Good evening,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Trump signs executive order ending family separation policy
In response to the heated domestic and international criticism that the U.S. has been receiving over its “zero-tolerance” policy, President Donald Trump has decided to back down and sign an executive order ending the controversial practice of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Breaking from his traditional approach of treating his Twitter trigger-happy counterpart to the south with caution, Prime Minister Trudeau instead came out strong in his condemnation of the policy.
“Obviously, this is not the way we do things in Canada,” Mr. Trudeau said to a group of reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.
Criticism of the U.S. border policy has been escalating since the world learned that there are currently more than 2,000 children, including some younger than 3, who are being held in detention camps along the border. Another story about more than 100 asylum seekers being held in a federal men’s prison in Oregon and being denied legal counsel has also drawn staunch criticism.
Cannabis will be legal on October 17
Despite the fact that marijuana stocks have risen the day after the Senate voted 52-29 in favour of a revised bill, which will effectively start the process for making the cannabis market fully legal, the Justice Minister is warning Canadians that recreational use of the drug is “not legal yet.”
October 17 has in fact been selected by Mr. Trudeau as the official day on which all adult Canadians will have legal access to cannabis for recreational use. He said the delay of 17 weeks was requested by Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, all of whom asked for more time.
Fully legal yet or not, Canada’s last major privately owned cannabis grower, Tilary Inc., has taken the passing of Bill C-45 as a cue to announce its decision to go public in the United States by way of an initial public offering (IPO), a plan that had been reported on earlier by The Globe and Mail.
Canadian winemaker Norman Hardie accused of sexual misconduct
Reactions from prominent figures within Canada’s food and wine industry began erupting on Twitter after The Globe and Mail’s investigation into Canadian winemaker Norman Hardie’s wide-ranging pattern of alleged sexual advances and sexual harassment.
After gathering interviews with more than 50 people from within the food and wine industry, The Globe uncovered a troubling pattern of Mr. Hardie’s, with many of the interviewees alleging gross misconduct taking place both within and outside of the workplace.
EU to hit U.S. imports in response to Trump tariffs
When Donald Trump hit the EU, Canada and Mexico with tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium at the start of June, he perhaps didn’t expect a tit-for-tat dispute that would eventually degrade into a full blown trade war. But with the EU confirming today that they will begin charging duties of 25 per cent on a range of U.S. products starting on Friday, and with Canada also saddling up with its own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports, set to start on July 1, a trade war is surely upon us.
The developing trade war between these large economies has forced some of the most powerful central bank chiefs to raise concerns about the effects on business confidence and argue that central banks could be forced to downgrade their outlook. But, as Ian McGugan writes, in an impending trade war, the best thing for investors to do right now is sit tight.
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this online, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for Evening Update and all Globe newsletters here. Have feedback? Let us know what you think.
MARKET WATCH
Canadian stocks surged to a record high on Wednesday, driven by soaring cannabis stocks and a rebound in the energy sector. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 0.64 per cent, or 104.42 points to 16,420.95, passing the intraday and closing high on Jan. 4. The S&P 500 Index is still trading about 3.6 per cent below its Jan. 26 high.
The S&P 500 edged higher along with the Nasdaq, which hit a record high as Facebook Inc and other stocks hit all-time peaks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down slightly, a day after it erased its year-to-date gains amid President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats against Chinese goods. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 42.41 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 24,657.8, the S&P 500 gained 4.73 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 2,767.32 and the Nasdaq Composite added 55.93 points, or 0.72 per cent, to 7,781.52.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
A 12-year-old from Anjou, Que. has become an internet sensation after a video of the young basketball player, who stands at a towering six-foot-10, went viral. Oliver Rioux had the chance to meet some of his NBA idols last weekend in St. Catherines at the Jr. NBA world championship, except instead of needing to ask permission for a selfie with the all-stars, he was the one being approached by professionals like Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.
TALKING POINTS
Will the caging of kids finally sink Trump? Don’t bet on it
“A while back, it was seen as a surefire bet that he would get trounced in the midterm elections this fall. Now, there’s a good chance he’ll retain majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. It appears that almost half the American population is not put off by his attacks on immigrants, on allies, on his Department of Justice, on media and on elites (those who read a lot). Nor by his egomania, his sex scandals, his torrent of lies and distortions.” – Lawrence Martin
Don’t let supply management myths spoil the milk
“So rather than back away from supply management, Canada should consider how demand-supply co-ordination can be improved by making sustainability and health explicit goals in this system and in national food policy. Such an approach ensures resources are used efficiently, reduces the distance food travels and lessens food waste. These are all good things.” - Sarah Elton, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Toronto Scarborough and Rod MacRae, associate professor in environmental studies at York University
Canada’s trade retaliation is rational, but Trump isn’t – that’s why it won’t work
“In a moment of uncharacteristic nationalism, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the other day that it is fitting these Canadian tariffs come into effect on Canada Day. Yet as we are celebrating Canada’s 151st birthday, and watching the fireworks over Parliament Hill, Canadians might want to take cover from incoming rockets emanating from south of the border via the Twittersphere signalling the beginning of the first Canada-U.S. trade war in living memory.” – Eugene Lang, professor in the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University
LIVING BETTER
How to stay connected on vacation without losing your mind
The benefits of going offline, even for just a short period of time, are innumerable. But if you’re in a job that requires you to at least be reachable in the case of an emergency, then going completely off the grid may be out of the question. There are, however, some simple changes you can implement into your routine so you can maximize your vacation while still being accountable to your job. Setting boundaries for when you access your work e-mail and returning calls is one shift that will help, as will delegating tasks to people you trust at work.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
The kindness of strangers kept me going on Newfoundland’s East Coast Trail
In this first person essay, Jennifer Knoch heads off on her own Wild-inspired adventure by hiking across Newfoundland’s East Coast trail. Though the trip was initially brought on by an urge to have Mother Nature aid in shaping her sense of perseverance and character, the Toronto native instead found herself returning to the bustling city life with new wisdom about the surprising and truly profound impact of the kindness of strangers.
How dysfunctional are the Ottawa Senators? Let us count the ways
Roy MacGregor writes about how the most recent drama to unfold from the capital city’s hockey team, wherein Erik Karlsson’s wife filed an order of protection against the fiancée of team member Mike Hoffman over an alleged campaign of cyberbullying, is just one of the many stumbling blocks the team has blundered over in the past year. From a crowdfunding campaign that ended with signs calling for the removal of the team’s president (#Melnykout), to a Health Canada recall of the red infant “onesies” that feature the Senators’ logo, MacGregor traces just how far the team has fallen after last year’s Game 7 double-overtime in the Stanley Cup final.
Evening Update is written by Johanna Chisholm. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.