By Canadian Press

In the news today: Israeli ground forces in Gaza as Canada debates humanitarian pause

Oct 31, 2023 | 2:18 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Palestinian, Israeli advocates in Ottawa reject temporary pauses in Gaza fight

A temporary respite from Israel-Hamas hostilities should not be Canada’s focus, Israeli and Palestinian advocates argued separately on Parliament Hill Monday, even as the Canadian government continued to push for “humanitarian pauses.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in a Monday speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto that a humanitarian agreement is urgently needed to help people in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.

Israel declared war against Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks, in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and 222 taken hostage, according to the Israeli government.

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Israeli ground forces are currently attacking Hamas militants and infrastructure in northern Gaza as warplanes strike across the sealed-off territory.

Police testimony set to resume in convoy trial

The trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is set to resume today with the continued testimony of an officer who served as a liaison between the Ottawa Police Service and demonstrators.

Sgt. Jordan Blonde, a police officer who described himself as a “secondary” contact for Barber, will be back on the stand today.

On Friday, Blonde described “hostile” scenes leading up to a police operation to forcibly remove demonstrators out of Ottawa’s downtown in the early 2022 protests against COVID-19 public-health measures.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

B.C. commits to mandatory Holocaust education for Grade 10 students

British Columbia has plans to make Holocaust education mandatory for high school students with additions to Grade 10 curriculum coming in 2025.

It has been a “frightening time” for the Jewish community after deadly terrorists attacks by Hamas militants in Israel earlier this month, Premier David Eby told an audience at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Monday.

There has been a rise in antisemitism in the province, he said, pointing to examples including recent death threats against two Jewish women at a peaceful vigil and the vandalism of a rabbi’s home in Surrey, B.C., with a Nazi swastika.

Nygard trial set to hear more testimony

Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is expected to be cross-examined by the Crown today at his sexual assault trial in Toronto.

Nygard, the founder of a now-defunct international women’s clothing company, is accused of using his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.

The 82-year-old has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents ranging from the 1980s to mid-2000s.

StatCan to release August GDP figure, Q3 estimate

Statistics Canada is set to release its August gross domestic product report this morning.

The federal agency’s release will include a preliminary estimate for economic growth in September as well as the third quarter.

RBC says it expects the economy shrank in the third quarter, which would mark a second consecutive quarterly contraction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2023.

The Canadian Press