Students were greeted by supporters, signs and flowers as they returned to class at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 in Parkland, Fla. With a heavy police presence, classes resumed for the first time since several students and teachers were killed by a former student on Feb. 14.Matias J. Ocner
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Ouellet vows to stay on as Bloc Québécois leader after seven MPs quit
The Bloc Québécois, which was once Canada's official opposition, has seen the majority of its sitting MPs quit the party's caucus because of Martine Ouellet's leadership style. The seven MPs, who made the announcement after a caucus meeting, will now sit as independents. Long-time MP Louis Plamondon says he is "leaving the leader" but "is not leaving the Bloc Québécois." Although the party once held dozens of seats it only won four in the 2011 election and 10 in 2015. Ms. Ouellet, a former Quebec cabinet minister with the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, does not hold a seat in the House of Commons but currently sits in Quebec's provincial legislature as an Independent.
Florida students make emotional return to school after deadly shooting
Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School returned today for the first time since a former student killed 17 people using an assault rifle. In the days following the attack on the school in Parkland, Florida has played a central role in the debate over gun control in the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump pushed lawmakers for legislation on guns and school safety at a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Mr. Trump was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby, during the 2016 election campaign and advocated last week to arm teachers in an effort to limit mass shootings in schools.
Several companies have discontinued their relationship with the NRA. Earlier today, Dick's Sporting Goods said it has ended its sales of high-capacity magazines and assault weapons. "We're taking these guns out of all of our stores permanently," CEO Ed Stack said in an open letter. The company will also not sell guns to people under the age of 21.
Morneau credits simpler small business tax plan to "crowdsourcing"
After being roundly criticized for his handling of the small business tax reform proposals last year, Finance Minister Bill Morneau's budget offered more details and several changes on the plans that were debuted in 2017. In altering his plan, he has responded to concerns from some of his most ardent critics. While speaking to to the Economic Club of Canada today in Ottawa in an attempt to sell his spending plan, Mr. Morneau said it was important for his team to address the criticisms the tax reforms faced. "What I was saying to my team this morning is crowdsourcing seems to work," he said this morning. "We listened to a lot of people."
If you're interested in the main takeaways from the changes in regulations for small businesses, we've highlighted the main points you should take away from the legislation.
In addition to the small business tax changes, the budget saw historic gains in research funding for the sciences. Following a report by former University of Toronto president David Naylor that identified structural flaws in the funding system for research, the government has acted to increase funding by $3.8-billion over five years.
Amid the backlash and controversy over Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the federal budget also made a major investment in conservation, providing additional funding for the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada to protect coasts. The Liberals are also setting up a $1-billion fund to preserve nature and at-risk species as part of a $1.3-billion spending package over five years.
If you missed out on all the budget action as news broke yesterday, we recapped the 12 most important things you need to know, from parental leave to Indigenous services funding.
Marina Adshade writes that there's more to helping parents than parental leave: "Employers would (ideally) adapt to the changing demands of their employees and provide more flexible workplaces for all workers, and that would even the playing field for women. This sounds ambitious, but it is a goal worth pursuing."
Linda Nazareth writes in a column that "looking at the budget through economist-eyes shows that the thing that most threatens the economic health of women is the same thing that threatens men: There is red ink as far as the eye can see."
Chairman, director of cannabis producer Maricann resign amid OSC trading probe
Neil Tabatznik resigned as chair of cannabis producer Maricann Group Inc. and Raymond Stone resigned as a director. The departures follow a probe by the Ontario Securities Commission into the timing of trading of the company's stock. Mr. Tabatznik and Mr. Stone sold around $8-million worth of shares in advance of Maricann announcing a large equity financing in January. Chief executive officer Ben Ward is under investigation over his activities while he was in charge of Canadian Cannabis Corp. Trading by a third member of the board of directors, Eric Silver, is also under review. The company's shares fell 22 per cent on Wednesday and it is valued at $210-million, less than half of what it was worth at its peak in late January. (for subscribers)
Hope Hicks resigns as White House communications director
Hope Hicks has stepped down from her role as White House communications director a day after she appeared before a congressional commitee probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Ms. Hicks is one of Mr. Trump's closest aides.
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MARKET WATCH
U.S. stocks sold off late to end sharply lower on Wednesday, dragged down by worries over higher interest rates, and the Dow and S&P 500 capped their worst months since January, 2016. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 380.83 points, or 1.5 per cent, to 25,029.2, the S&P 500 lost 30.45 points, or 1.11 per cent, to finish at 2,713.83 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 67.35 points, or 0.78 per cent, to end at 7,273.01.
Meanwhile, Canada's main stock index slumped, pulled lower by energy shares that fell alongside the price of oil and as Valeant Pharmaceuticals tumbled after the company gave a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index fell 228.47 points, or 1.46 per cent, to close at 15,442.68.
Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
WHAT'S TRENDING
Thirty-one Newfoundland construction workers were presented with a $60-million lottery cheque today by Atlantic Lottery Corp. Twenty-six of the co-workers say they plan on returning to work at the Come By Chance refinery, despite becoming overnight millionaires.
TALKING POINTS
Peter Navarro is Ottawa's worst nightmare – and he's gaining influence
"He was a leading force in the torpedoing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. He was the same in persuading Mr. Trump to impose tariffs on softwood lumber from Canada, a decision which incensed the Liberal government in Ottawa. He has long demanded the abandonment of the North American free-trade agreement, almost succeeding last spring, only to have Justin Trudeau and the Mexican leader save the deal with last-minute appeals to the President." — Lawrence Martin
Diversity? What diversity? No time to be smug about the state of TV
"A superficial look at U.S. network TV would indicate giant strides. Such dramas as Empire, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder are hits, with diverse casts. The comedies Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat got produced and watched and praised. The UCLA study, which is very detailed and probes ratings success, says that in white households, ratings were highest for broadcast scripted shows with casts that have more than 40-per-cent minority representation. But it's in the arena of creating, writing and producing that television looks bizarrely restricted. In network TV, creators of new shows in the 2017-18 season were 91-per-cent white and 84-per-cent male. Essentially, in the arena of power behind the scenes and behind the camera, women and minorities are shockingly underrepresented." — John Doyle
LIVING BETTER
You put your all into your exercise routine and you felt great afterwards. But the next day comes along and your body is just about ready to give up on you. How can you speed up your recovery after a tough workout? Two keys: Try to do any light activity to keep your blood flowing and make sure not to over-exert yourself to the point where it affects your non-exercise activities.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
The future of food
Science and technology are changing the way we eat, thanks to genetic modification, artificial intelligence, data analytics and even behavioural engineering. Canadian researchers and companies are embracing it all—from giants like McCain Foods and Maple Leaf Foods right down to tiny operations growing the trendy microgreens you'll find on your overpriced salad. Report on Business Magazine explores the future of food in its March issue.
A month inside the Oscars hype machine: How we got here and who's likely to win
Deputy Arts Editor Barry Hertz tracks this year's wild, up-and-down Academy Awards race from nominations to close of voting, and takes an educated guess at which film will come out on top Sunday night.
Evening Update is written by Mayaz Alam and Kristene Quan. 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.