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These are the top stories:
Police seek two suspects in Mississauga restaurant blast
Police say two men detonated an “improvised explosive device” around 10:30 p.m. Thursday night at Bombay Bhel, an Indian restaurant in Mississauga, Ont.
Fifteen people were injured. Three were transported to trauma centres with what paramedics called critical blast injuries.
Peel Regional Police say “two suspects attended the scene,” and detonated devices before fleeing. They have released a photo of the two men walking into the restaurant.
One is described as being in his mid-20s, with light skin and a stocky build, wearing dark blue jeans and a baseball cap with light grey peak. The second has fair skin with a thin build and was wearing faded jeans, a grey T-shirt with dark-coloured skate shoes.
Trudeau says Aecon takeover threatened Canadian sovereignty
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his cabinet vetoed a Chinese state-owned conglomerate’s takeover of one of Canada’s largest construction companies because of concerns it could control critical infrastructure projects and threaten Canadian sovereignty.
Mr. Trudeau would not outline the details of the national-security threats that led Ottawa to block the proposed $1.5-billion acquisition of Aecon Group Ltd. by China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC), but cited Australia’s fear of losing sovereignty over its electrical grid as one factor.
For those who haven’t been following The Globe’s coverage on this from the beginning, here’s a handy explainer on what you need to know about the doomed Aecon deal, why it fell through and what it means.
With its planned takeover by CCC blocked, construction company Aecon Group Inc. is pledging to remain independent and capitalize on a string of recently awarded contracts. Subscribers can read more about the company’s plans here.
As Campbell Clark explains, in rejecting the Chinese takeover, Mr. Trudeau told us that any potential for Chinese state interests creeping into control of significant Canadian infrastructure has to be cut short as a threat to national security. But, he says, “what he hasn’t told us is how far that threat goes. Is it just Chinese state control of infrastructure that must be averted? Or resources, or sensitive technology? Or does Chinese state ownership of any significant economic interest in Canada constitute a threat?”
Barrie McKenna writes in his column that Canada is blocking China’s takeover of Aecon for all the wrong reasons. The federal government has two powerful tools for denying a foreign takeover, he writes, a national security review and the net benefit test but “unfortunately, Ottawa invoked the wrong reason for blocking China Communications Construction Co.’s $1.5-billion bid to buy Toronto-based Aecon Group Inc.”
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Trump pulls plug on Kim meeting, ending a chaotic period of U.S. foreign policy and leaving unanswered questions
U.S. President Donald Trump called off what was expected to be a historic summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. As Adrian Morrow writes, where, exactly, the most serious threat to international security will go from here is uncertain.
You can read Donald Trump’s letter and a breakdown of the language, here.
Doug Ford denies Liberal allegations he was involved in sale of fake Tory memberships in 2016
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford has been accused of interfering in a local party nomination race by signing up bogus members to help a candidate of his choice. The Liberals released documents and an audio recording of Mr. Ford on Thursday that they say show him recruiting members and suggesting the fees would be paid by others – a violation of the party’s rules. The revelations draw Mr. Ford into the controversy that has dogged the PC Party in recent days over nomination practices under his predecessor Patrick Brown. Mr. Ford denied the allegations and accused the Liberals of trying to hurt his campaign before the June 7 election.
As Adam Radwanski writes, Doug Ford is proving to be part of the problem, rather than the solution to the Tories’ cultural troubles.
Ireland poised to overturn abortion ban in landmark referendum: polls
Ireland votes on Friday in an abortion referendum that could be a milestone on a path of change. Polls suggest Irish voters are set to overturn one of the world’s strictest bans on terminations. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, in favour of change, has called the referendum a “once-in-a-generation” chance as the once deeply Catholic nation will be asked if they wish to scrap a prohibition that was enshrined in the constitution by referendum 35 years ago, and partly lifted in 2013 only for cases where the mother’s life is in danger.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Harvey Weinstein expected to surrender in sexual-misconduct investigation
Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to authorities Friday to face charges involving at least one of the women who have accused him of sexual assault, two law enforcement officials say. It would be the first criminal case against Weinstein to come out of the sexual abuse allegations from scores of women that destroyed his career and set off the #MeToo movement.
MORNING MARKETS
Markets recover
Global shares steadied and the greenback resumed its rise on Friday after a wobble caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a summit with North Korea, though political risk put Italian markets on track for heavy weekly losses. Tokyo’s Nikkei was up slightly, Hong Kong’s hang Seng was down 0.56 per cent and the Shanghai composite was also down 0.42 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100 was up 0.18 per cent, Germany’s DAX 1.01 per cent and the Paris CAC 40 0.56 per cent at 6:30 a.m. ET. New York futures were also up. The Canadian dollar was at 77.50 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Picture this: The Ontario PCs chose the competent woman over the bloviating man
“Christine Elliott is a better person than me, and a team player. She’s certainly a better person than Doug Ford, who narrowly defeated Ms. Elliott in the Ontario PC’s messed-up leadership vote in March. She certainly would have been a better leader. She probably, for one thing, would have had a platform at this point, two weeks before Ontarians go to the polls. It is difficult not to see Ms. Elliott in the larger context of women’s thwarted ambitions and bitten tongues, watching loud mediocrity defeat quiet competence. Here was a smart, well-liked, hyper-experienced politician facing off against an inexperienced, loud-mouthed populist with hot air where his policy options should be. It is enraging. It is life. Somewhere, Hillary Clinton is putting down her Donna Leon novel and sighing.” – Elizabeth Renzetti (for subscribers)
A summit that wasn’t: Trump and Kim’s goals were incompatible from the start
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was cancelling the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled for June 12 was a sudden but not entirely unexpected denouement. It was agreed to impulsively by Mr. Trump in March, a meeting for which the President was woefully unprepared but in which he had invested a huge amount of political capital. Now, instead of being one of the few highlights of a dismal Trump foreign policy record, the summit is just one more failed venture.” – James Trottier
A line has been crossed on taxing soaring home values
“Only a federal government with a death wish would touch the personal residence exemption, which lets you sell your principal residence without having to pay tax on your capital gain. That leaves property taxes, which typically treat all homeowners equally by applying the same tax rate against the assessed value of their home. British Columbia’s NDP government broke with this tradition in its spring budget and went after expensive homes, of which there are plenty in the province. Starting next year, owners of houses with an assessed property valued between $3-million and $4-million will pay an additional 0.2 per cent of what’s known in the province as a school tax. An extra 0.4 per cent will apply on home values above $4-million. The angry reaction to this measure reminds us that homeowners consider rising home equity to be off limits to taxation. But do governments? Homeowners, keep an eye on this story. It’s possible that the tax aspect of home ownership is about to change a little bit.” – Rob Carrick
LIVING BETTER
How do I get enough fibre in my diet?
A high-fibre diet touts numerous benefits, from better digestion to reducing the risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancers. But getting enough of it is a challenge: according to Health Canada, women need 25 grams and men 38 g of fibre a day. For women, that’s the equivalent of eating more than a dozen medium-sized carrots or 25 large stalks of celery every day. Wency Leung shares some tips to maximize your fibre intake.
MOMENT IN TIME
May 25, 2000: Remains of unknown soldier returned from Vimy to Ottawa
There are few symbols as definite, as reverential, as indicative of the commonality of so many people as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The international movement to commemorate the unidentified war dead (unknown soldier monuments exist throughout the world) began after the devastation of the war that was supposed to end all wars. The British grave for the Unknown Warrior following the First World War is generally recognized as the first of these modern-day memorials. (The Duchess of Sussex continued the royal tradition of placing her wedding bouquet on the grave.) For Canada, the remains of the fallen, unidentified Canadian soldier killed during the First World War were exhumed 18 years ago from the burial grounds near the battlefields of Vimy. They were brought to Ottawa on May 25, 2000, and stayed at the Hall of Honour in Centre Block on Parliament Hill for three days. The tomb now rests in front of the capital’s National War Memorial. The arch commemorates the more than 116,000 Canadians killed overseas in battle, and those who are putting their lives on the line now and who will in the future. – Guy Dixon
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