Evening Update: New Wilson-Raybould evidence released, including secretly recorded phone call

Wilson-Raybould documents and audio recording released

The House of Commons justice committee has made public documents and an audio recording submitted by former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould. Here are the details:

• Ms. Wilson-Raybould recorded a 17-minute conversation with outgoing Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick.
• Listen to the full conversation.
• In the recording, Ms. Wilson-Raybould warns Mr. Wernick that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “was on dangerous ground” by attempting to interfere in the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.
• When pressed on the fact the Prime Minister was “in a pretty firm frame of mind,” according to Mr. Wernick, Ms. Wilson-Raybould replied that she was trying to protect Mr. Trudeau from charges of political interference.
• Ms. Wilson-Raybould submitted 44 pages of documents on Tuesday and the justice committee made those public at 3 p.m. today on its website.
• Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s submission also revealed that former Trudeau senior aide Gerald Butts tried to use an erroneous story from the Mulroney-era to persuade her office to accept direction from the Prime Minister’s Office on the case.
• Read the documents here.

This is a developing story that broke late in the day. Be sure to check back through the evening for more details.

Since this story first broke in early February, we have compiled a few deep explainers that have covered major aspects of the story. You can read back on Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s bombshell testimony and scan our main explainer, SNC-Lavalin, Jody Wilson-Raybould and Trudeau’s PMO: The story so far.

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Theresa May loses final attempt at Brexit deal and deadline extension with EU

The British Parliament has rejected, again, an attempt by Prime Minister Theresa May to win approval for her withdrawal agreement with the European Union and extend the Brexit deadline until May 22. As The Globe’s London-based European correspondent Paul Waldie reports, members of Parliament voted 344 to 286 against the agreement. Today was the original date in which Britain was supposed to exit the EU, something hundreds of people who voted to leave marked with a noisy protest outside Parliament as MPs voted. After the vote, Ms. May has until April 12 to either seek another extension from EU leaders or crash out of the bloc without a deal. On Monday, MPs will begin voting on various options including a second referendum on Brexit, negotiating a customs union with the EU or revoking Brexit.

We know Brexit is a long, sometimes confusing and quickly changing story. We’ve created an explainer called Where are we at with Brexit? that covers what’s happened today and outlines the stepping stones of how we got here. Short, straightforward and digestible.

Meanwhile, the Government of Canada has issued a travel advisory for Canadians in Britain, warning them of possible violence in the wake of today’s latest twist in the country’s Brexit drama. In the advisory, reports The Canadian Press, officials warn of “acts of violence” and confrontations between demonstrators and security forces around the parliamentary buildings and near Westminster Abbey in London.

Barr to release redacted copy of Mueller report in mid-April

U.S. Attorney-General William Barr plans to issue a redacted copy of special counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly 400-page investigative report into Russian interference in the 2016 election by mid-April, The Associated Press reports that he said in a letter to Congress on Friday. “Everyone will soon be able to read it on their own,” Mr. Barr wrote in the letter to the top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House judiciary committees. Mr. Barr said he is willing to appear before both committees to testify about Mr. Mueller’s report on May 1 and May 2.

Fiat Chrysler cutting 1,500 jobs at Windsor, Ont., assembly plant due to shift being eliminated

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles intends to cut a shift at its Windsor, Ont., assembly plant later this year that will put about 1,500 autoworkers out of work. Federal Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains was in Windsor today offering his support to workers facing layoffs. The company announced it would cut the third shift at its Windsor minivan plant at the end of September to better align production with product demand. The shift cut means a loss of about 1,500 jobs. Mr. Bains said he is “very disappointed” by the news and Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his government will “fight tooth and nail” to protect auto-worker jobs.

Boeing’s anti-stall system likely caused Ethiopian Airlines crash, reports reveal

Data pulled from the Ethiopian Airlines flight recorder suggests that an anti-stall system, which pushes the nose of the jet downwards, had been activated before the Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed on March 10, three people briefed on the matter said. The same system is at the centre of a probe into the Lion Air crash in Indonesia five months ago on an identical aircraft. An Ethiopian-led investigation is trying to establish whether the system overpowered the pilots, a leading scenario in the Lion Air crash, and what action was taken by the crew.

Ukraine’s election has pitted a comedian against a candy baron and a populist ex-PM. Who will have the last laugh?

In the lead-up to Sunday’s presidential election in Ukraine, The Globe’s Mark MacKinnon looks at the country that sits at the fraught frontier between Russia and the West, where a man who plays the president on TV is polling higher than the incumbent, whose bid for a second term has been hampered by corruption allegations.

WHAT ELSE IS ON OUR RADAR

• Technicians working around the clock have been able to restore many services after a deliberately set fire in a Telus building that affected customers in two communities northwest of Edmonton. (The Canadian Press)
• Maria Ressa, the head of a Philippine news website known for critical reports about President Rodrigo Duterte, was re-arrested at Manila airport today, this time on charges she had violated foreign-ownership rules. (Reuters)
• A departure ceremony is being held today in Vancouver for trains carrying combat boots symbolizing those who travelled to Halifax during the Second World War before they embarked for Europe, a part of the federal government’s plan to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. (The Canadian Press)
• The Canadian economy grew by a surprise 0.3 per cent in January, reversing recent declines as the construction and manufacturing sectors picked up, and likely leaving the Bank of Canada on the sidelines over the coming months. (The Globe and Mail)
• President Donald Trump’s Republican allies tangled with one of Mr. Trump’s most prominent Democratic critics during a chaotic congressional hearing yesterday and the U.S. Attorney-General revealed that special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia inquiry report is more than 300 pages long. (Reuters)

MARKET WATCH

The close: Heavyweight energy, financial stocks lead TSX lower

Stock markets around the world moved higher on Friday following signs of progress in U.S.-China trade talks, while the British pound and German bond yields fell after lawmakers rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit agreement for the third time. Canada’s main stock index fell on Friday as heavyweight financial and energy stocks lost ground. The S&P/TSX composite index closed Friday down 53.40 points to 16,102.09. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 211.22 points at 25,928.68. The S&P 500 index was up 18.96 points at 2,834.40, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.16 points at 7,729.32.

Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.

WHAT’S POPULAR WITH READERS

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It’s time to say goodbye to my hair dye

I applaud any woman who has the determination – and money, for that matter – to continue to cover the grey. You are beautiful, but so am I, Monica Catto writes in a First Person essay.

TALKING POINTS

Saturday’s editorial cartoon

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Globe editorial: After Christchurch, it’s time for Canada to ban semi-automatic weapons

“But in Canada’s strangely inconsistent gun classifications, some semi-automatic rifles with a military bloodline only require a standard PAL, which means they don’t have to be registered and can be purchased and used with few restrictions.” — Globe Editorial

It starts with canola: How China could weaponize Canada’s federal election

“By singling out the private sector, Beijing hopes to turn the inconvenience and financial harm caused to companies into groups that will lobby the government into abandoning a specific policy that is believed to be detrimental to China. When the government fails to change its policy … affected firms and local and regional economies will increasingly blame politics and the perceived obstinacy of their government for their misfortune.” — J. Michael Cole is Taiwan and China expert with the University of Nottingham, the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China, and the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington. He is a former analyst with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in Ottawa.

The Blue Jays are faceless as warm bodies fill its roster

“What are you up to this weekend? Big plans? If not, maybe you can swing by the Rogers Centre and try out for the Toronto Blue Jays. They could use you.” — Cathal Kelly

LIVING BETTER

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Your weekend movie guide: What to see in theatres, from the dumb Dumbo to the incendiary Canadian debut Firecrackers

Start your weekend planning early with The Globe and Mail’s guide to every feature film arriving this weekend, from would-be blockbusters to under-the-radar indies.

Meanwhile, from John Doyle, on one dark Brit classic and two great HBO comedies to savour. He suggests you should get yourself ready for the spring saturation point of the peak-TV era.

Why Instagram is an ideal platform for feminist feeds and other powerful affirmations

Curated Instagram accounts are creating a new platform for powerful affirmations and bringing vast communities together in one place, reports Odessa Paloma Parker. “Instagram accounts such as ECOIW are cultivating a new outlook on feminism that’s unique to the internet age – a style-guided approach to celebrating triumph under duress that’s perfect for a visual medium. It allows audiences to take in the splendour of Aretha Franklin’s furs and Kerry Washington’s trench coats on Scandal, while setting up a canon focused on outrage and strength,” she writes.

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Dear Evan Hansen is a milestone musical – and the Toronto production is even better than Broadway

Theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck gives Dear Evan Hansen three and a half stars and suggests the Toronto production is a little more dialled-down compared to Broadway, to its benefit. “It is a small musical, with just eight actors and characters, and it can get overwrought. (Thank goodness director Michael Greif and choreographer Danny Mefford keep the angsty Rent-style rock moves to a minimum.),” he writes.

LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE

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The Big Cheese: How billionaire Lino Saputo Jr. built a global dairy empire and stood up to Big Milk

Jason Kirby’s lede in the upcoming Report on Business Magazine’s cover story is great: “'I hope they don’t view me as “that billionaire from Canada,”' says Canadian billionaire Lino Saputo Jr.”

So begins the profile of Saputo, CEO of the giant cheese, milk and yogurt company that shares his name. His biggest challenge today: To keep growing in an era of trade wars and falling milk consumption. He’s disarming, he’s blunt and he broke ranks with Canada’s powerful dairy lobby to side with American farmers in last year’s NAFTA fight. The story is a great read.

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