Category Archives: Canada

Canada to have first majority-female supreme court following nomination

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Justin Trudeau appoints Mary Moreau to bench of Canada’s top court, which will be made up of five women and four men

Justin Trudeau has nominated the Alberta judge Mary Moreau to Canada’s top court, setting up the first majority-female bench in the supreme court’s 148-year history.

The naming of Moreau will give Canada’s top court five female judges and four male judges. Moreau was most recently the chief justice of Alberta’s superior court, and has worked in that court for 29 years. She will fill a vacancy on the supreme court created by the resignation of Russell Brown in June.

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India resumes visa services in Canada after row over killing of Sikh separatist

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Tensions between the two countries peaked after Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered in Canada earlier this year

India’s embassy in Ottawa has announced that it will reopen visa services for Canadians, a move that could reduce tensions in a bitter dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

Relations between India and Canada plunged after Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, last month publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, allegations New Delhi called “absurd”.

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Canada tells of China-linked ‘spamouflage’ blitz on MPs’ social media

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Foreign ministry says bots posted conspiracy theories, lies and abuse as comments on feeds including that of prime minister Justin Trudeau

The Canadian government has said it has detected a China-linked campaign that involved bots posting disinformation and propaganda as comments on the social media feeds of members of parliament, including the prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

The “spamouflage” campaign, using networks of new and hijacked social media accounts to post bulk messages, took place in August and September, and targeted dozens of lawmakers from across the political spectrum, Canada’s foreign ministry announced.

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Canada withdraws 41 diplomats from India embassy amid murder dispute

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Country forced to reduce diplomatic presence amid tensions over Sikh separatist killing and says it will not take retaliatory steps

Canada has withdrawn 41 diplomats from India amid a dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist, announced foreign minister Melanie Joly, adding that Ottawa would not take retaliatory steps.

New Delhi last month asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence after prime minister Justin Trudeau said there was credible evidence of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder in June of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, who was shot outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.

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Giant tortoise named Frank the Tank seeks new home for next 100 years

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Tortoise is ‘bigger than the platter you’d use to serve 24 people a Thanksgiving turkey’ and was found abandoned in a spinach patch

Frank the Tank will chew through drywall and grow to the size of a wheelbarrow. He moves at his own meandering pace and will live for nearly a century – outlasting any prospective caregiver.

Caring for a 35lb sulcata tortoise is no small task, which is perhaps why Frank was recently abandoned in a patch of spinach in British Columbia. The plight of the lumbering reptile, has prompted widespread sympathy as his new carers try to find him a permanent home.

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Canada accuses China fighter jets of ‘reckless’ interception of military plane

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Defence minister says Chinese jet came within five meters of Canadian surveillance plane on UN operation over international waters

Canada’s defence minister has accused China fighter jets of carrying out a “dangerous and reckless” interception of a Canadian military plane over international waters.

Bill Blair spoke after Canada’s Global News said a Chinese jet had come within five meters (16ft) of a Canadian surveillance plane taking part in a UN operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea.

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Canada province uses constitutional override to advance pronoun legislation

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Saskatchewan invokes clause to push through controversial bill requiring parental consent for children to change pronouns

The Canadian province of Saskatchewan has invoked a rare constitutional mechanism to shield controversial gender pronoun legislation from legal challenges – a decision critics say violates the rights of minors.

On Monday, Saskatchewan’s legislative assembly started debate on Bill 137, which outlines the rights parents have as the “primary decision-maker” in their child’s education. Among the most controversial is the provision requiring parental consent before school staff use a desired gender identity or gender-related preferred name if the student is under the age of 16. The bill also says that if obtaining parental permission could cause harm to the child, the principal will connect the student with support to develop a plan to come out to their parents.

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Revealed: how a little-known pollution rule keeps the air dirty for millions of Americans

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Major investigation shows local governments are increasingly exploiting a loophole in the Clean Air Act, leaving more than 21 million Americans with air that’s dirtier than they realize

A legal loophole has allowed the US Environmental Protection Agency to strike pollution from clean air tallies in more than 70 counties, enabling local regulators to claim the air was cleaner than it really was for more than 21 million Americans.

Regulators have exploited a little-known provision in the Clean Air Act called the “exceptional events rule” to forgive pollution caused by “natural” or “uncontrollable” events – including wildfires – on records used by the EPA for regulatory decisions, a new investigation from The California Newsroom, MuckRock and the Guardian reveals.

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Canada rejects request to protect northern spotted owl habitat

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One wild-born owl remains in British Columbia, where logging concerns have destroyed the species’s old-growth forest home

Canadian cabinet ministers have rejected a plea by the country’s environment minister to save an endangered owl, casting doubt on the species’ survival in the coming years.

The Wilderness Committee environmental advocacy group announced on Wednesday that federal ministers had rejected a request for an emergency order to protect the northern spotted owl – a request submitted by environment minister Steven Guilbeault.

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Canada: police open criminal inquiry into billion-dollar green belt scandal

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Ontario premier Doug Ford’s office to ‘fully cooperate’ with investigation into scandal that has forced number of resignations

Canada’s federal police have opened a criminal investigation into a controversial plan to allow construction on greenbelt lands in Ontario, escalating a political scandal that has gripped the province and already forced a number of high-profile government resignations.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced on Tuesday that its sensitive and international investigations unit would investigate the C$8.3bn ($6.10bn) deal.

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‘Bear attack bad’: final message of Canadian couple killed by grizzly

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Officials say can of bear spray was emptied before attack in Banff national park in which Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, both 62, died

The final text message contained just three words: “Bear attack bad.”

Sent from a satellite device to family and rescue teams, it signalled that an autumn camping trip in Banff national park had gone terribly wrong.

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Canada’s first First Nations premier elected in Manitoba province

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Voters elect Wab Kinew, 41-year-old leader of the leftwing New Democratic party and a former rapper and broadcast journalist

The Canadian province of Manitoba has elected the country’s first First Nations premier, handing the progressive leader a legislative majority following a contentious election campaign.

Wab Kinew, the 41-year-old leader of the leftwing New Democratic party, has led the province’s party since 2017. A former rapper, broadcast journalist and university administrator, Kinew said his newly-elected government will focus on re-opening three emergency rooms shuttered in recent years. He also said the province would invest in more social housing.

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India orders Canada to remove 41 diplomats from Delhi embassy

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Relations between countries continue to fracture over alleged assassination of Sikh separatist in British Columbia

India has told Canada it must remove 41 diplomats from its embassy in Delhi amid a continuing diplomatic spat over Canadian accusations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader.

According to officials who spoke to the Financial Times, the Indian foreign ministry has given Canada a week to repatriate two-thirds of its diplomats stationed in India, reducing the number to 21. India’s ministry of external affairs declined to comment. An official familiar with the matter confirmed the report to the Associated Press.

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Two people and their dog killed in rare grizzly bear attack in Canada national park

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Couple have not yet been identified and bear demonstrating ‘aggressive behavior’ was killed by park rangers

Two people and their dog have been killed in a rare grizzly bear attack in Canada’s Banff national park, and the bear was later killed by park rangers.

The couple have not yet been identified but “loved the outdoors and were inseparable”, a family member said in a statement.

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Canada parliament speaker resigns after calling Ukrainian Nazi veteran a ‘hero’

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Anthony Rota steps down after meeting with party leaders in Ottawa having invited Yaroslav Hunka to special session

The speaker of Canada’s parliament has resigned after inviting a Ukrainian Nazi veteran to attend a special session of parliament, and then calling the man a “hero” amid two standing ovations.

Anthony Rota stepped down as speaker on Tuesday after meeting with party leaders in Ottawa amid growing cross-party calls for his resignation.

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FBI warned prominent US Sikhs of threats after murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada

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Revelation comes days after prime minister Justin Trudeau blamed the assassination of the Sikh activist on the Indian government

The FBI warned at least three Americans active in the Sikh community that their lives were in danger in the immediate aftermath of the murder of a Sikh activist in Canada last June.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has blamed the apparent assassination on the Indian government, as assessment that has reportedly been backed by Canadian and US intelligence sources and has created a rupture in Ottawa’s relationship with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s government.

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India-Canada row: Blinken calls on Delhi to cooperate in push for ‘accountability’ over killing

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Secretary of state says US takes ‘very, very seriously’ incidents of transnational repression amid dispute over killing of Sikh separatist in British Columbia

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has called on India to cooperate with Canada and ensure “accountability” over the killing of a Sikh separatist, after Ottawa accused Delhi of involvement.

Blinken said the United States has been in touch with both India, with which it has warming ties, and Canada, a close ally, after the two countries engaged in tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions.

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Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 577 of the invasion

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Canada pledges an extra C$650m in military aid during Zelenskiy visit; Ukrainian airstrike on Crimea hits Russia’s Black Sea navy headquarters

Ukraine’s military said its forces had “successfully” struck the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea navy in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Friday. Russia’s defence ministry said that one military serviceman was missing. Footage posted on social media showed clouds of white smoke billowing from the rooftop of the HQ building. Russian sources reported that the strike was carried out using Storm Shadow missiles provided by the UK and launched from Ukrainian aircraft.

A Russian missile strike on civilian infrastructure in Kremenchuk in the central Poltava region of Ukraine killed one person and injured 15 others, the regions’ governor, Dmytro Lunin, said on Friday via Telegram. He said one child was among the injured and that Ukrainian air defences downed one of the missiles launched.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has bolstered military aid to Ukraine following a visit to Canada, with Ottawa promising an extra C$650m ($482m) over the next three years. Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said the aid included money for 50 armoured vehicles. He will also send F-16 trainers for pilots and maintenance so Ukraine is able to maximise its use of donated fighter jets.

Zelenskiy thanked Canada for its military support, and hailed the historic and communal ties between the two countries, in an impassioned speech at the Canadian parliament on Friday. “You’re always on the bright side of history … I have no doubt that you will choose the side of freedom and justice,” the Ukrainian president said.

The US president, Joe Biden, has told Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the US will provide a small number of long-range missiles to help in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, three US officials and a congressional official told NBC News on Friday. The officials did not confirm when the missiles would be delivered.

The Russian deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, held a meeting with Russian oil company managers on Friday to discuss the domestic fuel market, the government said. Russia temporarily banned exports of petrolium and diesel to all countries outside a circle of four ex-Soviet states with immediate effect, the government said on Thursday, without a specified end date.

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Zelenskiy urges Canada to stay with Ukraine as he speaks to parliament

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Ukrainian president thanks Canada for financial support and says ‘stay with us to our victory’

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged Canada to stay with Ukraine to victory as he went to the Canadian Parliament seeking to bolster support from western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion.

“Moscow must lose once and for all. And it will lose,” Zelenskiy said during his address in parliament on Friday.

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Ontario premier reverses plans to build on green belt after ministers quit

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‘It was a mistake,’ says Doug Ford to allow development in protected areas of Greenbelt amid scandal that cost him ministers

Ontario’s premier has reversed course on a controversial multibillion-dollar land swap deal, saying it was a “mistake” to allow development in protected areas of the green belt around Toronto. The abrupt reversal comes after the scandal has cost him a pair of cabinet ministers, two damning reports from government watchdogs and mounting public outrage.

“I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise. And for that, I am very, very sorry,” Doug Ford told reporters on Thursday afternoon. “It was a mistake to open the Greenbelt … I’m not perfect. No government is perfect.”

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