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Health Canada pulled the implants off the market last May. Regulators in Canada and the United States don’t recommend that women have the implants removed because the cancer is so rare. Some women say they want to get them out of their bodies, but some provinces won’t pay for the removal unless the implants are affecting a patient’s health. Read more about the dilemma faced by women with the implants.

In brief

Recreational pot law puts Canada offside with UN drug treaties

A year after legalizing recreational cannabis, Canada remains in violation of UN drug treaties it signed — an uncomfortable situation for a country that likes to see itself as a stickler for international laws and treaties. Read more about how Canada’s cannabis policy hasn’t been accepted by the UN.

Rules governing removal of judges may be in for a shift

Possible changes are coming to the rules that govern Canada’s judges — moves that would prevent them from growing their pensions while they fight to avoid being removed from the bench. Read more about the proposed changes to removing judges. 

Canadians mistakenly flagged on ‘no-fly’ list share their stories

Some Canadians mistakenly flagged by the no-fly list took their plight directly to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair yesterday. Read more about the experiences of some travellers affected by the no-fly list.

Tourists get both sides in Middle East politics

Millions of tourists visited Israel last year, but only a small proportion went on to the West Bank. An American group recently bucked the trend, with a “dual narrative” tour aimed at understanding the region’s politics. Read more about the group’s trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Environmentally friendly gift options

Gift cards can be a great last-minute option, and they’re very popular. But they have an environmental impact. Read about green gift-giving options in the latest edition of CBC’s weekly environmental newsletter, What on Earth?

A year after legalizing recreational cannabis, Canada remains in violation of UN drug treaties it signed — an uncomfortable situation for a country that likes to see itself as a stickler for international laws and treaties. Not all other countries have accepted Canada’s right to forge a new path on cannabis law. As Evan Dyer writes, the end of Canada’s 95-year ban on cannabis appears to have accelerated the demise of a worldwide consensus and treaty regime that, for decades, underpinned the global war on drugs. Read more about how Canada’s cannabis policy hasn’t been accepted by the UN.

A tiny home for the holidays

(Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy/McMaster University)

Travis Casagrande built a home for the holidays — a gingerbread house complete with a wreath over the door, a cheery brick chimney, Christmas tree details carved into the walls and a patriotic Canadian flag doormat. You just may have a tough time seeing it, because the house is only one-tenth the size of a human hair. A research associate at the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at Hamilton’s McMaster University, Casagrande used a focused ion beam microscope to etch out the details in silicon. The tiny house is actually the topper on his other creation. Zoom out slightly from the house and you’ll see it’s actually perched atop a smiling snowman giving a mischievous wink. Read more about the microscopic creations here.

Today in history: December 20

1859: The first sod is turned at the start of the construction of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa.

1922: Fourteen Russian republics are combined as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

1993: Canada’s Fisheries Minister Brian Tobin announces a ban on cod fishing in most parts of the Atlantic region for 1994 because of severely depleted stocks.

2004: Utilities manager Stan Koebel is sentenced to one year in jail for his role in the tainted-water tragedy in Walkerton, Ont. His foreman brother, Frank Koebel, receives nine months of house arrest.

2013: The Supreme Court of Canada strikes down the prostitution laws in a 9-0 ruling. The landmark decision gives Parliament one year to produce new legislation, which it did with Bill C-36. It was passed in November 2014 and took effect on Dec. 6, 2014, and criminalizes the purchase of sex, but provides legal immunity to those who sell it.

2017: Justin Trudeau becomes the first prime minister found to have violated federal conflict of interest rules. Federal ethics commissioner Mary Dawson concludes Trudeau violated the rules regarding two vacations in 2016 at the private Bahamian island owned by the Aga Khan.