Good morning,
The failed prosecution of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman will face a probe, after all.
The Senate’s national defence committee voted 7-5 Tuesday evening to hold an inquiry into the circumstances that led to a charge of breach of trust against the Canadian military’s former second in command.
Conservative MPs on the House of Commons defence committee had attempted earlier this month (after the charge against Vice-Adm. Norman was stayed) to launch an examination of the affair over allegations that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau politically interfered in the case. The Liberal majority on that committee shut down that attempt.
The motion passed by the Senate committee on Tuesday calls for an investigation into why the charges were laid and subsequently stayed. Vice-Adm. Norman, General Jonathan Vance and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will be invited to testify.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Aron Yeomanson. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says two Canadians imprisoned in China are “incredibly brave” but are facing “very difficult” conditions as she pleaded with her Beijing counterpart to hold high-level talks to resolve the diplomatic discord between the two countries.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said that bigots, extremists and racists are not welcome in his party as he vowed to “restore fairness” to Canada’s immigration system if he becomes prime minister after the October general election.
The House of Commons ethics committee voted to issue a summons to Facebook Inc.’s top two executives for their failure to attend a gathering in Ottawa where global leaders grilled representatives from the biggest tech platforms in the world.
The son of Canadian-Iranian widow stuck in Iran is urging Canada to speak out on the consular case.
Conservative senators are attempting to derail a bill approved more than a year ago by the elected House of Commons that would require the government to consider whether federal laws are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The union representing armed guards who protect the Senate has filed a grievance over the hiring of a private security team in the Red Chamber.
Canada has fired the starting gun on the race to ratify the new North American free-trade agreement – but the United States is setting the pace.
The federal government is unveiling a first-of-its-kind tool that will help departments determine the risk involved in automated decision-making, processes that some agencies are already using.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kept up U.S. pressure on Huawei Technologies, saying the Chinese tech giant takes orders from Beijing.
Boris Johnson, the favourite to replace Theresa May as British prime minister, must appear in court over allegations he lied to the public about Brexit, a judge ruled.
The European Union elections propelled the Green parties from the political fringe to the political core, making them in effect the new left and a formidable power in the EU Parliament.
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on Andrew Scheer’s immigration speech: “There wasn’t much immigration policy there. But there was something else – a public embrace of diversity and equality as a core principle. In today’s politics, that matters.”
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence’s Canadian visit: “Realizing it would be foolhardy to show themselves in league with Mr. Trump, the Tories have done an effective job of distancing themselves from their American conservative brethren. But steering clear of the President, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer cannot help but notice how well Trumpism is faring in other countries.”
Trevor Tombe (The Globe and Mail) on Jason Kenney’s carbon-pricing policy: “There is no right or wrong way to price carbon, but there are important pros and cons to consider in terms of coverage, price level and the use of revenue. This is where the debate should be, where it needs to be – and where voters should demand it to be. Claiming victory over carbon pricing’s corpse, when the body is very much alive, is a disservice to all.”
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on Canada-China relations: “A smaller country like Canada has to stick to its values and principles if it wants to be respected in the world. Those values include speaking up when people are maltreated by their government, or when trading partners violate the rules. Ottawa can’t just cave in to Beijing’s threats.”
Barrie McKenna (The Globe and Mail) on Doug Ford’s tack on beer sales: “Ontario is exposing Canadian taxpayers to the risk of billions of dollars in compensation and years of costly litigation to score cheap political points.”
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