By Canadian Press

In the news today, August 1

Aug 1, 2019 | 1:17 AM

Five stories in the news for Thursday, August 1

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CANADA NOT CONSULTED ABOUT U.S. DRUG PLAN

Federal officials say Ottawa was not consulted in advance about the details of a Trump administration proposal announced Wednesday aimed at allowing American patients and consumers to legally import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The office of Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor says while it remains in regular contact with counterparts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about their “mutual interest” in fostering lower drug prices, details of the surprise announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar were not discussed beforehand. Azar, a former drug industry executive, said U.S. patients will be able to import medications safely and effectively with oversight from the Food and Drug Administration under a scheme that prompted many defenders of Canada’s drug supply to sound the alarm.

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ADVOCATES SAY MANHUNT SHOWS RESOURCES FOR MMIW CASES

Some advocates say there is a stark contrast to the resources deployed in the search for two British Columbia homicide suspects and what happens when an Indigenous woman goes missing or is murdered. Sheila North, former grand chief for northern Manitoba, says it’s been difficult for the families of these women to see the ongoing manhunt because in many cases they had to fund and organize searches for their loved ones on their own. R-C-M-P have used planes, helicopters, drones and lots of officers to search for Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod. They are charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a Vancouver man and are also suspects in the death of a couple. North says it’s important to catch these two men, but says it shows police could put more effort into the cases of Indigenous women.

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MAN CONVICTED DESPITE ‘RAPE SHIELD’ PROBLEMS

A man who argued misapplication of Canada’s rape shield law had unfairly hamstrung his defence had his conviction restored on Wednesday even though the country’s top court found errors in how judges had applied the provisions. In a 5-2 ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada decided the accused had been able to defend himself properly at trial given the questions he was allowed to ask the complainant. The case arose in the early hours of Canada Day in 2013 during a family camping trip. The 15-year-old complainant maintained her cousin R.V., then 20, sexually assaulted her in the washroom. He denied any sexual contact with her. The prosecution relied heavily on the fact that the teen, who said she was a virgin at the time of the assault, became pregnant around that time. Because she had terminated her pregnancy and the fetus was destroyed, no DNA evidence was available to prove paternity.

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SYSTEMIC FAILURES ALLOWED WETTLAUFER’S CRIMES

Systemic failures in long-term care allowed Canada’s “first known health-care serial killer” to murder eight elderly patients without raising suspicion, a public inquiry said Wednesday, calling for fundamental changes to prevent such tragedies in the future. In a report capping a two-year probe of nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer’s case, the Ontario inquiry said those failures stem in part from a lack of awareness on the risk of staff members deliberately hurting patients. Wettlaufer is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty in 2017 to killing eight patients with insulin overdoses and attempting to kill four others. She was arrested after confessing to mental health workers and police. She has said she chose insulin for her crimes because it wasn’t tracked where she worked.

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PM VISITS ARCTIC TO HIGHLIGHT CLIMATE POLICY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Canada’s Far North to witness some of the more dramatic effects of climate change, part of an effort highlight his Liberal government’s record on climate action ahead of the federal election. Trudeau plans to announce the creation of a new marine protected area near Arctic Bay — an Inuit hamlet on the northwest corner of Baffin Island. Melting sea ice and increased shipping traffic have posed increased threats to many important local species, including sea birds, narwhals and bowhead whales. Trudeau will use the backdrop of shifting Arctic terrain and endangered sea life to cast himself and his Liberal party as best-placed to serve as stewards of the environment.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Federal Labour Minister Patty Hajdu meets with Luisa Maria Alcalde, Mexico’s Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare, to discuss implementation of the new North America free trade deal.

— Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair and New Brunswick Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart take part in a funding announcement under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.

— St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen brings Stanley Cup to his home town of Fredericton.

— Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan makes an announcement regarding investments in Reserve infrastructure across Canada.

— Final arguments are expected in the first-degree murder trial of Oscar Arfmann. He is charged in the November 2017 death of Abbotsford police Const. John Davidson.

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The Canadian Press