By Canadian Press

In the news today: Canadians await details on railway reopening

Aug 23, 2024 | 1:17 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Canadians await details on railway reopening

Businesses and industry leaders are anxiously awaiting updates on when Canada’s freight trains could start moving again now that the federal government has intervened in a work stoppage that halted all shipments for a full day.

Following months of increasingly fraught bargaining, Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. and Canadian National Railway Co. locked out workers after the two sides failed to reach a deal by 12:01 a.m. eastern time on Thursday.

Later that day, federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration on the parties.

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The work stoppage has affected not only supply chains across the country, but also tens of thousands of commuters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver whose lines run on CPKC-owned tracks.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Kamala Harris makes history at convention

Kamala Harris is officially the first Black and South Asian woman to lead a major-party ticket after formally accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination Thursday.

If elected, she would become the first female U.S. president.

The history-making final night of the convention saw the vice-president give her keynote speech in front of a sea of supporters dressed in suffragette white – symbolizing when American women secured the right to vote in 1920.

While the white garments Thursday were reminiscent of Hillary Clinton’s iconic suit in 2016, when she accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, supporters say Thursday’s moment rang differently and America has changed.

During Clinton’s campaign, there was outrage around Trump’s comments about women and the Democratic candidate. But he was still able to pull in significant support from women.

Disruptions to major commuter lines continue

Thousands of Canadian commuters may have to change their travel plans for a second day after a countrywide rail lockout shut down lines in major metropolitan areas.

Bewildered commuters were turned away from shuttered rail lines Thursday, and the agency responsible for GO Transit in Ontario says service will remain down today on the Milton line and at the Hamilton GO station.

Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon has asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose final, binding arbitration to end the work stoppage.

Canadian National Railway Co. said Thursday evening it had ended its lockout and initiated a recovery plan, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. says it’s preparing to restart operations.

CN and CPKC locked out workers after they failed to reach a deal on a new contract before a midnight deadline Thursday, the first simultaneous shutdown on Canada’s two largest railways.

‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers’ trial continues

The criminal trial of “Freedom Convoy” organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is expected to enter its sixth day of closing arguments.

The two are co-accused of mischief, intimidation, and counselling others to commit crimes for their part in organizing the massive protest that filled the streets of downtown Ottawa for weeks in 2022.

Though the charges appear straightforward, the trial has been anything but.

It was originally scheduled to last only about 16 days, but the court has been mired in the complexity of the legal arguments, the huge body of evidence and disclosure delays that have dragged the proceedings out almost a year.

The Crown has argued that Lich and Barber influenced the crowds to commit illegal acts as a way to pressure on the government to lift COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

Detail national security uses of AI: federal body

A federal advisory body is calling on Canada’s security agencies to publish detailed descriptions of their current and intended uses of artificial intelligence systems and software applications.

In a new report, the National Security Transparency Advisory Group also urges the government to look at amending legislation being considered by Parliament to ensure oversight of how federal agencies use AI.

The recommendations are among the latest measures proposed by the group, created in 2019 to increase accountability and public awareness of national security policies, programs and activities.

The government considers the group an important means of implementing a six-point federal commitment to be more transparent about national security.

Federal intelligence and security agencies responded to the group’s latest report by stressing the importance of openness, though some pointed out the nature of their work limits what they can divulge publicly.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 23, 2024.

The Canadian Press