Page 123 - 2020

MONEY TALKS, SCHEER WALKS
When the Conservatives lost the 2019 federal election to Justin Trudeau's Liberals, party leader Andrew Scheer ini- tially vowed to stay on and fight another day. That changed in December, when it was revealed Scheer had used party money to pay for his children's private school education without the knowledge or approval of the Conservative Fund board. In a public statement announcing his resignation, Scheer made no mention of the financial impropriety, and his office denied a connection between the scandal and his decision to step down.
A NEW REASON TO STAY UP LATE
In March 2019, NBC tapped Lilly Singh, the Canadian YouTube sensation, to take over Carson Daly's 1:35 a.m. slot when he stepped down as the host of Last Call after 18 years. Although American late night talk shows tra- ditionally have been dominated by white, middle-aged men, Singh isn't the first woman to steer a late night show-but she is the first open bisexual and the first person of Indian descent to helm such a show on a major U.S. network. NBC let A Little Late with Lilly Singh break with tradition and film an entire season of 96 shows over three months so Singh could continue her other projects. The show debuted on September 16, 2019, to strong reviews and ratings in keeping with Daly's. Shutterstock
RAISE A CUP
Hockey icon Tim Horton may be the one with his name on the sign, but it was Ron Joyce, who died in January at the age of 88, who turned the coffee and doughnut chain into a beloved national icon. Joyce, who pulled his way out of poverty to become one of the richest men in Canada, invested in the first Tim Hortons shop in 1964, eventually buying it for $10,000. He later became a partner and purchased Horton's stake in the business after his death in 1974. Joyce grew Tim Hortons from a chain of 40 stores to more than 4,000.
A NEW NAFTA
On December 10, 2019, after more than ayear of wrangling, representatives of the United States, Mexico, and Canada- including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland-met in Mexico City to sign what was expected to be the final version of CUSMA, the long-sought- after replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement. Originally signed in 1994, NAFTA removed most of the trade barriers between North America's three countries, allowing for $1.4 billion worth of annual trade. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull out of NAFTA if the deal wasn't revamped to address modern considerations, such as the rise of e-commerce and other digital initiatives. Trump signed the implementation bill in Janu- ary 2020. AP Photo/Marco Ugarte