Hello,
A retired RCMP officer has been charged with foreign interference on behalf of China, the Mounties announced Friday.
The force said in a statement William Majcher “contributed to the Chinese government’s efforts to identify and intimidate an individual outside the scope of Canadian law.”
Mr. Majcher, 60, allegedly “used his knowledge and his extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain intelligence or services to benefit the People’s Republic of China,” the RCMP said.
The former Mountie has been living in Hong Kong but was arrested upon arriving in Vancouver on July 18 by plane, RCMP Corporal Tasha Adams said. The RCMP said Mr. Majcher was charged with two counts under the Security of Information Act, including Section 23, “preparatory acts for the benefit of a foreign entity” and Section 22, conspiracy.
Senior parliamentary reporter Steven Chase reports here.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Decisions sound in Bernardo transfer, review finds - A review of the transfer in late May of notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security to a medium-security institution found that the decisions were sound and followed all laws and policies, the Correctional Service of Canada says. Story here.
Trudeau acknowledges ‘shoutiness’ online and in real life over protest at event - After an event was cut short by nearly 100 protesters in Belleville, Ont., on Thursday - story here - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told The Peterborough Examiner there’s a “worrisome” polarization going on, with “shoutiness” online and in real life. “But most people continue to be thoughtful and engaged.” Story here.
Meta outlines news-blocking plans - Meta has started to run ads to inform Canadians of its plan to block the viewing and sharing of news content on Facebook and Instagram within weeks, Story here.
No invitation to Israeli Prime Minister planned: Trudeau - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is not currently planning to join the American president in inviting his Israeli counterpart for a visit. Story here from Global News.
Former Toronto mayor in Ukraine for documentary on children’s mental health - Former Toronto Mayor John Tory is lending his support to a documentary in Ukraine looking at the impact of the war on children’s mental health. Story here from CP24.
Federal government must step up to convince Manitoba to act on landfill search: former judge - A former judge and chief commissioner of a national inquiry into violence against Indigenous women says the federal government must do more to convince Manitoba to order a search of a landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women. Story here from CBC.
Newfoundland court stands with Trudeau foundation on sexual harassment case - The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador has sided with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation in its bid to have a sexual harassment case heard in Quebec. Story here from CBC.
Poilievre sorry for calling woman’s home a ‘shack’ - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he apologized to an Ontario woman after he called the home she is renting a “shack” and used it as an example of everything that’s wrong with the Canadian housing market during a stop in Niagara Falls. Story here from The National Post.
THIS AND THAT
Summer Break – Both Parliament and the Senate are on breaks. The House of Commons sits again on Sept. 18. The Senate is sitting again on Sept. 19.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day - Chrystia Freeland, in Aspen, Col., attended the 14th Aspen Security Forum, and participates in an on-stage conversation with Politico editor-in-chief Matthew Kaminski. Ms. Freeland was also scheduled to meet with representatives of U.S. and international partners through the day.
Ministers on the Road - Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, in Fredericton, with other provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture, addressed the media following their annual conference. Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, in North Bay, Ont., announced funding to improve mental-health supports for Indigenous Peoples. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Nova Scotia Health Minister Michelle Thompson, in Antigonish, with Mayor Laurie Boucher made an infrastructure announcement. Infrastructure Minister Dominic LeBlanc, in Bertrand, N.B., with provincial cabinet minister Réjean Savoie, responsible for the province’s Regional Development Corporation, announced a joint $8.8-million investment to improve water and wastewater infrastructure. Later, in the town of Caraquet, Mr. LeBlanc and Mr. Savoie announced a joint $22.5-million investment to build a new community arena and fitness centre. International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan, with Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, is travelling in Britain, Rwanda and Tanzania through Sunday.
Ottawa’s idled LRT system - The nation’s capital is facing another weekend without its LRT system, but Monday could end up being a key day in the ongoing transit drama. Since Monday, the Confederation Line has been idled due to concerns about train axles. Renée Amilcar, the city’s general manager of transit services, said in a Friday statement there will be a “comprehensive update” on Monday to outline next steps on a return to service. Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says here the province won’t fund a planned extension of the current system until the city and OC Transpo fix current problems.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in New York City for the World Law Congress where he delivered remarks at the closing ceremony. Mr. Trudeau was scheduled to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, attend a lunch given by Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co, with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, and then travel to Toronto.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is on a tour of the Gaspésie – the Gaspé Peninsula on the St. Lawrence River’s south shore – with stops Friday that include meetings with a fisheries captains association, and the first Ribfest of the Gaspé.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is travelling Friday.
No schedule released for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
There’s no new episode of The Globe and Mail podcast on Fridays in July and August, but recent episodes are available here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on an overdue roadmap for defence policy: “Canada’s commitment at last week’s NATO summit in Vilnius to reach 2 per cent of gross domestic product in military spending heightens the need for the public release of the much-promised-but-still-not-delivered defence policy review. If Canada keeps its word (and it would be unconscionable not to), then this country’s defence budget this decade must increase swiftly and substantially – ultimately by more than $20-billion a year – to reach that target. The 2-per-cent floor agreed to by NATO members may seem arbitrary to some, but Ottawa has committed to that number, and must honour that commitment, as this space argued on Thursday.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how the Bank of Canada might not want to admit it, but getting inflation down to 2 per cent could be easier than expected: “So: Inflation has fallen further than expected, faster than expected, at less cost to the real economy than expected. If the news is so good, why is everyone so glum? Well, almost everyone: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland greeted inflation’s return to the 1- to 3-per-cent range (often erroneously described as the bank’s target; in fact the target is 2 per cent) as a “milestone moment” and posted a tweet (“Canada’s plan to bring down inflation is working”) taking credit for it, baselessly. Apart from her, however, the reaction was strangely muted. “The bank has not won its inflation battle yet” was a typical headline; “The bank can’t get too excited” was another.”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on Alberta balking at Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all net zero power generation promise: “When it comes to electricity systems, Canada is not much more than a collection of fiefdoms sitting side-by-side. Every province and territory is incredibly different, and mostly disconnected from the others. That means a federal plan to cut most fossil fuels out of Canadian power grids is business-as-usual for some, and an incredibly steep hill to climb for others. And it’s part of why conservative governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan are fighting Ottawa on yet another energy front.”
Tony Keller (The Globe and Mail) on how Australia `lost’ its auto industry, but Canada plans to keep its with record subsidies: “Once upon a time, Australia and Canada both had big automobile manufacturing sectors. The industries were both born a century ago, nurtured through adolescence by quotas and tariff walls, and thereafter enticed to stay home through a steady diet of taxpayer subsidies. Two similar paths – and then they split. Australia cut the subsidies, and the industry left. Canada is today taking subsidies to undreamed heights, with more than $30-billion promised to just two manufacturers. Which country chose the right path? Canada’s Liberal government says Canada. No surprise there. But Australia’s Labor government also says Canada.”
Themrise Khan (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how citizenship is about more than just a click, a ceremony or an oath: “Can a feeling of national belonging be delivered with just a click of a mouse? That’s the question at the heart of the controversy around Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s plan to allow new citizens to tick a box online rather than take a verbal or in-person oath. The aim, the government says, is to reduce the backlog and simplify processing. But a former senior immigration official has presented a petition to the minister, calling for Ottawa to revert to in-person citizenship ceremonies as the default, arguing that they “provide a unique celebratory moment for new and existing Canadians.”
Steve Paikin (TVO) on former Ontario cabinet minister Bob Runciman pulling back the curtain on his time at Queen’s Park: “In fact, Runciman saves one of his harshest criticisms in the book for Davis, saying the premier was “the epitome of authoritarianism” during his fourth and final term, from 1981 to 1985. As Exhibit A, Runciman cites Davis’s decision in June 1984 to extend full public funding through the end of high school to Ontario’s Roman Catholic school system, which, to this point, had been publicly funded only to the end of Grade 10. Runciman says Davis arrived at a special PC caucus meeting, informed the MPPs of his decision, took no questions, then left it to his aides to explain that the premier expected everyone to be in the house and give their premier a standing ovation when he made the announcement.”
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Ian Bailey