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Ukraine is planning to ask Canada for some of its Leopard-2 main battle tanks, as soon as Germany drops its opposition to the re-export of the weaponry it manufactured over concerns that supplying them could escalate the conflict.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told The Globe that Zelensky will make the request to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when the bureaucratic hurdle with Berlin is cleared.
Read more:
- Navalny’s life in ‘extraordinary peril,’ says director of documentary on jailed Russian opposition leader
- Russia, Belarus to conduct air drills, sparking fear in Kyiv of new offensive
German army battle tank Leopard 2 returns after a NATO exercise in Lithuania, May 17, 2017.INTS KALNINS/Reuters
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Ottawa’s three different definitions of assault-style firearms cause confusion
The federal government is simultaneously relying on three different definitions of what counts as an assault-style weapon for its marquee gun-control legislation, resulting in a tangle of banned firearms that experts are struggling to understand, and that the government has not fully explained.
Its approach, described to The Globe in a technical briefing with a federal official, explains why shotguns and rifles that aren’t banned under one section of amendments to Bill C-21 are prohibited in another.
Five-year wait for EDC documents ends with just e-mails about critical news stories
Five years after being asked to release internal reports on a controversial loan to a South African business whose owners are accused of massive state corruption, Export Development Canada has acceded to an access request by giving up only a package of e-mails consisting mainly of staff discussing “negative” news coverage.
It is the latest example of how EDC, a Crown corporation that helps fund export deals for Canadian businesses, withholds relevant information about its dealings under commercial confidentiality provisions, which is soon to be subject of a Federal Court case.
Venezuelan migrants left in limbo at U.S.-Mexico border eye path to Canada
Since last summer, the steady flow of migrants in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, has turned into a wave. U.S. President Joe Biden responded by effectively barring most Venezuelans – by far the single largest group – from making asylum claims at the border, a policy later extended to Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has ordered the extension of Title 42, a policy ostensibly meant to halt the spread of COVID-19 but in practice used to swiftly expel migrants.
Now, tens of thousands wait along the border with no idea if or when they will be allowed in. Some have filed U.S. refugee applications from Mexico. Others are looking further northward, hoping a country with a more immigrant-friendly reputation like Canada might be another option.
Read more:
- Haitian migrant’s death reignites debate over Quebec border crossing
- New York mayor says ‘no room’ in his city for migrants
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Also on our radar
Dozens confirmed dead, four missing in Nepal’s worst plane crash in 30 years: At least 66 of the 72 people aboard a plane headed to a Nepali tourist town were killed after the aircraft crashed into a gorge while attempting to land at a newly opened airport.
What Bank of Canada’s ‘data dependence’ means for coming interest-rate decision: With interest rates in restrictive territory and inflation trending down, the central bank is no longer on autopilot and is poring over economic data for signs of whether it’s time to pause on monetary-policy tightening.
- David Parkinson: Some advice for central bankers: Keep it simple
Netanyahu moving ahead with plan to overhaul judicial system: Despite fierce outcry from top legal officials and protests against the changes that would weaken the power of the Supreme Court, the Israeli Prime Minister says his government intends to push ahead.
Is Ron DeSantis just Trump 2.0, or something else entirely? Republicans are anxious to find out: The Florida Governor shares common cause with Donald Trump, as he’s waged a culture war in his state over race and LGBTQ issues in schools. But in other ways, the would-be 2024 challenger to Trump is the opposite of the former president: allies and opponents say he has detailed understanding of legislation.
Morning markets
Global markets steady: World shares firmed on Monday as optimism over corporate earnings and China’s reopening offset concerns the Bank of Japan might temper its stimulus policy at a pivotal meeting this week, while a holiday in U.S. markets made for thin trading. Just before 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.09 per cent. Germany’s DAX added 0.05 per cent while France’s CAC 40 was flat. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed down 1.14 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.04 per cent. The Canadian dollar was marginally higher at 74.69 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Bill Morneau’s talents were wasted in Justin Trudeau’s Ottawa
“The portrait of his time in government that Mr. Morneau paints in his new book, Where To From Here, serves as a cautionary tale for future leaders on how not to alienate the best members of their teams and a disillusioning insider account about how the Trudeau government works. A Bay Street veteran with solid business credentials, Mr. Morneau’s talents were largely wasted in a government that obsesses about winning the news cycle and cares little about fiscal matters.” – Konrad Yakabuski
A book won’t cure what ails you. But there are pleasures to be found in reading while sick
“To read from within that lonely cocoon is to escape not just sickness but also the ego that dominates our ordinary lives. We leave behind the threadbare self and discover others.” – Michael Harris
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Five mystery books to start the year with a thrill
From Louise Penny’s A World of Curiosities, her latest novel set in Three Pines, Que., to Blackwater Falls featuring a fascinating team of police who investigate the police, here are five mystery books that will leave you wanting more.
Moment in time: Winter wonders in Quebec City
Bonhomme Carnaval raises his leg as he dances during the night parade as part of Quebec's winter carnival in 2004.JACQUES BOISSINOT/The Canadian Press
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 looking at Canada’s winter festivals.
When you’re seven feet tall and weigh 400 pounds, people deferentially call you mister. But in Quebec City, a snowman of that size is known as Bonhomme Carnaval – the official mascot and ambassador for the biggest winter festival in the Western Hemisphere. Since 1955, the Carnaval de Québec has featured Bonhomme, with his big black buttons, red tuque and ceinture fléchée, a sash around his waist that pays homage to French-Canadian and Métis-style clothing. Carnaval, which runs from Feb. 3 to Feb. 12 this year, dazzles with ice sculptures and activities in Old Quebec and elsewhere in town. Bonhomme, who every year gets the keys to the historic city, is also featured in the event’s two nighttime parades. Carnaval boasts dog sledding, tubing, sleigh rides and tobogganing. But Bonhomme won’t be competing in the famous ice-canoe races, in which teams paddle large boats three kilometres across the St. Lawrence between Old Quebec and Lévis. He’s just too big. Philip King
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