Good morning. We are back from a long weekend to look at the latest trade news, check in on the community healing in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., and catch up on the Olympic Games. Let’s get to it.
Janice Charette appears as a witness at the Foreign Interference Commission in Ottawa in October, 2024.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
TOP STORY
Canada names chief trade negotiator with U.S.
The latest: Janice Charette, a former Privy Council clerk and high commissioner to the United Kingdom, has been named chief trade negotiator with the United States. The role is high stakes, as she will also be acting as a senior adviser to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc on the coming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement set for July 1.
The context: The USMCA provides the foundation for more than $1-trillion in Canada-U.S. trade and has served as Canada’s primary defence against President Donald Trump’s tariffs, with the agreement allowing more than 85 per cent of Canadian exports to the U.S. to cross the border tariff-free.
What’s next: A massive Canadian trade delegation arrived in Mexico on Sunday for a six-day trip to make up for lost time and strengthen economic ties between our two countries in the face of U.S. protectionism.
After that: Mark Wiseman is Ottawa’s first envoy to Washington not to come from a political or diplomatic background. Here are four challenges Canada’s new ambassador to the U.S. will face.
Opinion: How Canada and allies can stand up to Trump and other great-power bullies.
Sign up for Morning Update:
Reading this online? Start your morning with context and insight on the day's biggest stories, in your inbox every weekday.
Subscribe now
Late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's mother Lyudmila Navalnaya, right, and mother-in-law Alla Abrosimova, centre, lay flowers at his grave in Moscow on Monday.Alexander Zemlianichenko/The Associated Press
World
Kremlin rejects claim it poisoned Navalny
The latest: Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said over the weekend that analyses of samples from Alexey Navalny’s body had “conclusively” confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America. Yesterday, the Kremlin rejected the accusations that the Russian state had killed President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent domestic critic two years ago.
What else: Yesterday marked the second anniversary of Navalny’s death. Yulia Navalnaya, his widow – who alleged from the outset that her husband had been murdered by the Russian state – said on Monday that the findings provided the necessary proof to back her stand.
Roughly 35 per cent of Canada’s labour force is juggling work with looking after a loved one.Illustration by Dorothy Leung
How We Live
The caregiver-friendly workplace is emerging
The latest: Caring for a family member or friend with a long-term health condition, disability or problems related to aging is an intensive second shift. Those putting in full-time hours at work spend an average of 4.5 extra hours a day helping family members, according to a survey from the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence.
What’s next: Researchers warn that companies failing to address this cohort will face steep losses in productivity and retention – but a new kind of “caregiver-friendly” workplace is starting to emerge. They include flexible work arrangements, paid and unpaid leaves, benefits offering respite care, specialized counselling, peer support groups, online resource portals and job protection.
Tumbler Ridge
A small Newfoundland town with Tumbler Ridge connections
The latest: In a remote fishing and mining town on the southernmost tip of the province, residents have an outsized connection to the horror that struck a small northern British Columbia town on the other side of the country. Lawn has just 600 people, but one of its largest families is the Strangs, which lost three relatives in the mass shooting. “Although many miles may separate us, our communities share a special bond,” wrote Mayor Shane Kearney in a statement on behalf of the town council.
What’s next: As the mass shooting’s shock subsides, and as the media spotlight begins to shift away from Tumbler Ridge, many residents are finally finding a chance to breathe, and to grieve. The community continues to pull together in face of unimaginable tragedy as they vow to keep focused on healing.
Olympics
Keeping up with the Winter Olympics
The latest: It was an eventful weekend at the Milan Cortina Winter Games with Canada snagging its first and second gold medals thanks to freestyle skiers Mikaël Kingsbury and Megan Oldham. Canada’s hockey teams also swept their last games. The men’s and women’s curling squads are back in action after a controversy that Cathal Kelly described as Canada going full villain. In better news, there should be no further condom shortages, after stocks ran low earlier in the Games.
What’s next: In the last full week of Olympics events, there is still lots to come, including the gold-medal game as Canada’s women’s hockey team is set to face the U.S. You can find the full schedule here. To catch The Globe’s latest Olympics coverage, please go to tgam.ca/olympics-daily.
Bookmarked
- At home: A study has found that people from African and Caribbean countries are facing harsher treatment by Canada’s immigration system.
- Abroad: China is suspending its visa requirement for Canadian tourists and business travellers for the rest of 2026.
- For your love: These are the best ways to date in the digital age, according to our experts.
- For your finances: Canadians are “hitting a breaking point” when it comes to the cost of insuring their vehicles.
- Conversation starter: To fix Canada’s fertility crisis, we need a cultural shift, writes Robyn Urback.
The Quote
I thought that maybe this book could be useful, maybe my story could help others. It’s a way to show that, despite everything I’ve been through, I’m still standing. I found the strength to get back up.
— Gisèle Pelicot
In 2024, Gisèle Pelicot became known as the survivor from one of the most followed sexual-assault cases in history. In her new memoir, A Hymn To Life, she flips the script on shame, reflects on her past and affirms her choice to keep on living.
The Shot
Mahbod Sabbaghi, COO of The Intelligent Search Company, in Mississauga, Ont., on Feb 10.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
College basketball’s new assistant coach? A system powered by artificial intelligence that ingests and analyzes hours of game footage, reports from the coaches, details on players and opponents, and more.