Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
International student visas will be capped for the next two years. The federal government announced the temporary measure today in a bid to ease pressure on housing and health care across the country.
For the current year, the number of new international study permits will be reduced by more than one-third, with cap space being allocated by province, based on population. The cap for 2025 will be announced by the end of this year.
The cap on study permits does not apply to student visa renewals or to people pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees. Since provinces have different levels of foreign student intake, some can increase their foreign student intake while others, such as Ontario, will see it go down by half.
- Number of international students now exceeds one million, official figures show
- Shannon Proudfoot: On rare occasions, politicians do right by admitting their mistakes
- Canada stuck in ‘population trap,’ needs to reduce immigration, bank economists say
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Despite political buoyancy, Conservatives face challenges in 2024, observers say
The federal Conservatives are polling consistently ahead of their opponents, with large rallies featuring leader Pierre Poilievre, but some party stalwarts and political observers say such positive developments aren’t nearly enough to guarantee electoral success. As Ian Bailey reports, observers say the Tories need to maintain momentum by moderating the party message to win non-Conservative voters, for instance. The next federal election isn’t scheduled until late 2025, but could take place before then if the minority Liberal government falls.
EU pushes for Palestinian statehood, rejecting Netanyahu’s insistence it’s off the table
Palestinians flee Khan Younis from Israeli ground and air offensive on the Gaza Strip, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.Bashar Taleb/The Associated Press
The creation of a Palestinian state is the only credible way to achieve peace in the Middle East, foreign ministers from the European Union argued today, as they expressed their concern about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s clear rejection of the idea.
The death toll in Gaza recently surpassed 25,000, according to local health officials. The issue of the enclave’s future has set Israel in opposition to the United States and its Arab allies who are trying to negotiate an end to the violence. While the countries within the EU are divided over the issue, the bloc is the top provider of aid to the Palestinians and Israel’s biggest trading partner while holding little sway over the latter.
- Israeli forces storm Khan Younis hospital in Gaza fighting
- MPs who visited West Bank urge action against ‘constant humiliation’ of Palestinians
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Obituary: Acclaimed director Norman Jewison has died at 97. His films explored social issues of a turbulent age, and he brought his success back home to nurture new generations of talent.
"Agnes of God" director and producer Norman Jewison, and actor Jane Fonda, pictured in September 1985.TIBOR KOLLEY/The Globe and Mail
- Barry Hertz: Norman Jewison was Canada’s greatest Hollywood showman
- Throwback from 2016: Norman Jewison on how to rock society with a few frames of film
Bank of Canada: David Rosenberg explains his five reasons why Bank of Canada rate cuts won’t spark once more a speculative boom in home prices in Canada.
India: A controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historic mosque in Ayodhya opened today, marking a political win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to transform India from a secular democracy to a Hindu state. The history of the mosque is still an open wound for many Muslims, who have increasingly come under attack by Hindu nationalist groups.
- Explainer: A temple to one of Hinduism’s holiest deities is opening in India. What’s its significance?
Afghanistan: A new report today by the United Nations says the Taliban are restricting women’s access to work, travel and health care if they are unmarried or don’t have a male guardian.
Health: By 2050, a quarter of those in Canada living with dementia will be South and East Asian, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. That means the health system should prepare for a major shift in how dementia – an umbrella term for more than 50 brain diseases and conditions, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s – is treated.
Avril Lavigne tour 2024: The Canadian star’s tour launches in Vancouver this year on May 22 at the Rogers Arena and will include Sk8er Boi, Girlfriend, Here’s to Never Growing Up and other hit singles. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday through Ticketmaster.
To EV or not to EV?: Looking for a smaller, cheaper electric vehicle with decent range? Wondering whether you should buy now or wait? Globe Drive answers these questions.
MARKET WATCH
The S&P 500 hit a record high close for a second straight session today while Canada’s main stock index also edged higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 17.78 points at 20,924.30. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 138.01 points at 38,001.81. The S&P 500 index was up 10.62 points at 4,850.43, while the Nasdaq composite was up 49.32 points at 15,360.29.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.33 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
Carbon pricing is good for the climate and our wallets, but can you believe it?
“Now that the Conservative Party has put the carbon tax in its crosshairs (“Axe the tax!”), taking advantage of the tax’s unpopularity to win support, we might lose a tool to combat climate change because it is politically expedient to get rid of it.” – Barry Dewitt
It’s time to redefine the meaning of a cost-of-living increase
“Redefining a cost-of-living increase seems to be needed, both on the part of the employer and employee. For the employer, and those employees fortunate enough to see a pay increase each year, perhaps we can just call it that, a yearly salary increase.” – Eileen Dooley
Too many Black Canadians are going hungry
“Black stakeholders are very aware of what it will take to eliminate the inequities that undermine our well-being and aspirations, but we continue to run up against institutions and experts that forestall our legitimate claims.” – Winston Husbands, Anan Lololi, Julian Hasford and Zakiya Tafari
Canada may be a suburban nation, but that’s because of policy as much as preference
“Just as we have prioritized suburban sprawl through policy, we can slow or even reverse our trajectory with the same tools.” – Rino Bortolin, Dorian Moore, Anneke Smit and James Tischler
LIVING BETTER
Do gut-health supplements actually work? Here’s what the science says
There’s no quick fix to a healthy gut or, for that matter, a flat belly, despite what you see on TikTok.PeopleImages/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Talking about gut health is popular. But what does it actually mean? And do gut supplements actually live up to the hype? Here’s a rundown on how to maintain a healthy gut and when to check in with our doctor.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Oregon was the first state to decriminalize drug possession. As overdose deaths rise, many want a repeal
A person holds drug paraphernalia near the Washington Center building on SW Washington St. in downtown Portland, Ore., on April 4, 2023.Dave Killen/The Associated Press
A little over three years ago, Oregon became the first jurisdiction in North America to decriminalize drug possession. It passed a measure that got rid of criminal penalties for personal drug possession and redirected most cannabis revenue to recovery programs. But leading up to May last year, overdose deaths in the state rose 17 per cent, much higher than the national average increase of less than 1 per cent. Nathan VanderKlippe reports.
- Opinion: Allowing drug use in all public spaces isn’t reducing B.C.’s overdose deaths
- Keys, phone, naloxone: In downtown Ottawa, the antidote to opioid overdoses has become an item some people won’t leave home without
Evening Update is written by Maryam Shah. 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.