Pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-protesters face off at new Montreal encampment
By: Joe Bongiorno
MONTREAL (CP) – Pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-protesters faced off on Tuesday afternoon at a downtown Montreal square, where a new encampment tied to the war in the Gaza Strip was set up over the weekend.
The two sides were separated by a line of police officers at Victoria Square, about one kilometre south of a similar encampment on the lower field of McGill University’s downtown campus, which was set up in late April.
Earlier in the day, protesters at Victoria Square demanded Quebec’s pension fund manager — Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec — divest from investments tied to Israel and for the provincial government to close its office in the Middle East country.
Benoît Allard, spokesperson for the encampment, says the protesters are asking for the immediate divestment from 87 companies “complicit with Israeli occupation and ongoing genocide.” He says the Caisse de dépôt has more than $14 billion in investments linked to Israel.
He also confirmed that on Monday night, protesters tried to take down the statue of Queen Victoria, located on the square named after the late monarch. Allard said the statue is a symbol of colonialism.
RCMP say no charges to be laid in bus crash that killed 17 seniors heading to casino
WINNIPEG (CP) – Police will not be laying charges in a bus crash that killed 17 people in western Manitoba.
RCMP say they do not expect to be able to talk to the bus driver, who was severely injured in the crash.
And they say officers have found no explanation as to why he pulled into an intersection when it wasn’t safe.
The bus, carrying seniors to a casino, collided with a semi-trailer while crossing the Trans-Canada Highway near the town of Carberry last June.
Mounties have said the truck, which was travelling east on the highway, had the right of way and attempted to avoid the crash.
Police handed over their findings in January to the Crown’s office, including forensic reports and interviews with witnesses and survivors.
A memorial for those who died was unveiled earlier this month in Dauphin, where most of the victims were from.
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, Canada’s ambassador to Germany, has cancer again
By: Dirk Meissner
LANGFORD, B.C. (CP) – Former British Columbia premier and Canada’s ambassador to Germany John Horgan is staying positive about his health and sends healing thoughts to people battling cancer as he faces his third bout with the disease, says his New Democrat colleague Ravi Parmar.
Parmar, elected last year in a byelection in Horgan’s former Victoria-area riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca, said Tuesday he heard from Horgan and was told he has thyroid cancer.
Horgan has taken an indefinite leave from his duties as ambassador to undergo treatment in Berlin, said Parmar.
Premier Smith says Alberta plans to opt out of federal dental care plan by 2026
EDMONTON (CP) – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province plans to opt out of the federal government’s dental care plan by 2026.
In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Smith says the program infringes on provincial jurisdiction.
She says in the meantime she wants to negotiate getting Alberta’s share of the federal funding in order for the province to support dental care as it sees fit.
The $13-billion program began covering younger children and seniors in May and is being expanded to all those under 18 and people with disabilities.
Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange’s office says the Canadian Dental Care Plan duplicates coverage provided by Alberta’s low-income dental programs.
The Canadian Dental Association has raised concerns about the voluntary federal program, saying confusion over what is covered and who qualifies has added extra pressure at dental offices and undermines patient care.
Poilievre to attend AFN annual general assembly for first time as Conservative leader
By: Alessia Passafiume
OTTAWA (CP) – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is set to attend the Assembly of First Nations’ upcoming annual general assembly for the first time since he took the party helm.
Spokesman Sebastian Skamski said Poilievre will attend the assembly’s meeting next month in Montreal and deliver a keynote address. Poilievre is also set to participate in a question-and-answer session with chiefs, some of whom have expressed skepticism about his promises on reconciliation.
Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod says he’s expecting Poilievre to bring specifics on policies – not platitudes.
“We want to hear what he’s actually going to do. Not what the other guy is doing wrong,” McLeod said.
The Tory leader has previously met with chiefs to tell them that he would stay out of their way as prime minister, especially when it comes to generating economic growth for their communities.
New Quebec language rules require store signs to be two-thirds in French
MONTREAL – The Quebec government has published new rules requiring French to take up most of the space on storefronts and outdoor commercial signs.
The province wants French to be the dominant language on commercial signs, even where the business name is in English.
Stores like Canadian Tire will have to include generic terms or descriptions in French on their storefronts that take up twice as much space as the English brand name.
The regulations also strengthen French language requirements on product packaging.
The new rules are part of Bill 96, which overhauled Quebec’s language laws in 2022 in an attempt to protect the French language.
The regulations were published today and will come into force in June 2025.
