Canadian PM forced to wear bulletproof vest at campaign rally after security fears
The main rivals to Canada’s Liberal prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said a threat that forced him to wear a bulletproof vest at an election rally was a concerning sign for the country’s democracy.
Trudeau arrived 90 minutes late to the rally outside Toronto wearing bulky protection under his shirt, a Reuters witness said, after receiving a security threat.
Continue reading...Bernier faces competition from the Rhino party’s candidate of the same name – but poking fun can make people more engaged
In the Quebec riding of Beauce, Maxime Bernier is bringing badly needed levity to Canada’s looming federal election.
Not the Maxime Bernier who leads the populist rightwing People’s party of Canada most known for its anti-immigration stance
Continue reading...Continent could lose 389 of 604 species studied to threats from rising temperatures, higher seas, heavy rains and urbanization
Two-thirds of bird species in North America are at risk of extinction because of the climate crisis, according to a new report from researchers at the Audubon Society, a leading US conservation group.
Related: Record numbers of Australia's wildlife species face 'imminent extinction'
Continue reading...PM immediately targeted over blackface scandal but says choice is about two parties with ‘very different views’ on global heating
On a crowded stage where debate often devolved into a cacophony of crosstalk, Canada’s federal leaders – including a fringe far-right candidate – have sought to sway voters before the country’s election.
Over two hours, federal political leaders lobbed the majority of their attacks at the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, in the only official English language debate before 21 October.
Continue reading...Government to appeal ruling that found youth were ‘wilfully and recklessly harmed’ under welfare system
The government of Justin Trudeau will appeal a court ruling that found Indigenous youth were “wilfully and recklessly” harmed under national child welfare policies, in a move that could block billions of dollars in compensation.
In September, the Canadian human rights tribunal found that the federal government’s on-reserve child welfare system unfairly discriminated against Indigenous youth, severely underfunding their care.
Continue reading...Prosecutors say Joshua Boyle, Canadian man on trial for assaulting his wife, advanced a narrative that’s ‘incompatible with reality’
The testimony of Joshua Boyle, the former Afghanistan hostage on trial for assaulting his wife, was intentionally crafted to mislead the court, prosecutors have argued in closing arguments.
Crown lawyers once again took aim at Joshua Boyle’s credibility on Wednesday, suggesting he had manipulated his testimony for self-serving ends.
Continue reading...Canadian Joshua Boyle was described as manipulative and abusive to his American wife after they returned from Afghanistan
Canadian prosecutors have described Joshua Boyle as manipulative and abusive, dismissing the former hostage’s testimony as a “fictional, self-serving narrative” as the crown began its closing arguments in the high-profile trial.
On Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors attacked the credibility of Boyle, who, along with his American wife Caitlan Coleman, spent five years as captives of a Taliban-linked militia after they were kidnapped in Afghanistan.
Continue reading...The Canadian prime minister achieved a historic victory in 2015 but as he nears the end of his first term a series of scandals are making his political future less certain. With elections next month, journalist Leyland Cecco discusses how likely it is Trudeau will repeat his initial success. And: Kaitlyn Regehr on why new sex education lessons in schools are already outdated
As Justin Trudeau looks to renew his parliamentary majority in a forthcoming federal election, a series of scandals have made his political future uncertain. Most recently, the publication of a series of images showing Trudeau in blackface forced the Canadian prime minister to admit he could not recall how many times he had worn it.
Toronto-based journalist Leyland Cecco talks to Rachel Humphreys about Trudeau’s first term in office and whether he can rescue his campaign to win a second – opinion polls shows him in a tight race against his Conservative rival.
The two fugitives responsible for a manhunt across Canada recorded video confessions for the murders of three people – and planned for more victims before killing themselves, police revealed on Friday. At a press conference in Vancouver, the Royal Canadian Mounted police released a 13-page report detailing key findings of the extensive investigation, including the recovery of six videos and three images from a camera. They said they had decided not to release the videos of the killers themselves because the suspects 'may have made them for notoriety' and their release could sensationalise their actions.
Continue reading...Killers recorded video confessions of murders of Australian tourist, his American girlfriend and Canadian professor
The two fugitives responsible for a frantic manhunt across Canada recorded video confessions for the murders of three people – and planned for more victims before killing themselves, police revealed Friday.
At a press conference in Vancouver, the Royal Canadian Mounted police released a 13-page report detailing key findings of the extensive investigation, including the recovery six videos and three images from a camera.
Continue reading...Teen has private meeting with Canadian prime minister, who later says he ‘agrees with her completely’
The teen activist Greta Thunberg has urged Justin Trudeau and other world leaders to do more for the environment as she led half a million protesters in Montreal as part of a global wave of “climate strikes.”
The 16-year-old Swede met privately with the Canadian prime minister but later told a news conference with local indigenous leaders that he was “not doing enough” to curb greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
Continue reading...Residents of city’s Parc-Ex district, one of Canada’s poorest areas, and part of Justin Trudeau’s own electoral district, say a new university campus is driving them out
Parc-Extension in Papineau, Quebec, is one of Canada’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. Of the approximately 30,000 people who live in Parc-Ex, 61% were born outside Canada. The area is one of the country’s poorest: 43% of households live below the poverty line, perhaps a somewhat surprising fact given that it is also part of the riding (electoral district) represented by the Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau .
Despite being located in the centre of bustling Montreal, Parc-Ex feels isolated and is physically closed off from the rest of the city by borders on all sides. There’s a highway to the north, a large park to the east, train tracks to the south and a fence to the west, built by a posher neighbouring borough.
Continue reading...Image of Elizabeth May manipulated to make it seem as if she was using a reusable cup and metal straw instead of a disposable cup
Canada’s Green party has admitted to manipulating a photograph on its website to make it seem as if the party leader was using a reusable plastic cup and metal straw instead of a disposable paper cup.
The image shows Elizabeth May, smiling and holding a plastic cup emblazoned with the Green party logo and with a metal straw inserted in its cover.
Continue reading...Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou – the Huawei executive at the centre of an extradition battle that has poisoned relations between Canada and China – have argued that officials misled her when she was detained at Vancouver airport.
Before Meng was formally arrested on 1 December, she was questioned for nearly three hours by Canadian border agents. She was also asked to surrender her electronic devices, which border agents searched.
Continue reading...The Canadian prime minister is no monster, but he has spent years basking in a progressive image he doesn’t deserve
Justin Trudeau has had a colourful few days, hasn’t he? First there was a picture of him in brownface. Then there was a picture of him in blackface, which was swiftly followed by another picture of him in blackface. Then, as everyone was wondering how many more pictures of Trudeau in racist makeup there could possibly be, he admitted he wasn’t sure himself. He is just really fond of dressing up, you know? An overenthusiastic sort of guy. He is super-apologetic about the whole thing, but can’t everyone just lighten up?
Anyway, you know what this sorry saga is (apart from a huge blow to Trudeau’s #wokeboy brand)? It is what mummy bloggers like to call a “teachable moment”. And it shouldn’t teach Trudeau only how incredibly unacceptable and upsetting blackface is.
Continue reading...Labour MP says Canadian PM’s scandal reveals ‘even liberal leaders’ succumb to racism
The Labour MP David Lammy has blamed the decision by Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to blacken his face at a party on pervasive racist tropes that even “liberal leaders” succumb to, as he made calls to tackle white supremacy and privilege.
Speaking at a fringe event at the party’s conference in Brighton, the anti-racism campaigner spoke out about old pictures that have emerged of Trudeau in blackface, including one of him dressed up for an Arabian Nights themed gala while still a teacher in 2001.
Continue reading...The double Olympic champion was denied her bid to escape a coach she says abused and harassed her, exposing a numbingly familiar truth: the system is not set up to support survivors
Kaillie Humphries brought glory to Canada time and again on the world stage, winning a gold medal in the two-woman bobsleigh at the Vancouver Olympics and becoming the first woman ever to successfully defend her title in Sochi four years later. She has challenged gender norms in sport by being one of the first few women to compete in mixed gender racing, then in 2016 drove an all-woman team against men in international competition.
Technically speaking, Humphries is badass, and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton has adored her. The true north has only started to utter it’s polite disdain since last week when Humphries announced that she wanted to leave the national federation because she had endured verbal and mental abuse from head coach Todd Hays. Humphries declared her intention to switch federations and compete under the American flag moving forward. “I need to be the best athlete I can be and go where it’s safe and where I have an opportunity to continue my career” she said in an interview with CBC Sports. “And unfortunately, that is not with Bobsleigh Canada anymore.”
Continue reading...More than one in four birds have been lost across diverse groups and habitats, in what researchers describe as a ‘wake-up call’
The US and Canada have lost more than one in four birds – a total of three billion – since 1970, culminating in what scientists who published a new study are calling a “widespread ecological crisis”.
Researchers observed a 29% decline in bird populations across diverse groups and habitats – from songbirds such as meadowlarks to long-distance migratory birds such as swallows and backyard birds like sparrows.
Continue reading...Incident has landed the prime minister in hot water as his Liberal party fights to secure another term in a tightly contested election
Canadians have long been aware that Justin Trudeau likes to dress up.
His tendency to appropriate dress and customs from other cultures has prompted gentle mockery from rival politicians and the media: on a trip to India last year, he was photographed in a kurta on numerous occasions. He has Indigenous art tattooed his shoulder. He wears Ramadan socks and dances to bhangra music.
Continue reading...Justin Trudeau has apologised for the second time in 24 hours for wearing blackface – but said he was unable to confirm whether there were further instances yet to come to light. The Canadian prime minister claimed he was 'wary about being definitive' about how many times he had done so. Trudeau said he recognised his behaviour had been 'absolutely unacceptable' and caused hurt to minority communities.
Trudeau's re-election campaign was rocked when Time magazine published an image of him wearing blackface at a 2001 'Arabian nights' party. In an apology, Trudeau admitted to wearing blackface while at high school. Hours later, Global News published a video appearing to show a separate incident with Trudeau wearing dark skin makeup on his face, arms and legs.