Trudeau will mark 80th anniversary of D-day at Juno Beach ceremony in France
OTTAWA (CP) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to France next month for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Trudeau will spend two days in France to attend D-Day events including a Canadian ceremony at Juno Beach on the morning of June 6, marking exactly 80 years since 14,000 Canadians stormed the beach as part of a massive Allied forces operation.
An international ceremony will be held later the same day on Omaha Beach.
On June 5, a memorial will take place at the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian war cemetery where 2,049 Canadian soldiers are buried.
D-Day is considered to be the beginning of the end of the Second World War, ultimately leading to the Allies liberating Western Europe from the Nazis less than a year later.
But it came at a heavy cost, with 381 Canadians killed on the first day of the invasion and more than 5,000 by the time the Battle of Normandy concluded three months later.
Trudeau is expected to use the ceremonies to highlight that the aftermath of the Second World War “led to the foundation of the modern rules-based international order” which Canada soundly defends.
Police say two people killed in plane crash near Squamish, B.C.
SQUAMISH, B.C. (CP) – Mounties say two people have died following a plane crash near Squamish, B.C.
A statement from the RCMP says police were able to access the remote crash site south of Squamish, on the west side of Howe Sound, by air on Saturday and confirm the two occupants of the plane did not survive.
The plane crash was reported Friday evening after an automatic crash notification from a smartphone.
The police statement says investigators are working with the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service to determine the cause of the crash.
The statement thanks Squamish Search and Rescue, Blackcomb Helicopters and “several members of the public” for their help in locating and accessing the site of the crash.
Police have not released any details on the victims in the crash.
Miller increases cap on applications for Palestinians to join relatives in Canada
OTTAWA (CP) – Immigration Minister Marc Miller is increasing the number of applications that will be processed under a much-criticized program to reunite Palestinians with Canadian relatives.
The move comes as he testifies about measures introduced months ago that were meant to bring relatives of Canadians from conflict zones in the Gaza Strip and Sudan to safety.
The Gaza program initially had a cap of 1,000 applications that could be “accepted into processing,” but Miller is now increasing that number to 5,000, each of which can include multiple family members.
Palestinian Canadians have complained about inconsistent messaging and onerous requirements that left people unable to leave Gaza before Israel effectively closed access to Egypt.
Civil war in Sudan broke out last spring, yet family members say officials expect their relatives will not reach Canada until the end of this year, citing delays with fingerprinting and other biometric requirements
Miller is providing a briefing about both programs today at the House of Commons immigration committee.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says it has issued 179 temporary-resident permits through the Gaza program as of April 29, but the department doesn’t know whether anyone has actually reached Canada.
In a statement, Miller said that Canada has been sending the names of approved temporary residents to Israeli and Egyptian authorities, even though they can’t currently exit the Gaza Strip.
