Good morning, and happy St. Patrick's Day to those who celebrate. It's Chris Bilton.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Europe right now, on his first official visit with some of Canada's closest allies. We have some notes on his itinerary. Also, more potential impacts of (what else?) Donald Trump's trade war. Plus, my Radio-Canada colleague Brigitte Noël's investigation for Enquête into the side-effects of the hair loss drug finasteride.

But first, some U.S. news from late yesterday:

Trump administration deports hundreds of migrants despite judge's order barring move

The story: The Trump administration has transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador even as a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations under an 18th-century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members, officials said Sunday. Flights were in the air at the time of the ruling.

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order Saturday temporarily blocking the deportations, but lawyers told him there were already two planes with immigrants in the air — one headed for El Salvador, the other for Honduras. Boasberg verbally ordered the planes be turned around, but they apparently were not and he did not include the directive in his written order.

White House response: Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a statement Sunday, responded to speculation about whether the administration was flouting court orders: "The administration did not 'refuse to comply' with a court order. The order, which had no lawful basis, was issued after terrorist TdA aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory." The acronym refers to the Tren de Aragua gang, which Trump targeted in his unusual proclamation that was released Saturday.

U.S. allies gleeful: "Oopsie — Too late," Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who agreed to house about 300 immigrants for a year at a cost of $6 million US in his country's prisons, wrote on the social media site X above an article about Boasberg's ruling.

Legal concerns: The litigation that led to the hold on deportations was filed on behalf of five Venezuelans held in Texas who lawyers said were concerned they'd be falsely accused of being members of the gang. Once the act is invoked, they warned, Trump could simply declare anyone a Tren de Aragua member and remove them from the country.

Carney in Europe during his first trip abroad as prime minister

Prime Minister Mark Carney departs Montreal, en route to Paris, on Sunday. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

What's happening: Prime Minister Mark Carney has embarked on his first trip abroad in the new job, travelling to Paris today to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, then to London tomorrow where he's expected to meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as King Charles, only weeks after his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, held his own meeting with the monarch.

The background: On Saturday afternoon, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) released details of Carney's trip, which also includes a stop in Iqaluit. The PMO said the trip is meant "to strengthen two of our closest and longest-standing economic and security partnerships, and to reaffirm Canada's Arctic security and sovereignty."

The plan: The meeting with Macron “will focus on their shared commitment to build stronger economic, commercial and defence ties,” while the meeting with Starmer “will focus on strengthening transatlantic security, growing the AI sector and the strong commercial relationship between Canada and the United Kingdom,” according to the PMO.

Canada's counter-tariffs are hurting small businesses. Even so, many still support them

President Donald Trump talks as he meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington last Thursday. (The Associated Press)

The situation: Billions of dollars and thousands of jobs are on the line as Canadian businesses grapple with U.S. President Trump's tariffs, the bulk of which are set to take effect on April 2. Some businesses unaffected by Trump's tariffs are learning that they won't emerge unscathed from the trade war, because goods they import from the U.S. are getting hit with Canada's counter-tariffs. The problem is especially concerning for small businesses, which often don't have deep pockets to help them weather the storm.

What businesses say: The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says many small businesses may be affected by the counter-tariffs. The federation surveyed 2,500 independent businesses last month and almost half (47 per cent) said they import goods from the U.S. The CFIB poll also revealed something that surprised Simon Gaudreault, CFIB's chief economist: despite concerns over counter-tariffs, three-quarters of businesses surveyed said they support Canada's decision to impose them.

What's being done: Affected businesses can apply for financial support from Ottawa, but there are no guarantees they will get it. "The federal government will only consider [assistance] where it is required to address exceptional and compelling circumstances," the Department of Finance said in a statement.

Related: Meanwhile, on the same day that state-level Republicans in Alaska worked to affirm their close relationship with Canada amid Trump's trade war and threats of annexation, an Alaskan senator warned B.C.'s premier that "you don't want to mess with Alaska," in reference to the province’s tariff response plan. 

Also, CBC News spoke with experts who explained how the Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario has become a key figure in the battle to control critical minerals, which they say is the heart of Trump's threats to annex Canada.

Hair loss drug finasteride can cause debilitating side-effects, men say

Wei Wong began experiencing symptoms after about 10 days of using topical finasteride. (Michel Riverin/Radio-Canada)

The issue: For decades, millions of men around the world have turned to a drug — finasteride, or Propecia, its most well-known brand name — to slow hair loss. But an increasing number of experts are sounding the alarm that this medication can cause rare but serious side-effects, which can persist after stopping treatment.

The latest: Finasteride was invented by Merck. The pharmaceutical company insists that it's rare for men on the medication to experience side-effects, and has long maintained they vanish once the medication is stopped. But 25 people interviewed by CBC/Radio-Canada during a six-month investigation of finasteride's side-effects tell a different story. They say the drug caused sexual, psychological and physical side-effects for them that have lasted months if not years after they ceased taking the drug.

Why it matters: The men interviewed by CBC/Radio-Canada said their symptoms are debilitating: loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, infertility, cognitive and physical issues, anxiety, insomnia, depression and, in many cases, suicidal ideation. Some of the men say the medication has cost them their relationship, their family and their career. Some cases were reported to us by the families of men who took their own lives.

In case you missed it

• Canada is looking at cancelling a major portion of its purchase of U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighters and plans on opening talks with rival aircraft makers. Meanwhile, Jagmeet Singh says the NDP would cancel the contract and build fighter jets in Canada.
   
• Hudson's Bay Company announced late Friday evening that unless it finds a more viable path forward, it will begin liquidating its entire business as soon as this week.
   
• The United States and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are both vowing escalation after the U.S. launched airstrikes, killing at least 53 people, to deter the rebels from attacking military and commercial vessels on one of the world's busiest shipping corridors.
   
• Yesterday, the Vatican released the first photograph of the Pope in more than a month, showing Francis co-celebrating mass in the hospital chapel. Doctors underlined that while the Pope's condition is stable, he still requires hospitalization for treatment along with physical and respiratory therapy, which are "showing further gradual improvements,” the Vatican said.

And, in today’s good news: finding a work-life balance in politics.

A Yukon MLA made history by bringing their baby to the Legislative Assembly

NDP MLA Lane Tredger and their four-month-old son Bowen spent the day together at the Yukon Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. (Cheryl Kawaja/CBC)

What happened: Dressed in matching suspenders, white shirts and bow ties, NDP MLA Lane Tredger and their four-month-old son Bowen spent Wednesday together on the job — a first for the Yukon Legislative Assembly.

Tredger, who is the first openly non-binary MLA in Yukon's history, says they often get asked about balancing public office with family life, and that it’s important to show people they can, “because we need all kinds of people in the legislature not just old people, not just people who are done having their families but young people as well."

The background: Babies have long since made appearances in other political assemblies. In 1998, MP Michelle Dockrill brought her seven-week-old into the House of Commons in Ottawa. Provinces like British Columbia and Saskatchewan have also seen babies at their legislative assemblies in recent years. The baby visits to Yukon’s legislature may continue, as Bowen's twin sister Marlo has yet to make an appearance.