 Here’s what you need to know to get the day started: | | | CSIS chief returns to foreign interference inquiry as PM casts doubt on reliability of agency's reports | | |  | CSIS director David Vigneault appears as a witness at the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, in Ottawa on April 4. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) | | | The head of Canada's spy agency is appearing again before the public inquiry investigating foreign meddling in elections after multiple witnesses suggested they were not briefed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) about intelligence it gathered on Chinese interference.
Questions about who knew what about foreign election interference are at the heart of the inquiry's mandate, which was triggered by claims that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government was aware of foreign meddling but chose not to act.
Stage one of the inquiry was supposed to wrap up on Wednesday, but CSIS director David Vigneault will be back in the hot seat Friday morning at the request of some of the participants.
His recall comes after multiple witnesses told the inquiry they were not warned by CSIS of the severity of the threat, despite documents indicating the contrary.
At the centre of the issue are warnings from CSIS in briefing notes that key witnesses say they never received.
One document that was cited multiple times at the inquiry, for example, says CSIS believes the Chinese government "clandestinely and deceptively" interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
That February 2023 briefing note says China's interference was "pragmatic in nature and focused primarily in supporting those viewed to be either 'pro PRC' or 'neutral' on issues of interest to the PRC government."
That document was prepared for a briefing with the Prime Minister's Office.
During his testimony before the inquiry Wednesday, Trudeau said he never saw that briefing note — echoing a claim made by his deputy chief of staff Brian Clow earlier in the week.
"Most of the information in that document was not relayed to us in that meeting," said Clow Tuesday. | | | | | New talent | | |  | (Steve Marcus/Reuters) | | | | Barbie actor Ariana Greenblatt, 16, reacts as she leaves the stage after receiving a Rising Star of 2024 award at the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards in Las Vegas on Thursday. | | | | | | | | | In brief | | | On a Thursday in January, Normand Meunier arrived at a Saint-Jérôme, Que., hospital with a respiratory virus. Weeks later, he would emerge with a severe bedsore that would eventually lead him to seek medical assistance in dying (MAID). Meunier, 66, had been a truck driver before a spinal cord injury in 2022 left his arms and legs paralyzed. Before being admitted to an intensive care bed for his third respiratory virus in three months this winter, Meunier was stuck on a stretcher in the emergency room for four days. His partner, Sylvie Brosseau, says without having access to a special mattress, Meunier developed a major pressure sore on his buttocks that eventually worsened to the point where bone and muscle were exposed and visible — making his recovery and prognosis bleak. "Ninety-five hours on a stretcher, unacceptable," Brosseau said. Meunier had previously suffered other bedsores, notably on his heel, but nothing as disabling as the pressure sore he developed after his hospitalization in Saint-Jérôme. Speaking with Radio-Canada the day before his death, Meunier said he preferred putting an end to his physical and psychological suffering by opting for a medically assisted death. Read the full story here.
A B.C. woman is facing multiple criminal charges, accused of diverting over $1.8 million from her employer to her personal bank accounts to buy an expensive car, gold and a property, according to court documents obtained by CBC News. Galyna Kulykova worked as a bookkeeper for the Alacrity Foundation of B.C. starting in the summer of 2021 before resigning in October 2023, court documents say. In February 2023, she started submitting "fictitious" accounts payable to Alacrity for approval and entered her own bank account number for the deposit, according to Alacrity's response to a notice of civil claim filed by B.C.'s director of civil forfeiture. The notice of claim filed in February of this year alleges Kulykova used diverted funds to buy a property in Nanaimo, a 2023 Mercedes Benz worth about $80,000, $100,000 in euros, $178,000 in gold bullion and to make transfers worth over $700,000 to Wealthsimple investment accounts. Kulykova was arrested in December 2023 after returning from international travel and later released with conditions. Last week, she was charged with one count of fraud over $5,000, two counts of theft and three counts of laundering proceeds of crime. None of the charges against Kulykova have been proven in court. Read the full story here.
Although Loblaw has now reinstated its popular 50 per cent discounts on perishable food, some customers say they still feel shortchanged. That's because more than 100 Real Canadian Superstores owned by Loblaw continue to discount all food nearing its best-before date by only 30 per cent. "I was disappointed," said Kim Siever when he recently visited his local Superstore in Lethbridge, Alta., and found no half-off deals. "Clearly they can afford it if some stores are offering it," he said, adding that by keeping the discounts at 30 per cent, it makes it difficult for some shoppers to buy what they need "to be able to feed their families properly." Loblaw says Real Canadian Superstores didn't offer the 50 per cent discounts previously, so they don't get it now. Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, says shoppers are hungry for bargains. A survey commissioned by his lab found that out of 2,880 Canadians polled in late January, 59 per cent consistently seek out discounted food products. Read the full story here.
Two members of a Toronto new wave band behind a 1980 international hit have created new music, this time to raise awareness of Parkinson's disease. Martha Johnson and Mark Gane are husband and wife members of Martha and the Muffins, which released the chart-topping hit, Echo Beach, in 1980. The band was founded in 1977. Johnson has suffered from Parkinson's, a degenerative disease, for 23 years. The pair have now joined forces with guitarist Fabio Dwyer, who also suffers from Parkinson's, to create Slow Emotion, which paints an intimate picture of life with the disease. In an interview, Johnson said the lyrics are "kind of metaphor for what you go through when you have Parkinson's." The song was released by their record label Muffin Music on all platforms on Thursday, which was World Parkinson's Day. April marks Parkinson's Awareness Month. Read the full story here.
O.J. Simpson, the football star, actor and pitchman whose shocking arrest for double murder and subsequent acquittal at trial shone a light on American race relations, has died. He was 76. "On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer," the family said in a statement posted Thursday to Simpson's X account. "He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace." Simpson's well-crafted public image was shattered upon his arrest days after the June 12, 1994, homicide of Nicole Brown Simpson, his ex-wife, and her friend Ronald Goldman. The pair were found slashed to death at the doorstep of her Los Angeles residence. Simpson's arrest and trial provided indelible moments, with an estimated 95 million Americans watching on television as the white Bronco he was being driven in was trailed by a phalanx of police cars after he failed to surrender to authorities. Read the full obituary here.
Now here's some good news to start your Friday: The village of Love, Sask., is leaning into its name. It's built a new wedding chapel to entice more couples to get married there. Watch here and read the full story here. | | |  | What we know from Canada's foreign interference inquiry so far | | A public inquiry is attempting to determine the extent of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but many details remain classified. The inquiry’s first phase has wrapped. What's been learned so far? Listen to today's episode. | | | According to an Ipsos poll, the top priority for Canadians in the federal budget to be unveiled on April 16 is help with the rising cost of living.
This week, Checkup is asking: how important are cost of living issues for you? What do you want the government to think about in the upcoming budget?
Join Ian Hanomansing on CBC Radio One, CBC Listen and CBC News Network. Call Checkup at 1-888-416-8333, send an email text (226-758-8924) or go to CBC.ca/AIRCHECK. | | | Today in history: April 12 | | | 1861: The U.S. Civil War begins when Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter in the harbour of Charleston, S.C.
1960: Maurice "Rocket" Richard scores the last goal of his 18-year NHL career. It helped Montreal defeat Toronto 5-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final. The Canadiens swept the series in four games to win their record fifth consecutive Stanley Cup.
1961: Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to go into space. He orbited Earth once before Vostok I re-entered the atmosphere 89 minutes later.
1980: In St. John’s, Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope in aid of cancer research. | | | (With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters) | | | | |  | CBC NEWS APP | The most convenient way to get your news
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