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Rally marks 1,000 days since China detained two Canadians amid Huawei dispute

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Supporters of two Canadians accused of spying and held in prison in China for 1,000 days rallied on Sunday, demanding their release in a case that has soured diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Beijing.

Businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained in December 2018, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies on a warrant from the United States.

Last month, a Chinese court sentenced Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage. Meng is waiting verdict on her U.S. extradition request after the hearing wrapped up in a British Columbia court last month.

Several hundred people gathered at a park in Ottawa, with some wearing white shirts printed “March for the Michaels,” “7,000 steps for freedom,” carrying banner “#bringthemhome.

“Every day in his cell, Michael Kovrig walks 7,000 steps to keep his mind and body healthy. Michael Spavor uses yoga, meditation and exercises to stay strong,” the families wrote on a Facebook page seeking support for the event.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has called a snap election https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/early-canada-election-call-backfires-trudeau-who-now-trails-polls-2021-09-03 for Sept. 20, is trailing his main opponent, Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole, who has demanded a tougher approach against China.

“We have to deal with the Communist leadership in China, as it is not as Mr. Trudeau may have hoped it was. He’s always been out of step with respect to our interests and our values. So I’ve said Canada will be a leader on human rights again,” O’Toole told reporters in Vancouver on Saturday.

Trudeau, when asked about criticism that his government had not done enough to free the two Michaels, said on Sunday when dealing with citizens in trouble abroad, “we use all the tools at our disposal, usually not shouting in the public square.”

He said the government over the past 1,000 days had put forward all the different range of tools to put pressure on the Chinese government to return the two men.

“We will not rest until the two Michaels are once again home with their families,” he told reporters.

Canada‘s Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau, who joined the rally, said in statement that years have been cruelly stolen from both men and their families.

“This must stop. Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor must come home,” the statement added.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday that Garneau’s statement was a “blatant interference of China’s judicial sovereignty”.

 

(Reporting by David Ljunggren and; Denny Thomas; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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End of Manitoba legislature session includes replacement-worker ban, machete rules

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WINNIPEG – Manitoba politicians are expected to pass several bills into law before the likely end of legislature session this evening.

The NDP government, with a solid majority of seats, is getting its omnibus budget bill through.

It enacts tax changes outlined in the spring budget, but also includes unrelated items, such as a ban on replacement workers during labour disputes.

The bill would also make it easier for workers to unionize, and would boost rebates for political campaign expenses.

Another bill expected to pass this evening would place new restrictions on the sale of machetes, in an attempt to crack down on crime.

Among the bills that are not expected to pass this session is one making it harder for landlords to raise rents above the inflation rate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Father charged with second-degree murder in infant’s death: police

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A Richmond Hill, Ont., man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his seven-week-old infant earlier this year.

York Regional Police say they were contacted by the York Children’s Aid Society about a child who had been taken to a hospital in Toronto on Jan. 15.

They say the baby had “significant injuries” that could not be explained by the parents.

The infant died three days later.

Police say the baby’s father, 30, was charged with second-degree murder on Oct. 23.

Anyone with more information on the case is urged to contact investigators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Ontario fast-tracking several bills with little or no debate

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TORONTO – Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, which the government house leader says is due to a short legislative sitting.

The government has significantly reduced debate and committee time on the proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.

It also passed the fall economic statement that contains legislation to send out $200 cheques to taxpayers with reduced debating time.

The province tabled a bill Wednesday afternoon that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.

That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.

Government House Leader Steve Clark did not answer a question about whether the province is speeding up passage of the bills in order to have an election in the spring, which Premier Doug Ford has not ruled out.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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