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

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Oct. 13

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MORNEAU TO ANNOUNCE CHANGES TO TAX PLAN: The Trudeau government is going to retool its controversial small business tax reform proposals. Finance Minister Bill Morneau will unveil changes Monday in hopes of quieting down some of the dissent, some of which comes from the government’s backbench. The government has said it doesn’t want to allow wealthy individuals to use incorporation as small businesses to dodge the taxman. But the result has been an angry backlash from doctors, lawyers, accountants, shop owners and farmers among others.

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ONTARIO COURT GIVES SEARS APPROVAL TO LIQUIDATE: An Ontario judge has granted a motion from Sears to liquidate its remaining stores. Superior Court Justice Glenn Hainey was told Friday that no viable buyer has been found. The closure of the remaining stories will put 12,000 employees out of work. Liquidation could start as early as next Thursday.

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FAMILY ON WAY HOME AFTER HELD HOSTAGE: A Canadian and his family who were freed this week after being held hostage in Afghanistan left Pakistan for Canada on Friday. Media reports say Joshua Boyle, his wife and their three children were headed for the United Kingdom and it wasn’t immediately clear when they would arrive in Canada. Pakistani commandos freed the family when their captors crossed the border into Pakistan.

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POLICE SAY MAN ACCUSED IN LINDHOUT KIDNAPPING RECEIVED RANSOM MONEY: An undercover police officer has testified a man accused of being involved in the kidnapping of Amanda Lindhout received $10,000 in ransom money. The officer testified at the trial of Ali Omar Ader in Ottawa on Friday. The officer also testified how he posed as a businessman to gain Ader’s confidence and promised him a book-publishing contract in order to lure him to Canada.

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TWO CANADIAN PERFORMERS LEVEL ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HARVEY WEINSTEIN: Two Canadian actresses have levelled accusations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who already faces mounting allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Erika Rosenbaum of Montreal alleged Weinstein made sexual advances 15 years ago while Mia Kirshner of Toronto wrote an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail alluding to “an ordeal” with Weinstein. More than 30 women have accused Weinstein of inappropriate conduct; however, Weinstein has denied allegations of non-consensual contact.

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CANADIANS BOYCOTT TWITTER AMID WEINSTEIN ALLEGATIONS: Canadian writers, actors and women’s rights advocates joined an international boycott of Twitter on Friday over its handling of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal. The backlash began after actor Rose McGowan — a vocal critic who has accused “HW” of raping her — was briefly suspended for tweeting a personal phone number.

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PM CALLS FOR MEXICO TO PROMOTE WOMEN AND WORKER RIGHTS: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Mexican lawmakers to promote the rights of workers and women to curb isolationism that is creeping in around the world. Trudeau spoke to the Mexican Senate on Friday, capping a four-day trip that began in Washington, D.C., that focused on the ongoing renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

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UBER STICKING IN QUEBEC FOR NOW: Ride-hailing service Uber said Friday it won’t pull the plug on its Quebec operations as planned this weekend. Uber said it hopes to reach a deal with the Quebec government to allow it to operate. Last month the province announced it would renew a pilot project for one more year, but added new provisions such as 35 hours of mandatory training that Uber found unacceptable.

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FEDS RAMP UP PRESSURE IN CHURCHILL RAIL LINE DISPUTE:  The federal government says if the owners of a rail line that serves the town of Churchill, Man., don’t make immediate repairs, they’ll end up in court. The government has given Omnitrax 30 days to make repairs to the broken line or it will face an $18.8-million lawsuit. The government contends Omnitrax has a legal obligation to repair and maintain the line, which is the only land connection to the northern Manitoba community.

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TILLERSON EXPECTS ALLIES TO SUPPORT TRUMP MOVE ON IRAN:  U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he fully expects that American allies in Europe and the Middle East will be “very supportive” of President Donald Trump’s actions on Iran. Tillerson spoke after Trump accused Iran of violating the nuclear deal but stopped short of pulling out or reimposing sanctions. European countries that negotiated the 2015 deal with Iran and the U.S. had urged him not to do so and declared they were uninterested in renegotiating the deal. But Tillerson says it’s “in all of our interest” to work together to confront the threat posed by Iran. He says that Trump’s plan is “quite clear.”

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The Canadian Press