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Arrests before a crime occurs?

Canadian Justice Minister Arif Virani has outlined the provisions of a new online harms bill, which introduces a novel measure allowing for preemptive action against individuals feared to potentially commit hate crimes in the future.

Under this legislation, such individuals could be subjected to house arrest or mandated to wear an electronic monitoring device upon the attorney general’s request and a judge’s order.

Virani, who also happens to be the Attorney General, stressed the importance of a meticulously calibrated approach toward the implementation of peace bonds. If “there’s a genuine fear of an escalation,” Virani said, “then an individual or group could come forward and seek a peace bond against them and to prevent them from doing certain things.”

You can read more on the matter here.

What’s going on?

• Market Movers: CanAlaska Jumps 43% After Reporting 4.7 Metre Interval Of 40.3% eU3O8 At West McArthur (theDeepDive)

• Fed’s Preferred Inflation Metric Increases by Most in a Year (Bloomberg)

• Wendy’s says it won’t use surge pricing (CNN)

• A Canadian Pension Fund Just Sold An NYC Office Building for $1 (theDeepDive)

• FDA finds problems at animal lab run by Musk’s brain implant company (Reuters)

• Major Gavin Newsom donor benefitting from California $20 minimum wage exemption pushed by governor: report (FOX)

• Lithium Prices Rally To Three-Month High (theDeepDive)

• Putin warns of nuclear war if NATO sends troops into Ukraine (CNBC)

• Attempts to hire a hearse to take Navalny to his own funeral have been blocked -spokesperson (Reuters)

• Is Canada's Oil Sector Set For A Revival With The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion? (theDeepDive)

• US Pending Home Sales Fall by Most Since August as Borrowing Costs Creep Up (Bloomberg)

• Mexican nationals will soon need a visa or travel pass to come to Canada (CTV)

What’s the latest?

• GDP Growth: The Canadian economy grew at an annualized rate of 1% in the fourth quarter, avoiding a recession despite the dampening effects of high interest rates. This growth, following a 0.5% decline in the third quarter, was primarily driven by an increase in exports, while housing and business investment declined.

• TD Earnings: TD Bank surpassed analysts' expectations in its fiscal first quarter, reporting adjusted earnings of $2 a share and total revenue of $13.7 billion, driven by its capital markets unit and growth in loans and deposits within its domestic retail business. This performance exceeded the predicted $1.94 earnings per share and $12.2 billion revenue. The bank's provisions for credit losses stood at $1 billion, slightly above the anticipated $944.1 million.

• US Inflation: U.S. inflation saw a modest increase in January, with the personal consumption expenditures price index rising by 0.3%, while the annual inflation rate slowed to 2.4%, marking the smallest year-on-year increase since February 2021. This deceleration in the annual inflation rate is said to keep the possibility of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in June on the table.

• Pharmacare: The Canadian Liberal government is set to introduce pharmacare legislation, marking a significant step towards expanding the country's publicly funded health care system to include universal drug coverage. This need is underscored by the rising cost of medications in Canada, which has seen an increase from $2.6 billion in 1985 to $33.7 billion in 2018. The proposed pharmacare plan seeks to alleviate the financial burden on Canadians, particularly in light of the increasing prevalence and cost of medications for both common and rare conditions.

• Russian Threats: President Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning to Western countries against sending troops to Ukraine, highlighting the risk of escalating the conflict to a nuclear war. In a recent address, Putin emphasized that Russia possesses the capability to strike targets in the West with its advanced nuclear arsenal. This warning comes amidst the most severe tensions between Moscow and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, with Putin accusing Western nations of undermining Russia's security and interfering in its internal affairs.

Billions of pounds of nickel potential

The stock market and stuff

• Green Thumb Reports Q4 2023 Financials: Record Revenue, Expands Buyback Program By $50 Million (theDeepDive)

• Bitcoin tops $63,000 as it closes out the best month since 2020 (CNBC)

• Argonaut Gold: Shares Plummet To An All-Time Low On Disappointing Guidance (theDeepDive)

• Salesforce beats on earnings, declares dividend. Those selling the stock are missing the big picture (CNBC)

In the juniors

• Element 29 Sees Manuel Montoya Appointed To Leadership Team (theDeepDive)

• Gatekeeper To Assemble Data Center For AI Video Analytics Offerings (theDeepDive)

• BZAM Ltd, Successor To TGOD, Files For Creditor Protection (theDeepDive)

• Lithium Chile Hits 690 mg/l Lithium At Arizaro (theDeepDive)

FULL DISCLOSURE: ATHA Energy is a client of Canacom Group, the parent company of The Deep Dive. Canacom Group is currently long the equity of ATHA Energy. The author has been compensated to cover ATHA Energy on The Deep Dive, with The Deep Dive having full editorial control. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security.