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Poilievre barred from speaking in House for not withdrawing remark about Joly

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OTTAWA – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was not allowed to speak in the House of Commons Tuesday as his public feud with Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly spilled into a second day.

House Speaker Greg Fergus delivered the penalty to Poilievre in the morning, a day after he asked the leader of the opposition to withdraw a remark accusing Joly of pandering to supporters of the terrorist organization Hamas.

Poilievre made the comment during question period Monday, the one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, after he asked the Liberals to condemn “genocidal chants from hateful mobs on our streets.”

“Our Jewish friends and neighbours have been doubly victimized as antisemitic mobs take to the streets shouting, ‘from Palestine to Lebanon, Israel will soon be gone’ and ‘there is only one solution: intifada, revolution,'” Poilievre said.

Joly responded by naming the seven Canadians killed in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and saying the government stands with the Jewish people.

Poilievre said she hadn’t actually condemned antisemitism in Canada in her response and accused her of refusing to do to in a bid to score political points for what he called her desire to run for the Liberal leadership.

“She continues to pander to Hamas supporters and the Liberal party as part of her leadership campaign rather than doing her job,” he said.

Joly accused Poilievre of “gaslighting” and playing politics on a day that was meant to respect the victims of Oct. 7.

“Clearly, the guy’s unfit to become a prime minister because Canadians deserve way better,” she said, asking him to apologize.

All MPs, including the Liberals, supported a Conservative motion in the House Monday condemning Hamas and antisemitism in Canada.

At the end of question period Fergus asked Poilievre to withdraw his comment about Joly, noting he had asked another MP to withdraw after he made a similar comment about Poilievre “pandering to a regime I think most of us would find odious.”

That MP, Yvan Baker, has not withdrawn the remark and hasn’t been allowed to speak in the House since March.

Fergus initially denied the Liberal request to keep Poilievre from speaking until he withdrew, but changed his mind Tuesday and issued the one-day ban. Fergus noted this is not Poilievre’s first offence nor is he new to the rules of the decorum in the House.

“Over the last few months, the member refused to heed decisions by the chair on non-parliamentary remarks during question periods on two occasions,” Fergus said.

Poilievre received a warning the first time; the second time the Conservatives had questions removed from their daily allotment.

“Yesterday’s events represent a third occasion,” Fergus said. “The opposition (leader) should withdraw his comments made yesterday during question period … if he is not willing to do so, the chair will not recognize him for the remainder of today.”

Fergus also said Tuesday that Baker’s punishment would end Wednesday.

Poilievre has not withdrawn the remark and did not appear in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

He held a news conference in the foyer outside the House of Commons before question period, accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals of being at fault for the rise in antisemitism in Canada in the last year.

Poilievre said antisemitism began to increase in Canada before Oct. 7, 2023, and that there have been previous conflicts in the Middle East that did not lead to similar problems in Canada.

Joly appeared in the foyer shortly after Poilievre, saying he is hypocritical and unfit to govern the country.

In a statement, Conservative spokesperson Sebastian Skamski said the Speaker is showing “partisan bias” by trying to censor questions from his party.

Tensions in the House of Commons remained during question period, with members from all parties heckling each other at various points throughout as the Speaker tried to restore order.

The Conservatives asked the Liberals multiple times if they would add Samidoun as a listed terrorist entity.

That group organized a pro-Palestinian rally in Vancouver Monday night, where a masked woman led the crowd to chant “death to Canada, death to the United States and death to Israel,” while others burned Canadian flags.

Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman asked “what the hell it is going to take” for the Liberals to ban the organization.

The Speaker asked her to withdraw “hell” as it is unparliamentary, and she did.

Jennifer O’Connell, parliamentary secretary to the public safety minister, said the government would not follow the Conservatives and “play politics” with the issue.

“When it comes to listing of terrorist entities, the members opposite know full well it is not a political decision,” O’Connell said. “It is based on the national security services of this country.”

“But it’s precisely why the minister had already sent it for an urgent review, understanding that this hate is unacceptable in Canada.”

While O’Connell was answering the question, Lantsman shouted from across the aisle that she should be “ashamed” of herself.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

— With files from Chuck Chiang in Vancouver

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B.C. court allows police to apply to dispose of evidence from Robert Pickton’s farm

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VANCOUVER – A B.C. Supreme Court judge says it has jurisdiction to order the disposal of thousands of pieces of evidence seized from serial killer Robert Pickton’s pig farm decades ago, whether it was used in his murder trial or not.

A ruling issued online Wednesday said the RCMP can apply to dispose of some 15,000 pieces of evidence collected from the search of Pickton’s property in Port Coquitlam, including “items determined to belong to victims.”

Police asked the court for directions last year to be allowed to dispose of the mountain of evidence gathered in the case against Pickton, who was convicted of the second-degree murder of six women, although he was originally charged with first-degree murder of 27 women.

Pickton died in May after being attacked in a Quebec prison.

Some family members of victims disputed the disposal because they have a pending civil lawsuit against Pickton’s estate and his brother, David Pickton, Yand want to ensure that the evidence they need to prove their case is not dispersed or destroyed.

The court dismissed their bid to intervene in July this year, and the court has now ruled it has the authority to order the disposal of the evidence whether it was used at Pickton’s trial or not.

The ruling says police plan to “bring a series of applications” for court orders allowing them to get rid of the evidence because they are “legally obligated to dispose of the property” since it’s no longer needed in any investigation or criminal proceeding.

Justice Frits Verhoeven says in his ruling that there may be reason to doubt if the court has jurisdiction over items seized from the farm that had not be made exhibits.

But he said that will be a decision for later, noting “the question as to whether the court retains inherent jurisdiction to order disposal of seized items may remain to be considered, if necessary, in some other case.”

Jason Gratl, the lawyer representing family members of victims in the civil cases against the Pickton brothers, said in an interview Wednesday that the latest court decision doesn’t mean exhibits will be destroyed.

“Any concern about the destruction of the evidence is premature. Just because the court will hear the application to allow the RCMP to destroy the evidence does not mean that the court would grant the application,” he said.

Gratl said that if the RCMP brings an application to get rid of evidence that could be useful in proving the civil cases, he would ask the court for the evidence.

“We would be seeking to take possession of any evidence that the RCMP no longer wants in order to prove that civil claim,” he said.

Gratl said no date has been set for when the civil cases will be heard.

The court’s earlier ruling says the RCMP has agreed to allow some of the civil case plaintiffs “limited participation” in the disposal application process, agreeing to notify them if police identify an “ownership or property interest in the items” that they’re applying to destroy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Democrats devastated by Vice-President Kamala Harris’ defeat |

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Supporters of Vice-President Kamala Harris say they are devastated the Democratic party leader lost the United States presidential election. Harris was set to address Democrats at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, D.C. after conceding the race in a phone call with Donald Trump. (Nov. 6, 2024)



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