By Canadian Press

The Tuesday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Jan 24, 2017 | 2:45 PM

Highlights from the news file for Tuesday, Jan. 24

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TRUMP SIGNS KEYSTONE XL ORDER: The Keystone XL pipeline is back on – maybe. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday potentially reviving the Canada-to-Texas pipeline, the subject of a multi-year saga that cast a long shadow over Canada-U.S. relations. Trump signed a series of executive orders related to infrastructure and construction, the highest profile of which involved the pipeline project that would, once completed, carry more than one-fifth of the oil Canada exports to the U.S. It remains far from a done deal: there’s ongoing uncertainty on multiple fronts, including potential – and long-anticipated – legal and political fights.

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FEDS WELCOME TRUMP MOVE ON KEYSTONE XL: The Trudeau government is welcoming the news that U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order advancing the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, while maintaining that the project doesn’t upset its balance between the economy and the environment. Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said at a federal cabinet retreat Tuesday that it’s a good day for Alberta and a good day for Canada. Carr’s welcome came even though Trump provided few details about what his executive order covers, signed another order that U.S. pipelines should only use U.S. steel and said he wants Keystone XL details renegotiated.

Plans in place

Construction begins on permanent Humboldt Broncos memorial site

43m ago

Big Win Over La Ronge

North Stars shine against the Ice Wolves

4h ago

Healthcare

'It's terrifying': Health-care workers sound alarm at Legislative Building

Oct 04, 2024

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NDP SAYS FEDS SHOULD REJECT KEYSTONE XL: NDP Leader Tom Mulcair says rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline project would be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first opportunity to stand up to newly minted U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has moved to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines — projects shot down by the previous U.S. administration over environmental concerns. Mulcair has been unapologetic in his assessments of Trump, calling him “bombastic” and a “fascist.” He calls Keystone a “massive error” for Canada and wonders if Trudeau will approve the project, given the fact the Liberal government has already approved the Kinder Morgan and Line 3 projects.

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EU-CANADA TRADE DEAL CLOSER TO RATIFICATION: The trade agreement between the European Union and Canada has cleared a big hurdle in the EU’s parliament when the trade committee backed the deal and prepared it for full ratification next month. After the deal was signed in October, it still needs ratification by the EU’s Parliament. The trade committee backed it by a 25-15 margin with one abstention on Tuesday. The full legislature will vote on it next month. The EU says the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will remove almost all tariffs and boost trade with Canada by 12 billion euros a year, creating growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

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COURT REJECTS SAUDI ARMS CHALLENGE: The Federal Court has dismissed a challenge by a Quebec law professor to condemn the federal government’s $15-billion sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. University of Montreal law professor Daniel Turp, a former Bloc Quebecois MP, challenged export permits authorizing the deal, saying Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record should give the court the ability to review it. Justice Daniele Tremblay-Lamer ruled that the court’s role was not to “pass moral judgment” on the decision by then-foreign affairs minister Stephane Dion to issue export permits allowing the deal.

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MINISTER SAYS MILITARY SUSPENSION NOT A SECURITY MATTER:Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has ruled out national security concerns following the sudden suspension last week of the military’s second-highest-ranking officer. Government and military officials have been tight-lipped since Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was abruptly stripped of his responsibilities on Jan. 16, less than six months after becoming vice chief of defence staff. The information vacuum has prompted an outcry from opposition critics, who say Canadians deserve to know if there was ever a potential risk to national security given media reports of an RCMP investigation. While refusing to say why defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance suspended Norman, Sajjan said the case had nothing to do with security.

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‘FAKE NEWS’ TOOLS COMING TO CANADA: Two of the world’s biggest digital information platforms say they’re getting ready to roll out tools in Canada designed to crack down on so-called “fake news.” The phenomenon of false or misleading information being widely disseminated online became a major storyline in the U.S. presidential campaign. It’s also been happening in Canada: Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch’s campaign manager, Nick Kouvalis, has admitted posting false information about the Trudeau government in an effort to draw out left-leaning voters. Google and Facebook have been testing online tools in the U.S. and the U.K. aimed at helping users identify credible information posted on their web portals.

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BODIES EXHUMED IN MULTIPLE-HOMICIDE CASE: The bodies of two seniors were exhumed on Tuesday as part of a police investigation into a former Ontario nurse accused of killing eight patients in her care. Elizabeth Wettlaufer is also facing four attempted murder charges and two counts of aggravated assault. Police have alleged the crimes took place over the last decade at three long-term care facilities in Ontario where the 49-year-old Woodstock, Ont., woman worked as a registered nurse, and a private home. On Tuesday, London, Ont., police said the bodies of two alleged murder victims — Arpad Horvath, 75, and Helen Matheson, 95 — were removed from their graves.

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WISCONSIN CITY DEFENDS WATER PLAN: An American city is defending its plan to draw water from the Great Lakes, saying Canadian and U.S. mayors trying to block the move should be ignored. The Wisconsin city of Waukesha argues a decision last year that gave it permission to pipe water from Lake Michigan was error-free, protects the environment and does not need to be revisited in any way. It argued that although it’s located outside the boundary of the Great Lakes basin, it is part of a county straddling that geographical line and should be allowed access to the lake’s water. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, which represents more than 100 local governments on both sides of the border, is challenging that decision, saying it set a dangerous precedent.

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N.B. ASKED TO DROP WORD ‘NEGRO’ FROM PLACE NAMES: Name changes are being proposed for two places near New Brunswick’s largest city as part of a province-wide plan to update the use of the anachronistic word Negro. Ralph Thomas, president of Saint John-based group Pride of Race, Unity and Dignity through Education, said alternatives are being proposed for Negro Point Breakwater in west Saint John and for Negro Head in the nearby village of Lorneville. Thomas is working as part of a research project with the New Brunswick Black History Society and the province to identify areas for potential name changes. Thomas said it’s not known exactly how both places got their names.

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