Morning Update: RCMP veterans defend officer behind allegations against commissioner

Good morning,

Former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson and other retired Mounties are defending the integrity of Superintendent Darren Campbell, who has alleged that current Commissioner Brenda Lucki interfered in the investigation of the largest mass shooting in Canadian history to help the Liberal government’s gun-control agenda.

Former public safety minister Bill Blair doesn’t accept Campbell’s written account of a conference call, on April 28, 2020, between Lucki and RCMP commanders overseeing the criminal investigation into the rampage 10 days earlier by a lone gunman in Nova Scotia.

Campbell’s notes say Lucki told the RCMP officers that she had “promised the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister’s Office” that the force would disclose the type of firearms used in the mass shooting because it would advance the government’s “pending gun-control legislation.”

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki is seen during a news conference in Ottawa, Monday, April 20, 2020.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

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Canada’s inflation rate spikes to 7.7 per cent in May, highest since 1983

Canadian inflation accelerated to the highest rate in nearly four decades in May as calls broaden for policy makers to find new ways of curbing runaway price growth.

The consumer price index rose 7.7 per cent in May from a year earlier, up from 6.8 per cent in April, Statistics Canada said.

The recent jump in energy costs, stoked by the Russia-Ukraine war, is having a tangible effect on the numbers. Gasoline prices rose 12 per cent in May alone and were up 48 per cent from a year earlier; the national average price for regular unleaded gas remains north of $2 a litre.

Ottawa allowing thousands of Afghans entry to Canada through Pakistan

Ottawa is issuing single-journey travel documents to thousands of Afghans who have been approved for resettlement in Canada and is urging them to get to Pakistan, which has relaxed its border restrictions so they can stay there temporarily until they are able to catch flights out.

Vincent Hughes, communications director for Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, confirmed that Canada has begun issuing the temporary travel documents, which recipients can use in place of passports. The move creates an escape opportunity for Afghans who would previously have been unable to leave their home country because they lacked proper documentation.

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Also on our radar

Doctors Without Borders says two Ukrainian cities too unsafe: As Russia maintains its relentless siege of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, the two Ukrainian cities have become too dangerous even for the front-line medics of Doctors Without Borders.

Unions urged Ottawa to boost staffing for passport offices: Unions that represent workers at Passport Canada and Service Canada centres say they asked the federal government to beef up staffing in anticipation of a summer surge in passport applications and renewals that has now materialized.

Airlines to refund passengers facing lengthy delays, cancellations: New regulations announced by the Canadian Transportation Agency will require airlines to provide refunds or alternative flights to passengers whose trips are cancelled or delayed by at least three hours for reasons outside the control of the carriers.

Collision Conference confronts tech sector slump: Tens of thousands of global technology leaders, workers and investors have been swarming the Collision Conference in Toronto this week, but behind the hoopla and excitement, tech executives are quietly acknowledging the sector’s trillion-dollar troubles.

At least 1,000 dead after earthquake strikes Afghanistan: A powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes and killing at least 1,000 people. The disaster is a new test for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and relief agencies already struggling with the country’s multiple humanitarian crises.

Ottawa freezes Hockey Canada funding: The federal government is freezing funding to Hockey Canada after recent testimony from its top executives over allegations that eight Canadian Hockey League players sexually assaulted a young woman in 2018. It has also taken steps to begin an investigation into the organization’s handling of the alleged assault.

Swimming’s new transgender policy could affect other sports: Bans on transgender women in international swimming and rugby this week opened the door for track and field to consider following suit in what could turn into a wave of policy changes in Olympic sports.

Morning markets

Loss of momentum: World stock markets, oil, and copper continue to sink as investors doubt the strength of global economies. Around 6:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.01 per cent, and Germany’s DAX fell 0.83 per cent. France’s CAC rose 0.09 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng increased 0.08 per cent and 1.26 per cent, respectively. U.S. futures were modestly higher. The Canadian dollar was trading at 77.13 U.S. cents.

What everyone’s talking about

Lawrence Martin: “The writing’s on the wall for old Joe, and early in the new year when campaigns get under way for 2024 he should recognize realities and announce he won’t be running again. He’d be a lame duck but that’s not necessarily a big encumbrance. All presidents who serve second terms are lame ducks.”

Yossi Klein Halevi: “But with the coming election, Israeli democracy is facing its most critical test. A victory for the Netanyahu coalition would empower forces that despise democratic norms and minority rights, and that have vowed to politicize the courts, granting the Knesset authority to appoint Supreme Court justices. Even as the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state is under growing attack by anti-Israel groups around the world, its legitimacy as a democratic state is under growing attack from within.”

Today’s editorial cartoon

Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail

Living better

Stylish new Canadian hotels for an inflation-beating summer staycation

With inflation pounding Canadian wallets like a summer hailstorm, and gas prices reaching record highs, it’s a great time for a close-to-home “staycation.” Here’s a look at some recently opened and soon-to-open city hotels across the country that are perfect for a local holiday.

Moment in time: June 23, 1961

Antarctic Treaty flags fly at McMurdo Station on October 21, 2005 in Antartica.Rob Jones/National Science Foundation via Getty images

Antarctic Treaty Begins

Isolated and forbidding, Antarctica remained hidden until the early 19th century and was largely inaccessible for another hundred years after that. But by the end of the Second World War, several countries had an interest in the strategic position and resources of Earth’s only unoccupied continent. In 1957 and 1958, a dozen countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union participated in the first multinational surveying and research program of Antarctica. Amid rising tensions over territorial claims to the continent, negotiations began in 1958 on a treaty that would maintain Antarctica as a military-free, scientific nature preserve. The treaty was signed in December, 1959, and came into effect on this day in 1961. Since then, the treaty has protected much of the continent and its wildlife from human exploitation. But it has been unable to hold back the threats posed by climate change. A report issued last month by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research documents widespread transformations taking place across the continent and adjacent Southern Ocean, including warming temperatures, a rapid loss of ice on land and along coastal shelves, ocean acidification and detrimental impacts for many of Antarctica’s signature species such as whales, seals and penguins. Ivan Semeniuk

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