Good morning,

These are the top stories:

E-mails reveal network of Liberal officials involved in judicial appointments

Story continues below advertisement

Liberal MPs, ministerial staff members and even party volunteers have been involved in candidate vetting to decide which lawyers receive sought-after judicial appointments, e-mails obtained by The Globe and Mail show.

The federal government revamped the process in 2016, after having accused the previous Conservative government of politicizing appointments.

The dozens of e-mails between ministerial staffers from 2017 and 2018 detail widespread partisan involvement in the selection of new judges, offering unprecedented insight into the inner workings of the current judicial appointment process.

This is the daily Morning Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Morning Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters on our newsletter signup page.

Trudeau tight-lipped on plan to end rail blockades ‘quickly and peacefully’

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged from an emergency cabinet meeting and disclosed no plan to solve the crisis, as the blockade of a critical rail link between Montreal and Toronto has caused the largest disruption in Canadian National Railway Co.’s modern history, the company said Monday.

While Ottawa has committed to dialogue with First Nations to end a series of anti-pipeline protests, business leaders are increasing pressure for a quick resolution and warn of economic damage as the rail network has come to a standstill across eastern Canada.

Story continues below advertisement

Opinion (John Ibbitson): Every day rail blockade lasts, Trudeau’s stock drops lower

(John Ibbitson): Every day rail blockade lasts, Trudeau’s stock drops lower Opinion (Adam Pankratz): The rule of law cuts both ways. Some Coastal GasLink protesters are ignoring that

Open this photo in gallery People take part in a protest in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs opposed to the LNG pipeline in northern B.C. near Confederation Bridge in Borden, Prince Edward Island on Monday, February 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Morris John Morris/The Canadian Press

Bombardier to shrink by half with announced sale of rail unit to France’s Alstom

After a decades-long expansion building one of the world’s largest aerospace and train businesses, the Montreal-based company is now shrinking by half.

Alain Bellemare was trying to turn the company around. But nearly five years after he was named CEO, Bombardier remained heavily indebted despite selling a myriad of assets.

Bombardier turned to France’s Alstom SA seeking a deal, entering into several weeks of negotiations that derailed several times.

In the end, Alstom decided it might not get this chance to bulk up again. And Bombardier cemented its hoped-for fix.

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

Story continues below advertisement

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Michael Bloomberg surges with unconventional presidential campaign: His sudden rise in the polls is all the more surprising given that Mr. Bloomberg is a former Republican and titan of the financial industry, but has yet to appear in a debate or on a state ballot for the Democratic nomination.

Pharmaceutical company Janssen recruits former Doug Ford adviser as lobbyist: Greg Harrington, who played a senior role on government health files, said he previously met with Janssen officials over concerns the province would force patients on government-sponsored drug insurance to switch from the company’s drug Remicade to cheaper alternatives.

Federal health agency to review protocols for dealing with coronavirus outbreak: The agency says feedback from the nurses’ unions and other associations will be considered by a National Advisory Committee on infection prevention and control as it looks to update the guidance.

Rwandan celebrity singer Kizito Mihigo found dead in police cell, latest in mysterious deaths of dissidents: He was arrested last week for allegedly trying to cross the border illegally into Burundi and was accused of trying to bribe the police and seeking to join “terrorist groups” there.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball to step down, will seek ‘more private life’: Ball, 63, said he will stay on as premier until a new leader is chosen and will continue to represent the Humber-Gros Morne district in the legislature until the next provincial election.

Story continues below advertisement

MORNING MARKETS

World stocks markets were knocked off record highs on Tuesday as two of the world’s mega companies reported damage from the coronavirus outbreak. Apple’s stock fell almost 6 per cent in Frankfurt and all Europe’s main markets fell after the iPhone maker warned it was unlikely to meet the March quarter sales guidance it had set just three weeks ago. HSBC announced a massive restructuring and warned about the impact of the coronavirus on its Asia business. Europe’s 0.4 per cent to 0.5 per cent declines came after Tokyo’s Nikkei dropped 1.4 per cent and the Hang Seng slid 1.5 per cent.

Looking for investing ideas? Check out The Globe’s weekly digest of the latest insights and analysis from the pros, stock tips, portfolio strategies and what investors need to know for the week ahead. This week’s edition includes late-start RRSPs, dividend-growth ETFs and the advantage of REITs.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

Fifty years after Canada’s last foreign-policy review, our identity is more precarious than ever

David Mulroney: “It’s time for another honest and comprehensive rethink of our place in the world – one premised on the fact that foreign policy for Canadians needs to be worked out with Canadians.” Mulroney was Canada’s ambassador to China from 2009 to 2012.

Story continues below advertisement

Pop culture was my life. I’m saying goodbye to all that

Marc Weingarten: “It’s only now, when millions of hours of music are available at no cost, when the highest-grossing films are remakes and comic book adaptations, and the never-ending streaming binge keeps us tethered to the couch, that pop culture feels like an endlessly renewable resource that we are all abusing.” Weingarten is a Los Angeles-based journalist.

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

Open this photo in gallery Brian Gable Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail

LIVING BETTER

Open this photo in gallery Illustration by Drew Shannon Illustration by Drew Shannon

How group chats have become the new family time

Families are increasingly using platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to stay connected during their busy lives – and research suggests chats may help combat loneliness and encourage feelings of kinship. But communication does not come without challenges. It is important to understand a few basic points of etiquette to help make the group chat effective, from what counts as the bare minimum of participation to how to leave politely.

Story continues below advertisement

MOMENT IN TIME

Open this photo in gallery Canada's oldest living First World War verteran, John (Jack) Babcock, turning 107, holds up a war photo as his wife Dorothy points to a soldier thought to be Babcock, at their home in Spokane, Washington on Wednesday July 18, 2007. (CP PHOTO/Larry MacDougal) Canada LARRY MACDOUGAL/The Canadian Press

Canada’s last known First World War vet dies

Feb. 18, 2010: To an Ontario farm boy, the words of a war poem were exhilarating, fuelling fanciful thoughts of adventure far from home. After hearing military recruiting officers quote from The Charge of the Light Brigade, John Babcock signed up with the 146th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in February, 1916. The fair-haired, blue-eyed teen from Frontenac County stood all of 5 feet and 4.5 inches and weighed 118 pounds. His enlistment papers described his “apparent age” as 18, but in truth he was just 15 years old. He was dispatched to England, but declared too young for immediate battle in the First World War and placed with the Boys Battalion. By the time he was old enough to join the Western Front in France, the war had ended. Because he never made it to the front lines, Babcock didn’t see himself as a “real soldier” of the Great War and rarely spoke of that experience. When he became Canada’s last surviving First World War veteran in May, 2007, the federal government restored his Canadian citizenship, which he’d renounced in order to work in the U.S., where he had also served in the army. He died at the age of 109 in Spokane, Wash. — Renata D’Aliesio

If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday morning, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.