TORONTO -- Canada has had nearly 725,500 total cases of COVID-19, with more than 67,000 cases still active. Here's what else you need to know to start your day.

1. First call: U.S. President Joe Biden’s first call to a foreign leader will be to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this Friday, the White House has announced. 

2. Canada-U.S. relations: Canadians can expect some major changes in U.S. relations under U.S. President Joe Biden, who campaigned on a platform that diverged drastically from Donald Trump's policies in both substance and tone.  

3. Sloan booted: Controversial MP Derek Sloan was kicked out of the Conservative caucus Wednesday, a move party leader Erin O'Toole said was due to a "pattern of destructive behaviour" that had become a distraction.  

4. Budget pitches: Pfizer Canada is pitching the federal government to bring in new tax breaks and change related corporate tax policies, suggesting the feds need to do more to incentivize pharmaceutical companies to invest domestically in a post-pandemic world.  

5. Vaccine tourism: Snowbirds hoping to skip the wait in Canada by flying to Florida for COVID-19 vaccines now face a tougher set of rules aimed at stopping vaccine tourism.  

One more thing…

Stutter stigma: While U.S. President Joe Biden's verbal stumbles on the campaign trail caused some to question his mental fitness, a speech therapist says people may be more understanding if they understood the challenges of having a stutter.   

Biden