Good morning,
These are the top stories:
Ottawa says ‘geopolitical considerations’ will be a factor in its Huawei-5G decision
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair now says the federal government will be considering political implications in addition to national security as it decides whether to bar Huawei from 5G.
Ottawa had previously said its decision would hinge on security assessments and the advice of government experts.
The U.S. and Australia have already barred the Chinese company from supplying 5G equipment, with Washington saying Huawei could be compelled to help Beijing in espionage efforts.
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Justin Trudeau has rejected a ‘prisoner exchange’ of two Canadians for Meng Wanzhou
“We are a country of the rule of law and we will abide by the rule of law,” the Prime Minister said, shutting down suggestions from some members of Canada’s business community.
Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been detained in China for more than a year, arrests that came shortly after Meng was arrested at Vancouver’s airport.
Meng’s extradition proceedings continued yesterday with the B.C. Supreme Court judge presiding over the case indicating she was struggling with aspects of Meng’s defence: that the offence she is accused of in the United States is not a crime in Canada.
The judge and Meng’s lawyer “were communicating at odds with one another," said Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland, who was watching from the public gallery. A key question, he said, is whether Canada would become a sanctuary for those who violate foreign laws and enter Canada without the possibility of extradition.
Meanwhile, a woman who joined a group protesting for Meng’s release says she is an actor who was paid to stand outside the B.C. Supreme Court. Julia Hackstaff said she was duped into protesting under the guise of a $100 paid acting gig.
Republicans blocked Democratic attempts to gather more evidence in the impeachment trial
The Republican-majority U.S. Senate stopped motions that sought to force the White House and other departments to hand over documents about President Donald Trump’s Ukraine saga.
The actions could mean proceedings last less than two weeks, a swift process Democrat Adam Schiff called “a mockery of a trial.”
Democrats also want witnesses to be subpoenaed before the start of the trial, so that both sides have access to all the evidence before they make their cases. Republicans want a vote on witnesses to happen at the end of the trial.
The representation of Indigenous people in federal custody has hit a new high
Indigenous people represent more than 30 per cent of federal prisoners, with an increasing number being sentenced even as the overall inmate population drops.
The Indigenous inmate population increased by 43 per cent since April, 2010. Over that same period, the number of non-Indigenous prisoners declined by 14 per cent.
The development prompted Canada’s Correctional Investigator to urge action on the creation of a deputy commissioner for Indigenous correction. Ivan Zinger also criticized the federal corrections service and said the numbers have been steadily increasing regardless of the government of the day.
B.C.’s Larry Walker has become the second Canadian elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
The former Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies slugger was selected in his final year of eligibility, narrowly surpassing the 75-per-cent approval from baseball writers required for induction.
Pitcher Fergie Jenkins, the only other Canadian inducted, in 1991, said he “couldn’t be prouder” to welcome Walker to the club.
Cathal Kelly writes: “By any fair statistical measure, Walker matched up with some of the greatest to play the game.”
Yankee great Derek Jeter was also inducted in this round of voting.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Fears of pandemic spread as coronavirus reaches Hong Kong: The death toll from the virus rose to nine Wednesday and officials acknowledged their efforts to limit further illness had reached a critical stage, days before the lunar new year.
Ex-Canadian Forces reservist allegedly sought to incite violence at gun rally: Newly released documents say Patrik Mathews, who has been accused of being a violent neo-Nazi, was recorded talking about wanting to incite a U.S. civil war at a pro-gun protest in Virginia. Mathews was arrested last week.
Israel’s anti-ICC campaign leaves Canada caught in middle: The Israeli government is said to be listing Canada as one of its supporters in a campaign to demand sanctions against International Criminal Court officials who exploring the possibility of a probe into alleged war crimes against Palestinians. Ottawa has been trying to maintain a low profile on the issue.
No report cards for TDSB students: Elementary students at several Ontario school boards won’t be getting Term 1 report cards after job action by teachers presented the board with logistical challenges. Teachers are still expected to assess and evaluate students.
MORNING MARKETS
World stocks shake off China virus worries, U.S. dollar gains: World stock markets looked to be getting back to full strength on Wednesday, as updates from China about the spread of a new flu-like coronavirus raised hopes the outbreak would be contained. In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.20 per cent around 6:10 a.m. ET. Germany’s DAX gained 0.04 per cent. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.03 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished up 0.70 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.27 per cent. U.S. stock futures were higher. The Canadian dollar was trading at 76.54 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Alberta needs to wake up to a rapidly changing world – and to stop listening to the deniers
Gary Mason: “If Alberta’s elites believe that separating from Canada will somehow spare them from what is taking place in the world right now, they are sadly misinformed. The federal government didn’t set a goal of zero-net emissions by 2050 to punish the province – it did so because Canada has a moral duty to try to save the planet from catastrophic consequences.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
(Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail)Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
A new Canadian chequing account service is coming
Online provider Wealthsimple has partnered with two yet-to-be-revealed major Canadian banks to launch a “hybrid” account that offers clients a chequing account with a “non-introductory” high interest savings rate of 2.4 per cent.
The account, which will have no monthly fees and unlimited transactions, is the latest effort to shake up financial-services offerings for Canadians.
MOMENT IN TIME
The birth of Lord Byron
(National Trust Photographic Library/ Bridgeman Images)National Trust Photographic Library / Bridgeman Images
Jan. 22, 1788: Before he was Lord Byron, legendary poet and “mad, bad and dangerous to know,” George Gordon Byron was the son of “Mad Jack” – a dashing and profligate British Army captain whom he barely knew. Born on this day in 1788, he inherited his title and estates from his great uncle William at the age of 10, becoming the sixth Baron Byron. Educated at the prestigious Harrow School, then at Cambridge University – where he kept a pet bear, in defiance of a rule banning dogs – he indulged in vices that mired and inspired his life and writing. His brilliance with the pen was apparent early. At 24, he published the first two cantos of the poem that won him instant fame, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. That fame then turned to notoriety in the wake of a string of love affairs and sexual escapades: With Lady Caroline Lamb, who coined the “mad, bad” description; possibly with his half-sister, Augusta Leigh; and with Mary Shelley’s half sister, Claire Clairmont. His marriage to Annabella Milbanke in 1815 quickly failed, and his philandering, drinking and debts drove him out of England. He never returned, writing his great satirical poem, Don Juan, from abroad – a masterpiece still unfinished. – James Bradshaw
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Arik Ligeti