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

Feb 14, 2017 | 2:15 PM

Highlights from the news file for Tuesday, Feb. 14

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’60S SCOOP PLAINTIFFS WIN CLASS ACTION: Canada failed to take reasonable steps to prevent thousands of on-reserve children who were placed with non-native families from losing their indigenous heritage during the ’60s Scoop, an Ontario judge ruled in a landmark case Tuesday. The decision in the long-running and bitterly fought class action paves the way for an assessment of damages the government will now have to pay and was hailed as a major step toward reconciliation and healing. The lawsuit launched eight years ago sought $1.3 billion on behalf of about 16,000 indigenous children in Ontario who claimed they were harmed by being placed in non-aboriginal homes from 1965 to 1984 under terms of a federal-provincial agreement. In siding with the plaintiffs, Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba found Canada had breached its “duty of care” to the children. The judge also found that Ottawa breached part of the agreement that required consultation with Indian bands about the child-welfare program.

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GOODALE TO RAISE BORDER TENSIONS WITH U.S.: Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says he will soon talk face-to-face with his U.S. counterpart about the difficulties some Canadians are experiencing at the border. Goodale says he will have a chance in coming weeks to discuss any border tensions with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. No date or location has been set for the meeting. The Nexus trusted-traveller cards of about 200 Canadian permanent residents were suddenly cancelled after President Donald Trump issued an executive immigration order banning visitors from seven largely Muslim countries. At the same time, Manitoba is grappling with an influx of refugees crossing at remote border points. The issues have threatened to overshadow progress Canada made this week in Washington on plans for cargo preclearance to speed up trade and more extensive co-operation on guarding against cyberthreats.

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LIBERALS DEFEAT MOTION ON ELECTORAL REFORM: Liberal MPs have defeated a motion that accused the government of misleading Canadians when it promised to eliminate the first-past-the-post voting system in time for the next election. The motion put forward in the House of Commons by the New Democrats was defeated 175-129. The motion would also have called on the Liberal government to apologize for breaking the pledge. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised on the campaign trail and in the speech from the throne to change the way Canadians cast their ballots in time for 2019. The Liberal government abandoned that idea earlier this month, arguing their consultations on the issue did not produce a consensus on the best way forward. Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould will likely be grilled on the decision when she appears in the Senate chamber for question period Tuesday.

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RCMP SAYS FOUR PEOPLE CROSS QUEBEC BORDER ON FOOT: The RCMP are confirming they arrested four people who crossed illegally into Quebec today near the Vermont border. Cpl. Francois Gagnon says the migrants were arrested near Hemmingford, Que., as the province continues to see an influx of refugee claimants arriving from the U.S. Gagnon couldn’t provide details on the latest border jumpers but says his officers intercept people every day who enter the province illegally. He says most of them ask to claim refugee status and are taken to a nearby border station for processing. Officials say a growing number of refugee claimants are crossing the U.S. border into Canada illegally, with the largest increase being recorded in Quebec. The Canada Border Services Agency says 452 people made a refugee claim at Quebec land border crossings in January.

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FEDS WRITE OFF $178M IN STUDENTS LOANS: The federal government for the second year in a row is writing off millions in student loans it will never collect, this time to the tune of $178.4 million. The money represents 32,554 loans that federal officials believe they will never be able to collect, either because a debtor may have filed for bankruptcy, the debt itself has passed a six-year legal limit on collection, or the debtor can’t be found. Last year, the government wrote off 33,967 loans totalling $176 million. Federal officials have increased their efforts in recent years to collect outstanding student loans after watching write-offs hit $312 million in 2012 and $295 million in 2015. The previous Conservative government ordered officials to ramp up collection efforts in order to bring the write-offs under control. The Liberals’ first budget offered a new tool for the Canada Revenue Agency in its collection efforts: legal changes allowing it to use tax information for the purpose of collecting debts from the student loan program overseen by Employment and Social Development Canada. The CRA had expected to receive that power last year, but the federal election delayed political approval.

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SASKATCHEWAN MAN GUILTY OF THREATENING TRUDEAU: A Saskatchewan man has been found guilty of uttering threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Christopher Hayes has been fined $500, given nine months probation, which includes not attending Trudeau events, and is prohibited from owning firearms for three years. Hayes said on Facebook on March 6 that he was going to shoot Trudeau and in another post on July 8, Hayes wrote that he wouldn’t physically harm Trudeau, but said the PM should be shot dead. Court heard that Hayes wasn’t charged by RCMP after the first post because the investigating officer believed Hayes understood the mistake he had made and would not do it again. But in a statement to police after the second post, Hayes agreed when the officer said that he had crossed a line. Provincial court Judge Ross Green wrote in his decision that he had no hesitation in finding that a reasonable person would find both posts constitute a threat towards the prime minister.

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QUEBEC PHILOSOPHER CHANGES MIND ON SECULARISM: After Quebec’s mosque shooting, an internationally acclaimed philosopher who heavily influenced the province’s debate on secularism said Tuesday he no longer thinks it’s a good idea to ban people from wearing hijabs on the job. Charles Taylor, the award-winning McGill University professor emeritus, wrote a letter in Montreal La Presse stating the province shouldn’t take any more steps that could further stigmatize minorities. “The time when the majority in our society can act without regard for marginalized minorities is over,” he wrote. Taylor’s voice looms large in the province’s secularism debate. The 2008 report he co-authored with historian Gerard Bouchard on the accommodation of religious minorities was a precursor to the contentious secularism charter introduced by the Parti Quebecois in 2013. In the report, the two men recommended state employees in “coercive” positions, such as judges, Crown prosecutors and prison guards, be prohibited from wearing conspicuous religious symbols on the job. Its recommendations were broadly interpreted by the then-governing PQ, which introduced a charter that sought to ban all employees of the state, including doctors and teachers, from wearing religious symbols at work.

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RCMP WARN OF ONLINE DATING SCAMS: Romance may be in the air on Valentine’s Day, but RCMP say those looking for love online need to protect their wallets as well as their hearts. Some 748 people lost more than $17 million to online dating scams last year, the force said as it urged anyone using apps or websites to find dates to be cautious. The victims are largely in their mid-40s to late 50s, with each gender as likely to fall prey to scams, said Sgt. Guy-Paul Larocque. Some have been cheated out of more than $100,000, he said. Many are reluctant to report the crime, out of embarrassment or — in the case of older people — out of fear that they will lose independence as concerned family members step in, he said. Scammers create fake online profiles in order to gain someone’s trust then ask for money, often claiming to be faced with an emergency, RCMP said. That can involve fake social media profiles as well as those on dating sites or apps. Some red flags to watch for include someone professing their love before meeting in person, or claiming to be from the same town but working overseas, which may be a setup to ask for money later, the force said.

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BUS DRIVER DIED AFTER ATTACK, MAN ARRESTED: Winnipeg police say a 58-year-old transit bus driver died after he was stabbed by a passenger early Tuesday morning. Chief Danny Smyth says the driver — Irvine Fraser — was attacked when he was stopped at the end of his route at the University of Manitoba. Smyth says first responders found Fraser with serious stab wounds around 2 a.m. and took him to hospital where he died. “Police responded to the scene within moments of the attack,” Smyth said Tuesday. “Witnesses were able to direct police to the Red River.” The canine unit found a 22-year-old suspect on the frozen Red River near the campus, where he was arrested. “The suspect was trying to cross the river,” Smyth said. “A canine unit member was able to apprehend the suspect before he crossed the river.” A canine officer went onto the ice to continue the investigation and fell through, he said. The officer was rescued and is uninjured.

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THREE DEAD, CHILD INJURED IN BRAMPTON, ONT., HOUSE FIRE: Police say three people who died this morning in a house fire in Brampton, Ont., were members of one family. Peel regional police say a young girl, also a member of the same family, was rescued and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. She was listed in stable condition, while her mother, father and sister were killed in the blaze. Brampton Fire Chief Michael Clark says that by the time firefighters arrived on scene shortly after 4 a.m., someone had broken down the door to the main floor and saved the young girl. The child suffered third-degree burns and smoke inhalation and was rushed to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. Clark says firefighters attacked the fire from the front of the house and had the blaze under control in 10 minutes. He said it appeared the fire started on the main floor in the living room. He says firefighters then entered the house through the side and searched the basement before making their way upstairs.

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The Canadian Press