Feds eyeing mandatory counselling for terror suspects under peace bonds: Goodale
OTTAWA—Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the government is looking at making counter-radicalization counselling mandatory for people under anti-terrorism peace bonds.
Goodale floated the idea one week after jihadi sympathizer Aaron Driver was killed by police in Strathroy, Ont.
Driver was under a court-ordered peace bond intended to limit his activities but he was able to obtain explosives, plan an apparent attack, and film a martyrdom video.
As well as looking for ways to make peace bonds more effective or to find alternatives, the government also plans to open a federal office of counter-radicalization to serve as a national focal point for counselling and intervention services.
Trudeau, MPs pay tribute to longtime MP Mauril Belanger
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several MPs gathered on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, Aug. 17, to pay tribute to Mauril Belanger, a Liberal member of Parliament for more than two decades.
Belanger, 61, died Tuesday after a fight with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Trudeau was among those signing a condolence book set up at the House of Commons, writing that Belanger’s legacy would continue to inspire. Commons Speaker Geoff Regan added his thoughts, calling Belanger a valued colleague and friend.
Belanger was a strong advocate of minorities in general and Franco-Ontarians in particular. News of his death triggered a flood of tributes from those of all political stripes.
Alberta to ban spear hunting after online bear video sparks outrage
CALGARY—The Alberta government says a video showing a black bear being killed by a spear is unacceptable and it plans on banning the practice.
The online video posted in June on the account of Josh Bowmar, who runs an Ohio-based fitness company with his wife, set off a deluge of outrage before it was made private.
The 13-minute video shows Bowmar launching a spear—with a camera attached—at a bear from 11 to 14 metres away and captures his jubilant reaction when the animal is pierced in the side.
In a statement, a spokesman for Alberta’s Ministry of Environment and Parks calls spear hunting archaic and says a ban is to be introduced this fall as part of updated regulations.
Police chiefs want new law that would compel people to reveal passwords
OTTAWA— The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police wants a new law that would force people to hand over their computer passwords with a judge’s consent.
The association has passed a resolution calling for the legal measure to unlock digital evidence, saying criminals increasingly use encryption to hide illicit activities.
RCMP Assistant Commissioner Joe Oliver told an Aug. 16 news conference there is nothing currently in Canadian law that would compel someone to provide a password to police during an investigation.
Oliver says criminals are operating online in almost complete anonymity.
The resolution comes as the federal government begins a consultation on cybersecurity, including the best ways to balance online freedoms with needs of police.
Actress Emma Thompson visits Nunavut hamlet in fight against seismic testing
CLYDE RIVER, Nunavut—British actress Emma Thompson says she’s visiting a remote Inuit community in the Canadian Arctic to help them in their fight against seismic testing in the ocean they depend on for food.
Thompson is part of a Greenpeace delegation spending two weeks in Clyde River, Nunavut, about halfway up the eastern coast of Baffin Island.
The community is opposing National Energy Board approvals for offshore seismic testing, saying the underwater blasts will harm and chase away the marine mammals they hunt.
The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to hear their appeal in November.
Meanwhile, Thompson says she will use her celebrity and communication skills to bring attention to the Clyde River community’s fight.
With files from The Canadian Press
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