British Columbia Premier Christy Clark addresses the media at her office in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, May 10, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan HaywardThe Canadian Press
B.C. election: What comes next
B.C.'s political landscape has been upended, with the province likely to end up with its first minority government in more than 60 years. Here is what that means and what could come next:
Recounts and absentee ballots: The NDP won Courtenay-Comox by just nine votes. There will be a recount there, and possibly in another riding where the NDP topped the Liberals by 120 votes. The Liberals need just one more seat to form a majority. More than 176,000 absentee ballots will not be counted until May 22-24, and could be a factor in Courtenay-Comox and a handful of other close races.
Resource projects: Having a minority government, or even a slim majority, will force the BC Liberals to re-evaluate their stand on resource projects (for subscribers). Premier Christy Clark has been a vocal proponent of liquefied natural gas, the Site C dam and the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. Andrew Weaver's Green Party, which holds the balance of power, opposes both Site C and the Kinder Morgan project; Clark may need to make environmental compromises.
Greens and a minority: The Greens, with three seats, could decide to broker a formal coalition with either the Liberals or NDP. The Greens' platform has more in common with that of the NDP. But it may come down to which party will make the most concessions. Changing B.C.'s lax political fundraising rules is a "non-negotiable" issue, Weaver said.
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Comey sought more funds for Russia probe before firing
FBI director James Comey asked for more funds and resources for his agency's probe of possible ties between Donald Trump's election campaign and Russia. Then, days later, Trump fired him. Although the President maintains that he fired Comey because he "wasn't doing a good job," Democrats and even some Republicans expressed concerns about the timing of the dismissal. Democrats are once again calling for an independent prosecutor to be appointed to handle the Russia inquiry.
Since Watergate, presidents have typically walked a careful line to prevent any perception of interference with the FBI's work. Comey's firing is "a bad political call" because it shows Trump had to resort to presidential power to get what he wanted, political scientist Andrew Rudalevige said.
Pierre Beaudoin stepping down as Bombardier chairman
Pierre Beaudoin is stepping down as Bombardier Inc.'s executive chairman amid a mounting controversy over executive pay at the Canadian plane and train maker. Mr. Beaudoin will become non-executive chairman, the company said Thursday in advance of its annual meeting after a revolt by several Canadian institutional investors. The move will be effective as of the end of June.
Infrastructure Bank risks slowing down projects, report warns
The proposed Canada Infrastructure Bank could cut into provincial jurisdiction and slow down projects with bureaucracy, an internal federal report warns. It also notes that projects relying on user fees tend to attract private investors, but Canadians are often opposed to tolls. The report says careful study is needed before moving ahead with the bank, which is intended to attract private capital to Canadian infrastructure projects. But the Liberals are trying to push through legislation that would create the $35-billion bank as part of their omnibus budget bill. The NDP is planning on forcing a vote to call on the Liberals to remove the bank section from the bill so it can be studied on its own.
MMIW inquiry won't talk to most families until the fall
The national missing and murdered Indigenous women inquiry is pushing back its timeline for speaking to family members of victims. While the inquiry was supposed to start hearing from families this spring, that won't be happening until the fall for most. The only hearings scheduled for the spring are in Whitehorse at the end of May. An interim report on the inquiry is due on Nov. 1, and it will need to be written in September. But with the new timeline, only family members in the Yukon will have been heard from by then. Families have expressed concern about the lack of information being relayed by the commission. The inquiry already fired its first communications director in February, and a senior communications adviser resigned this week.
NHL PLAYOFF ROUNDUP
The Edmonton Oilers have been eliminated from the playoffs after losing 2-1 to the Anaheim Ducks last night. The Oilers forced a Game 7 after crushing Anaheim 7-1 on Sunday, but had trouble finding the back of the net in the deciding game. The Ducks are set to face the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference final.
MORNING MARKETS
Global stocks held near record highs on Thursday, helped by a rebound in energy shares as oil prices rose after U.S. fuel inventories declined and Saudi Arabia cut supplies of crude to Asia more than expected. Tokyo's Nikkei and the Shanghai composite each rose 0.3 per cent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng 0.4 per cent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was little changed by about 5:35 a.m. (ET), while Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were each up 0.1 per cent. New York futures were down. Oil prices stood out in an otherwise relatively quiet day across financial markets. Brent crude rose another 1.3 per cent following a 3-per-cent gain in the previous session. The advance helped Brent regain the $50 level and reverse all of last week's losses.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
The end of the B.C. election signals the start of politics as (un)usual
"B.C. politics has always been unique, and at times uniquely weird. But it has never seen an election like this, or an election night like this. B.C. is facing its first minority government in more than 60 years. It is also facing the possibility of not having its first minority government in more than 60 years – and instead seeing the Liberals returned to office with a slim majority. And the politicking is just beginning. … On the plus side, a minority government means that B.C. is finally going to get big money out of politics. … On pipelines, however, the two parties on the left could impose policy gridlock. … In a minority government, Trans Mountain could be doomed, with the Greens and NDP opposed. The death of the least controversial oil pipeline would be a serious problem for Alberta's NDP. It would make life challenging for the federal NDP, and destroy the Trudeau government's fragile pro-oil, pro-carbon-taxes script." – Globe editorial
Authoritarianism 101: First, fire the FBI director
"The firing of FBI director James Comey is an ominous yet predictable sign of the erosion of democracy in the United States of America. It is a textbook authoritarian move, part of a continuing desecration of constitutional norms and laws that have been progressing since Donald Trump took office. … To not be surprised [by Comey's firing] is to acknowledge the horrifying fact that the United States is becoming an autocracy. Of course they are going to fire anyone who stands in their way. Of course they will disregard the law. This is difficult for Americans unaccustomed to autocratic rule to process, but it is necessary that they do so if they seek to stop it." – Sarah Kendzior
HEALTH PRIMER
Lifting weights now can help you ace your golden years
If you feel healthy and like the way you look, why should you care about lifting weights? For one, says personal trainer Paul Landini, it helps keep your bones healthy. Resistance training, studies say, can help improve your bone density and minimizes other risk factors that could put you in danger of osteoporosis.
MOMENT IN TIME
U-boat attack in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
May 11, 1942: Most Canadians tend to think the Second World War was fought "over there" – in Europe and North Africa. But by the middle of the war, the Germans took the fight to our coastal waters. It was shortly before midnight when German submarine U-553, prowling off the Gaspé Peninsula, fired a torpedo into British freighter SS Nicoya. The crew had little time to abandon the ship before it was hit by a second torpedo. Six died. Only hours later, another 12 were killed when the sub attacked the SS Leto. That year, U-boats sank 21 ships in the gulf, culminating in the October attack on the ferry SS Caribou, in which more than 130 passengers and crew were killed. It was the deadliest single attack in what would become known as the Battle of the St. Lawrence. – Massimo Commanducci
Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.
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