Category Archives: Canada

‘Not fit to govern’: opposition leaders react to Trudeau blackface images – video

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Justin Trudeau has been branded 'hurtful' and 'hypocritical' by leaders of Canada's main opposition parties after images emerged of him in blackface.

Jagmeet Singh, leader of the Canadian New Democrats, said they showed a pattern of behaviour that 'makes light of the struggles people face' and raised questions about Trudeau's character. Andrew Scheer, leader of the Canadian Conservatives, said Trudeau had 'lost the moral authority to govern'.

Time magazine published an image of Trudeau wearing blackface as part of an Aladdin costume at a 2001 function at a school where he was teaching. Trudeau apologised and also acknowledged another incident where he had worn blackface during high school. Hours later, Global News published a video clip, apparently of another incident in which he had worn dark skin makeup.

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Trudeau says he can’t recall how many times he wore blackface makeup

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Footage emerges of third instance of Canadian prime minister in blackface, with one month to go before election

• How will Justin Trudeau’s blackface photos affect Canada’s election?

Justin Trudeau is scrambling to halt further damage to his re-election campaign after a string of racist images from his past put Canada’s image-conscious prime minister at the centre of yet another scandal.

Less than five weeks before the federal election on 21 October, the Liberal leader’s campaign was rocked when images emerged of Trudeau wearing blackface makeup.

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Justin Trudeau brownface: Canada PM apologises after image emerges

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Canadian prime minister says he deeply regrets image from 2001 party, which emerges weeks out from election

Justin Trudeau has apologised for wearing brownface makeup to a party when he was a teacher in 2001, saying “it was a racist thing to do”.

A photograph of Trudeau dressed in a turban and robes with brown makeup on his face, neck and hands, was published by Time magazine on Wednesday. It was taken when he was 29, while working as a teacher at West Point Grey Academy.

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Spy scandal: Canada reassures allies over leak that may be linked to Australian drug syndicate

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Intelligence officer Cameron Ortis had access to classified information from Five Eyes allies, including Australia

Canada is seeking to reassure its Five Eyes intelligence allies in the wake of a massive alleged spying leak that may be linked to an Australian drug-smuggling criminal syndicate.

Cameron Ortis, the director general of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s intelligence unit, has been charged over allegations he was trying to sell secrets to a foreign agent or terrorist group. He had access to classified information from Canada’s Five Eyes global allies, including Australia.

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Canada’s intelligence service: theft of information is ‘potentially devastating’

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Theft of classified information by a senior intelligence officer could ‘cause grave injury to Canada’s national interests’

The theft of classified information by a senior intelligence officer could be “devastating” to Canada’s national security, the country’s spy service has warned, as concern over the security breach continues to grow.

In a series of internal documents obtained by the CBC, Canada’s intelligence service outlined fears that details of the country’s spycraft could have been comprised after the theft of sensitive information by Cameron Ortis, 47, a director general with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s intelligence unit.

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Canada: arrest of ex-head of intelligence shocks experts and alarms allies

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Police say charges of stealing covert information against Cameron Ortis pose ‘potential risk’ for US, UK, New Zealand and Australia

Canada and its allies are scrambling to assess the damage inflicted by what experts believe could be the largest security breach in the country’s history after a senior federal intelligence official was arrested on charges of stealing covert information.

Following a lengthy investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted police, Cameron Ortis – the leader of the police force’s own intelligence unit – was charged on Friday with leaking or offering to share covert information.

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‘Irrelevant’: report pours scorn over Google’s ideas for Toronto smart city

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Independent panel criticises Sidewalk Labs over ‘frustratingly abstract’ proposals for new tech-oriented neighbourhood

A controversial smart city development in Canada has hit another roadblock after an oversight panel called key aspects of the proposal “irrelevant”, “unnecessary” and “frustratingly abstract” in a new report.

The project on Toronto’s waterfront, dubbed Quayside, is a partnership between the city and Google’s sister company Sidewalk Labs. It promises “raincoats” for buildings, autonomous vehicles and cutting-edge wood-frame towers, but has faced numerous criticisms in recent months.

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Polarised Canada to fire starting gun for October general election

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  • Justin Trudeau to request dissolution of parliament
  • ‘Divisions have never been starker’ before 21 October polling day

Campaigning for Canada’s federal election on 21 October will formally begin on Wednesday, as Justin Trudeau seeks a second parliamentary majority amid an increasingly divided electorate.

The prime minister will meet the governor general, Julie Payette, at 10am EST to officially request the dissolution of parliament and commence the country’s election, sending party leaders on the gruelling task of crisscrossing the vast country to pitch to voters.

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Man held hostage by Taliban-linked group says wife is ‘incompetent mother’

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Joshua Boyle, charged with sexual assault, tells court estranged wife Caitlan Coleman was unfit to parent the their four children

The Canadian man who spent five years held hostage in Afghanistan with his American wife has accused her of “incompetence” as a mother as his trial for sexual assault nears its conclusion.

Related: Canadian man held hostage by Taliban denies assaulting wife after release

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Trump’s trade war with China creates unexpected winner: Canada’s lobster industry

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Prices are at record levels and demand is growing for fishermen north of the border after China imposed tariffs on live lobsters

Long hours, rolling ocean swells, and the occasional spring snowstorm are all part of the job for Francis Morrissey.

“It’s bred into you from the time you’re a child: you either like the ocean or you don’t,” said the fisherman and business owner from the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. “Even when I’m in the office, I wish I was out there.”

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Hurricane Dorian: thousands may still be missing as death toll hits 43

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Rescuers battle to reach devastated communities as cruise ships arrive with supplies and volunteers

Rescue teams are still struggling to reach some flood-hit Bahamian communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian as top officials said the death toll had risen to 43, while it is feared hundreds, perhaps thousands, remain missing.

Government agencies and charities continued to bring desperately needed relief efforts to the Bahamas, including cruise ships loaded with supplies and volunteers.

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Canada manhunt: suspect’s father ’emotional’ after viewing final video

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  • Bryer Schmegelsky accused of three murders, with Kam McLeod
  • Police allow father to watch 30-second cellphone video

The father of a murder suspect who led Canadian police on a nationwide manhunt, was “emotional” after he was allowed to view a video of his son’s final words following weeks of negotiations with federal police.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had originally refused to allow Alan Schmegelsky to view the 30-second cellphone video, which his son Bryer had recorded before his death.

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Transgender teen fears being ‘stranded’ by father’s lawsuit to halt transition

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The case of a 14-year-old who identifies as a boy has sparked a debate over parental rights, free speech and informed consent

A transgender teen has issued an emotional plea to a Canadian court, arguing that he will be left “stranded” between genders if judges rule in favour of his father who took legal action to halt to his hormone treatment.

The case, which was heard at British Columbia’s highest court this week, centres on a 14-year-old from Vancouver, who started publicly identifying as a male at 11.

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Canadian man held hostage by Taliban denies assaulting wife after release

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Trial testimony wraps up in case of Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman, who married in 2011 and were kidnapped in Afghanistan

A Canadian man once held hostage with his American wife in Afghanistan denied assaulting her following their release, in trial testimony that wrapped up on Thursday.

Joshua Boyle, 35, was arrested and charged with assault, sexual assault and forcible confinement at the end of 2017 just two months after he and his wife Caitlan Coleman, 33, returned to Canada after their five-year hostage ordeal.

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Justin Trudeau seeks to repeat 2015 surge as Canada braces for election

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The prime minister is likely to call a vote for next month in which the environment, populism and Trump are all expected to feature

With the aura of his star power fading, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and his governing Liberal party are aiming to extend their parliamentary majority for another four years.

Related: Justin Trudeau: the rise and fall of a political brand

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Canada: workers race to free millions of salmon trapped after huge landslide

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  • Rockslide on banks of Fraser River created impassable barrier
  • Heavy machinery and helicopters used to help gather fish

Helicopters, heavy machinery and nearly 200 workers are frantically working to free millions of salmon trapped by a landslide in western Canada.

Government crews in the area have worked relentlessly along the banks of the Fraser River to clear debris after a rockslide, discovered in a late June, created an impassable 5m-high waterfall.

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French musician killed by bear in Canada

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Julien Gauthier, 44, was on an expedition recording sounds of nature for his music

A French artist who used sounds of nature in his music has been killed by a bear in Canada.

Friends said Julien Gauthier, 44, was the victim of an attack after a bear entered a camp near the village of Tulita, in the Northwest Territories, in the early hours of Thursday last week. The police have not yet publicly identified the victim.

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Canada manhunt fugitives recorded final video messages, family says

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Mobile phone footage reportedly shows Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky saying goodbye and describing last wishes

A mobile phone with a video shot by Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky could hold the key to why they embarked on a killing spree in Canada.

The two teenagers suspected of killing Australian tourist Lucas Fowler, his US girlfriend Chynna Deese, and Canadian botanist Leonard Dyck, left a “last will and testament” video message, according to the Toronto Star.

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Jack Letts stripped of British citizenship

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Canada accuses UK of ‘offloading responsibilities’ over dual-national Isis recruit

Jack Letts, who left his home in Oxfordshire to join Isis five years ago, has been stripped of his British citizenship while being held in a Syrian prison.

The move sparked a diplomatic row as Canada – where Letts qualifies for a passport through his father – accused the UK government of “offloading its responsibilities”.

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