By Canadian Press

The Monday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Oct 24, 2016 | 3:00 PM

Highlights from the news file for Monday, Oct. 24

CANADA-EU TRADE DEAL STILL BLOCKED: International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland says the head of the European Union and the federal leaders of all 28-member states say the Canada-EU trade deal is “the best deal the EU has ever negotiated.” And Freeland says she’s still hopeful it can be signed. The EU needs unanimity from all of its member states to approve the deal known as CETA, and with the Belgian region of Wallonia still refusing to back it, Belgium is unable to sign. EU President Donald Tusk says he still believes Thursday’s scheduled summit with Canada to sign the accord is possible.

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COURT REJECTS RAFFERTY APPEAL: Ontario’s highest court has dismissed an appeal by the man convicted of killing eight-year-old Victoria Stafford. Michael Rafferty was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 with no chance of parole for 25 years for kidnapping, sexual assault causing bodily harm and first-degree murder in the 2009 death of the Woodstock, Ont., girl. Rafferty’s lawyer argued that the judge made several errors, including failing to warn the jury against relying on the testimony of his client’s co-accused. But the appeal court judges dismissed the case before hearing the Crown’s oral submissions.

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99 DETAINED DURING PIPELINE PROTEST: The Liberal government’s conflicting climate and pipeline policies were thrown into sharp relief Monday as more than 200 protesters marched on Parliament Hill demanding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reject any new oilsands infrastructure. The protest resulted in the brief detention of 99 individuals, all of them issued citations by the RCMP for trespassing after climbing over police barricades near the foot of the Peace Tower. The immediate focus of the demonstration was the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.

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MUSKRAT FALLS PROTESTERS WARNED: A company official says protesters who broke into the sprawling Muskrat Falls construction site are risking serious injury. The warning from Stan Marshall — the CEO of the Crown corporation in charge of the megaproject — came Monday as RCMP shut a key road out of safety concerns. About 50 protesters entered the central Labrador site on Saturday and occupied an accommodation complex, prompting the company to remove about 700 workers from the grounds.

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OFFICIAL SAYS CARBON TAX NOT CHANGING HABITS: As politicians across the country worry about the consequences of a national carbon tax on family incomes, many experts say the much-touted carbon market in Quebec has so far had little effect on changing citizens’ habits. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced all provinces will need to set a baseline price for carbon by 2018. But Pierre-Olivier Pineau, chair in energy sector management at HEC Montreal, says the carbon market has had zero effect on the habits of Quebecers.

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CONTAMINENTS RELEASED IN TUG SINKING: Divers have been able to check the sunken tugboat off B.C.’s central coast and say two tanks containing oil or contaminants were either torn open or severely damaged when the vessel ran aground. A joint situation report issued by the American tug owner and federal, provincial and First Nations groups says about 1,200 litres of a lube oil and seawater mixture has been removed, while the hydraulic oil and gear oil tanks have been pumped. Thousands of litres of diesel oil is still believed to be aboard.

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LIBERALS ARGUE EX-PAT VOTING BAN LEGAL: New filings with the Supreme Court of Canada show the Liberal government argues the voting ban on long-term Canadian expats is perfectly legitimate, while at the same time saying it plans to make changes to the law. In its factum, Ottawa says allowing Canadians who’ve been out of the country for more than five years to vote in federal elections is not a Constitutional requirement but a policy decision that Parliament has the right to make. Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef said last week that the government is planning to introduce legislation before the end of the year that would “meet the needs of highly mobile Canadian citizens.”

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TRUMP CALLS WOMAN’S ALLEGATIONS “FICTION”: Donald Trump is mocking the latest woman to accuse him of sexual misconduct, saying he’s “sure she’s never been grabbed before.” Trump was referring to Jessica Drake, an adult film star who says he grabbed her and kissed her without permission. Trump said Monday that the accusations are “total fiction.” At a Saturday news conference, Drake accused Trump of accosting her and offering her money to go up to his hotel room alone. Trump has said  he’ll sue his accusers after the election.

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ITALY RESCUES 2,200 MIGRANTS: Italy’s coast guard says it recovered the bodies of 16 people during a day of migrant rescues in the Mediterranean that saved another 2,200 lives. The coast guard said it co-ordinated 21 different rescue missions Monday for migrants found floating in 18 rubber dinghies and three smaller boats. Vessels from the European Union’s migrant rescue force took part in the operations, as well as a fishing boat and four cargo ships. Most of the rescued boats had departed from Libya.

The Canadian Press