Good morning, here are our top stories:
The human rights group Canadian Friends of Hong Kong says it won’t participate in Canada’s public inquiry into foreign interference, citing “grave concerns” about the standing granted to politicians with alleged ties to the Chinese government.
Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue granted full standing to former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister Michael Chan, now deputy mayor of Markham, Ont., and independent MP Han Dong. This type of standing means they can cross-examine witnesses and gain access to all evidence collected, including that presented to the inquiry outside of hearings. The human rights group’s refusal to participate threatens to undermine the commission’s ability to hear from all vulnerable communities facing persecution from China.
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Russian opposition leader, former Moscow's municipal deputy Ilya Yashin stands inside a defendant's glass cage prior to a verdict hearing at the Meshchansky district court in Moscow, Russia, December 9, 2022.POOL/Reuters
Political prisoner Ilya Yashin has spoken out about the death of his “friend and ally,” Alexey Navalny, in a letter sent to The Globe and Mail on Monday. He wrote: “I don’t doubt that he didn’t just die but was murdered, and that the order to kill was given by Putin. His security services had already made an attempt on his life back in 2020, and they now have seen it through.” Yashin, a protest leader who has been in prison since June, 2022, sent the letter from a penal colony near Smolensk, 400 kilometres west of Moscow.
Nadezhda Prokopenko stands in front of the house of a relative that was destroyed in a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Selydove near Avdiivka, Ukraine, February 19, 2024.THOMAS PETER/Reuters
A database created by a Ukrainian government agency has found that electronic components from four Canadian companies are turning up in weapons and other gear used by Russia in its military assault on Ukraine. Many of the simple components are not usually deemed sensitive equipment by Western governments looking to stem the flow of goods to unfriendly states. Security researchers and policy advisers warn that more has to be done to keep the parts out of Russia’s hands, including upgrading Canada’s export control list.
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Also on our radar
Myanmar faces renewed exodus as new law looms: A new conscription law that will come into effect in April has sent the country’s citizens into a panic, with thousands left to figure out how to leave the country or dodge the draft. After months of military setbacks, the junta’s new law will see 60,000 young men and women recruited in waves of 5,000 at a time.
Canada to send drones to Ukraine: Defence Minister Bill Blair announced yesterday that Canada is sending Ukraine more than 800 Canadian-made drones. The $95-million commitment is part of a $500-million package of aid pledged by the federal government last June.
Newfoundland health minister seeks answers on use of private nurses: Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Minister, Tom Osborne, has asked the province’s health authority to look into what happened to $1.6-million in meal allowances paid to a Toronto-based nursing agency after a Globe and Mail investigation of Canada’s burgeoning for-profit health worker industry.
Morning markets
Markets on hold: European shares teetered just shy of all-time highs on Tuesday, while euro zone wage data did little to jolt struggling government bonds, and Asian shares slipped as a record rate cut in China failed to excite investors. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.19 per cent. Germany’s DAX was off 0.17 per cent while France’s CAC 40 added 0.36 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.28 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.57 per cent. New York futures were weaker. The Canadian dollar was steady at 74.13 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
The federal Liberals and Ontario Tories are fighting again – and it won’t end well for Trudeau
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford depend on the same voters to stay in power. They used to fight each other for those voters’ support. Then they learned that co-operation worked better. Now it seems they’re fighting again. It’s a fight that Mr. Trudeau is likely to lose.” - John Ibbitson
Why is Quebec the only province to give impaired drivers such a long leash?
“Most impaired-driving deaths are preventable. That prevention begins with sound legislation. The CAQ has showed that, when it wants to, the rules can change quickly. It should now move fast, then, to prevent Quebeckers from driving ‘a bit hot.’”- André Picard
Canada needs a clear path to a robust defence
“The Liberals have not been willing to tell Canadians about the true cost of national security, instead paying only lip service. Pierre Poilievre has the opportunity to show leadership, to make the argument that Canada must take the authoritarian threat seriously. The country has already had more than enough of foolhardy blandishments.” - Globe editorial
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by David Parkins published Feb. 20, 2024. CLIMBING THE GREASY POLLS ...Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
Why magnesium should be on your radar
Many Canadians don’t get enough magnesium, the mineral that plays an essential role in muscle and nerve function, strengthening bones, producing protein and energy, controlling blood sugar and more. This week, registered dietitian Leslie Beck takes a closer look at the best ways to get magnesium from your diet and offers guidance on when you might consider a supplement to bridge the gap. Read more.
Moment in time: Feb. 20, 1872
The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City
The exterior of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Sept. 21, 2016.BENJAMIN NORMAN/The New York Times
On this day in 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, better known as the Met, opened its doors to the public for the first time. Technically, the museum was founded two years earlier, but it had no building and no artwork. That changed when the Met acquired a group of 174 old-master paintings and signed a US$9,000 one-year lease for its first home, the Dodworth Building, at 681 Fifth Ave. At its grand opening, the Met’s president, John Taylor Johnston, a wealthy railroad executive, proclaimed “the compliments were so plenty and so strong that I was afraid the mouths of the Trustees would become chronically and permanently fixed in a broad grin.” One year later, the Met moved to the Douglas Mansion at 128 West 14th St. Then finally, in 1880, the Metropolitan opened its first building at its current location in Central Park. Today, the Met ranks as the fourth-largest museum in the world, and as of 2021, its collection had an estimated value of more than US$50-billion, including more than two million works of art from around the world spanning 5,000 years. As iconic as the Louvre in Paris or London’s National Gallery, it’s safe to assume that the Met’s founders are still grinning. Gayle MacDonald
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