There’s an air of hostility around the House as MPs head into heated debates

VANCOUVER – Cosmetics brand Lush says it is laying off staff as it scales down operations at its Vancouver facilities.

Amanda Caruso, a spokesperson for the U.K.-based brand, cited privacy concerns while refusing to say how many workers will lose their jobs as part of cuts to the company’s Canadian footprint.

However, she confirmed the scale-down will mean closing a B.C. woodshop the brand ran, and manufacturing operations in Vancouver will be shifted to Toronto.

Caruso says the moves are meant to deliver operational efficiency and ensure the long-term success of the brand.

She says the changes won’t cause any immediate impacts to Lush shops, its online store or its app services and says some staff will be relocated or transitioned to new roles.

She adds the changes are expected to be complete by Feb. 26.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

BURNABY, B.C. – The union representing grain workers at terminals in Metro Vancouver says it has served the employer with a 72-hour strike notice.

The Grain Workers Union Local 333 says in a notice posted to Facebook that it served the notice at 7 a.m. Saturday, with job action to start Tuesday.

It says the union’s bargaining committee made the decision after the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association “invested very little effort” during negotiations last week, and it’s now up to the employer to present a proposal for a new contract.

The union says it provided the employer with a “comprehensive package” last Thursday and the next day the association indicated it had no counter offer.

A statement issued by the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association says it concluded conciliation with the union with assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Aug. 26.

But it says it couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract and the union has been in a legal strike position since last Tuesday.

It says affected operations include Viterra’s Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, Richardson International Terminal, Cargill Limited Terminal, G3 Terminal Vancouver and Alliance Grain Terminal, all located in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – The NDP is urging the Liberals to recognize Palestinian statehood, warning that a Conservative government would not protect international law in the Middle East.

NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson is accusing the Trudeau government of lacking courage to advance its stated goal of helping a two-state solution, where Israel and a Palestinian country exist peacefully.

McPherson is calling for Canada to sanction far-right ministers in Israel who have suggested it would be justified to starve Palestinians and that some communities should be annihilated.

The NDP is also seeking a two-way arms embargo, where Canada would go beyond barring new arms permits and actually block all military trade, including goods arriving from Israel.

Israeli strikes killed more than 270 people in Lebanon today and wounded a thousand people a week after pager explosions that killed Hezbollah militants as well as civilians and children.

McPherson would not say whether she believes the pager attack, which has been widely attributed to Israel, is an act of terrorism, instead saying that Israel is not following international law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.