Good morning,
These are the top stories:
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser will testify at a hearing next week
Kavanaugh and the woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her in the 1980s will testify publicly at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing next week. Christine Blasey Ford went public Sunday with her allegation that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed at a party and tried to remove her clothing. Kavanaugh has denied the accusation. The testimony will force the delay of a planned committee vote this Thursday to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination and threatens to derail Republican efforts to confirm him before the November midterm elections.
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Chrystia Freeland is returning to Washington this week to take another run at closing a NAFTA deal
And her return comes as Ontario Premier Doug Ford heads to the U.S. capital tomorrow to push Canada’s negotiating team to strike a deal. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said no deal is better than a bad one, Ford’s Economic Development Minister is taking a different tack: “We’re going down there to say that ‘You bloody well need to get a deal,’ ” Jim Wilson said. The major roadblocks in negotiations are the Chapter 19 dispute-resolution mechanism and U.S. demands for greater access to Canada’s dairy market. (for subscribers)
In other trade news, President Donald Trump announced a new round of tariffs against Beijing, which will affect about US$200-billion worth of Chinese imports. The 10-per-cent levy excludes some consumer products such as smart watches. But if China retaliates against U.S. farmers or industries, the U.S. is vowing to go after another US$267-million in Chinese goods. That round of tariffs would likely include the iPhone and other smartphones.
Election rundowns: What’s happening in Quebec, New Brunswick, Toronto and Vancouver
Quebec: Last night, leaders participated in the province’s first English-language election debate since 1985. The historic event was a jarring and welcome departure for anglophones; overwhelming support by English speakers for the Quebec Liberal Party in the past left little incentive for other party leaders to gain from debating in their second language. The debate was dominated by immigration, as Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault came under attack for his proposal to cut immigration quotas and expel immigrants who fail values and language tests. Go here for a primer on the election set for Oct. 1.
New Brunswick: The Sept. 24 vote pits incumbent Liberal Brian Gallant, a 36-year-old career politician, against Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs, a former provincial finance minister and retired oil executive. If Gallant is able to pull off a win, as polls suggest, it would be the first time since 2003 that a premier in the province gets a second straight mandate. And there’s a lot on the line: “It’s a cliché to say that all elections are important,” says economist and author Richard Saillant. “But this one really is pivotal. New Brunswick is in a death spiral.”
Toronto: Premier Ford is pushing forward with his plan to use the notwithstanding clause to reduce the size of Toronto’s city council. “We will never, ever back down,” Ford said, as his government aims to pass its bill on the reduction by Thursday afternoon. The province’s lawyers are also preparing to face a three-judge panel to argue for a stay to the court ruling which called the reduction plans unconstitutional. Toronto’s election is scheduled for Oct. 22.
Vancouver: A record 158 people are running for 27 open positions in Vancouver’s election – including 21 for mayor and 71 for the 10 council positions. Two-thirds of the 21 mayors in Metro Vancouver aren’t running again in what are being viewed as “change” elections, with frustrations building over the cost of housing, traffic congestion and crime. New campaign finance rules which placed bans on corporate and union donations are also contributing to uncertainty of who will emerge victorious in Vancouver.
The two Koreas held their latest round of historic talks
South Korean President Moon Jae-in made his first trip to Pyongyang in a bid to end the Korean War and get a renewed commitment to denuclearization from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. In a sign of the summit’s importance, Kim came to the airport to greet Moon, where they smiled and hugged on a red carpet. One of Moon’s key goals is opening up commercial access for South Korean firms in North Korea.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Emmy Awards: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel stole the show
The Amazon production about a 1950s housewife who turns to standup comedy won best comedy series, best actress for Rachel Brosnahan and three other awards. The Handmaid’s Tale wasn’t able to repeat last year’s success as Game of Thrones nabbed the best drama series category and star Elisabeth Moss lost the acting nod to The Crown’s Claire Foy. The biggest upset of the night came when Bill Hader (HBO satire Barry) beat out Donald Glover (FX’s Atlanta) in the comedy acting category.
MORNING MARKETS
Shares shrug
Global shares shrugged Tuesday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to go ahead next week with collecting 10 per cent tariffs on another $200-billion of Chinese goods, ratcheting up to 25 per cent in January. Tokyo’s Nikkei gained 1.4 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng 0.6 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite 1.8 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were up by between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent by about 6:25 a.m. ET. New York futures were also up. The Canadian dollar was above 76.5 US cents, with key talks on the North American free-trade agreement set to start up again this week. Oil prices firmed after Saudi Arabia indicated it was comfortable with a higher price range ahead of a meeting between major producing countries in Algeria.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
In a month, pot will be legal. But the list of rules has never been longer
“For the casual consumer, as well as the curious who have never indulged, perhaps the most important thing to bear in mind is that, while it will be legal, pot will not be unregulated. Paradoxically, there will be far more rules about where and when you can purchase and smoke pot than there have ever been before, as municipalities, provinces/territories and the feds pile regulation upon regulation. Canada may be blazing a trail on legalization. But, for bud lovers, aside from the threat of a criminal record being removed, blazing won’t be much easier come Oct. 17.” – André Picard
The Liberal Party finds a way to break its own donation rules
“Medieval theologians were said (mockingly) to have argued about how many angels could fit on the head of a pin. In our fallen, modern world, these sorts of logical summersaults are performed by Liberal Party officials explaining away exceptions to their own fundraising rules. … It’s true, the Liberals took an important stride in the wake of the 2016 cash-for-access scandal by publicizing attendance lists for party fundraisers, the only party to do so. But these same lists reveal that lobbyists are managing to work around rules designed to keep them from buying access to cabinet ministers simply by donating more money to the party. That prompts a question fit for medieval theologians: If a rule is more easily breached by being breached flagrantly, is it still a rule? Maybe their Liberal successors can tell us.” – Globe editorial
Does Jian Ghomeshi deserve a second chance?
“Jian Ghomeshi stuck his head above the parapet last week. It got blown off. The disgraced former CBC Radio host wrote a 3,400-word essay in The New York Review of Books about his life since he lost it all – his livelihood, his reputation, his money, and his brilliant broadcast career. “There are lots of guys more hated than me now,” he writes. “But I was the guy everyone hated first.” In the piece, he mentions the suicidal moods, the shame, the shunning, the isolation, the friends and colleagues who abandoned him, the episodes of depression when he found himself curled up in a dark room, crying. … Yet the dominant note of the piece (called Reflections from a Hashtag) isn’t so much self-pity as it is ironic self-appraisal. The tone is reflective, not bitter. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Twittersphere reception has been vitriolic.” – Margaret Wente
LIVING BETTER
Canada’s ban on artificial trans fats has gone into effect
It’s now illegal for manufacturers to use the additive in any food made or imported into the country, as well as in meals at restaurants. The ban is focused on partially hydrogenated oils, which are the primary source of trans fats in foods sold in Canada. Trans fats are known to increase “bad” cholesterol, in turn raising the risk of heart disease.
MOMENT IN TIME
Bombing at Giant mine leaves nine dead
Ray Giguere/The Canadian Press
Sept. 18. 1992: At 8:35 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, 1992, the seismograph at Yellowknife’s geophysical observatory recorded something unusual at the Giant gold mine north of the city. An explosion had occurred deep underground. Within minutes the scale of what had happened became clear; nine dead miners, killed by a bomb. Tension had been building since May when Giant’s owner, Royal Oak Mines, locked out 240 workers in a dispute over cost cutting. The company vowed to keep the mine operating and brought in scores of replacement workers and security guards. That led to violence on the picket line, and there had already been two smaller explosions. Roger Warren, a locked out miner, was eventually convicted of murder and served 22 years in prison. The federal government is now cleaning up the site, a process that could cost up to $900-million and take a decade. The families of the dead miners – six who crossed the picket line and three replacement workers – lost a long legal battle for compensation, and the scars from the tragedy run deep. “People always think there’s going to be closure, that time will ease,” Doreen Hourie, who lost her husband, said during the court fight. “It doesn’t.” – Paul Waldie
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Arik Ligeti