TODAY'S TOP STORIES
Trump goes off script at press conference
"I'm not ranting and raving. I'm just telling you. You know, you're dishonest people," Donald Trump told members of the media at a news conference yesterday that lasted 78 minutes. Other issues Trump brought up:
On Russia: "I have nothing to do with Russia," he said, also adding that being too combative with the Kremlin would lead to a "nuclear holocaust."
On anti-Semitism: Responding to a question from a Jewish reporter about a rise in hate crimes, Trump said, "I am the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life."
On inner cities: When asked by a black reporter if he would work with the Congressional Black Caucus, Trump asked: "Are they friends of yours?"
Canada lags behind other countries on doctor waiting times
Canada ranks far behind other Western countries when it comes to doctor waiting times. In France, only 1 per cent of survey respondents said they had to wait more than four hours when they went to a hospital's emergency wing. In Canada, that number sat at 29 per cent. In the Netherlands, 77 per cent said they could get a same- or next-day appointment with a doctor or nurse, while only 43 per cent of Canadians could. Canada ranked at or near the bottom on almost all questions about ease of access to health care.
Meanwhile, Ontario's doctors are relaunching contract negotiations with the province shortly after the entire board of the Ontario Medical Association resigned. And in British Columbia, Premier Christy Clark is vowing to fire anyone found to be behind a data breach that saw people's medical histories viewed without authorization.
Quebec reviewing unfounded sex-assault complaints
The Sûreté du Québec is the latest police force to launch a review of unfounded sex-assault complaints. The provincial police force dismissed 21 per cent of cases as baseless, a Globe and Mail investigation found. That means the investigating officer determined no crime was attempted or occurred. But true unfounded cases are believed to account for as few as 2 per cent of complaints. Roughly 40 police forces have committed to review unfounded cases. After 14 years of not tracking unfounded cases, Statistics Canada is looking at including those numbers in its sex-assault data.
MORNING MARKETS
Global stock markets were set to end the week on a softer footing on Friday, after setting record highs in the previous two sessions, as investors looked for clarity on U.S. President Donald Trump's policies on tax and trade. Tokyo's Nikkei lost 0.6 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng 0.3 per cent, and the Shanghai composite 0.9 per cent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was little changed by about 5:45 a.m. ET, while Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.4 and 0.9 per cent. New York futures were also down. Oil prices slipped, pressured by growing global inventories, while expectations that an oil output cut by producers might eventually balance the market helped to underpin prices.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
Call it 'Islamophobia' or 'anti-Muslim bigotry,' MPs should condemn it
"There should be unanimous support for a motion condemning anti-Muslim prejudice. To smooth its passage, we agree with [former Liberal justice minister Irwin] Cotler's suggestion [to change the language of the motion from 'Islamophobia' to 'anti-Muslim bigotry']. So should the Liberals. If the Conservatives can't enthusiastically back a clear statement, in plain English, opposing any and all discrimination against Muslim Canadians, then their party – and Canada – has much bigger things to worry about." – Globe editorial
Canada's health-care issues go far beyond waiting times
"Canada's motto is a mari usque ad mare (from sea to sea). In our beloved health-care system, sadly, our motto has become a mora usque ad moram (from wait to wait). But the real challenge we have is not waiting times. It is more fundamental: To provide the right care at the right place at the right time at an affordable price (to individuals and society). To do so, we need vision and we need a system; not just data, but a willingness to act on the data." – André Picard
Remembering Stuart McLean
"While Dave and Morley occasionally thrummed at the sentimental heartstrings, Stuart's own view of the world was astringently tragicomic. Despite his immense success, I don't think he ever saw himself as anything but a failure. Or perhaps he saw that his continuing to view himself as a failure was the thing that made him successful. As a mentor, he urged me to view myself in the same way. 'Just remember kid,' he'd say, 'one day you're gonna get fired. Don't take it personally, okay? That's my advice.' He was full of regrets and ruminations and pet peeves that dogged him, as we all are. Stuart's great gift was the way he could take all of life's little miseries and spin them into something funny and comforting and bright." – Leah McLaren
HEALTH PRIMER
Ketamine for depression?
Ketamine is often thought of as a hallucinogenic or date-rape drug, but Canadian researchers are now exploring its potential to treat severe depression. However, there's still not a complete understanding of how it affects the brain and how long its effects last.
MOMENT IN TIME
Take one on Good Vibrations
Feb. 17, 1966: The sixties had been good to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, but by 1965, he was ready to put the group's surfing-themed pop origins behind him. Wilson intended for Good Vibrations to appear on their ambitious album Pet Sounds, itself a feat of "wall of sound" production techniques. Little did he know when tape first rolled on this day that it would take another seven months and $50,000 in studio costs. Session musicians and bandmates alike marvelled at Wilson's ability to find the perfect instrument for his ideas (here a cello, there a Hammond organ), commit them to tape and then piece together the song from more than 90 hours of recordings. Good Vibrations is often referred to as a "pocket symphony," and it would be the last U.S. No. 1 single Wilson would write. – Mason Wright
Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.
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