Tina Fontaine is seen in an undated handout photo.
Good morning,
These are the top stories:
Raymond Cormier was found not guilty in the death of Tina Fontaine
The death of Tina, discovered in Winnipeg's Red River in 2014 at the age of 15, became a catalyst for Canada's national inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Yesterday, the jury found Raymond Cormier not guilty of second-degree murder. The Crown alleged that Cormier had sexual intercourse with Tina and later killed her after she threatened to report him for statutory rape. In a recording from an undercover operation, Cormier can be heard talking about a little girl, saying he "finished the job." But Cormier's lawyer said he never admitted to killing Tina.
The acquittal comes just two weeks after Saskatchewan farmer Gerald Stanley was found not guilty in the death of 22-year-old Cree man Colten Boushie.
Olympics 2018
Kaetlyn Osmond won a bronze medal in women's figure skating to give Canada its 27th medal in Pyeongchang. That breaks a national record for the most medals at a Winter Games for Canada. It was Canada's third medal of the day, after Kelsey Serwa and Brittany Phelan finished 1-2 in the women's skicross event. Canada's medals have come in bobsleigh, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, short-track speed skating, snowboarding and speed skating. The previous national record of 26 was set in Vancouver in 2010, when Canada won 14 gold medals on top of seven silver and five bronze.
Elsewhere on the Olympics front:
Switzerland's Peter de Cruz defeated Canada's Kevin Koe to win a bronze medal in men's curling at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The Swiss topped the Canadians 7-5 in the bronze-medal match. Canada had won the men's curling event at three consecutive Olympics and had never missed out on the finals in the history of the tournament. Earlier in the Games, Rachel Homan's rink was eliminated in the round robin and Canada's mixed-doubles curling team won gold.
Medal count (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Total)
- Norway (13, 12, 10, 35)
- Germany (13, 7 , 5, 25)
- Canada (10, 8, 9, 27)
- United States (8, 7, 6, 21)
- Netherlands (7, 6, 4, 17)
Want to get caught up further? Our daily Olympics guide gives you everything you need to know about the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
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The federal government is under fire for a dinner invite to a Sikh extremist
Former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh is "speechless" about how a man he alleges attacked him with an iron bar ended up on the dinner list for a reception with Justin Trudeau during the Prime Minister's trip to India. The man in question, Jaspal Atwal, who was acquitted in the Dosanjh case, was convicted of the attempted murder of an Indian cabinet minister in 1986. While Trudeau has since rescinded Atwal's invitation, experts say the fact he was on the invite list raises security concerns. The slipup is a blow to Trudeau's efforts to persuade India's government that Ottawa doesn't sympathize with Sikh separatists. Sources within the Canadian government say "factions in India" may have orchestrated the Atwal matter.
The Globe's editorial board says this trip has been a mess: "Diplomacy is full of unwritten rules, such as: When visiting a foreign country, do not appear to be cozy with a notorious ex-terrorist who tried to assassinate a cabinet minister from that country. Okay, that one might actually be written down. In either case, the Trudeau government ignored the rule this week."
Alberta has halted its ban on B.C. wine
Premier Rachel Notley announced the decision shortly after B.C. put on hold a controversial plan to halt shipments of heavy crude pending an environmental review. B.C. Premier John Horgan says his government will leave it to the courts to decide if it has the authority to limit oil transports. At the heart of the fight is the fate of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline, which Alberta backs and B.C. opposes. Notley claimed victory in the wine spat, saying "In a small way today, B.C. blinked." Horgan, meanwhile, said this move wasn't a retreat but rather a measure "intended to have cooler heads prevail."
Here's Gary Mason's take: "The entire issue had become a lose-lose for B.C., and this reality was beginning to dawn on the government. Increasingly, Horgan looked like the proverbial cat in a tree that's unsure how to get down. In this case, he and his environment minister created this imbroglio. Their dilemma became how to retreat without completely losing face."
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Robert Mueller filed more charges against Paul Manafort
The special counsel added charges of tax evasion and bank fraud against Manafort, who served as Donald Trump's campaign chairman, along with his business associate Rick Gates. Manafort and Gates were initially hit with charges in October that centrered around lobbying work for a Russia-friendly Ukrainian political party prior to the 2016 U.S. election. Mueller's Russia probe expanded last week when 13 Russians and three companies were charged with working to influence the 2016 election through a social-media propaganda campaign.
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks mixed
A stronger U.S. dollar and slightly higher global borrowing costs kept global shares subdued on Friday and left gold limping toward its worst week since December. Tokyo's Nikkei gained 0.7 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng 1 per cent, and the Shanghai composite 0.6 per cent. In Europe, though, London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.1 and 0.3 per cent by about 5:35 a.m. ET. The Canadian dollar was at 78.69 US cents. Brent oil slipped to $66 a barrel, under pressure from concerns that rising U.S. oil output and exports will offset OPEC-led attempts to erode stockpiles with output curbs.
FYI: The Globe now provides all users access to real-time stock quotes for both Canadian and U.S. markets. Go here to find out about the major changes to our Globe Investor site.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
The kids vs. the NRA: Who will come out on top?
"Massacres give rise to movements. Other school calamities such as Columbine and Sandy Hook didn't seem to be enough. But the Parkland murders may mark a turning point. The rage is too hot to contain. If not a revolution, as the teacher labelled it, then a deep attitudinal shift in the way the country views guns appears to be in the making. The 'Never Again' movement, as it is called, could mark the second great cultural reform, along with #MeToo, to shake the United States in the space of a few months. Youth hasn't been heard from in a momentous way in the United States in a long time. College students kept marching until they became a potent force in ending the Vietnam war a half-century ago. Now an even younger cohort mans the ramparts with visceral passion." – Lawrence Martin
Ontario voters deserve better than a political gong show
"What the Tories might come up with now is anybody's guess. And the three plausible candidates on offer (not including Patrick Brown and the anti-sex-ed lady) are nobody's ideal choices. Rob Ford's older brother, Doug, makes liberal Tories burst out in hives. But his simple, anti-elitist message should not be underrated. Christine Elliott is an uninspiring but probably competent long-time party member. Caroline Mulroney is the attractive novice whose idea of a starter job is premier of Canada's most populous province. Any of them could win. But the biggest winner of all could be the NDP, which might wind up holding the balance of power as the miserable voters search for anybody plausible. No wonder the voters of Ontario are tearing out their hair. I know I am. We never signed up for a gong show. But now we've got one." – Margaret Wente
In Asia, the unintended consequences of fentanyl
"In the Golden Triangle we've seen a big drop in opium production and wholesale prices. In December, the UN's Myanmar opium survey reported cultivation dropped by a quarter overall, and in some areas by more than a third. This sounds good, but it is not a clear-cut victory. The decline in opium and heroin production is happening alongside a sustained expansion of synthetic drug production in East and Southeast Asia. … The opium economy in Myanmar supports a large population. In Shan State, where production is centred, approximately 600,000 people are directly supported by opium farming. There are no obvious alternatives that can provide comparable employment and income levels." – Jeremy Douglas, UN drugs and crime representative based in Bangkok
FILM FRIDAY
Barry Hertz gives Annihilation 3.5 stars and says writer/director Alex Garland has created a "bizarre and beguiling" film that abandons nearly all the rules of modern Hollywood. To boot, Annihilation could change how sci-fi films are produced and sold. (starring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Oscar Isaac)
Kate Taylor offers up a three-star review for Game Night, and writes that it's "the kind of harmless comedy you rarely see these days, as happily entertaining as a good game of Pictionary." (starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams)
HEALTH PRIMER
Pilates are a great workout for your mind and body
If you're looking to improve your balance, core strength, functional fitness and mobility, Pilates is a great option. It's done barefoot, on either a machine or a mat. Classes vary depending on where you go, but some exercises you might expect include lunging, squatting and leg lifts. Some of the key Pilates principles are awareness, breathing and core control; it'll challenge you to focus.
MOMENT IN TIME
Osama bin Laden issues second fatwa
Feb. 23, 1998: The incitement to borderless bloodletting could not have been more stark. "The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies – civilians and military – is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it." Terrorists masquerading as self-styled fundamentalists had spoken provocatively before, even issued fatwas before. But none resonated like the words of Osama bin Laden, son of a Saudi billionaire and veteran of the 1980s wars in Russian-occupied Afghanistan. The statement was faxed to an Arabic newspaper in London, which reprinted it in full. Soon, the tempo of terrorist attacks increased. In 1998, bombings at two U.S. embassies in East Africa killed more than 200 people. In 1999, the so-called "Millennium Bomber" was captured with a carload of explosives at the Canada-U.S. border. In 2000, a bombing of the U.S.S. Cole naval destroyer anchored in Yemen killed 17 soldiers. All this was just a prelude to an attack that shook the world on Sept. 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda suicide hijackers commandeered four commercial flights. They rammed them into U.S. civilian and military landmarks leaving about 3,000 people dead. – Colin Freeze
Morning Update was written by Arik Ligeti and Mayaz Alam.
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Arik Ligeti