rock'n' Roll dancers dance on the set of the TV show 6.5 Special, 1957.Richi Howell/Redferns / Getty Images
BBC ends the Toddlers’ Truce TV programming blackout
Back in the fifties, British parents had it easy at bedtime: the only screen was a TV and they had some help from a government diktat. Dubbed the “Toddlers’ Truce,” the rule required broadcasters to shut down between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., so that the kids could get tucked up in bed with a minimum of fuss. The move was introduced by the postmaster-general, who oversaw broadcasting, when the wartime transmission blackout ended. The BBC (often referred to as “Auntie” for its supposedly nanny-ish ways) cited the social good of the policy. Conveniently, as the only station on the air, one hour less programming saved money, too. But when commercial network ITV made its debut in 1955, the broadcaster protested that the rule meant lost advertising revenue. A year later, a new postmaster-general called the Toddlers’ Truce “absurd,” and asked the BBC and ITV to agree that it be dropped. The BBC was vehemently opposed, and so the matter was referred to Parliament, which brought an end to the truce. On this day in 1957, viewers tuned into the first broadcast during that hour – a live music show called the Six-Five Special (it started at 6:05). The BBC received a total of six complaints. Ian Morfitt
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