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These are the top stories:
With Gerald Butts’s resignation, Justin Trudeau has lost his most trusted adviser
Eleven days after The Globe reported that senior officials put pressure on then-attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould on the SNC-Lavalin file, Butts resigned his post as principal secretary. For his part, Butts issued a statement denying he or anyone in the Prime Minister’s Office put pressure on Wilson-Raybould to drop criminal charges against the Quebec corporate giant. (for subscribers)
Butts and Trudeau go way back: The two became close friends at McGill University in the 1990s. He has been at Trudeau’s side since he ran for the Liberal leadership in 2013, and was a key architect of the party’s election victory in 2015. Trudeau thanked Butts “for his service and continued friendship,” and said he “served this government – and our country – with integrity, sage advice and devotion.” (for subscribers)
For more on Butts, subscribers can delve into our 2016 profile of the BFF in the PMO.
His departure leaves chief of staff Katie Telford as Trudeau’s most senior political operative. She’s also been with Trudeau since 2013, and, unlike Butts, she appears to have avoided any contacts with SNC representatives, lobbying records show. (for subscribers)
Here’s the view from our opinion section:
Konrad Yakabuski: “Instead of protecting Trudeau, Butts has put him in grave danger. The prospect of more damaging details emerging about the PMO’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin file, which ran directly through Butts, made his position untenable.” (for subscribers)
Lori Turnbull, director of Dalhousie’s School of Public Administration: “Butts’s departure likely won’t help make the issue go away for the Liberals. On the contrary, it might open new questions as to why he took it upon himself to walk away.”
Adam Radwanski: “[we] don’t know … whether Trudeau’s political relationship with Butts is really being severed. Can the PM afford to have his friend giving him advice from the outside, at least? Can he afford not to?” (for subscribers)
Globe editorial: “[Butts is] gone, but the issue that provoked his departure remains. As with the resignation of Wilson-Raybould, the proximate cause of Butts’s departure is obvious, while the deeper reason is shrouded in dense fog.”
As this story continues to develop, subscribers can go here for a full primer and the latest details.
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What the British intelligence conclusion on Huawei could mean for Canada
The risks associated with using Huawei’s technology in high-speed 5G networks can be managed, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre determined. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government has yet to issue any final decisions on the matter, though her Defence Minister has expressed “very deep concerns about Huawei providing the 5G network in Britain.”
Security studies expert Raffaello Pantucci said Canadian officials will likely closely study the British findings, which may hurt U.S. efforts to put pressure on Western allies to join the United States in barring Huawei. (for subscribers)
Meanwhile, Huawei’s founder used the news as an opportunity to take aim at Washington: “We will invest even more in the U.K. Because if the U.S. doesn’t trust us, then we will shift our investment from the U.S. to the U.K. on an even bigger scale,” said Ren Zhengfei, who also described the U.S. extradition request for his daughter Meng Wanzhou as “politically motivated.”
Federal species plans lack Indigenous input despite legal requirements
Ottawa is legally required to involve Indigenous peoples in its efforts to recover threatened species, but an analysis has found no indication of Indigenous participation in more than half of all relevant cases. (for subscribers)
“If we’re serious about saving rare species from extinction, we have to partner with Indigenous peoples,” said Joseph Bennett, who is part of the Carleton University team that conducted the research. Failing to co-ordinate recovery efforts could be hurting the government’s understanding of species’ traditional ranges and current status, the results suggest.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Sixteen U.S. states are suing the Trump administration in a bid to block the President’s declaration of a national emergency. Diverting funds to help pay for a border wall with Mexico is a “misuse of presidential power,” California’s Attorney-General said.
Seven British MPs quit the opposition Labour Party over its approach to Brexit and anti-Semitism. The party had become “institutionally anti-Semitic,” said Luciana Berger, who was one of the politicians to depart.
Two men sentenced to life in prison for a terror plot to derail a Via Rail train are asking Ontario’s top court to order a new trial. The jury that found the pair guilty in 2015 was improperly selected, their lawyers argue. (for subscribers)
It’s budget day in B.C. While the details won’t be out until this afternoon, you can expect the NDP government to focus on its commitment to reduce greenhouse gases. (for subscribers)
MORNING MARKETS
Markets down
European and Asian shares hovered near four-month highs on Tuesday as investors took heart from some progress in Sino-U.S. trade talks, while the yen dribbled lower as Japan’s central bank said it could ease policy again. World markets were struggling a bit for direction. Tokyo’s Nikkei eked out a gain of 0.1 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite even less, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.4 per cent. In Europe, Germany’s DAX was up slightly by about 6:25 a.m. ET, with London’s FTSE 100 and the Paris CAC 40 down by between 0.3 and 0.4 per cent. New York futures were down. The Canadian dollar was below 75.5 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
The biggest health threat in 2019? Fear of vaccination
André Picard: “The challenge we have today is not only how to vaccinate against childhood illnesses but to inoculate the population against dogma and fear-mongering. The soaring rates of measles remind us that nothing is more exquisitely contagious than ignorance.” (for subscribers)
The Academy is taking the wrong direction to fix declining ratings
Johanna Schneller: “[The Oscars are] the only awards show to honour the folks behind the curtain, but they’re determined to concentrate on empty spectacle instead of intimate significance. They’re gutting the thing that matters to deliver something that doesn’t.” (for subscribers)
Don Cherry’s limited repertoire of tricks is as fetching as ever
Cathal Kelly: “Cherry was and is your slightly deranged uncle going bananas at Christmas dinner because someone mentioned they’re thinking of selling St. Finian’s and converting it to condos. That was the charm. For some of us, it still is. But everything people used to like about Cherry – his grumpiness, his Manichean view of the NHL, his delight in violence – now counts against him.”
LIVING BETTER
A drug commonly used to treat yeast infections is linked to an increased risk of miscarriage
New Canadian research found pregnant women who took an oral version of the drug fluconazole were slightly more likely to experience a miscarriage than those who didn’t take the drug. While it’s unclear whether the drug caused the miscarriages, researchers are nevertheless warning pregnant women to avoid using the drug.
MOMENT IN TIME
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood debuts on PBS
(PBS)PBS
Feb. 19, 1968: Credit CBC for inventing the concept of Fred Rogers’s eponymous children’s TV show, Misterogers, in 1962. Credit the U.S. public broadcaster PBS for the debut of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on this day in 1968, a move that would endear the native of Latrobe, Pa., to worldwide audiences for two generations. The daily half-hour show, aimed at preschoolers, lasted more than 30 years and a thousand homespun episodes. The program had fun with make-believe, but also with serious issues such as death, divorce and racism in a kind, friendly way. It was a simple TV show. Rogers would enter his house, take off his sport coat and leather shoes, and put on a cardigan and sneakers. He would sing a couple of songs. Friends might drop by to join in and reinforce the theme of the day. No special effects, no electronic soundtrack, no merchandise off-shoots. Simple, slow-paced but highly effective. Rogers was a gentle soul, whose easy-going nature and quiet sense of humour buttressed his subtle messages. “The whole idea,” he once said, “is to look at the television camera and present as much love as you possibly could to a person who might feel that he or she needs it.” – Philip King
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