Morning update: Freeland commits to looking into alleged collusion with foreign actors by MPs

Good morning,

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the Liberal Party will follow up internally after an intelligence watchdog report released yesterday said some parliamentarians knowingly aided foreign government interference in democracy Canadian. But the government has given little indication that it will make efforts to name or prosecute these individuals.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians' report says a number of federal politicians, whom it declined to identify, are collaborating with countries including India and China.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc declined to comment specifically on the revelations contained in the report. LeBlanc was asked several times yesterday if the government would ensure that parliamentarians colluding with foreign governments are identified or face charges. He responded by saying Canadians should trust that authorities are working hard.

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Ottawa flouted rules when awarding McKinsey contracts, says auditor general

A report released yesterday by Auditor General Karen Hogan found that federal departments and Crown corporations often ignored contracting rules when awarding more than $200 million in contracts to global consulting firm McKinsey & Company since 2011.

The audit found that federal contracting practices involving McKinsey often did not demonstrate value for money and that officials did not properly verify whether the government actually received everything that was promised.

Opposition parties called for an audit after the Globe and Mail reported that the annual value of outsourcing contracts awarded to McKinsey by the federal government had increased steadily under the Liberal regime.

New Brunswick auditor general says private nursing contracts lack oversight as province plots exit

New Brunswick is seeking to end current contracts with private nursing agencies after the release yesterday of a report from the province's auditor general into excessive fees, questionable billing and lack of oversight associated with these arrangements .

Much of Auditor General Paul Martin's report focused on contracts between Vitalité Health Network, which manages the province's French-speaking public medical services, and Toronto agency Canadian Health Labs.

The audit found that Vitalité has so far paid CHL more than $98 million, the largest share of the more than $173 million New Brunswick spent on temporary nurses between February 2022 and February 2024. The audit also found that Vitalité's three contracts with Les CHL were not reviewed by lawyers and lacked documentation.

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Also on our radar

The mastermind of the massive artistic fraud pleads guilty: Thunder Bay resident David Voss pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a multi-million dollar counterfeiting ring that produced more than 1,500 works attributed to Norval Morrisseau, the internationally renowned Ojibwe painter.

Biden announces sweeping measures to bar asylum seekers: Migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border could be denied the opportunity to seek asylum and quickly deported back to Mexico under new restrictions announced yesterday by the Biden administration.

Netanyahu could prolong the war, Biden believes: US President Joe Biden said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may delay ending the war in Gaza for political reasons, according to an interview with Time magazine published yesterday. The comments in the May 28 interview came days before Biden detailed a Gaza ceasefire proposal and as Netanyahu grapples with deep political divisions in Israel.

Streaming giants must invest in Canadian film, television and music: Consumers could end up paying higher prices after the CRTC ordered foreign streaming companies to pay about $200 million a year to support Canadian music, television, film and radio. The regulator announced yesterday that platforms such as Netflix, Spotify and Amazon Prime will have to contribute 5 percent of their annual Canadian revenues to support broadcasting in this country.

Gordie Howe Bridge almost completed: When the Gordie Howe International Bridge is completed next year, it will form a continuous span over the waterway that connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The impending union of its two halves signals a new reality. For the first time in nearly a century, North America's busiest border crossing is expanding – and doing so with gusto.

Morning markets

Global stocks rose today in anticipation of interest rate cuts expected by the Bank of Canada later this morning and the European Central Bank tomorrow. However, concerns about the slowdown in the US economy have limited risk appetite.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.5 percent and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.9 percent. The British FTSE 100 index gained 0.13 percent, the German DAX 0.62 percent and the French CAC 40 0.4 percent.

The Canadian dollar was trading at 73.08 US cents.

What everyone is talking about

Campbell Clark: “Even though the NDP's price cap strategy is probably going nowhere, there is still a moment in politics where there is momentum for some sort of reward for the grocery sector… When the Social Democrats of the Canadian political party If the system pushes for greater economic competition between businesses, you know that this is a moment of popular sentiment for change. And the moment is not over yet.

Robyn Urback: “Of course, some will say that it is not because Mr. Viersen was inarticulate in a podcast that conservatives are incapable of rolling back access to abortion. But the main thing is to be articulate: the vast majority of Canadians support the status quo… and we would have to convince them otherwise for legal action on access to abortion to be politically expedient for the conservatives.

Editorial cartoon of the day

Live better

How to Add Strength Training to Your Existing Workout Routine

Engaging in any level of resistance training has been shown to result in numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of all-cause mortality, decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and protection against neurodegeneration associated with aging. Here's how to add shorter strength training sessions to your current routine.

Moment in time: June 5, 1956

Elvis Presley's hips shock and delight viewers

It took several years for Elvis Presley to become known as the King of Rock 'n' Roll, but only two and a half minutes to solidify another enduring nickname: Elvis the Pelvis. A handful of small-town newspaper columnists had used the term (along with “Pelvis Presley”) derisively to describe the rising star from Tupelo, Mississippi, likening his act to a cheap bump and grind show. Mr. Presley hated the nickname and complained to interviewers that it only shook his shoulders and legs a little. In early 1956, the singer burst across the United States with Altar of Broken Hearts and increased his visibility through television appearances. In guest spots, he was usually seen in close-ups, singing ballads or with a guitar strapped around his neck. But in his second appearance on comedian Milton Berle's weekly variety show on this day in 1956, Mr. Presley sang Hunting dog with just a mic stand in front, slowing down the last verse while shaking, trembling and – most outrageous of all – punctuating the lines with sharp thrusts of her hips. The teenage audience was electrified. The parents were horrified. Popular music will never be the same again. Ian Morfitt, 2021

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