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

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Oct. 27

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PM TALKS TOUGH ON CARBON TAX: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will impose a higher price on carbon if Manitoba makes good on a promise to keep its rate at only half of Ottawa’s goal. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he will introduce a carbon tax of $25 a tonne next year and keep it at that rate. Trudeau said on Friday that there are clear benchmarks that provinces must meet and the federal benchmark is to have a $50 a tonne price by 2022.

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TRUDEAU SAYS CANADA RECOGNIZES ONE UNITED SPAIN: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on the Catalan political debate on Friday, saying Canada recognizes one united Spain. He told a news conference in Quebec that he hopes future discussions will take place according to the rule of law and according to the Spanish constitution. Trudeau’s comments come as the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona passed a motion unilaterally establishing a new country.

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ANTI-INDEPENDENCE PROTESTERS TAKE TO THE STREETS OF BARCELONA: Not everyone in Catalonia is pleased with their regional government’s vote to declare independence from Spain. Hundreds of people against independence marched Friday night in downtown Barcelona, waving Spanish flags. In response to the Catalan move, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says his government is firing Catalonia’s regional government, dissolving its parliament and calling for a new regional election on Dec. 21.

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MORNEAU FAMILY BUSINESS DEFENDS FINANCE MINISTER: Bill Morneau’s family owned company has waded into the debate over the conflict of interest debate swirling around the finance minister. Morneau Shepell has issued a statement refuting opposition claims that it has benefited from having Morneau in cabinet. The federal ethics watchdog has been asked to investigate Morneau for spearheading pension reform legislation that could benefit Morneau Shepell and Morneau himself.

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SENIOR KURDISH OFFICIAL CRITICAL OF CANADA AND ALLIES: A senior representative for Iraq’s Kurdish government says Canada and its allies failed Iraq by giving short shrift to the country’s many divisions while fighting the Islamic State. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurds’ top diplomat in Washington, says the various political, religious and economic divisions led the rise of ISIL. Abdul Rahman told The Canadian Press on Friday that the international community should start to think about Iraq’s many underlying problems rather than continue to be fixated on fighting ISIL.

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TRUDEAU GOVERNMENT SAYS IT TAKES HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS AT SPY AGENCY SERIOUSLY: The minister responsible for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says there must be “appropriate consequences” for harassment and discrimination. Ralph Goodale was questioned in the House of Commons on Friday about allegations of inappropriate behaviour at CSIS. Goodale told the House that he understands the seriousness of accusations about bullying and racism at the Toronto office of CSIS. The New Democrats called again for an investigation of CSIS.

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POLICE SAY QUEBEC MAN CHARGED IN ‘HONOUR-BASED’ VIOLENCE ALLEGATIONS: Police have charged a man with allegedly assaulting his teenage daughter in what police investigators are calling “honour-based” violence. Gatineau police said Friday that their investigation suggests the violence escalated once the suspect discovered the girl was removing her hijab when she was away from the family home. The girl went to police and the man was arrested this week.  

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TRIAL DATE SET FOR MAN CHARGED IN QUEBEC MOSQUE SLAYINGS: The trial for the man charged in connection with the shooting deaths of six men in a Quebec City Mosque will begin March 26. Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, faces six counts of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder using a restricted firearm. Prosecutor Thomas Jacques says the court, the Crown and the suspect all expressed a wish for the trial to begin as quickly as possible.

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MUSIC FESTIVAL APOLOGIES FOR OVERT RACISM: The Halifax Pop Explosion music festival is apologizing for one of its volunteers who disrupted a performance by Polaris Prize-winning singer Lido Pimienta with “overt racism.” A Facebook post from the festival says the incident involved a white volunteer photographer and several white audience members who reacted negatively when Pimienta invited “brown girls to the front” during her Oct. 19 show. The festival has confirmed the volunteer female photographer refused to step away from her spot near the front, leading to a clash with nearby audience members.

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BC COPS AND MUNCIPALITIES WANT LEGALIZED DRUG MONEY: Police departments and some municipalities in British Columbia are asking the provincial government for a cut of marijuana revenues as the province crafts regulations for legalized pot. The B.C. Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police and a couple of municipalities say the revenue could cover costs associated with enforcement.

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The Canadian Press