Politics Briefing: Founders of AggregateIQ speak out for first time

Good morning,

The founders of AggregateIQ, a Canadian company that has been under scrutiny for its use of private data in foreign elections, are set to testify at a parliamentary committee today. It’s the first time they’ve spoken publicly.

Meanwhile, Facebook’s chief person in Ottawa, Kevin Chan, has agreed to register as a lobbyist. This morning Facebook also released its long-secret internal guidelines for what is and what isn’t considered appropriate content to post on the platform.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Chris Hannay in Ottawa, Mayaz Alam i n Toronto and James Keller in Vancouver. If you’re reading this on the web or someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, you can sign up for Politics Briefing and all Globe newsletters here. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.

TODAY’S HEADLINES

A deadly attack with a van in north Toronto yesterday afternoon killed at least 10 people and left more than a dozen others injured. Police are still investigating, but Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said there were no indications yet that the attack was motivated by any kind of ideology. Alek Minassian, 25, was arrested (the police officer on the scene is being praised for how he handled that) and is being described by those who knew him as a socially awkward man who worked with computers. This page will be updated as we find out more.

G7 foreign ministers say they are putting together a working group to examine Russia’s "malign behaviour" in foreign countries.

The Senate will debate what is sure to be a contentious motion today on condemning China’s actions in the South China Sea.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer thinks the federal budget deficit will be larger than previously forecast.

Patrick Brown, former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, has filed a defamation lawsuit against CTV and is seeking $8-million in damages.

And the Royal Family has grown by one more: William and Catherine, the duke and duchess of Cambridge, had their third child on Monday. They have not yet announced the name of their son, fifth in line for the throne, but the bookmakers are apparently thinking it could be Arthur, Albert, Frederick, James or Philip.

John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on the aftermath of the attack: “What matters is, once again we have collectively been wounded. And collectively, we will heal, as we have healed in the past, by mourning and supporting, rather than accusing.”

Marcus Gee (The Globe and Mail) on the city: “That was the right lesson to take from Monday’s events: not that Toronto is vulnerable, but that Toronto is strong. The city motto is Diversity Our Strength. Every day, this city puts on a masterclass in co-existence. People from every corner of the world are streaming to live here because of it. Acts such as this won’t divide us. They will only remind us of what we have and how precious it is.”

Christie Blatchford (National Post) on the neighborhood: “This is where people came when they couldn’t afford downtown, and that was before downtown got world-class rich and predominantly white. They built lives in these condo towers. They had kids. This is where Toronto is at its most diverse and inclusive, its hardest working — really, its most beautiful.”

Chantal Hébert (Toronto Star) on the federal Liberals heading into the next election: “From a national pharmacare initiative to a move to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs such as heroin, there are few of the Liberal grassroots priorities set out in Halifax that a similar gathering of New Democrats could not have endorsed.”

Marion Buller, commissioner of the murdered and missing indigenous women national inquiry, in The Globe: “Should the national inquiry be forced to wrap up without the adequate time and resources to do the job correctly, families and survivors who participated stand not only to be disappointed, but potentially revictimized in the process. But there’s even more at stake. Time is needed to do the work required to make robust and meaningful recommendations for systemic changes and improvement. If we don’t develop the solutions needed to address this ongoing tragedy in our communities, it is the next generation of daughters, granddaughters and nieces who will continue to pay an unconscionable price.”

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