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

ECONOMIC GROWTH TOPS EXPECTATIONS: Statistics Canada says the country’s real gross domestic product grew by 0.6 per cent for May. The agency says it’s the fastest expansion on an annual basis since October 2000. Many economists had expected an increase of 0.2 per cent.

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PEARSON STRIKE DOESN’T CAUSE FLIGHT DELAYS: There is little sign that a strike by ground crew workers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport has created any major flight disruptions. The workers include baggage handlers, cargo handlers, cabin cleaners, some employees who tow planes and other ground crew. They work for Swissport, which services several major airlines at the airport, including Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air France, KLM and Lufthansa. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority said in a statement Friday afternoon that Pearson had been running smoothly “with minimal impact.”

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OBERLANDER STRIPPED OF CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP: A lawyer for former Nazi death squad member Helmut Oberlander says the Canadian government has once again stripped the 93-year-old man of his citizenship. Ronald Poulton says it’s the fourth time the government has taken the step against Oberlander, but the Waterloo, Ont., resident plans to challenge the decision. Poulton says Oberlander has previously been able to have his citizenship restored three other times. Oberlander was a member of a Nazi death squad that was part of a force responsible for killing more than two million people.

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TRUDEAU PLEASED WITH US TAX DECISION: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is pleased that the U.S. is dropping a proposed border adjustment tax. The tariff-like tax was floated earlier this year by the U.S. administration as a way to pay for overall lower U.S. tax rates, but was dropped earlier this week. Trudeau said in Kenora, Ont., on Friday that such a tax would have been a “serious impediment” to trade and he’s glad it’s not going ahead.

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ENVIRONMENTALISTS UNHAPPY WITH CARIBOU PROTECTION PLAN: The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society says it’s not satisfied with a federal plan to protect caribou herds. They say the plan announced Thursday won’t inform Canadians on what the government is doing to conserve the many herds that aren’t already under some form of protection. The society launched legal action earlier this year to force greater transparency from the federal government and it says that action will continue.

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FEDS SAY NEW WARSHIP PROGRAM ON COURSE: Federal officials say several companies are participating in a competition to design new warships for the navy, which they contend is proof the $60-billion project remains on course. The federal government launched a competition last fall asking some of the world’s largest defence and shipbuilding firms to design a potential replacement for the navy’s frigates and destroyers. The process has been plagued with questions and concerns, including that companies don’t currently know when their final designs are actually due. But officials say at least three companies have submitted draft bids to make sure they are on the right track.

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CANADIAN WRESTLER JUMPS INTO LEGAL RING: A retired Mohawk professional wrestler is taking on singer Van Morrison over the use of his image on the cover of an upcoming album. Billy Two Rivers has launched legal action in the U.S., saying a photograph of him in the wrestling ring is on the cover of Van Morrison’s new album, “Roll With the Punches,” which is scheduled for release in late September. Two Rivers’s lawyer says the photograph is being used without his awareness or consent and he is seeking unspecified damages.

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MCCAIN BLOCKS TRUMP ON HEALTH CARE: Republican Sen. John McCain looked like he was going to be the saviour of his party’s health legislation, after returning to Capitol Hill following a brain cancer diagnosis. Instead he became the bill’s executioner. In a stunning move, the longtime Arizona senator was one of three Republicans who joined Democrats to vote against an effort to repeal and replace “Obamacare.” His final vote defied President Donald Trump and Senate GOP leaders, who conceded that there were few options to move forward.

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BRITISH PM MOURNS DEATH OF TERMINALLY ILL CHILD: British Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed her sorrow at the death of a terminally ill 11-month-old baby whose court battle to seek experimental medical treatment in the United States caught the attention of the world. May’s Downing Street office issued a statement after Charlie Gard died Friday, a day after a judge ordered that he be moved from a hospital to a hospice. May says “My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie’s parents Chris and Connie at this difficult time.”

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

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

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