Guillermo del Toro and the cast and crew of "The Shape of Water" accept the award for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los AngelesChris Pizzello
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These are the top stories:
Mandatory-minimum sentencing rules unravelling into patchwork
The Globe and Mail reviewed dozens of cases in the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) and found that judges have decided not to apply minimum sentences in a variety of drug and gun crimes as well as sexual offences against children. Judges in several provinces have declared some of these mandatory-minimum jail terms as "cruel and unusual punishment" and prohibited by the Constitution. In some jurisdictions, mandatory minimums no longer exist, while they continue to be applied in others. This has led to a patchwork of rules across the country.
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Oscars 2018
Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water took home best picture, while Frances McDormand and Gary Oldman nabbed the top acting awards at this year's Oscars. Jordan Peele became the first African-American to win best original screenplay for his horror movie Get Out and Allison Janney won her first Academy Award for her supporting role in I, Tonya. The 90th Academy Awards offered plenty of meme-worthy moments and questionable decision-making amid a reckoning for Hollywood, given the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have reshaped society over the past several months. The Globe presents the highs, lows, and many things that left us scratching our heads as the night unfolded.
You can see a full list of winners, from Best Picture to Best Documentary, here.
Film Editor Barry Hertz writes in a column that Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue was particularly meh, given the weight of the moment: "Mostly, it was material rehashing his slick frat-boy shtick from last year – albeit slightly attuned to the current cultural landscape. The evening's first few minutes were an up and down affair, but the fact that Mr. Kimmel seemed to be trying to dissect the zeitgeist was a minor miracle, given that this is the guy once charged with co-hosting The Man Show – a very real thing that today seems as prehistoric an idea as Weinstein the dinosaur."
Canada waging full-court press against U.S. steel, aluminum tariffs
Canada will not be spared from punishing tariffs on steel and aluminum, according to comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump's advisers. But they're also suggesting that individual companies may be exempt from a trade ruling and that no final decision by the White House has been made. In response to comments that have left the international community reeling and preparing for a trade war, Canada is preparing to fight back. It's counting on allies at various levels of the U.S. government as well as in big business to help sway the Trump administration.
David Shribman writes that Mr. Trump's tariff gambit will face its first political test in the heart of steel country: "Voters will fill a vacancy in the House of Representatives in a very close special congressional election that has attracted keen attention from the President, who visited the district six weeks ago and returns Saturday to campaign for Rick Saccone, the Republican candidate. Mr. Saccone, a state representative, has a slender lead in the district, which gave Mr. Trump a 20-point advantage in the 2016 election, over his Democratic rival, Conor Lamb.
No clear winner in Italian vote as exit polls show gains for populists
It is still unclear who will form Italy's government after an election that saw populist parties win the support of about 50 per cent of voters. The anti-establishment Five Star Movement won the most votes, while the far-right, nativist League showed gains in an election that was dominated by immigration. The election in the euro zone's third-largest economy promises to have reverberations across the continent and threaten the unity of the European Union. The ruling Democratic Party, which was led by former prime minister Matteo Renzi, mustered less than a quarter of the vote, part of the trend away from centre-left parties in Europe. The final tally is expected to be reported some time today.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The RCMP's thin red line: Is contract policing unsustainable?
Communities across Canada that lack their own police depend on Mounties as the cheaper option, especially in B.C. But with forces facing heavy caseloads, a staffing crunch and looming unionization, wonder if the tradeoff is worth it. The Globe investigates whether contract policing across the country can sustain itself.
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks mixed
Global stocks and emerging markets fell for the fifth straight day on Monday, hammered by fears of a global trade war and the prospect of political instability in Europe after inconclusive elections in Italy. Tokyo's Nikkei lost 0.7 per cent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng tumbled 2.3 per cent, though the Shanghai composite rose 0.1 per cent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC were up by between 0.4 and 0.9 per cent by about 6:20 a.m. ET. Italian stocks were down 0.6 per cent. New York futures were down, and the Canadian dollar was just above 77.5 US cents. Oil prices edged higher but predictions of a major spike in U.S. oil output in the next five years capped the market's gains.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
The problem isn't job-stealing robots - it's us
"800 million. That's how many jobs could soon be lost to automation. The professions most at risk? Telemarketers, cashiers and paralegals, all of whom perform tasks considered repetitive, routine and predictable. That's the type of work machines fare well at. Machines also don't tire, don't falter and most importantly, don't demand a salary. While this prospect may thrill employers, it makes politicians nervous. Rising unemployment can cause social unrest ultimately toppling governments. Widespread automation is particularly problematic for Canada where over 40 per cent of workers could see their jobs handed over to machines." – Ashley Nunes
To the moon, Mars and beyond: It's time for our journey to begin
"There is a growing, uneasy realization that life on Earth is extremely fragile. After all, 99.9 per cent of the planet's lifeforms have gone extinct, so extinction seems par for the course when it comes to life on Earth. We have an expiry date. We need a back-up plan against natural disasters (asteroids, supervolcanoes) as well as self-inflicted catastrophes (global warming, nuclear wars, germ warfare). In other words, we might consider Mars, and the rest of space, our insurance policy." – Michio Kaku
Globe editorial: Bloc Québécois troubles reflect a movement that is out of ideas
"The bottom line is that the hard-core elements in Quebec's sovereignty movement are out of ideas. They have nothing left to do but tear their parties apart with infighting about who is and who isn't a true believer. With a provincial general election coming in the fall, it is just going to get uglier." – Globe and Mail editorial board
HEALTH PRIMER
Growing effort seeks to change commonly held view of mammograms
Health-care companies are increasingly looking to improve patient comfort when it comes to mammograms. "Screening should be almost like a patient going to get a spa manicure, massage or whatever," radiologist Dr. Anat Kornecki says. "This is a treat for ourselves, not a threat." Dr. Kornecki is trying to shed the prevailing notion that mammograms, which screen breasts for growths that may lead to cancer, have to be an anxiety-inducing examination.
MOMENT IN TIME
March 5, 1982: John Belushi dies of drug overdose in Los Angeles
Few stars shone brighter, or partied harder, than John Belushi back in 1982. At 33, the Second City alumnus was a hot property following four seasons on Saturday Night Live, where he proved adept at both celebrity impressions (Henry Kissinger, Joe Cocker) and absurdist characters (Samurai Chef). Dropped into New York, Belushi quickly earned a reputation as a raucous barfly with a taste for cocaine. Post-SNL, he drew notice for his roles in Animal House and The Blues Brothers. During an extended L.A. stay, Belushi checked into the Chateau Marmont and was spending his nights at seedy Sunset Strip clubs; he also started mixing in heroin with his lines. According to later grand jury testimony, Belushi returned to the Marmont from a night out and had a visit from Robert De Niro and Robin Williams – and at some point in the evening, he was injected with a cocaine and heroin mixture by a singer and sometime drug dealer named Cathy Evelyn Smith, a native of Hamilton, Ont. Belushi's body was found the next morning; the official cause of death was "acute cocaine and heroin intoxication." Although initially charged with first-degree murder, Smith plea bargained to involuntary manslaughter and served 15 months. – Andrew Ryan
Morning Update was written by Mayaz Alam.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports is 'unacceptable.'
The Canadian Press