Good morning,
These are the top stories:
The first French-language debate of the election campaign is tonight
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau skipped the Maclean’s/Citytv debate and passed on the since-cancelled Munk foreign-policy debate. But he’ll be on the stage tonight as his party looks to maintain support in the battleground of Quebec.
The Bloc Québécois is hoping to play spoiler; the latest provincial poll from Nanos Research shows the Liberals at 35.3 per cent support, followed by the Bloc at 22 per cent (go here to read about the polling methodology). The Liberals held 40 of Quebec’s 78 seats before this election was called, while the Bloc had just 10 seats.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Tory Leader Andrew Scheer said his party’s plan to cut foreign aid by 25 per cent won’t affect funding for international abortion services put in place by the Trudeau government. (The Conservatives under Stephen Harper did not fund abortion abroad.)
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Harper is speaking out in favour of Boris Johnson’s Brexit actions
The former prime minister said the British leader’s moves have been “absolutely correct” and criticized the British Supreme Court for its ruling that quashed an attempt to prorogue Parliament.
Harper, who prorogued Canada’s Parliament in 2008 to avoid a no-confidence vote during his Conservative minority government, said that judges should not get involved in a matter that’s “unquestionably a prerogative of the prime minister.”
Johnson, meanwhile, is expected to unveil a new European Union exit proposal today that promises to address the issue of how to keep the Irish border open after Brexit.
Hong Kong tensions reached new highs after a protester was shot and wounded by police
It was the first time in four months of protests that police fired live ammunition at a demonstrator. It also came on the same day Chinese President Xi Jinping marked 70 years of Communist Party rule with a speech where he vowed to “continue to strive for the complete unification of our country.”
Authorities in Hong Kong said the officer was acting in self-defence and added that masked demonstrators used sticks to beat several officers. Amnesty International is calling for a review of what happened.
A watchdog panel has been assigned to probe police actions. But a Canadian expert hired as an adviser says the continuing developments will make the panel’s job “extremely difficult.” Gerry McNeilly also pointed to a lack of legal powers to obtain evidence from Hong Kong’s police, saying the council has to rely on “persuasion.”
Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, one year later
On Oct. 2, 2018, journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect documents he needed to marry fiancée Hatice Cengiz. Instead, he was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents.
“Last year, I was waiting for Jamal on my own. This year the whole world will be waiting with me for Jamal – but we will be waiting for justice for Jamal,” said Cengiz. She is calling for further answers from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who this week accepted “full responsibility” for what happened but denied he ordered the killing.
For its part, Riyadh is trying 11 people for the killing but has shared few details about the case.
In this column, Bessma Momani says the anniversary of Khashoggi’s killing “is a reminder that many of the world’s populist leaders are not just turning back the clock on liberal democratic values, they are also getting away with repression and murder.”
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
B.C.’s suspended sergeant-at-arms retires: Gary Lenz said he carried out his duties “with the utmost integrity” but that staying on would be a disservice to the office. Together with then-clerk of the House Craig James, Lenz was placed on leave last year over accusations of improper spending. An external review found James engaged in misconduct but Lenz did not.
Trans Mountain objections spark further delays: Dozens of landowners, First Nations and local governments have filed applications over the proposed route of the pipeline project. The objections could prompt new hearings on specific parts of the route, though Trans Mountain said it has contingency plans.
Zuckerberg’s Warren warning: The Facebook founder and chief executive told employees in July that his company would “go to the mat” and take the federal government to court if Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren is elected president and moves to break up tech giants including Facebook.
BlackBerry stock hits 16-year low: The stock closed yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange at US$5.15, a figure not seen since 2003, when it was just starting its push to sell BlackBerry handsets in the days before the iPhone.
MORNING MARKETS
World shares fall to one-month low after U.S. manufacturing hit: A major global share index hit its lowest level in a month on Wednesday after U.S. manufacturing activity tumbled to more than a decade low, sparking worries that the fallout from the U.S.-China trade war is spreading to the U.S. economy. Tokyo’s Nikkei lost 0.5 per cent today, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng 0.2 per cent. Markets in China were closed. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.9 and 1.3 per cent by about 4:30 a.m. ET. New York futures were down. The Canadian dollar was above 75.5 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
On climate change, the Liberal plan (mostly) adds up. The Conservative platform doesn’t
Globe editorial: “The Liberal plans are not perfect, but they are a meaningful step in the right direction. The Conservatives, in contrast, barely acknowledge climate change as an issue. Last Friday, Andrew Scheer was the only major party leader who did not participate in a climate march. Instead, he was in the Vancouver area, promising to fight local traffic congestion.”
The Democrats’ impeachment play could backfire
Lawrence Martin: “One of the reasons why the Democrats lost in 2016 was that they focused too narrowly on Donald Trump’s odious character as opposed to putting forth a positive new vision. They’re in danger of repeating that mistake.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
(Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail)Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Free-spending political parties, meet a voting public that is starting to clamp down on spending
Consumer spending has been lagging despite solid economic conditions. But Rob Carrick says this is a welcome development: people are refocusing on debt reduction. By contrast, federal political parties are pledging spending over restraint.
Carrick writes: “voters seem to have grasped something about managing debt that politicians haven’t. It’s a lot easier to do when economic conditions are favourable.”
MOMENT IN TIME
Peanuts debuts
The Associated Press
Oct. 2, 1950: “Well! Here comes ol’ Charlie Brown!” Those were the first words of Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts – a humble introduction for what would go on to become one of cartooning’s greatest success stories. Syndicated through the United Feature Syndicate, that first comic ran in nine newspapers across the United States. Schulz had wanted to call it Li’l Folks, the title of a strip he had written for three years prior, but the syndicate worried it was too close to two other strips, Li’l Abner and Little Folks, and so, inspired by Howdy Doody’s peanut gallery, they called it Peanuts. Schulz despised the title. “It’s totally ridiculous, has no meaning, is simply confusing and has no dignity. And I think my humour has dignity," he said in an interview in 1987. But the world loved Peanuts. During its peak in the 1960s, the strip ran in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries and had a readership of 355 million. Schulz would go on to draw almost 1,800 Peanuts strips before his death in February, 2000. Charlie Brown, his sweet, often suffering creation, will always be with us. – Dave McGinn
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Arik Ligeti