Good morning,
These are the top stories:
Breaking down the Supreme Court’s cross-border alcohol ruling
New Brunswick was within its rights to fine a man for bringing alcohol from Quebec to his home province, the Supreme Court has ruled. Gérard Comeau was fined $292 six years ago when the RCMP caught him crossing into New Brunswick with 14 cases of beer and three bottles of spirits. It was a case that raised questions about the flow of all types of goods across provincial borders. Now, the court has ruled that Canada has no constitutional guarantee of free trade between provinces.
The alcohol ruling could have an impact on Alberta’s trade war with B.C.
In its ruling, the court said as long as provinces aren’t deliberately imposing trade barriers, the side-effects on trade must be allowed (New Brunswick argued it was trying to manage the supply of liquor). However, “a law that in essence and purpose impedes cross-border trade cannot be rendered constitutional,” it ruled. That could clash with Alberta’s proposed legislation to restrict the flow of its fossil-fuel products. While it doesn’t specifically mention British Columbia, Alberta’s government has indicated the bill is meant to push back against B.C’s “extreme illegal actions.”
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James Comey’s memos have been sent to Congress. Here’s what he wrote
According to one memo, the former FBI director had a conversation with Donald Trump in January of last year where the U.S. President said Michael Flynn “has serious judgement issues.” (Flynn was later fired from his post as national security adviser and has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.) Comey also wrote that Trump repeatedly denied allegations involving prostitutes in Moscow while also saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had told him that Russia had “beautiful” prostitutes.
Rogers internet customers are raising concerns about e-mail privacy
For years, Rogers has outsourced the e-mail service it offers customers to Yahoo. But now those with a @rogers.com e-mail have been receiving pop-up messages outlining terms of service that say Yahoo’s new parent company, Oath, analyzes “content and information” including e-mails, to deliver targeted advertisements. The provision that allows Oath to analyze e-mails isn’t new, but many Rogers e-mail users were surprised by the policy and took to Twitter and message boards to complain. The reaction comes amid heightened concerns about privacy after the Cambridge Analytica scandal saw the company misuse the Facebook data of more than 620,000 Canadians.
NHL playoffs: Leafs on brink of elimination; Jets on verge of advancing
The Toronto Maple Leafs fell 3-1 at home to the Boston Bruins last night, leaving them one loss away from a first-round playoff exit. Game 5 goes down in Boston on Saturday night.
The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, are sitting comfortable with a 3-1 series lead over the Minnesota Wild. They can close things out on home ice tonight (7:30 p.m. ET).
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Male CBC hosts earn almost 9.5 per cent more than their female colleagues
While men only pull in a slightly higher annual salary, they are awarded significantly more in additional remuneration, according to data obtained via an access to information request. Male hosts earn a yearly average of $118,500, female hosts bring in $107,323. The disparity comes despite the “gender-neutral criteria” the public broadcaster uses to hire and retain sought-after employees. The disparity in wages is reflected across nearly all employment categories, from editors to managers to producers. The one exception is for reporters, with women making an average of 3.5 per cent more than men.
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks mixed
Global stocks dipped on Friday but were set for a second week of gains after a strong start to the global corporate earnings season, while a rally in commodity prices fizzled out. Tokyo’s Nikkei lost 0.1 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng 0.9 per cent, and the Shanghai composite 1.5 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100 and the Paris CAC 40 were up by between 0.1 and 0.4 per cent by about 5:55 a.m. ET., with Germany’s DAX down slightly. New York futures were down. The Canadian dollar is now below 79 US cents. Oil prices stayed near three-year highs reached earlier this week.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
More talk about universal pharmacare in Canada, but still no action
“Canada may not have the world’s best health system but there is one area where we know no equal: Writing reports on how we could do better. Since the Royal Commission on Health Services issued its recommendations on reforming still wet-behind-the-ears medicare in 1964, there have been dozens upon dozens of earnest reports, each saying more or less the same thing and each greeted with bons mots, then dutifully filed on a dusty shelf. On Wednesday, we racked up another medal in the navel-gazing Olympics with the release of Pharmacare Now: Prescription Medicine Coverage for All Canadians. … But there are a lot of ifs and buts. Even if predicted savings are achieved – and the notion that pharmaceutical companies will happily grant 25-per-cent price cuts and private insurance companies will surrender a profitable market without a fight is delusional – a national program would result in at least $7.2-billion in costs being shifted from private employers to the public treasury.” – André Picard
To the oil workers of Alberta: We care about you
“To be a climate hawk living in Ontario is complicated. Without a doubt, climate change is a global emergency, one that requires immediate, drastic action, including the rapid phasing-out of fossil fuels. At the same time, I know that’s an easy position to take when no one I know works in oil or gas. Too often, these discussions get polarized: short-sighted Western Canadians making a quick buck off a dying planet, versus spoiled Ontarians who don’t understand how real people support their families. B.C. is full of lichen-eating hippies who oppose all resource extraction − they’re happy to hoverboard to work in the mornings, so there. This regional fragmentation is only deepening as the Trans Mountain pipeline drama drags on.” – Denise Balkissoon
Why the Quebec City mosque shooting was terrorism
“In my view, Mr. Bissonnette’s actions clearly satisfy the Criminal Code’s legal definition of terrorist activity. He was motivated by hatred and fear of Muslims and migrants. He intentionally caused death for a ‘political … or ideological objective or cause’ with the intent to intimidate ‘a segment of the public”, namely Muslims and perhaps all migrants, “with regard to its security.’ … To be sure, establishing that Mr. Bissonnette’s murders were also terrorism will not bring back the six dead fathers. It might not deter others or make us safer. But it would help affirm that our terrorism laws apply to all who would use violence to advance or express their politics. And that we should be as vigilant about far-right violence as other acts of terrorism. Most importantly, it might encourage all of us to pull back from stoking and exploiting the dangerous flames of hate and division that are but a short step away from political violence.” – Kent Roach, Professor of Law at the University of Toronto
FILM FRIDAY
Brad Wheeler says Super Troopers 2 “needs to be turned away at the border” for its “cartoonish visions of Canada and an assaultive level of immaturity.” (zero stars)
Kate Taylor gives I Feel Pretty, starring Amy Schumer, one star, and writes: “ Bridget Jones used to make me feel better about my thighs. Today, I mainly want to strangle Amy Schumer.”
And in other film news: Here’s an oral history of Hot Docs, detailing how the Toronto documentary festival went from humble beginnings to industry dominance. And Toronto’s other big movie fest, the Toronto International Film Festival, just named artistic director Cameron Bailey as co-head of the organization.
LIVING BETTER
How to plan a dinner party menu for guests with allergies
If you find out a guest has a peanut allergy, for example, don’t just make Pad Thai and leave out the nuts. Instead, use it as an opportunity to experiment and try out a new dish. And if a label on a product says it was made in a facility that handles allergens like nuts, stay on the safe side by choosing a different brand.
MOMENT IN TIME
Mae West heads to prison for her play Sex
April 20, 1927: Perhaps Mae West’s career is the origin of the showbiz expression that measures failure as an inability to “get arrested in this town.” Certainly, hers was a celebrity greatly enhanced by incarceration. In 1926, West was a Broadway showgirl writing and staging her own plays: Sex was a melodrama in which she starred as a sex-trade worker who follows the British Navy but really just wants to find a good man and settle down. The poorly reviewed play had been drawing crowds for 10 months when New York police, acting on complaints from the Society for the Suppression of Vice, arrested West and closed Sex , along with two other Broadway shows, in a crackdown on popular theatre. West was found guilty on an obscenity charge and received a 10-day sentence. On April 20, 1927, she went to jail – in a police van by some accounts; others say she rode in a limo. In jail, she posed for photos and gave interviews, complaining about the rough undergarments. Her fame was now secure and, on her release (two days early for good behaviour), she returned to the stage, moving to Hollywood a few years later. – Kate Taylor
Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.
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Arik Ligeti