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politics briefing newsletter

Good morning. We start today with a personal note from newsletter co-author James Keller:

I wrote my first contribution for the Politics Briefing newsletter in April of last year, as the writ dropped in what appeared, at the time, to be shaping up to be a particularly nasty and dramatic campaign in the British Columbia provincial election. As it turned out, the drama continued long after the election, as the province was gripped by months of uncertainty in the face of a minority legislature.

It ultimately ended with the New Democrats taking charge, the BC Liberals relegated to Opposition, and the Greens holding the balance of power. It was a dizzying story to follow, and one that made it a no-brainer to bring in a B.C. voice into this newsletter.

The bad news is that this is my last Politics Briefing. The good news is that the reason I’m stepping away is that I’ve taken on a new role at The Globe as Alberta Bureau Chief, based in Calgary. I’ll be reporting more and shaping our coverage of the province, notably for next year’s provincial election that will see NDP Premier Rachel Notley attempt to fend off a challenge from Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party. Calgary is my hometown, so beyond the job, on a personal level, it’s an exciting move.

I’ll also be working on a new Western-focused newsletter that will be launching in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more details about that.

It’s been a blast to work on Politics Briefing and a privilege to fill your inboxes every morning. And now I’m keen to join you as a fellow reader.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Chris Hannay in Ottawa and James Keller in Vancouver. It is exclusively available only to our digital subscribers. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.

TODAY’S HEADLINES

Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Mark Warner, both on the United States' Senate intelligence committee, have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to urge him not to let Chinese telecom giant Huawei participate in the 5G mobile network. The senators say the national security concerns cannot be ignored. “There is ample evidence to suggest that no major Chinese company is independent of the Chinese government and Communist Party − and Huawei, which China’s government and military tout as a ‘national champion,’ is no exception,” the letter says.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper says the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement actually presents an opportunity to get more into the Chinese market.

The international organization for the Francophonie has chosen Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo as its new leader. Michaëlle Jean, the former Canadian governor-general who had led the Francophonie for nearly four years, lost her bid for re-election.

The Supreme Court of Canada says the government does not have to consult Indigenous communities when drawing up legislation that affects treaty rights.

A nomination candidate for Alberta’s United Conservative Party has been turfed after he was photographed alongside members of an anti-immigration group with roots in European neo-Nazism. The party told Lance Coulter that the photo showed poor judgement and that the party was “disturbed” by his cavalier attitude toward the group.

A new report is calling for urgent intervention to protect B.C.'s wild salmon stocks, warning that the species face a series of complex threats including changing ocean conditions, habitat loss and poor water quality.

The rental crisis in Vancouver is spreading into the suburbs, upending the common wisdom that moving out of the city into suburban communities such as Burnaby and Surrey was the answer to finding affordable housing. A joint study between the University of British Columbia and the Union Gospel Mission found rental housing has followed a trajectory similar to that of single-family detached house sales.

And Statistics Canada says it’s rolling out new ways to collect its data to replace traditional surveys, as Canadians just aren’t answering their phones like they used to.

Globe and Mail editorial board on the crucifix that hangs in Quebec’s National Assembly: “It is simply too convenient to dismiss the crucifix as a mere artifact of Quebec’s past, with no more significance than an old wooden snowshoe hanging on the wall of a ski chalet, while simultaneously arguing that personal displays of religious faith represent a menace to secularism.”

Benedikt Fischer (The Globe and Mail) on opioids: “Canada is facing an unprecedented drug death epidemic – and the grim truth is that our governments and health systems, for several years now, have not succeeded in effectively addressing this crisis. This, now, is no less than a human catastrophe for an affluent and modern society such as Canada that prides itself on an effective public health system.”

Derek Burney (The Globe and Mail) on China-U.S. relations: “Mr. Trump may be jeopardizing the support he needs from China on his North Korean initiative, but it is a risk he is clearly prepared to take. Doubts persist on whether the dialogue with Pyongyang will deliver more than high-level meetings, but Kim Jong-un meanwhile is juggling his relations with Beijing and Washington to his own advantage.”

Andrew MacDougall (Ottawa Citizen) on Justin Trudeau: “Well, there’s hubris, for one, something that’s creeping back into the Liberal playbook after a humbling year. Veteran Grits ought to be sounding the alarm. Because these pros know Liberals are never as vulnerable as when they’re filled to the back teeth with their own virtue.”

And Dick Pound, in the Montreal Gazette, on Governor-General Julie Payette: “Let’s cut the governor general some slack as she focuses on how she can accomplish as much of an impossible schedule (many elements of which are imposed on her by the government with little or no advance warning) as possible. She is a scientist and it is part of her nature to understand the elements of any situation or environment in which she expects to function.”

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