Six stories in the news today, April 4

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BYELECTION RESULTS SENT MORE WOMEN TO OTTAWA

Four more women will take their seats in the House of Commons following byelections held Monday night. Victories by Mary Ng in Markham-Thornhill, Mona Fortier in Ottawa-Vanier, Stephanie Kusie in Calgary Midnapore and Emmanuella Lambropoulos in Saint-Laurent bring to 92 the total number of women in the Commons. Equal Voice, which is committed to electing more female MPs, says that works out to 27 per cent of the available seats.

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MMIW INQUIRY NOT REACHING OUT TO FAMILIES: ADVOCATES

The national missing and murdered indigenous women’s inquiry has failed to adequately reach out to loved ones and survivors, says a coalition of advocacy groups and families less than two months before hearings are set to begin. A member of one such group says it is concerned about reports that the inquiry had only located about 100 family members or survivors as of two weeks ago. An RCMP report in 2014 said police had identified nearly 1,200 missing or murdered indigenous women and girls.

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INQUIRY INTO JOURNALISTS’ SURVEILLANCE CONTINUES TODAY

An inquiry resumes today looking into police surveillance of journalists and the protection of confidential sources. On Monday the inquiry heard from editorial bosses from Montreal newspapers La Presse and Le Devoir as well as Radio-Canada, the CBC’s French-language network. The inquiry was announced by the Quebec government last year after revelations that police had obtained warrants to collect data from the smartphones of several prominent journalists.

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MAKE SURE MEASLES VACCINATION IS UP TO DATE: HEALTH OFFICIAL

With summer vacations just a few months away, the country’s top doctor is urging Canadians to make sure their measles vaccinations are up to date, especially for those planning to travel overseas. Dr. Theresa Tam says those whose measles immunizations aren’t up to date should be getting their shots six weeks before travelling because the disease continues to circulate in many parts of the world.

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NHL WON’T SEND PLAYERS TO 2018 OLYMPICS

It appears the 2018 Winter Olympics will lack the star power of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews after the NHL said it will not interrupt next season to accommodate the Pyeongchang Games. American Max Pacioretty, the captain of the Montreal Canadiens, calls the decision “extremely disappointing.” Ottawa defenceman Erik Karlsson — a member of Sweden’s silver-medal team in 2014 — says the move will cause “more damage to this sport than people realize.”

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Finance Minister Bill Morneau will hold a media conference call to discuss his latest visit to the United States.

— In Halifax, a man accused of killing off-duty Truro police Const. Catherine Campbell, appears in court for a bail revocation hearing.

— Statistics Canada will release the merchandise trade figures for February.

— Sentencing hearing for Jennifer Halford, who pretended to have cancer and claimed to be a Fort McMurray fire evacuee.

— Alberta MP Garnett Genuis will hold a news conference to discuss his pending private member’s bill on organ trafficking.

— Carleton University in Ottawa will host an enhanced citizenship ceremony for 40 people.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Six stories in the news today, April 4

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