Morning Update: Ottawa plans to rein in number of temporary foreign residents

Good morning,
Amid warnings from economists and others about how high levels of temporary residents are putting pressure on Canada’s health care systems and housing, the federal government says it is planning to rein in these numbers and put restrictions on how many foreign workers can be hired by businesses.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said yesterday that as a first step, the government plans to reduce the proportion of temporary residents in the population from 6.2 per cent to 5 per cent over the next three years. It means that the temporary resident population would decrease by about 19 per cent.
The move marks a shift in direction for the federal government, which has long touted high immigration as an economic stimulant that would counter an aging society and fill jobs.
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Founder of ArriveCan contractor failed to disclose conflict of interest, other ‘schemes,’ deputy minister of defence says
David Yeo, the founder of a company contracted to work on the federal government’s ArriveCan app, did not disclose a conflict of interest when he was hired as a public servant, according to the deputy minister of the National Defence department.
Speaking to MPs on the public accounts committee yesterday, Bill Matthews said the department has learned that Yeo continued to work with Dalian Enterprises despite becoming a public servant, and alleged that “through Dalian, he had established other schemes with other companies.” Matthews did not detail these alleged schemes or identify those companies.
The fallout from the ArriveCan allegations has sparked broad policy changes. Federal ministers announced a package of reforms Thursday, while also revealing that an internal review found nearly $5-million in fraudulent billing by three private subcontractors. The ministers declined to identify those companies by name, citing the government’s decision to refer the matter to police.
Yeo did not respond to requests for comment but has previously told the public accounts committee that he believes he wasn’t in a conflict of interest.
Russia targets Ukrainian power plant, cities in massive attack
Russia launched a massive attack on Ukrainian cities Friday morning, targeting Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power plant and destroying residential buildings across the country.
The Kremlin now describes the conflict as a “state of war,” a significant departure from previously describing its full-scale invasion of Ukraine as “a special military operation.” It is the second large attack this week after Russia unleashed a massive attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region on Thursday morning, injuring at least 17 people.
Russia fired more than 60 drones and nearly 90 rockets of different types at Ukraine Friday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. He criticized Western allies for delaying the delivery of crucial aid needed for the country’s defence.
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Blinken in Israel: The U.S. Secretary of State has arrived in Israel for what are expected to be fractious talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza as public differences over the conflict have intensified. Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council is set to vote on a U.S.-sponsored resolution declaring that “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is “imperative” to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians.
Apple accused of monopolizing smartphone market in U.S. antitrust lawsuit: Apple is the latest technology company to face a lawsuit by U.S. regulators after the Department of Justice and 15 states accused the company of monopolizing the U.S. smartphone market, hurting smaller rivals and driving up prices.
Humans causing grizzlies to eat less salmon: Human activity has altered the diets of grizzly bears by blocking easy access to salmon, new research shows, with normal ecosystem cycles affecting plant, insect and other species also being interrupted.
Humanitarian appeal for Sudan fails to reach 5 per cent of goal: Sudan’s displacement and hunger crisis, reaching levels not seen anywhere else in the world, is failing to motivate donors to help head off “a humanitarian travesty,” say diplomats and aid agencies who fear a million lives could be lost because of war and famine.
Glitch delays tax refunds for early filers with FHSAs: The Canada Revenue Agency experienced a technical issue in processing the returns of Canadians who opened a first home savings account (FHSA) in 2023, The Globe and Mail has learned.
Reddit debuts on New York Stock Exchange: Social-media platform Reddit Inc.’s shares ended their first day of trading in New York up 48 per cent, signalling that investor appetite for initial public offerings of promising yet loss-making companies could be returning.
U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Friday, setting Wall Street on course for strong weekly gains as investors cheered the Federal Reserve sticking to its rate-easing stance and awaited commentary from Chair Jerome Powell later in the day. All three main U.S. indexes hit fresh record closing highs in the previous session as chip stocks rallied after Micron Technology’s upbeat forecast and the Fed signaled it was still on track for three interest-rate cuts this year. The Canadian dollar was trading lower at 73.69 US cents.
Ohtani’s gambling debt scandal doesn’t add up
Cathal Kelly: “So the biggest baseball star in the game decides to pay off his friend’s illicit debts, but does so under his own name, when he could just take a few more steps, transfer the funds to his friend and then watch him send the cash off, avoiding direct involvement? I get that Hanlon’s razor (never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity) is in constant operation, especially as it applies to the entertainment business. But this whole thing is so thin you could poke holes in it with a baguette.”
The carbon tax is dead. Long live the carbon tax
Tony Keller: “The PBO didn’t do an apples-to-apples comparison. It compared the economic cost of the carbon-tax apple with the economic cost of buying nothing, and found that an apple costs more than nothing. It’s like a study of which grocery store offers the lowest food prices concluding that the best way to save money on groceries is not to eat.”
The Indo-Pacific strategy’s fatal blind spot
Carl Bildt: “Indo-Pacific thinking views China as the paramount force, and Russia as a secondary, more peripheral European issue. But if the two Eurasian powers are driven by the same historical urge, that fact must not be ignored.”
The joy of supersized sweets, plus a mega cinnamon bun recipe
Enormous sweets are fun conversation pieces, and present an amusing challenge: how to consume an item that usually serves one, scaled to feed eight. And so, a giant cinnamon bun makes an excellent spring project with a captivating reward at the end. If you want to make the dough and assemble your Big Bun the night before to bake in the morning, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge overnight – the cold will slow the rise.
The Masters tees off for the first time
Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia had been operating for just over a year when it launched the Augusta National Invitation Tournament on this day in 1934. Golf legend Bobby Jones came out of retirement to play. Jones and New York investment banker Clifford Roberts had founded Augusta National, located on a former fruit farm filled with peach trees, fulfilling Mr. Jones’s dream of building a golf course. The course is renowned for its lush scenery, challenging greens and pleasant spring weather during tournament week. Horton Smith won the first invitational with a 20-foot birdie putt, while Mr. Jones ended 10 strokes behind. Five years later, the prestigious event was officially renamed the Masters Tournament. It’s the only golf major played at the same course each year, and is now in early April. Canada’s Mike Weir won the Masters in 2003, earning the champion’s ceremonial green jacket and a lifetime invitation to compete.
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