 Here’s what you need to know to get the day started: | | | Beloved political leader or terrorist? Why some see this jailed Palestinian as best hope for peace | | |  | In December 2021, Palestinians wave banners bearing the image of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti during a celebration marking the 57th anniversary of Fatah movement's foundation, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Calls are growing for Barghouti's release from those who believe he could have an important role to play in the peace process. (Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images) | | | The graffitied image of Marwan Barghouti's face on the huge concrete slabs of Israel's separation barrier, or wall, at the main Israeli checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah has darkened with the smoke and tear gas of countless demonstrations against an occupation now in its 57th year.
But his name hasn't faded.
After more than two decades in an Israeli jail, Barghouti remains the most popular Palestinian leader there is, consistently leading opinion polls ahead of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
For Palestinians, he is a political prisoner. For Israelis, he is a terrorist accused of leading a militant offshoot of the Fatah movement known as the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and convicted of ordering killings and suicide bombings during the second intifada, or uprising.
With the decimation of Gaza in an Israeli bombing campaign now in its sixth month, and uncertainty over what comes after, calls are growing for Barghouti's release from those who believe he could have an important role to play.
"I'm very confident and very positive that my father will be released," said Barghouti's son Aarab in an interview with CBC News at the offices of the "Free Barghouti" campaign in Ramallah.
"And I can feel that it will happen as soon as possible."
Last November, 240 Palestinians were released from Israeli jails in exchange for 105 hostages taken by Hamas militants during their attack on Israeli border towns on Oct. 7.
Around 1,200 people were killed during the Hamas-led attack, according to Israeli tallies. More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since war broke out, according to Gaza health officials.
Israel and Hamas are trying to negotiate a second exchange. Even though Barghouti has long been a member of the rival Fatah faction that leads the Palestinian Authority, Hamas has put Barghouti's name on its list, as it did last fall.
Aarab says it's a testament to his father's unifying appeal among Palestinians, and why Israel would be wise to release him.
That would be a hard ask for Israelis who see Barghouti as a terrorist with blood on his hands. He was convicted by an Israeli court for his role in the second intifada violence and sentenced to five life terms in 2004. | | | | | Baltimore bridge collapses after ship strikes it, rescuers searching for at least 7 people | | |  | (Harford County MD Fire & EMS/Reuters) | | | | A view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after it collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a cargo ship. In the wake of the collapse, several vehicles fell into the water. Rescuers were searching for at least seven people. Read the developing story here. | | | | | | | | | In brief | | | If you're one of the estimated more than six million Canadians who can't find a family doctor, it might be because they're focusing on specialty care, the results of a new report suggest. About 28 per cent of Canada's 9,500-plus family physicians predominantly provide services outside of primary care, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)'s analysis of 2021 payment data, released Tuesday. That means they mainly perform services in specific areas, compared to typical primary care duties, like office visits and assessments that don't require a referral. For example, a family doctor with a general surgery profile would focus on services like minor surgical procedures. The main non-family medicine areas were emergency medicine (14 per cent), psychiatry (nearly five per cent) and general surgery (two per cent). Read the full story here.
A judge in Alberta is recommending an alert information-sharing system among provinces for high-risk children to protect youth like 15-year-old Alexandru Radita of Calgary, who died weighing 37 pounds. In a fatality inquiry report released Monday, Justice Sharon Van de Veen said such standardized cross-boundary communication "may very well have saved Alex's life and [could] prevent similar deaths in the future." In May 2013, the severely malnourished boy was rushed to hospital but later died from sepsis and untreated diabetes. The boy's parents, Emil and Rodica Radita, were found guilty in 2017 of first-degree murder. Court heard they had refused to accept Alex had diabetes when he was initially diagnosed with the disease in 2000 while living in B.C. He was hospitalized twice in B.C. due to malnutrition and taken into foster care then returned to his parents. The family moved to Alberta in 2008. The boy's case file in B.C. had been closed, so Alberta child welfare officials weren't aware that he was potentially in danger. Read the full story here.
Canada will soon have a second laboratory capable of working with the most dangerous pathogens in the world — home to Canada's Centre for Pandemic Research. It will be the only non-government Level 4 facility in the country, part of the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), which currently has a Level 3 lab. "It's all about being ready for the next disease, right? I think the pandemic has shown us that Canada largely depended on other countries to do the critical research, but also develop vaccines," said Volker Gerdts, director and CEO of VIDO. "By upgrading to the highest level, to Level 4, we're able to in the future work with any pathogen, whether it's a human or an animal pathogen." The renovations should be finished next year. The centre already includes a bio-manufacturing facility and will build housing for exotic species, including bats, which are used in research. Read the full story here.
The government is falling short on a 2023 budget commitment to pilot a new automatic tax filing program this year, experts say. Last year's federal budget said that in 2024, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) would "pilot a new automatic filing service" that would help hundreds of thousands of low- and fixed-income Canadians access benefits that are paid only to people who file tax returns. By law, and in most cases, only people who owe taxes are required to file a return each year with the CRA. Many people — notably those on government assistance — don't expect to owe the federal government anything, so they seldom file. Under an automatic system, the CRA itself would draw up the paperwork for such simple returns each year — using data they already have on hand about individuals' income — to eliminate a bureaucratic burden that stands in the way of low- and fixed-income claimants receiving benefits. The CRA announced earlier this month that — instead of piloting a new automatic filing system — it would be expanding an existing phone tax filing system called SimpleFile. Read the full story here.
Now here's some good news to start your Tuesday: St. Laurent, Man., is a small bilingual town that can sometimes be divided along linguistic lines, say some in the community, so they're building a bridge with sports. Boys on the basketball team come from two different schools and speak two different languages during practice. "Tous les garçons, on est très proches," said Tyson Christiansen, a star forward on the varsity A team, Les Loups (Wolves). His comment translates as, "All the boys, we are very close." Just a few years after teaming up, Les Loups have already reached the provincial championships twice. "I don't think that would have been possible if we hadn't worked together," said Mélanie Sparks, the principal of École Communautaire Aurèle-Lemoine, one of the schools that form the team. Read the full story here. | | | FIRST PERSON | A brain injury wrecked my inner calendar but hasn't stopped me from having the time of my life | Notebooks and naps help keep Sheila Willis on track most of the time. But when things go awry, she can only hope people will be understanding of her situation. Read her column here. | | | | | | |  | Drought bears down on Alberta | Alberta is in the grips of a multi-year drought, and this summer could be a tipping point. What will a dwindling water supply mean for the province's future?
Listen to today's episode | | | Today in history: March 26 | | | 1885: George Eastman manufactures the first commercial motion-picture film in Rochester, N.Y.
1908: Prince Edward Island bans all automobiles. The first car had appeared on the Island three years earlier, causing such a controversy that the law outlawing the operation of any motor vehicle was passed. At the time of the ban, there were only seven cars on P.E.I. The ban was repealed in 1913.
1917: The Seattle Metropolitans become the first U.S. team to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Canadiens.
1921: The racing and fishing schooner Bluenose is launched at Lunenburg, N.S. Captained by Angus Walters, she raced five times for the North Atlantic fishermen's championship and was never beaten. The image of the ship has been on the Canadian dime since 1937. | | | (With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters) | | | | |  | CBC NEWS APP | The most convenient way to get your news
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