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Trudeau says he would leave Canadian flags at half-mast if re-elected – CTV News

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TORONTO —
A re-elected Liberal government would leave flags on federal buildings at half-mast until prompted by Indigenous communities, party leader Justin Trudeau said at a campaign stop on Friday, while Conservative leader Erin O’Toole doubled down on his pledge to raise the flags, saying he would do so as a sign of commitment to reconciliation.

“I plan to keep those flags at half-mast until it is clear that Indigenous peoples are happy to raise them again,” Trudeau told reporters at a campaign stop in Hamilton, Ont. on Friday.

The Department of Canadian Heritage requested in late May that flags at federal buildings and establishments, including the Peace Tower, be lowered after ground-penetrating radar discovered what are believed to be the remains of more than 200 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

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O’Toole said in late August that he believes it is time for the flags be raised, and he reiterated that point in Thursday’s English-language leaders’ debate, saying he would raise the flags on the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. The federal statutory holiday was created to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools.

Speaking at a campaign stop in Mississauga, Ont. on Friday, O’Toole said Sept. 30 would be a day for the country to recommit to reconciliation.

“We will then raise our flag as a sign of that commitment of building a strong and better Canada in the future,” he said. “I’ve said I’m very proud of our country despite the scars from our past. As prime minister, reconciliation will be core to our government.”

Asked what he would do if Indigenous leaders objected to raising the flags, O’Toole did not answer the question.

Decisions about half-masting the Canadian flag are governed by rules and tradition. Typically, it is done following a national tragedy, on certain days, such as Remembrance Day, or after the death of a sovereign or current or former senior elected official. However, there also is a provision for the prime minister to order the half-masting of flags on the Peace Tower and federal establishments in “exceptional circumstances.”

“I think Canadians have seen with horror those unmarked graves across the country and realize that what happened decades ago isn’t part of our history, it is an irrefutable part of our present,” Trudeau said on Friday.

“So when we decided to bring down those (flags) to half-mast, we made the commitment that we would not raise them again until we have worked enough with Indigenous communities and leadership to make a clear determination that it was time to raise them again,” he said.

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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