Seven stories in the news today, Oct. 3

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SPIES USING C-51 TO GATHER DETAINEE INFO: MEMO

A government memo says Canada’s spy agency is using controversial powers under the C-51 anti-terrorism legislation to gather intelligence from Canadians held in foreign prisons. The memo was sent to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale from CSIS director Michel Coulombe. Amnesty International Canada and the NDP are expressing concern about the potential pitfalls of the previously unknown information-sharing arrangement between the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Global Affairs Canada.

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MAJORITY SUPPORT FOR CARBON PRICING: POLL

Canada’s environment ministers will take a first crack today at hashing out a national plan for meeting the country’s international climate commitments. Justin Trudeau’s Liberals won a majority mandate on a green election platform that included pricing carbon. And a new Nanos Research poll suggests three quarters of Canadians support creating a national plan to achieve the carbon cuts Canada agreed to under the Paris accord.

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LIBERALS FALL SHORT ON GREEN JOBS PROMISE

The Trudeau Liberals are having trouble keeping their promise to create thousands of green jobs for young Canadians. The prime minister vowed during the election campaign to create five-thousand green jobs for young Canadians annually, with thousands slated to be guides and interpreters at Parks Canada. Figures provided by Parks Canada show the agency employed 1,636 students this past summer, which was 435 more than last year, but still well short of the number Trudeau promised.

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CAMECO AND CRA HEAD TO COURT OVER TAX DISPUTE

The world’s largest publicly traded uranium company will clash in court this week with the Canadian Revenue Agency over a potential $2.2-billion tax bill. At issue is whether Saskatoon-based Cameco Corp. set up a subsidiary in Switzerland as a tax dodge, as the CRA contends — or whether it was a legal and sound business practice, as Cameco maintains.

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FARMING GROUPS WANT MEETING WITH TRANSPORT MINISTER

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture says the federal government isn’t paying enough attention to farmers’ concerns about a report that calls for major changes to grain rail transportation. Federation president Ron Bonnett says another bumper crop is on the way and farmers are worried about a repeat of the rail bottleneck in 2013-2014 that cost the economy billions of dollars. The federation wants Transport Minister Marc Garneau to consider the input of farmers as he reviews the report that calls for overhauling the Canada Transportation Act.

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WHITEHORSE INN BASKS IN GLOW OF ROYAL VISIT

A hotel in Whitehorse is getting international attention after playing host to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Prince William and Kate spent last Tuesday night at the Coast High Country Inn during the Yukon leg of their tour. Some international media have critiqued the accommodations, with the U-K’s Daily Mail calling the hotel “rustic” and noting its three-star rating. Philip Fitzgerald with Northern Vision Development, which owns the inn, says he’s now expecting a lot of reservations for the royal suite.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Seven stories in the news today, Oct. 3

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