From left, Colten Boushie's uncle, Alvin Baptiste, his mother, Debbie Baptiste, and cousin Jade Tootoosis speak to the media after meeting with government officials in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2018, in Ottawa.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
Good evening,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Boushie family moves from anger to political advocacy in wake of acquittal
On Friday evening, a jury in Saskatchewan found Gerald Stanley not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Colten Boushie, a 22-year-old Cree man. Since then there have been demonstrations across Canada and on Monday Mr. Boushie's family was in Ottawa meeting with federal ministers. They said the goal is to build relationships with people who have the power to change the way First Nations people are treated in the criminal justice system. The family is expected to sit down with the justice minister Tuesday.
Paul Seesequasis, a Cree Nation councillor, writes that the verdict and its fallout is a made-in-Saskatchewan crisis: "The acquittal of Gerald Stanley in the killing of Colten Boushie has sent shock waves across Canada, with headlines comparing Saskatchewan to America in the 1950s and Colten Boushie to Rodney King. But these comparisons are erroneous at best. This is a made-in-Saskatchewan crisis, one that has deep roots going back to the signing of Treaty 6 and the first settlers coming into the region."
OLYMPICS 2018
Canada's Mikael Kingsbury captured gold in the men's moguls Monday night (Korea time) with fellow Canadian Marc-Antoine Gagnon finishing just off the podium in fourth. This comes on the heels of Justine Dufour-Lapointe earning a silver in the women's competition the day before. Mr. Kingsbury won silver in Sochi behind two-time gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau.
Earlier on Monday, Canada won its first gold of the Games in the team event of figure skating. For Patrick Chan, who is now 27 and skating in his final Olympics, the victory felt extra satisfying knowing that the long program he skated Monday in South Korea was crucial to the win.
Laurie Blouin, who was carried off the course on a stretcher during training a few days earlier, snagged a silver medal in the women's snowboard slopestyle. The competition took place in bitter cold, unpredictable wind gusts and brief whiteouts. Cathal Kelly writes that going ahead with the event was careless and a new kind of unfair: "Athletes were coming over the vertical jumps like they'd been blown out of a cannon – arms windmilling, turning wildly, legs shot out, occasionally fully horizontal – then landing like sacks of flour. Many gave up mid-run, suddenly realizing they were on a kamikaze mission."
Max Parrot and Mark McMorris finished second and third in the men's slopestyle event over the weekend.
Alex Gough sits fourth and Kimberley McRae eight after the first two of four runs in the women's luge. Run three and four are Tuesday evening (Tuesday morning in Canada).
Cathal Kelly writes that as Canada becomes an Olympic powerhouse, our triumphs feel less special: "Remember back to Vancouver, when Kingsbury's predecessor, Alexandre Bilodeau, won gold in the moguls. That was a national eureka moment. It felt enormous. As the first gold Olympic victory on home soil, it continues to resonate. A generation from now, you may still remember where you were when you saw it. I still remember newspaper articles written about it. By contrast, Kingsbury's win here felt like a coronation and, dare one say it, a little blasé."
Linda Nazareth writes that national demographics do matter in Olympic medal count: "What also presumably matters is not just having a large population, but having population that is aged appropriately to source potential Olympians. According to Sports Illustrated, in 2016 the average age of an Olympic medalist was 26. Although there is clearly a huge variation in this (some sports skew much younger, while Australia entered a 61 year-old equestrian in Rio) it would clearly be to countries' advantage to have a larger pool of say, 15- to 24-year-olds, to train for the games."
Coming up on Day 5
Simon d'Artois will make his Olympic debut Tuesday morning in the men's halfpipe qualifying round against two-time champion Shaun White. The final will be the following day. Later on Tuesday, Canada's Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris will take on the Swiss for in the gold medal match of mixed doubles curling. They defeated Norway 8-4 to advance. (Days listed are based on Korea time)
Medal count (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Total)
Germany: 4, 1, 2, 7
Netherlands: 3, 2, 2, 7
Norway: 2, 4, 3, 9
Canada: 2, 4, 1, 7
United States: 2, 1, 1, 4
Here is our full guide of the big events from Day four and what is coming up on Day five.
Ottawa orders national-security review of Aecon sale to Chinese state-owned firm
Canadian infrastructure firm Aecon released a statement Monday saying it and Chinese Communications Construction have extended the closing to allow for a national-security review of the $1.5-billion takeover. The innovation minister has refused to answer pointed questions in the House of Commons, but Ottawa has been scrutinizing the deal since last fall over whether is constitutes a "net benefit" for Canada. The government may deny the acquisition or set terms or conditions on the investment. Last year, there were five formal national-security reviews out of more than 700 foreign takeovers.
Russia not welcome at G7 any time soon, top Canadian official says
Speaking to The Globe and Mail, G7 Sherpa Peter Boehm said Russia's involvement has not come up during recent meetings with his counterparts from the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain. Russia was suspended from the group of highly industrialized economies in 2014 over its annexation of Crimea. As a result, the G8 became known as the G7. Canada took the helm of the G7 presidency in 2018, which entails hosting the leaders' summit in the Charlevoix region of Quebec this June. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has chosen to focus on five themes including gender equality and climate change.
Infrastructure funds benefit federal Liberal ridings most
Infrastructure Canada recently posted a detailed map showing where the first $14.4-billion in federal funds have been spread across the country since the 2015 election. The map features nearly 6,000 projects. While the Liberals currently hold 54 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons, Globe analysis shows Liberal ridings have benefited from 64 per cent of the infrastructure cash announced to date. The government says this is primarily because they are spending billions on public transit and the Liberals hold the most urban seats. (for subscribers)
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter, a roundup of the important stories of the day and what everyone is talking about that will be delivered to your inbox every weekday around 5 p.m. ET. If you're reading this online, or if someone forwarded this e-mail to you, you can sign up for Evening Update and all Globe newsletters here. Have feedback? Let us know what you think.
Help The Globe monitor political ads on Facebook: During an election campaign, you can expect to see a lot of political ads. But Facebook ads, unlike traditional media, can be targeted to specific users and only be seen by certain subsets of users, making the ads almost impossible to track. The Globe and Mail wants to report on how these ads are used, but we need to see the same ads Facebook users are seeing. Here is how you can help.
MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index rebounded from a five-month low on Monday, helped by rising oil and metals prices. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended the day up 1.4 per cent to 15,241.88. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks came back with gains across many sectors as investors seemed to regain confidence after a rough week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.69 per cent to 24,600.37, the S&P 500 gained 1.39 per cent to 2,655.94 and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.56 per cent to 6,981.96.
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
Ontario has made a deal to use Shopify's e-commerce platform for cannabis sales online and in stores as part of its plan to be the province's sole distributor of legal recreational marijuana. Shopify's technology will also be used inside brick-and-mortar stores to process transactions on iPads and for digital screens displaying product and health information.
Here's a guide of how all provinces and territories are planning on regulating recreational cannabis and what you need to know about what comes next.
The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, both painted by African-American artists who were personally chosen by the Obamas. A second and different set of portraits of the former first couple will eventually hang in the White House.
TALKING POINTS
Pope Benedict's abdication ushered in a new era for Catholic Church
"Francis replaced Benedict. I suspect that this is not what Benedict had in mind. His abdication created the potential for a new era replete with structural change, a radical pastoral modality, a mighty dollop of ecclesial turmoil. It is not what he would have done. Edward's abdication ushered in a welcome stability with a successor of uncommon and surprising leadership ability. Funny how things turn out." — Michael W. Higgins
What's driving populism? It isn't the economy, stupid
Countries around the world have been gripped by an incoherent, rage-fuelled nihilism that rejects elites on the left and the right. It's not income inequality, as many think, but a fear of immigrants undermining culture and a way of life , argue Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson.
"Today's populist rebellions are nothing more than the exploitation of gullible voters by politicians who are willing to stoke nativist resentment that other elites ignore and who couldn't care less about how badly they damage their societies in the process. They are the enablers. But it took years of neglect by more conventional politicians, academics, journalists and other thought leaders to create the conditions that allowed populist politicians to emerge."
Trudeau has the country's only viable policy for climate change and pipelines
"The Liberals can be derided for a lot of squishy Goldilocks positioning between Conservatives and New Democrats over the years, on topics from public spending or national security, and fantasy-land efforts to please all, like declarations they oppose selling arms to countries with poor rights records while doing just that. But on pipelines and climate change, Mr. Trudeau's Goldilocks policy is the only practical option." — Campbell Clark
LIVING BETTER
Keeping your relationship vibrant and intimate, which is the conscious action of strengthening a relationship emotionally and shouldn't be confused with sex, can help you be happier. It requires commitment, effort and focus, but maintaining it with the right person isn't hard work, it's highly rewarding and enjoyable. Bill Howatt writes on ways to create a happy relationship and it starts with awareness.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Globe in South Korea: Seoul's foodies crave a cold dish from the North in Korea's time of heated nuclear politics
North Koreans have spent the last few years aggressively testing weapons elevating tensions to some of their highest levels in modern history. While young South Koreans have little interest in the quest for reunification that has consumed their parents and grandparents, they have developed an acute interest in a famous North Korean food, Pyongyang naengmyeon. It is a noodle dish served cold in a beef broth with boiled beef slices and topped with an egg. It has been called "North Korea's hamburger" and some say it tastes like dishwater or cigarettes. Yet, as Nathan VanderKlippe reports from Incheon, it has become a really popular trend.
A dad's discovery: Raising a child is thankless work
Over 10 months of paternity leave, Tim Kiladze discovered that being a primary caregiver is an onerous task. It is the bedrock of our society, allowing the world as we know it to function, but the job's value, and its complexity, is largely invisible to those who haven't been immersed in it.
"But then, after only a few hours of labour, she emerged. Needing me. Needing us. The midwife placed her on my bare chest and a natural instinct took over. Time slowed. For those 20 minutes when she nuzzled into me, I felt like I was made for this. The serenity was short-lived. Serving as Eva's primary caregiver in the chaotic year since, I was exposed to a realm most men never see. The experience was so earth shattering that my worldview is permanently altered."
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley and Omair Quadri. 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.