Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Katie Telford, Prime Minister Trudeau’s chief of staff and senior adviser, testified today on foreign election interference before the House of Commons procedure and House affairs committee.
Telford assured Members of Parliament that no national security intelligence is kept from the Prime Minister, but she offered little insight into when he was first told of meddling in Canadian politics by Beijing.
She had no comment when asked whether she was briefed on what the Conservative Party framed as a new allegation of foreign interference. Tory MP Michael Cooper told the Committee that a “cryptic and threatening text message” from the Chinese consulate in Toronto was received by former Conservative MP Bob Saroya 10 weeks before the 2021 election, in which he was defeated. The message had suggested that he would no longer be a member of Parliament after the 2021 vote.
Saroya was one of a number of incumbent Conservative MPs in ridings with significant Chinese-Canadian voters who lost their seat in that race.
- Follow the testimony here
- Christian Leuprecht: “The extent to which the government is going out of its way not to act on systemic interference, subversion and subterfuge by a hostile authoritarian state actor intent on undermining the very democratic values that the government purports to champion is rather unusual for any democracy, let alone for a Five Eyes ally.”
Trudeau foundation asks Auditor-General to investigate donation from Chinese businessmen
Ted Johnson, chair of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, has asked Auditor-General Karen Hogan to investigate a donation from two Chinese businessmen, who were acting at the behest of the government of China.
Johnson has requested a formal audit of the non-profit organization, which was set up with a $125-million endowment from the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien in 2002.
A foundation official said the organization sent a refund cheque for $140,000 to Millennium Gold Eagle International (Canada), a company where the two businessmen, Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng, are listed as shareholders. The cheque, the official added, has been cashed.
The two businessmen had pledged $200,000 in June, 2016, to the Trudeau Foundation, $750,000 to the University of Montreal law school and $50,000 for a statue of Pierre Trudeau that was never built. But the foundation’s records show that it received only $140,000.
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Man suspected of leaking secret U.S. intelligence documents appears in court
The U.S. Air Force National Guardsman accused of leaking classified military intelligence records online appeared before a federal judge in Boston earlier today to face charges. Jack Douglas Teixeira was arrested by the FBI at his home yesterday. He only spoke twice during today’s proceeding, answering “yes” when asked if he understood his right to remain silent, and confirming that he had filled out a financial affidavit, which the judge said shows he will qualify to be represented by a federal public defender.
Boston’s top federal national security prosecutor, Nadine Pellegrini, requested that Teixeira be detained pending trial, and a detention hearing was set for Wednesday.
Officials are still determining the extent of the damage caused by the leaks, which included records showing purported details of Ukrainian military vulnerabilities and which also embarrassed Washington by revealing its spying on allies.
Teixeira is charged with unlawfully copying and possessing classified defence records. Each offence can carry up to 10 years in prison.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
U.S. Supreme Court asked to preserve abortion pill access rules
The U.S. Justice Department and Danco Laboratories have asked the Supreme Court to preserve access to an abortion drug free from restrictions imposed by lower court rulings, while a legal fight continues.
The emergency requests were filed today with the high court less than two days after an appeals court ruling in a case from Texas tightened the rules under which the drug, mifepristone, can be prescribed and dispensed. The new limits would take effect Saturday unless the court acts before then.
- Read also: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs six-week abortion ban in closed-door ceremony
Macron’s contested pension law faces crunch constitutional test
Armed police were deployed outside France’s Constitutional Council today ahead of its ruling on whether the government’s plans to raise the retirement age are in line with constitutional rules.
President Emmanuel Macron spurred huge and ongoing protests after saying the French must work longer or else the pension budget will fall billions of euros into the red each year by the end of the decade.
Ukrainian forces have pulled back from parts of Bakhmut as Moscow launches new push, Britain says
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from some parts of Bakhmut in the face of a renewed Russian assault, Britain said today, with Moscow pushing for a win before Ukraine’s expected counteroffensive.
Bakhmut has been Russia’s main target in a massive winter offensive that has so far yielded few gains despite intense infantry ground combat.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index eked out a small gain thanks to strength in battery metals, while U.S. markets were down even as the country’s biggest banks beat earnings expectations.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 15.42 points at 20,579.91.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 143.22 points at 33,886.47. The S&P 500 index was down 8.58 points at 4,137.64, while the Nasdaq composite was down 42.81 points at 12,123.47.
The loonie was trading at 74.81 cents (U.S.), off 0.10 cents.
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TALKING POINTS
Have I, as Alberta Premier, interfered in the administration of justice? I couldn’t possibly comment
Andrew Coyne: “I don’t know where people get this idea that premiers can just snap their fingers and make a case go away, unless it was from my many public statements while campaigning for leader of the United Conservative Party that, as Premier, I would personally grant amnesty to those charged with COVID-related offences.”
Is Israel’s democratic crisis proof that proportional representation doesn’t work?
David Moscrop: “PR systems tend to encourage co-operation and deliberation through power sharing either by way of coalitions or minority governments, though they can also result in the election of extremists and give oversized leverage to fringe parties.”
LIVING BETTER
Say hello to your underrated, uncrowded summer vacation
If you’re eyeing a European vacation this summer but balk at the idea of overcrowded beaches and tourist traps, we have some ideas for you. These six, lesser-known destinations are quieter alternatives to the usual favourites, offering equally compelling European experiences, with fewer tourists. Want to go to Sicily, but find prices a bit too high (thanks, White Lotus)? Try Maremma, Italy, tucked away in Tuscany’s southern end. Looking to experience sunny Santorini? Consider Paros, Greece, instead. Read more.
‘It was the show that everybody wanted to see’
This weekend marks the final curtain call for The Phantom of the Opera. The show will have been performed in New York a total of 13,925 times, making it far and away the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. To mark the occasion, The Globe called on two camps to share their fondest memories of the Music of the Night: Canadian theatrical talents who have been involved in the Broadway show over the years, and the fans themselves. Read the tributes.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Woman on a mission
Timea Nagy, an advocate for survivors of sex trafficking, paced the stage at a 2015 financial crimes conference in Toronto and peered into the audience. To the crowd of bankers and suits, she recounted how she was forced into sexual slavery as a newcomer to Canada, and how easy it is for traffickers to get away with their crimes.
Canadian banks, financial regulators and police were failing to follow the dirty money. She highlighted how American banks were increasingly flagging suspicious account activity to bust pimps. It was a call to action for the well-heeled strangers in front of her. But the conference delegates clammed up.
That’s when Peter Warrack, the then-director of anti-money laundering investigations at the Bank of Montreal, cleared his throat, and promised action.
That pledge marked the dawn of Project Protect, the first-ever public-private partnership to combat human trafficking for sexual exploitation. A collaboration between the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FinTRAC), banks and law enforcement agencies, Project Protect targets the money laundering associated with sex trafficking.
Since its launch in early 2016, Project Protect has helped financial institutions catch many millions of dollars in illicit money as it entered the banking system. Read more.
Evening Update is written by Andrew Saikali. 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.