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

CANADIAN LABOUR LEADER BOB WHITE DIES: Canadian labour leader Bob White, who was instrumental in creating the Canadian Auto Workers union, has died at the age of 81. White, who passed away Sunday in Kincardine, Ont., led the movement that saw the Canadian branch of the United Auto Workers break away from its American parent in the mid-1980s to establish the CAW. His death was announced by Unifor — created in 2013 from the combination of the CAW and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union — which said he “passed away peacefully” without specifying the cause of his death. Unifor president Jerry Dias said in a statement that “Bob was a true maverick in the Canadian labour movement.” White was elected the CAW’s founding president in 1985, and again in 1988 and 1991.

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NEW BRUNSWICK SEES SPIKE IN REFUGEE CLAIMS FROM U.S.: The number of refugee claimants crossing into New Brunswick from the United States saw a significant increase last year. According to figures released by the Canadian Border Services Agency, there were 23 refugee claimants at the border in 2016, which was more than the previous four years combined. The numbers include those seeking asylum at official points of entry, and those stopped by police after crossing in remote locations. There were seven refugee claimants in each year between 2011 and 2013, four in 2014 and only two in 2015. According to the border agency, there was one refugee claimant at the New Brunswick border last month. A growing number of people are choosing to walk across the border into Canada to claim refugee status. The tactic is a way to avoid the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement, which prevents most people who have been living in the United States from making a refugee claim at an official border crossing on the premise that they are already somewhere safe.

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OPIOID CRISIS HIGHLIGHTED BY OTTAWA FAMILY: An Ottawa father is calling on parents of teens struggling with drug addiction to speak up after he found his daughter’s friend unconscious in his garage on New Year’s Eve. For Sean O’Leary, the issue is personal — he wakes up every day to check if his 16-year-old is still alive. O’Leary’s experience prompted him to write an open letter that has generated a widespread response from parents facing similar challenges. Paige O’Leary has struggled with drugs since she was 15, including most recently with the opioid Percocet. She says she went to rehab this fall only to start using Percocet five days after her December release. The severity of the opioid crisis in Canada and the United States was included in a joint statement last week following a meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump.

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TRUMP TAPS MILITARY STRATEGIST AS SECURITY ADVISER: U.S.: President Donald Trump has tapped Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new national security adviser, replacing the ousted Michael Flynn. Trump announced the pick Monday at his Palm Beach club and said McMaster is “a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience.” The president, who has no military experience, has shown a preference for generals in the top security roles. McMaster, who wore his uniform for the announcement, joins Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, both retired generals. Trump pushed out Flynn a week ago after revelations that the adviser had misled Pence about discussing sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential transition. Trump said in a news conference Thursday that he was disappointed by how Flynn had treated Pence, but did not believe Flynn had done anything wrong by having the conversations.

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TRIBUNAL SAYS BELL DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ILL WOMAN: The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal says Bell Canada discriminated against a seriously ill woman by forcing her to violate her doctor’s orders and go to a store in person in order to acquire a cellphone. Linda Mills of London, Ont., was bedridden and recovering from both chemotherapy and a stroke at the time of the incident in July 2014. The tribunal decision says Mills wanted to acquire a phone and activate it the same day, adding Bell Canada only offered that service in-store to people who could present photo ID. Mills was under doctor’s orders to stay home due to her compromised immune system, so her son tried to collect the phone on her behalf. The decision says Bell sales associates refused to account for these circumstances, forcing Mills to violate her doctor’s instructions in order to pick up the phone she needed to have on hand as a safety measure given her illness. The tribunal found Bell discriminated against Mills on the grounds of disability and ordered the company to make its policies more accommodating within the next six months. Bell must also pay Mills $10,000 plus interest as compensation.

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PETITION ASKS POLICE TO SAY IN VANCOUVER PRIDE PARADE: A push to exclude police from Vancouver’s Pride Parade is experiencing push back from a group that says not allowing officers to take part in the event risks undermining the positive relationship between the LGBTQ community and law enforcement. Sandy Leo, a longtime trans-activist in the city, says more than 2,600 people have signed a petition opposing demands from a local chapter of Black Lives Matter that the Vancouver police voluntarily withdraw their float from this year’s parade. Leo says that while the grievances of Black Lives Matter are real and warrant discussion, police have marched in Vancouver’s Pride Parade since 2002 and to oust them now would be counter-productive to progress already made. Black Lives Matter Vancouver asked police last summer to remove their float from the parade as a “show of solidarity and understanding” that officer involvement makes some participants feel unsafe.

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TSB WANTS AIR TRAVELLERS TO BUCKLE UP: The Transportation Safety Board warned air travellers of the importance of wearing seatbelts as it released a report Monday that found a failure to buckle up left 21 people injured when a Toronto-bound flight hit severe turbulence in December 2015. The incident took place on an Air Canada flight travelling from Shanghai to Toronto when the Boeing 777 hit severe turbulence over Alaska. “Most of the passengers who were physically injured were aware that they were required to wear their seatbelts, but chose not to,” the TSB said. Most of the injuries sustained were sprains, strains, bruising and scrapes, but one passenger was seriously injured and required an extended stay in hospital, the TSB said. Three of the injured were children, it said.

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ATLANTIC PREMIERS TALK TRADE, GROWTH STRATEGY: Promoting and strengthening trade ties with the United States was one of the main priorities discussed by Atlantic Canada’s premiers during a two-day meeting in Newfoundland and Labrador. The premiers say they are conscious of the need to promote Atlantic Canada’s interests with the region’s largest trading partner, especially in areas such as softwood lumber. New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant says the four provinces plan to sell U.S. businesses on the importance of the trading relationship with Canada. Gallant says it’s a message they plan to promote “consistently and aggressively.” The premiers say trade will be a key theme when they meet with their New England counterparts in Charlottetown in August. They say for the first time the conference will include a forum to bring together business interests from both sides of the border to discuss trade and commercial issues.

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MONTREAL COUNCIL PASSES SANCTUARY MOTION: Montreal city council passed a motion Monday making it the latest Canadian jurisdiction to declare itself a “sanctuary city.” The designation means undocumented refugees will have full access to local services regardless of their status, with the city following in the footsteps of Toronto, Hamilton and London, Ont. Migrant rights’ groups called the measure a largely symbolic gesture as Montreal joins other North American places such as San Francisco and Chicago as designated sanctuary cities. A number of groups told a news conference a few hours before the motion passed that while the gesture would be in good faith, it would not provide the tangible changes to make Montreal truly a sanctuary city and a safer place to be.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

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

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