Trump’s tariffs may start trade war; Ontario PC leadership vote begins

Good morning,

These are the top stories:

U.S. tariffs raise the risk of trade war

U.S. President Donald Trump fired the first shot yesterday with his plan to set 25-per-cent tariffs on steel imports and 10-per-cent on aluminum imports. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland warned that Canada will strike back if the U.S. imposes tariffs on Canadian-made steel and aluminum (no countries will be exempt, The New York Times reported). Trump is saying the tariffs are needed to protect American jobs and national security. But Freeland said viewing trade with Canada as a national security issue is "entirely inappropriate." Ottawa's retaliation options could include imposing surcharges or restrictions on U.S. imports. Trump's announcement, which sent U.S. stocks tumbling, could hurt North American free-trade agreement talks.

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Vladimir Putin threatened Western nations with a new 'invincible' missile

In his annual state of the nation address, the Russian President talked up a new nuclear-powered missile that he said cannot be intercepted by missile-defence systems. Russia's history of deception raises questions about the accuracy of Putin's remarks, but the rhetoric will nevertheless increase tensions between Russia and Western nations. In his own State of the Union address in January, Trump also talked up nuclear weapons, saying the U.S. needs to "modernize and rebuild" its arsenal.

University of Toronto professor Aurel Braun writes about the reality behind Putin's rhetoric: "His grand spectacles and international posturing cannot forever compensate for grave domestic shortcomings and the failure of Russia to truly join the modern world. At some point, the Russian people are bound to look behind the screens and they will find Mr. Putin to be a much smaller man than he claims."

Voting starts today for the Ontario PC leadership race

And some candidates are voicing concerns about false memberships and vote-rigging in the online ballot. Some party members have yet to receive their unique PIN numbers needed to vote, a delay that has former Toronto councillor Doug Ford calling for a paper ballot. Ford and political newcomer Caroline Mulroney have also flagged the issue of fraudulent memberships that could have been obtained using prepaid credit cards. The party has already removed close to 500 members from the voting list for a variety of reasons. The other two candidates in the race are former Tory MPP Christine Elliott and activist Tanya Granic Allen. The winner will be announced on March 10.

Ontario PCs, in brief:

Elizabeth Renzetti profiles Caroline Mulroney, and examines whether the Bay Street businesswoman and daughter of conservative royalty can win over party members and the province (for subscribers).

We explain the leadership contest: who's running, what their policies are, and how the Ontario PCs ended up here, with a race just months before the provincial election.

Italians head to the polls this Sunday in an election that's centred on immigration

The rhetoric on the campaign trail has Liberal Italians worried about Italy's lurch to the xenophobic right. Anti-immigrant slogans and attacks on migrants are dominating the headlines there. "The only antidote to racism is to control, regulate and limit immigration," said Northern League leader Matteo Salvini, whose right-wing coalition is polling at 37 per cent. The centre-left coalition, meanwhile, is polling at 27 per cent.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

MEC drops brands linked to a U.S. gun maker

In response to an online petition that garnered more than 50,000 signatures, Canadian retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op announced it would stop stocking brands owned by Vista Outdoor. The Utah-based Vista owns a company that makes assault rifles in addition to outdoor brands such as CamelBak and Giro. Another Canadian retailer, Running Room, said it would stop buying CamelBak products. Canadian Tire, which sells ammunition from a Vista company and also stocks Vista outdoor brands at its Sport Chek stores, hasn't said it would stop selling the company's products.

Nova Scotia is looking to dissolve its seven English-language school boards

The provincial government put forward a bill to overhaul its education system after a scathing report called for action. Nova Scotia public-school students rank below the national average in test scores for reading, science and math. Under the proposed changes, school trustees will be removed and replaced with an advisory council. And all principals and vice-principals will be taken out of the union – a major point of contention.

MORNING MARKETS

Stocks tumble

The spectre of a global trade war sent world stocks tumbling on Friday and drove investors toward the traditional safe plays of government bonds and the Japanese yen after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would impose hefty tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Tokyo's Nikkei lost 2.5 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng 1.5 per cent, and the Shanghai composite 0.6 per cent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.8 and 2.1 per cent by about 6 a.m. ET. New York futures were down. The Canadian dollar was at 77.80 US cents. U.S. oil prices slipped.

WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT

Toronto's police chief is tone deaf

"Recently, Chief Mark Saunders drew heavy criticism for his comments to The Globe and Mail, insinuating that members of the LGBTQ community could have done more to aid their investigation into missing community members. … [At no point] did the chief speak of regrets, or accepting responsibility for the ongoing causes behind the strained relationship between Toronto Police and the LGBTQ community. Since his 2015 appointment as chief, this has become Saunders's brand: speaking at length about improving the public's confidence in the police, yet failing to acknowledge the extent of the damage done by the status quo. And when the service's status quo fails the community, Chief Saunders's response damages those relationships even further." – Andray Domise, freelance writer

Donating clothes cleans your closet, but not your conscience

"Donated clothing is rarely given directly to someone in need. Most charities that collect clothes sell them to a business such as Value Village that puts the best things out for sale – but it's increasingly unlikely that someone else will want what's being tossed. … the sad truth is that North Americans add 12 million tons of textiles to landfills every year. If reducing that is a real goal, we're going to have to buy fewer clothes. So indulge that spring cleaning impulse and evaluate your cluttered closets, but consider if anything old can be made exciting again with a bit of a tailor or tuck. Resist the immediate urge to replace tossed items with something new. Think about forever style, not today's fashion – make the next thing you buy worth wearing for seasons to come." – Denise Balkissoon

Why Xi Jinping's cult of personality is more dangerous than it looks

"To outsiders, the shift from giving Xi 10 years of power to giving him limitless power might seem academic – after all, Beijing remains a single-party authoritarian regime in either case. Within China, the difference is starkly evident. Just look at some of the suddenly-popular words and phrases currently reported blocked from China's social media: 'long live the emperor,' 'personality cult' and '1984.' Xi is not alone in eliminating term limits and transforming himself into a potential ruler-for-life. It's the thing to do these days: Vladimir Putin engineered just such a change in Russia, as did Recep Tayyip Erdogan, effectively, in Turkey. But it means something different in China." – Doug Saunders

FILM FRIDAY

It's Oscar weekend. Here's what you need to know

Globe film critic Kate Taylor has her money on The Shape of Water to win best picture, while film editor Barry Hertz thinks it will go to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Not that those necessarily should win: Taylor says Get Out deserves the trophy; Hertz is rooting for Dunkirk. Go here to see their other predictions for the best director, actor and actress categories.

Joanne Schneller argues that this year's Oscars better be political: "I hope that Hollywood takes this opportunity to acknowledge its own faults – its culture of sexism, pay inequity and sexual assault."

Barry Hertz examines what might be called the Erasure Industry – the once-anticipated projects, and once-lauded artists, that studios have quickly washed their hands of in the wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp.

HEALTH PRIMER

High-tech gadgets are looking to the past to help us sleep better

These days, the sleep industry is a lucrative business: aromatherapy gadgets, essential oil diffusers, "performance" bedding and sleep robots are just a few products on offer. All this attention on sleep harkens back to 17th century England, when beds and bed textiles accounted for one-third of the value of a household's contents. Back then, sleep was a key part of a culture of preventative health care because treatment was expensive and difficult to access.

MOMENT IN TIME

March 2, 1904: Dr. Seuss is born

In a Massachusetts town they call Springfield

As his fans know is true.

The author was born, and he liked to paint, too.

Theodore Geisel was his name, but he changed it to stay.

Dr. Seuss, he became, as he's known to this day.

His start was in ads, and magazines, too.

He soon switched to books, at least one on a zoo.

He rhymed about ham. He rhymed about things.

He rhymed about Grinches and Sneetches and kings.

His words made no sense. But they always rang true.

With whimsy and fun, he knew just what to do.

His books they are loved by the old and the small.

He was sure to include a wink to us all.

Some books became films. Some were a fable.

If you looked hard enough, there is always a moral:

Be good and be kind. Be bold. Go outside.

Dr. Seuss has sold millions and millions and millions of books.

From Horton to Yertle, we've all had a look.

Through forties and fifties and sixties and on, as they say.

His books were quite popular.

And remain just that way.

So here's to old Dr. Seuss and the stories he made.

In 1904, he began on this day.

– Eric Atkins, with apologies to Dr. Seuss

Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.

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