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Defence minister emphasizes criminal investigation after week of diplomatic fallout from India accusations

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A man wearing a suit.
Minister of National Defence Bill Blair participates in an interview at his office in Ottawa, on Aug. 2. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

After a week of fallout from the prime minister’s accusation that India was involved in the murder of a prominent a pro-Khalistan activist, Defence Minister Bill Blair sought to shift focus away from questions of intelligence on Sunday and toward the ongoing criminal investigation into the issue.

Following the allegations put forward by Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons on Monday, Canada and India have been locked in a diplomatic dispute, with two officials expelled and an Indian freeze on visas for Canadians.

In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday, Blair said he was keenly aware of the impact the diplomatic dispute was having on Indian-Canadians.

“It’s another reason why I place such emphasis on the investigation that’s taking place, that we’d be able to move beyond credible intelligence to evidence, strong evidence of exactly what happened, so that we and the Indian government can know the truth, have the facts and then work together to resolve it in an appropriate way,” he told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

WATCH | Bill Blair discusses fallout of India accusations:

Canada received credible intelligence on India that caused deep concerns: Blair

National Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada has ‘very credible intelligence’ about India’s connection to the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar ‘that causes us to be deeply concerned.’

“I’m not going to say anything that would in any way compromise the integrity of that investigation, it’s just too important.”

Among those caught up in the fallout of Canada’s accusations — that India was involved in the killing of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar — is Suvro Ghosh, who told Barton he is not able to return home to help care for his ill father.

“I really want [the two countries I love] to start talking. I know once they start talking, once they really want to help their citizens, I’m pretty sure they’ll find common ground to make friends,” he said.

Allies also urge cooperation with investigation

India has responded by flatly denying “any attempts to connect the government of India” with Nijjar’s murder. A foreign ministry spokesperson earlier in the week also referred to Canada as having a “growing reputation” as a “safe haven for terrorists, for extremists and organized crime.”

Canada has called on India to co-operate with the investigation into Nijjar’s death.

“The only request we’ve made of our allies and India is that they co-operate fully in that investigation because its outcome is very important,” Blair told Barton.

Blair’s emphasis on the investigation echoed similar statements by U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti earlier in the week.

“We have deep concerns about the allegations and we would like to see this investigation carried forward and the perpetrators held to account,” Sullivan said Thursday.

Blair skirted a question about what intelligence Canada had received from allies to help reach the point where they made the decision to speak publicly on the issue. CBC News reported earlier this week that Canada had in its possession emails from Indian diplomats, and had received intelligence from a Five Eyes ally. On Saturday, the New York Times reported the United States had provided information.

Consequences of Canada’s allegations against India, explained | About That

Nearly one week since Canada accused India of involvement in the death of a Canadian citizen and pro-Khalistan activist, the ramifications are ramping up. Andrew Chang goes through the consequences and the impact they’re having right now.

Blair also made the case that if the allegations are proven true, India’s actions would represent a major challenge to international law and rules-based order.

“I understand completely, every country in the world has strong trade interests in the Indo-Pacific region, as does Canada. But at the same time, our engagement in that region or in any place in the world has to be based on those rules,” Blair said.

Rising Canada-India tensions worry some in Punjab

CBC’s Salimah Shivji reports from India’s Sikh-majority Punjab state, where some locals are feeling the fallout from Canada’s bombshell allegations over the government of India’s involvement in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The fallout from Canada’s accusations has also raised fears of divisions within diaspora communities in Canada.

Jaskaran Sandhu, a board member with the World Sikh Organization of Canada, told Barton that while the Sikh community felt “validated, vindicated” by Canada’s claims, the efforts of advocacy organizations like his were aimed at the Indian government, not Hindus or the Indian people generally.

Asked about a video released by the New York-based group Sikhs for Justice, which called for Indian Hindus to “go back to India,” Sandhu said comments like that were “not helpful at all.”

“I think it does a disservice to what the actual issue here is, and that is Indian state interference in Canada.”

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Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.

The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.

The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.

The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.

“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”

The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.

A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

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The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.

Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.

Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.

Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.

“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.

“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”

Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.

“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.

Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.

“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”

But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.

Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.

“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.

Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.

The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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