In the news today: Ukraine to top G7 talks, Canada to send rocket motors to Kyiv

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Trudeau in Italy as G7 summit kicks off

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Italy today as the G7 leaders’ summit kicks off.

The three-day summit is an opportunity for collaboration among the leaders of the wealthy democracies — France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Japan.

Trudeau is scheduled to have meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He is also set to participate in working sessions with other leaders on collaboration with Africa, climate change, the Middle East and Ukraine.

Canada to send rocket motors to Ukraine

The Liberal government says it will start shipping decommissioned CRV7 rocket motors to Ukraine.

National Defence said in a press release Thursday that Canada will send an “initial tranche” of around 2,000 rocket motors.

The federal Conservatives have been asking Ottawa to transfer its 83,303 units of the motors and the Ukrainian ambassador has said her country could use decommissioned weapons as it fights Russia’s invasion.

Canada will also donate 29 surplus Nanuk remote weapons systems and more than 130,000 rounds of surplus small-arms ammunition.

Defence Minister Bill Blair made the announcement in Brussels at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contract Group, which includes about 50 allied countries led by the United States.

Bank CEOs to testify at parliamentary committee

The CEOs of Canada’s five biggest banks are set to testify before a parliamentary committee later today about the impacts of the financial sector on climate and the environment.

The chief executives of Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank Group, BMO Financial Group, Scotiabank and CIBC are all scheduled to appear by videoconference before the House of Commons standing committee on environment and sustainable development.

Banks have faced increased scrutiny for how their lending practices contribute to climate change, as they have provided hundreds of billions of dollars in funding to oil and gas companies in recent years.

Canada’s biggest banks have made both short- and long-term emissions reduction targets, including net-zero financed emissions by 2050, but face criticism for not moving fast enough.

Cross-examination of officer at Coutts trial

An undercover police officer is set to face more cross-examination today at the murder-conspiracy trial of two protesters at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta.

Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert are on trial charged with conspiring to murder police officers at the blockade.

The blockade ran for two weeks in early 2022, tying up traffic at the busy Canada-United States border crossing for two weeks to protest COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

The two men were arrested after Mounties found a cache of guns, body armour and ammunition in trailers in the area.

Canada’s Kuperman brothers vying for Tony Award

Canada’s Kuperman brothers are trained dancers, but they tapped into their martial arts skills to choreograph key scenes in the Tony Award-nominated musical reimagining of “The Outsiders.”

Rick and Jeff Kuperman’s debut work on Broadway is up for best choreography at the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday.

The production, adapted from the classic 1967 S.E. Hinton novel and the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film, is among the leading nominees with a total of 12 nods, including best direction and best musical.

“The Outsiders,” a coming-of-age drama that follows the rivalry of two gangs in Tulsa, Okla., challenged the Kupermans to come up with authentic portrayals of violence on stage.

Both brothers have three-degree black belts in Kenpo, an American style of karate, which informed how they choreographed the climatic rumble between the feuding Greasers and Socs.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2024

The Canadian Press