Evening Update: Sweeping RCMP reforms urged in Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry’s final report

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:

The Mass Casualty Commission (MCC), which was examining the mass shooting that left 22 dead in Portapique, N.S., in 2020, released a 3,000-page report today calling for sweeping reforms within the RCMP. A months-long inquiry and investigations revealed that the national police service was unprepared to respond to such an event.

The commission was charged with probing a wide range of issues in relation to the incident, including how the killer had access to firearms as well as the failure to intervene in the gunman’s history of family and intimate partner violence.

The MCC said the RCMP require a “fundamental change” to address problems within their culture and processes. The report criticized the Mounties’ operational tactics, decision-making and supervision and said the shooting demonstrates the need for faster responses to critical incidents and improved 911 communications. The RCMP was widely criticized for failing to properly alert the public about the gunman as the spree was happening. The commission says Ottawa must take over control of the Alert Ready system and create a national framework for public alerting.

• Five major takeaways from the final report into the 2020 N.S. mass shooting: 1. Political involvement in RCMP operations needs to be limited. 2. The “epidemic” of intimate partner violence needs to be addressed. 3. Gun laws need to be stricter. 4. N.S. police response and communication need an overhaul. 5. The Alert Ready system needs to be nationalized. Read the full analysis from Globe reporters.

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Vatican formally repudiates Doctrine of Discovery that allowed colonial-era seizure of Indigenous lands

The Vatican has formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery and the associated Papal decrees that had allowed the colonial-era seizure of Indigenous lands, meeting a long-standing demand of Indigenous groups in Canada. The 15th-century decrees, known as papal bulls, gave European kingdoms the backing to take new territories so they could be turned into Christian lands.

Pope Francis came under pressure last July to formally repudiate the decrees during his visit to Canada. While he apologized for past abuses, he did not say then when the papal bulls might be torn down.

In a joint statement issued today, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Culture and Education said that the papal bulls have never been expressions of Catholic faith and are not part of the teachings of the Catholic Church. The statement also said the documents “were manipulated for political purposes by competing colonial powers in order to justify immoral acts against Indigenous peoples.”

Read more:

• What is the Doctrine of Discovery and why was the Pope urged to repudiate it?
• Pope Francis in much better health after antibiotics, Vatican says

RCMP not investigating foreign interference in Vancouver’s 2022 election, despite CSIS report

The RCMP is not investigating foreign interference in Vancouver’s election last year, despite a Canadian intelligence report that China’s consul-general sought to shape the outcome of that vote.

The report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service describes Tong Xiaoling, then China’s chief representative to the West Coast city, as saying that “they needed to get all eligible voters to come out and elect a specific Chinese-Canadian candidate,” in the mayoral race, while also assessing a specific person to “groom” as a councillor.

The description of that conduct, denied by the Chinese government, has added to calls for Canada to address more seriously the threat of foreign interference at all levels of government. Such meddling, some have said, constitutes a threat to national sovereignty. But Canada’s national police force says it is not pursuing a case.

Read more:

• China’s Vancouver consulate interfered in 2022 municipal election, according to CSIS
• Canada to create foreign-interference office to combat meddling from China, Russia

Did dinosaurs have lips? Canadian scientists say they have cracked the mystery

A Canadian-led team of paleontologists say that toothy meat eater Tyrannosaurus Rex in fact had lips. It’s not a universally accepted view but if true, their study changes how we understand aspects of dinosaur anatomy. The absence of living specimens means much of dinosaur physiology was left to artistic imagination, and popular representations of the creatures focus strongly on their teeth. The 1993 film Jurassic Park is a prime example.

But did dinosaurs really walk around with their teeth exposed? There wasn’t much strong evidence to support the fact, according to Thomas Cullen, an assistant professor of paleobiology at Auburn University in Alabama and lead author on the study.

Most land animals don’t have their teeth constantly exposed, and for good reason. Teeth are supposed to stay wet to protect enamel. Crocodiles, closely related to dinosaurs, do have their teeth exposed, but live in a watery environment. The study argues that makes them a red herring when it comes to what we should expect from dinosaurs.

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Japanese textbook row threatens diplomatic progress with South Korea, China: The South Korean government has lodged an official protest with Tokyo over new Japanese elementary school textbooks that it claims distort history, just a week after hailing a visit to Japan by Prime Minister Yoon Suk Yeol as a “big success.”

Russia detains Wall Street Journal reporter: Moscow has charged an American correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, with spying. The State Department was in contact with the Russian government over his detention and the White House urged U.S. citizens living or travelling in Russia to depart immediately.

Online safety bill should address anorexia, suicide promotion sites, experts say: Parents and child-protection experts want Ottawa to force platforms to remove online forums offering advice on suicide methods and to crack down on “pro-ana” and “thin-spiration” sites.

Biden calls for bank regulations: Weeks after the failure of two banks, President Joe Biden called for independent regulatory agencies to impose tighter rules on the financial system.

Winnipeg judge acquits former priest: A now-retired 93-year-old priest was acquitted of assault after a residential school survivor accused him of forcing himself on her more than 50 years ago.

MARKET WATCH

U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday as technology-related shares extended their recent strong run, while regional bank shares fell after the Biden administration proposed stronger measures to help reduce risk. The Canadian stock market also rose in a broad-based advance, closing at its highest level in three weeks, as easing stress in the global banking sector bolstered investor sentiment.

The TSX was up 103.34 points or 0.52 per cent, closing at 19,940.99. The S&P 500 was up 23.02 or 0.57 per cent, ending at 4,050.83. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 141.43 points or 0.43 per cent, closing at 32,859.03. The Nasdaq Composite gained 87.23 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 12,013.62.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.89 cents US compared with 73.66 cents US on Wednesday.

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TALKING POINTS

A scary ending to Ottawa’s green subsidy story

“The chapter on green subsidies in the federal budget is a bit like a Stephen King novel. It starts out strong, but then goes on, and on, and the ending is scary.” – The Editorial Board

We need to remember what measles can do and ensure it remains in the past

“We rarely think of measles, and when we do, we tend to imagine it as a mere rash from olden times, a rite of passage for hardier generations. In fact, this virus was (and is) explosive and terrifying, killing about 2.6 million people each year in pre-vaccine times and probably contributing to many millions more over the centuries.” – Jason M. Opal

LIVING BETTER

As we’re caught between the seasons, Christopher Waters shares what wines he’s been gravitating towards. Despite there being many whites and rosés up for review, many of his recommendations are the heartier sort. But he has some fruitier, more medium-bodied red wines that he’s enjoying as well. See all his picks for your next dinner party.

TODAY’S LONG READ

Can we inoculate our brains against misinformation? A new book suggests we can

Everyone’s susceptible to catching – and spreading – misinformation, according to the research findings of Sander van der Linden, world-leading expert on misinformation and author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity.

The rapid rise of AI chatbots, which have the ability to confidently produce and disseminate fake news, will only make spotting misinformation more difficult.

So what if we could protect ourselves in advance? Van der Linden and his team at Cambridge are experimenting with a idea called psychological inoculation – the theory that a prebunking “vaccine” can prime our brains to recognize and reject fake news. Once immune to misinformation, we would also stop spreading it. Erin Anderssen speaks to Van der Linden about what that would look like.

Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. 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.