Morning Update: Liberals, NDP block probe into Winnipeg laboratory breaches

Good morning,

Liberal and NDP MPs blocked a parliamentary investigation yesterday into the massive security breach at Canada’s high-security infectious-disease laboratory in Winnipeg, a breach that was considered a credible threat to Canada.

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong moved a motion to investigate how Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were able to pass confidential information to China even after security concerns were raised about the two scientists’ activities.

But Liberal Iqra Khalid moved an immediate motion to adjourn the committee hearings, accusing the Conservatives of playing “political games” and saying the government had taken steps years ago to strengthen security at the Winnipeg lab. Her motion, which effectively killed the proposed parliamentary investigation by the committee, was supported by her Liberal colleagues and NDP MP Matthew Green.

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U.S. Supreme Court restores Trump to Colorado ballot

Donald Trump is one step closer to returning to the White House after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday that Colorado could not remove him from that state’s primary ballot.

In December, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled that Trump must be taken off the state’s ballot because he had engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters entered the U.S. Capitol after a speech by the former president.

But the U.S. Supreme Court overruled that decision, saying Congress, not individual states, holds responsibility for enforcing a constitutional provision that bars insurrectionists from holding many federal offices.

• Trump wins North Dakota Republican caucuses, adding to victories going into Super Tuesday
• Vermont town to give 16- and 17-year-olds right to vote in local elections on same day as Super Tuesday

ArriveCan issue should be catalyst for change to Indigenous procurement program, business group says

An Indigenous group says the political fallout over the ArriveCan app should be an impetus for Ottawa to confront long-standing problems with a procurement program aimed at supporting Indigenous businesses.

The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business has exposed a number of issues with the federal program, warning in a report three years ago that it opens the door to predatory “phantom joint ventures” in which an Indigenous partner is used as a front by a non-Indigenous business.

Dalian Enterprises was selected as one of the main contractors to build the ArriveCan app, but the company regularly works in joint ventures with a much larger non-Indigenous company.

As The Globe and Mail turns 180, here’s the latest from our history project, A Nation’s Paper

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Meet the queens of the Gilded Age who pioneered women’s journalism in Canada

When Kathleen Blake Coleman joined 150 other correspondents who were preparing to cover the Spanish-American War in 1898, her male colleagues couldn’t believe a woman could do what they could.

But as the place of women in society was changing at the time, so was journalism, and Coleman was part of a rising tide of women boldly breaking into the industry that, until then, had been seen as a man’s domain.

In Canada, Kit Coleman of The Mail, Sara Jeannette Duncan of The Globe, and Faith Fenton of The Empire (all predecessors of The Globe and Mail) pioneered the place of women in journalism, waging their own battles for respect, ink and the opportunity to write about important issues.

• As The Globe marks 180 years, its promise remains the same: To provide journalism that matters

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

Also on our radar

Gaza ceasefire talks end as Ramadan deadline looms: Ceasefire talks between Hamas and mediators broke up on Tuesday in Cairo with no breakthrough, with just days left to halt fighting in time for the start of Ramadan.

• UN envoy says ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe Hamas committed sexual violence on Oct. 7
• A Palestinian child finds grace in chaos after Israeli air strikes took his arm and killed his parents
• Opinion: Airdrops are showy, but they do little for the people of Gaza

Federal budget to be released on April 16: As the federal government faces increasing political pressure over the state of the economy, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced yesterday that the budget will be presented in the House of Commons on April 16. Freeland said the budget will focus on housing, the cost of living and employment.

Conservatives candidate clinches seat in Ontario riding: Jamil Jivani celebrated his victory in the Ontario riding of Durham by thanking his allies and pouncing on his “Liberal elite” rivals, who he says are making life harder and more expensive for the working class.

• John Ibbitson: Jamil Jivani will fit right in with activist, populist conservatism of Poilievre

Minister questions miner over security review: Federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne is challenging a Canadian mining company’s plans to relocate to the Middle East, an effort the company says that will allow it to avoid a national security review over a proposed financing deal with a Chinese buyer. Champagne said that SRG Mining Inc.’s interpretation of the rules are wrong and that the federal government will use every tool to make sure that the laws and regulations will be followed.

Morning markets

Global shares eased below their recent highs on Tuesday, as the start of China’s week-long annual session of parliament lacked any big-ticket stimulus plans, leaving investors disappointed, while bitcoin remained tantalizingly close to record peaks.

Japan’s Nikkei ended flat, losing 0.03 per cent, just below Monday’s record close. Germany’s DAX was down 0.3 per cent and the CAC 40 in Paris was also lower. Britain’s FTSE 100 likewise fell 0.3 per cent. The dollar traded at 73.61 U.S. cents.

What everyone’s talking about

Editorial: “Clean power is taking off across the country and around the world. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec are all readying major investments. More than half the electricity in the industrial powerhouse of Germany is generated by renewables. In Alberta, it’s less than 20 per cent. It could be much more – if Ms. Smith and the UCP weren’t purposefully trying to prevent a burgeoning industry from succeeding.”

Cathal Kelly: “Once again, the solution is simple. Ditch the anthems. Ditch the whole pre-game routine. If people want to discuss important topics – and they should want that – sports is a forum ill-suited to it.”

Today’s editorial cartoon

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Living better

Five places parents can cut costs

Every parent knows how easy it is to get caught up in the cycle of buying everything for their children. But is all of this spending necessary? Maybe it’s time for parents to step back and think about whether they’re spending their money in meaningful and impactful ways for their kids. Here are a few ways to cut costs – and the kids won’t even notice.

Moment in time: March 5, 1982

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Skier Steve Podborski wins World Cup season title

Toronto’s Steve Podborski was in the driver’s seat for the 1981 World Cup downhill skiing title until Harti Weirather of Austria had a late-season first and second to snatch the crown. However, the story was different the next year. Mr. Podborski, with three wins and two second-place finishes in eight World Cup downhill events, led the overall standing. Mr. Weirather could still take the title by winning both of the last two contests, in Aspen, Colo. It only took one race to decide things. On this day in 1982, Mr. Podborski was the third out of the starting gate, had some technical problems and was not fast. He finished the 3,170-metre course in 1 minute 48.84 seconds. He knew it wasn’t good. Waiting at the bottom of the hill he fretted, his championship oh-so-close and out of his hands. Swiss great Peter Mueller zoomed down in 1:47.17 and was first. Weirather finished in 1:47.28 – second place. It wasn’t good enough to prevent the crown going to Mr. Podborski. Although the 24-year-old finished 14th, he became the first North American to win the World Cup men’s downhill skiing championship. The mighty Europeans had been knocked off the pedestal in the sport’s most glamorous event. Philip King

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