A Canadian flag flies in front of smoke stacks at a steel mill in Hamilton in February of 2007.J.P. MOCZULSKI
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Liberals to introduce carbon tax with breaks for industrial emitters
In a draft legislation proposal released Monday, the Liberal government outlined key elements of its "carbon price backstop" that will apply in provinces that do not have a carbon pricing plan or fail to meet federal standards. The federal carbon tax would be $20 a tonne next January and rise in $10 annual increments to $50 a tonne in 2020, which would drive up gasoline prices by roughly 11 cents a litre. But, the government will set an emissions cap for industrial facilities and they will pay the levy only on greenhouse gases that they emit above that threshold. The government plans to table the legislation later this month and have it passed by June.
Gary Mason writes that the jig is up for Canada's carbon-tax laggards: "If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Environment Minister ever hope to meet the exceedingly ambitious climate targets they have set for this country, they have to get serious now. And it starts with getting tough with those holdout jurisdictions that feel they can let this matter drag out for a few years. That can't happen."
Toronto police say hijab-cutting attack reported by girl didn't happen
It was initially reported to Toronto police Friday that an 11-year-old girl had been attacked by a man who came up behind her as she walked to school, pulled off her jacket and cut her hijab repeatedly with a pair of scissors. She crossed the street and he followed. Police said Monday that the alleged assault – which was being investigated as a hate crime – "did not happen." In a brief statement, the Toronto District School Board said they are thankful the assault didn't happen and that they won't be commenting further.
Amira Elghawaby writes that even though the story wasn't true, our compassion must not waver: "One of the very first messages I received when the news broke was of someone simply expressing relief that this terrible attack didn't happen – because it did shake our collective sense of well-being. The truth of the matter is that hate is real and its impact is true. We need to have more conversations with our children about the climate they are growing up in. We need to better figure out how to support them. And we need to continue to send a message of inclusion, welcome and love."
China, Russia dismiss Vancouver summit as counterproductive
China and Russia say they don't support Tuesday's talks in Vancouver because the summit – hosted by Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson – is too focused on sanctions and not enough on the need to defuse the crisis. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the U.S. State Department on Monday of lying when a U.S. official asserted Moscow and Beijing had been consulted and supported the Vancouver meeting of 20 diplomats from countries that were involved in the 1950-53 Korean War. Last week, China also dismissed the meeting as "meaningless."
Over the course of a year in which North Korea claimed the successful detonation of a hydrogen bomb and a missile capable of reaching deep into North America, Beijing has responded with heavy new restrictions. Critics say the U.S. agenda for the meeting risks eroding Beijing's support at a time when sanctions appear finally to be bearing fruit. As The Globe's Nathan VanderKlippe reports from Beijing, China wields outsized outsized economic influence toward North Korea, since some 90 per cent of the rogue state's foreign trade passes through China, and the country's shift in the past 12 months has been consequential.
Len Edwards writes the conference must focus on long-term solutions: "As important as curbing North Korea's nuclear plans are, we should hope that foreign ministers at the Vancouver Conference, led by Ms. Freeland, will still take time behind closed doors to look at the options for diplomatic formats and longer-term solutions beyond the nuclear issue."
Globe in Johannesburg: U.S. diplomats in Africa struggle with fallout from Trump insult
Senior U.S. diplomats in South Africa and Ghana were hauled into government offices Monday due to formal protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's comments. Protests and condemnation continue to escalate as U.S. diplomats try to repair the damage caused by Mr. Trump's reported "shithole" insult to African countries.
Globe in London: Collapse of U.K.'s Carillion puts Canadian workers' future in doubt
Carillion PLC, which is one of Britain's largest construction companies and has extensive operations in Canada, has been put into liquidation, throwing the future of 43,000 workers worldwide into doubt and raising troubling questions for Prime Minister Theresa May. Carillion is involved in more than 400 government projects in the U.K., and in Canada the company employs around 6,000 people and provides services in the energy, health care and transportation sectors. The liquidation filing came after frantic efforts over the weekend by the company, its lenders and government officials to restructure Carillion's finances.
The Forecheck: 2017-18 NHL game and playoff predictions
Wondering if your team will make the playoffs? We have developed a model that uses about 2,000 player and team variables from both current and past seasons to generate predictions. You can filter team predictions by conference or division and check up on projected first-round playoff matchups.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index ended higher, boosted by sharp jumps for cannabis stocks after a sell-off last week and by gains for major gold miners as the price of the precious metal hit a four-month high. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index unofficially closed up 63.63 points, or 0.39 percent, at 16,371.81. U.S. markets were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
WHAT'S TRENDING
The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is still four months away, but it's already been a boost for bookmakers. They are already taking wagers on everything from whether the Prince will have a beard to the colour of Ms. Markle's dress, and if it will rain to Prince Harry's best man. As Paul Waldie reports from London, when it comes to the royal wedding, there's almost no limit to what bookies will take a bet on.
TALKING POINTS
Margaret Atwood is a blood-drinking monster
"Sadly, I am the very last ally Ms. Atwood needs. If anything, my opinion will only serve as more ammunition for people who are convinced she's joined the reactionaries. But I can't help it. I too believe that due process, as frustrating and imperfect as it is, is better than the alternative. " — Margaret Wente
Canada needs to clear the air – and wipe away criminal records for marijuana
"The PM needs to be reminded that one of the principal reasons legalization makes sense is having a criminal record is a lot worse for a person's health than smoking pot. It can make finding a job, getting a bank loan and travelling much more difficult, not to mention that prosecuting people for buying a few grams of pot to get high is a tremendous waste of police and court resources." — André Picard
Trump on shaky ground as critical week in Washington begins
"The tectonic plates of American politics continue to shift violently: With a government shutdown looming this week, suddenly a President who was at the centre of things by mounting an impressive political offensive finds himself at the periphery and on the defensive at a poignant time, with the United States marking the birth date of the slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday." — David Shribman
LIVING BETTER
The hidden causes for weight-loss plateaus
Why hasn't my weight budged since reducing calories and starting strength training? Leslie Beck says it probably has more to do with diet than building muscle. Studies show women can expect to gain one to two pounds of muscle, and men two to four, early on from resistance training. However, when working out, it is easy to justify a second helping or a cookie or forget that portion size matters. If weight loss is your goal, be diligent about what you put in your mouth. Don't rely only on exercise. It takes a lot of daily exercise to generate a calorie deficit large enough to influence the bathroom scale.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
How Beverley McLachlin found her bliss: Where she came from and what she leaves behind
Beverley McLachlin grew up in a log house without electricity or running water, at the end of a long, twisting road in the backcountry of southwestern Alberta. An outhouse stood deep in the back of the yard. For light, her family had kerosene lamps. She would go on to help shape Canadians' fundamental rights as much as any judge in the country's history, from defending the role of the judiciary in the age of the Charter, to the legalization of assisted dying, to a huge expansion of Indigenous rights and a rebalancing of how police and the legal system treat people accused of crimes. Sean Fine speaks to the recently retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and weighs the impact of the legal architecture she helped set in place.
Denis Shapovalov confronts high expectations as a new ATP World Tour season begins
Last off-season, Denis Shapovalov ranked No. 250 in the world. He turned heads when winning Junior Wimbledon in 2016, but what really changed things were his shocking runs at the Rogers Cup and the U.S. Open last year. Fellow ATP players voted the 18-year-old Canadian most improved, The Canadian Press named him Male Athlete of the year, he appeared in Vogue Magazine and landed a global endorsement deal. As his ranking climbed, he became the youngest to crack the Top 50 since Rafael Nadal in 2004. After that whirlwind late-summer performance, many wondered, what could he do with a full season on the ATP Tour? The opportunity begins now with the Australian Open, where he has already won his first match over Greek newcomer Stefanos Tsitsipas in a battle of the teenagers. As Rachel Brady reports, there will be other Canadians in Melbourne, but Shapovalov is stealing the spotlight.
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley and SR Slobodian. 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.