Trudeau broke his silence on the "Freedom Convoy"

Plus, Canada's first gold in Beijing and a plan to scrap licence plate renewal stickers [The Star] First Up [By Lex Harvey] By Lex Harvey Good morning. Here’s the latest on Canada’s first gold in Beijing, Trudeau’s broken silence on the convoy, and Ford’s plan to scrap licence plate renewal fees. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick The star in beijing [Snowboarder Max Parrot won Canada’s first gold in Beijing]( Three years ago, Parrot was lying in a hospital bed getting chemotherapy to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma, thinking he might never race again. Yesterday in Beijing, the Olympic slopestyler soared to gold, while teammate Mark McMorris secured the bronze. “Since the last Olympics, I’ve been through so much,” said the 27-year-old from Bromont, Que., who won bronze in Pyeongchang in 2018. “To be standing here, three years later and winning gold, that is completely crazy.” [Here’s Rosie DiManno with the play-by-play from Beijing](. - More: Canada beat the U.S. in women’s hockey prelims, Nathan Chen skated to a world record in the short program, and [more from Day 4 in Beijing](. - Another angle: [The Peng Shuai coverup has arrived at the Beijing Olympics](. Canadian Press/Justin Tang "freedom convoy" [Trudeau broke his silence on the “Freedom Convoy” to debate in Ottawa]( Where has the PM been? As the protest in Ottawa entered its 11th day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged from COVID-19 isolation to appear in an emergency House of Commons debate on the stand-off, Stephanie Levitz reports. Trudeau denounced the demonstrators, who he said do not have a right to “blockade” others from living their lives, while calling for unity across party lines. [Here’s more on the House’s “Freedom Convoy” debate](. - Context: Questions were swirling about why Trudeau has been largely absent for the past four days. “When will the prime minister stop hiding, show up for Canadians, show some leadership and fix the mess that he has created?” asked interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen. - More: Liberal cabinet minister Marc Miller said Monday the government was letting law enforcement “do its job.” Meanwhile, local authorities in Ottawa [asked for more federal help]( and a judge granted an interim injunction against protesters [blaring horns downtown](. - Listen: [Star crime reporter Wendy Gillis joined This Matters to talk about policing protesters](. - Another angle: [Here’s how Bitcoin bigwigs “HonkHonk” came to fundraise for the “Freedom Convoy.”]( Canadian Press/Frank Gunn provincial politics [Ford may scrap renewal fees for Ontario licence plates]( The premier is test-driving a plan that could save motorists up to $120 annually and bolster his re-election campaign, Robert Benzie reports. While the proposal to eliminate licence plate renewal stickers has not been finalized, sources told the Star the idea, which is expected to be introduced this spring, was well-received by cabinet ministers. [Here’s what we know](. - Context: The Tories are looking for ways to save money for pandemic-weary Ontario voters struggling with rising inflation and skyrocketing fuel costs. - Go deeper: The plan complements Ford’s push to build the 60-kilometre Highway 413 between Milton and Vaughan, and the 16.2-kilometre Bradford Bypass linking Highways 400 and 404 — a cheaper drive could appeal to GTA commuters. - Have your say: [What do you think of Doug Ford’s plan to eliminate licence plate renewal stickers?]( WHAT ELSE Ontario needs to [enable the construction of 1.5 million new homes]( in 10 years. Most Black nurses in Ontario deal with racism. [This task force has a way forward](. Toronto’s workplace safety costs for first responders are expected to soar to $45 million this year. [Here’s why](. TTC buskers are returning to subways after nearly two years. [Here’s what they did with their time off](. A [Canadian “cyberterrorist” was sentenced to prison]( over NetWalker ransomware attacks. Kids are learning about dementia and Alzheimer’s in the classroom. [This is why](. POV Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld [Heather Mallick: Pierre Poilievre is too nasty not to win the Conservative leadership.]( CLOSE-UP SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images MOSCOW, RUSSIA: French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a masterclass in social distancing Monday when they met to discuss Ukraine and NATO. The meeting marked the start of a week of intense diplomacy over fears Russia is preparing to invade its pro-Western neighbour. Thanks for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_104622). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. [The Star]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [Become a Star Subscriber]( [View in Browser]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](