What Trudeau did — and didn't — know about election meddling

Plus, homelessness in Toronto and a man alleging he was wrongfully deported [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on the foreign interference inquiry, an “explosion in homelessness” and a man suing Ottawa for being deported. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick FOREIGN INTERFERENCE [Justin Trudeau said he challenged some CSIS intelligence about election meddling — but he was in the dark about other allegations ]( The prime minister appeared before the foreign interference inquiry Wednesday, challenging allegations that China interfered in a Liberal nomination contest and raising concerns the nation’s spy service drew its conclusions based on ignorance of the politics of nomination fights, Stephanie Levitz reports. Trudeau added that allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 election campaigns weren’t brought to his attention until well after the fact, pushing back against the very concerns that sparked the inquiry: that Trudeau knew about foreign-state meddling and chose to do nothing. [Take a deeper dive into the hearing](. - Miss something? The inquiry previously heard CSIS concerns that Chinese nationals studying in Canada were bussed in for the nomination vote of former Liberal Han Dong in 2019, that the students were given fake documents to do so — [and that they were threatened with reprisal if they didn’t cooperate](. - More: Trudeau pushed back against the allegations about Dong, noting that busloads of Italian- and Greek-Canadians were brought in when he sought a nomination in 2007 because that was the demographic in his riding. - Meanwhile: A House of Commons committee ruled yesterday evening that a foreign “intimidation campaign” targeting Ontario MP Michael Chong [“unequivocally” constituted a contempt of Parliament](. Steve Russell/The Star homelessness [“An overall explosion in homelessness.” Encampments have more than doubled in Toronto]( The number of tents in Toronto’s ravines and parks, and under its bridges has more than doubled since last spring’s count — a sign, advocates and city officials say, of rising desperation amidst a lack of affordable housing. One advocate told the Star’s Victoria Gibson they weren’t surprised by the numbers; ballooning rents mean it’s harder for people to keep their housing, while mounting demand for shelters has led to them often being packed. As the weather warms, city officials expect encampments to grow even further. [Here’s what you need to know](. - By the numbers: Workers counted 82 tents or other makeshift structures set up citywide on March 15, 2023. That figure surged to 202 on the same date this year. - More: In contrast to the mass encampments seen in previous years, tents are more sparse and widely dispersed across the city — with tents popping up in three times as many locations this spring compared to the last. - Denise Davy’s take: Politicians haven’t gotten to the crux of the homelessness problem because, while they’ve seen the studies and read the statistics, [few have looked into the eyes of a homeless person or talked to them](. Giovanni Capriotti for The Star star investigation [He was deported from Canada. Then he learned border agents never shared an important document that may have swayed the judge]( When Twain Anthony Reeves suffered a workplace injury in 2008, his doctors prescribed him methadone to manage the pain. He would become addicted to the drug over the next decade. But when Reeves faced deportation in 2017 over multiple low-level drug offences, a judge ruled there was “no clear evidence” the father of two couldn’t find other effective treatment for methadone withdrawal in his home country of Jamaica. But the evidence did exist, Brendan Kennedy reports — it was just never shared with the judge. Reeves is now suing the federal government for $6 million in damages, accusing Ottawa of breaching his Charter rights. [How did we get here?]( - Wait, what? Two weeks before the ruling, the Jamaican Ministry of Health sent a letter to the Canada Border Services Agency saying treatment was “not available” there and suggesting Reeves “remain in Canada on humanitarian grounds where appropriate treatment can be provided.” The letter was never shared with the court or Reeves’ lawyer. - The aftermath: In his lawsuit, Reeves alleged that “CBSA officers engaged in a pattern of illegal, abusive, arbitrary, bad faith and negligent conduct.” Had he been allowed to wean off the drug in Canada, he would not have “suffered the debilitating effects of methadone withdrawal without treatment or care,” the lawsuit continued. [Calendar icon] Are our messages a little late for you lately? Emails from the Star are taking longer than normal to arrive to Gmail and Hotmail inboxes after we send them. That's a problem we're solving now, but we're sorry for keeping you waiting. WHAT ELSE Pressure is mounting on Justin Trudeau’s Liberals as the NDP and Conservatives [join forces in calling for a national meeting on the carbon levy](. The Bank of Canada is holding its key overnight lending rate at five per cent, [signalling a June cut is “within realm of possibilities.”]( Doug Ford’s government is attempting to [speed up new housing starts with a sweeping new bill](. [Fixed-rate mortgages still beat out variable mortgages]( following the Bank of Canada’s decision to hold rates. An Israeli air strike in Gaza has [killed three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh](. [The federal government used AI in hundreds of initiatives]( a new research database shows. “This doesn’t solve Doug Ford’s federal problem.” [Highway 413’s future remains unclear despite removal of some roadblocks](. Fourteen years, 140 officers and a dark secret consuming a small Ontario town — [how the Lucas Shortreed case was solved](. Their son’s arm was broken at school and another student was charged with assault. [Now, the family wants to know why it took a court order to get records to the police](. “I’m not paying it.” [A family is furious over a $400-a-day hospital fine for not moving to LTC](. “As an older athlete, I have to be even more committed.” [At 40, Deanna Stellato-Dudek tells us about being the oldest figure skater to win a world title](. Bell says facts have been “distorted” amidst criticisms over its mass layoffs. [Here’s what else it’s saying](. POV Canadian Press/Chris Young [Doug Ford should stop subsidizing our hydro bills — he’s starving health care and education to pay for it.]( CLOSE-UP Laurent Cipriani/AP Photo PARIS: Anouk Garnier is pictured scaling up the Eiffel Tower by rope on Wednesday. The French woman ascended 110 metres in just 18 minutes — breaking the previous world record — in a stunt to raise money for cancer prevention and support. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_212026). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](