By Canadian Press

Refugee safety and hospital interpreters; In-The-News for Nov. 4

Nov 6, 2019 | 6:31 AM

In-The-News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of Nov. 4.

What we are watching in Canada …

A long-awaited legal look into whether the U.S. remains a safe country for refugees begins today at a Federal Court in Toronto.

At issue is an international agreement that prohibits people from crossing into Canada from the United States at formal crossings and asking for asylum. 

The Safe Third Country Agreement was signed 17 years ago by Canada and the U.S., but recently has come under intense scrutiny as the U.S. has tightened its asylum rules and regulations.

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Refugee advocacy groups say the new American regime effectively cancels out the idea that the U.S. is safe for refugees, and therefore the agreement violates people’s charter and other rights.

The case was launched in 2017 after a Salvadoran woman tried to enter Canada at an official border crossing to ask for asylum, and was told she was inadmissible because of the deal.

In their filings, the federal government argues the U.S. asylum system still functions with checks and balances that provide adequate protection.

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Also this …

A University of Toronto researcher says hospitals across Canada should provide professional interpreters after a study revealed gaps in health care for patients with limited English skills.

Doctor Shail Rawal led a study with data from all patients discharged from two Toronto hospitals with either the acute conditions pneumonia and hip fracture, or heart failure and chronic obstructive lung disease.

The study found patients with limited English proficiency are more likely to return to the emergency room or be readmitted to hospital because they may not have understood instructions on taking medication compared with those who know the language and were discharged with similar health concerns.

Rawal’s study analyzed the data of nearly 10 thousand patients between 2008 and 2016.

She says medical errors can happen and patients may be misdiagnosed when they can’t communicate well enough with doctors so it’s important for hospitals across Canada, not just in the bigger cities, to provide professional interpreters at the bedside.

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What you may have missed …

Some high-profile people are rallying around a young Toronto Maple Leafs fan after his dad tweeted the 11-year-old had a disappointing birthday.

Leafs forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares are among those sending birthday wishes to Kade Foster in response to a viral tweet from his father, Jason Foster of Corner Brook, N.L.

Foster wrote that none of Kade’s friends showed up to the Saturday night party.

“That hurt. I’m asking my Twitter friends to show him some love today. If you have a minute, please send him a birthday wish,” he wrote, tagging Marner and Tavares.

By Sunday evening, Foster’s post had garnered at least 25,000 responses, including messages from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and actor Ben Stiller.

Foster later tweeted “We can’t comprehend what has happened today. Kade and the rest of us are just amazed. To everyone who sent Kade a message — thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

WASHINGTON — The whistleblower who raised alarms about U.S. President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and touched off the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry is willing to answer written questions submitted by House Republicans. That from the whistleblower’s lawyer.

The offer made over the weekend to Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the intelligence committee, was aimed in part at fending off escalating attacks by Trump and his GOP allies who are demanding the whistleblower’s identity be revealed.

It would allow Republicans to ask questions of the whistleblower without having to go through the committee’s chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff of California.

Mark Zaid, the whistleblower’s attorney, said the whistleblower would answer questions directly from Republican members “in writing, under oath & penalty of perjury.”

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

HANOI — Vietnamese police have arrested eight more suspects in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people who died in a refrigerated truck container in southeastern England.

Police say the eight were arrested Sunday on charges of organizing people smuggling overseas.

British police have charged 25-year-old Maurice Robinson, from Northern Ireland, with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people.

They say he drove the cab of the truck to Purfleet, where it picked up the container, which had arrived by ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Another man was arrested Friday in Ireland, and two others in Vietnam.

British police said Friday that all 39 people found dead in the truck on Oct. 23 were Vietnamese nationals.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov 4, 2019.

The Canadian Press