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As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet gather for the start of a three-day retreat, the Liberal Party Leader will focus on uniting and motivating his team this week, in a bid to chart a comeback amid stubbornly low popularity and with just 12 months to go before an election year.
The Liberals are looking to regroup after a rocky 2023 in which the party and the Prime Minister’s public opinion polling numbers slid dramatically against the Conservatives, and as the government’s own MPs said it was slow to respond to the affordability and housing crises that were gripping Canadians.
Immediately after his meeting with his senior team, the Prime Minister will head to Ottawa to meet with his entire caucus before the House of Commons returns for the winter sitting a week from Monday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks on stage during a Tamil Heritage Month event in Laval, Quebec on Jan. 21, 2024.EVAN BUHLER/Reuters
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Ron DeSantis ends U.S. presidential bid, endorses Donald Trump
With just two days before the pivotal New Hampshire primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, leaving former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as Trump’s last long-shot challenger for the Republican nomination.
DeSantis’ decision, less than a week after his deflating loss to Trump in Iowa despite an enormous investment there, caps a stunning fall from grace after DeSantis had been widely seen as Republicans’ most promising alternative to Trump ahead of the general election in November.
His departure has left Haley fighting for her political life, setting up the one-on-one battle that Haley has coveted against Trump, the former president who has maintained an iron grip on the Republican electorate despite facing four criminal prosecutions. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases.
In Tuesday’s make-or-break New Hampshire primary, the second contest in the marathon presidential nomination race, she will try to keep her bid alive another day – and prove that her brand of politics still has a place in a party that has largely left it behind.
Read more:
Former U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis, at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 2018.SAUL LOEB/Getty Images
Health system urged to brace for major shift in dementia demographics
By 2050, one in every four Canadians diagnosed with dementia will be of Asian origin, according to a new study from the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada that uses computer modelling to project the number of people in this country who will develop dementia and what their demographic characteristics are likely to be.
In a study released Monday, the Alzheimer Society of Canada predicts there will be more than 1.7 million people in Canada living with dementia in 2050, nearly three times the estimated 650,000 today. One in four will be Asian, a broad category that includes people with roots in China, Vietnam, Korea, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other countries.
The findings are the second of a three-volume landmark study the society prepared in co-operation with the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, a Toronto-based company that uses big data to project socio-economic trends. Because there are no reliable national data on dementia, the Alzheimer Society and CANCEA drew on 2016 census figures to create a computer simulation model that projects how the demographics of dementia in Canada will change in the coming decades.
Since Rubina Qureshi’s alzeimers diagnosis, her husband Pasha Qureshi has become her caregiver. They are seen making lunch in their Milton home on Jan. 11 2023.Jennifer Roberts/The Globe and Mail
Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpasses 25,000 while Israel announces the death of another hostage
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says the Palestinian death toll from the war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 25,000 and Israel announced the death of another hostage, as the war threatens to ignite a wider conflict involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen that support the Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he stressed in his conversation Friday with U.S. President Joe Biden that he rejects Hamas’ demands for a ceasefire, Israeli forces’ withdrawal and the release of Palestinians held by Israel in exchange for the remaining hostages. He said that agreeing means another devastating Hamas attack “would only be a matter of time.”
Read more:
- Houthi attacks on ships in Red Sea cause arrival delays at Canadian ports
- Strike kills Hezbollah official in Lebanon, amid apparent Israeli shift to targeted killings
- Attacks in Syria and Iraq ratchet tensions in a region on edge
An Israeli tank moves along the border with Gaza Strip on Jan. 21, 2024 in Southern Israel.Amir Levy/Getty Images
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Also on our radar
‘I never give up’: At 99, B.C. swimmer is smashing records and surprising even herself: One-hundred-year-old Betty Brussel has set records in the 400-metre freestyle, 50-metre backstroke and 50-metre breaststroke at the Victoria Masters Swim Club Meet at the Commonwealth Pool in Saanich, B.C.
Skijoring is a natural convergence of Alberta’s western lifestyle and downhill sports: Alberta is well-known for its western lifestyle. Downhill sports also happen to be prevalent in the province. So maybe it was only natural for the passions to converge and gain traction here. The resulting combination – known as skijoring – features riders, aboard galloping horses, towing skiers and snowboarders through snowy courses and over wicked jumps.
Oregon was the first state to decriminalize drug possession. As overdose deaths rise, many want a repeal: A little more than three years after Oregon voters made their state the first jurisdiction in North America to decriminalize drug possession, legislators are scrambling to write a new set of laws amid a public revolt against the state’s experiment with rapid drug policy liberalization.
Bank of Canada expected to hold rates steady, while analysts watch for hints of coming cuts: The Bank of Canada is expected to remain on pause for its first interest rate decision of the year, but analysts will be watching for hints about the timing of future rate cuts as the economy stagnates.
Calgary-based Eavor Technologies rides a wave of investment in geothermal energy: The success of Eavor Technologies underscores new global interest – and huge investments – in geothermal energy. The company has contracts in Germany and with the U.S. military, and has expanded so rapidly from a few people to more than a hundred.
Morning markets
Global stocks gain: European equities jumped on Monday, following fresh highs in Japanese stock markets and Friday’s record close in the Nasdaq, ahead of a week brimming with central bank meetings, major economic data and corporate earnings. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.06 per cent. Germany’s DAX added 0.37 per cent while Franc’es CAC 40 advanced 0.39 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei ended up 1.62 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 2.27 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was slightly higher at 74.49 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Lessons from an Alberta power market on the brink
“The jarring sound heard on cellphones across the province on Jan. 13 was no doubt met with a mix of bewilderment and fear, but the response was immediate. Albertans turned off lights, dryers and whatever else they could for a total of 150 megawatts – a large drop in minutes and just enough to cover the predicted shortfall and stave off rolling blackouts. The electric power system bent, but it did not break. In the aftermath, many are keen to dissect the event and assign blame.” – Blake Shaffer
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Help dry winter skin with expert tips and four must-have moisturizer ingredients
Our skin hates the cold weather. The chilly winds, drop in humidity and lower temps draw moisture away from the skin and strip it of its natural oils, leading to dry, flaky and itchy results. But it’s a misconception that cold weather is the sole cause of our winter skin woes. Indoor air, particularly if the heat is cranked up, is also a culprit. Dry air wants nothing more than to suck moisture out of any available source – including from your skin.
Taking hot baths, sitting in front of a fire and using heating pads further exacerbate the problem. While all feel cozy, the heat strips away moisture and leaves the skin parched. Rebecca Gao tells us how to stay moisturized.
Moment in time: Jan. 28, 2016
Cold warriors in South Korea
KIM HONG-JI /Reuters
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re showcasing snow scenes.
South Korea and North Korea settled their 1950s hostilities with an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, so both sides continue to maintain strong armed forces. In South Korea, where there is conscription for men between 18 and 35, service lasts 18 to 21 months. In the photo above, from January of 2016, the cold warriors of the country’s top military units enjoy fun and games in a snow fight with U.S. Marines during joint exercises in Pyeongchang. (The region was host of the 2018 Winter Games, so military preparedness was key.) The South Korean men conduct month-long cold-weather endurance training every year, which includes running or skiing in sub-zero temperatures in full military gear. But they also rub snow on their naked torsos and frolic shirtless, doing push-ups and somersaults and having snow fights, as they shout encouragement to their fellow soldiers. The training simulates various combat situations, including, apparently, losing the tops of their uniforms. Philip King.
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