Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says the federal government will appeal a ruling that struck down the country's prostitution law. He told the House of Commons that the government will appeal a ruling by Ontario Superior Court declaring the law unconstitutional. The court found that the law forbdding keeping a bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of prostitution conflict with the principles of basic justice. The ruling says that Parliament must now act to rectify the situation and that in the meantime the provisions on the books are invalid. The case was brought by three sex workers who contended that the provision forbidding bawdy houses forced them to risk violence in the street. The government argued in vain that prostitution is inherently dangerous regardless of where practiced and that if prostitution is decriminalized Canada could become a sex tourism destination.
OTTAWA: CENTRAL PROVINCES PROTEST AGAINST CENSUS DECISION
The governments of Quebec and Ontario have launched a formal complaint against the decision by Canada's Conservative Party government to abolish the mandatory, long-form census. It's to be replaced by a voluntary, shorter census form. The two central provinces complain in a letter that the suppression of the long form will lessen their governments' ability to provide education, innovation and economic development. It also contends that it will impede their understanding of Canada's labour market. On Tuesday in the House of Commons, the three opposition parties backed a motion demanding the return of the longer census. Members of Parliament will vote on the non-binding motion on Wednesday afternoon.
TORONTO: ONTARIO OPPOSES PROSTITUTION RULING
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he expects the federal government will appeal a ruling on Tuesday which found federal prostitution laws unconstitutional. The premier says Ontario will support such an appeal. Mr. McGuinty noted that the ruling by Ontario Superior Court overturns laws that have been on the books for decades. The court found that the law forbdding keeping a bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of prostitution conflict with the principles of basic justice. The ruling says that Parliament must now act to rectify the situation.
TORONTO: UK ACTIVIST TO VISIT CANADA AFTER ALL
British activist George Galloway says he'll speak in Toronto next weekend, after being banned from visiting Canada 18 months ago. He also blasted Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney for having decreed the ban on the grounds that he is a supporters of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which the Canadian government deems a terrorist group. Mr. Galloway says he'll prove Mr. Kenney is a fool or a knave in the course of his visit. On Monday, Federal Court of Canada ruled that the government had acted politically to suppress Mr. Galloway's opinions. Mr. Galloway says the terrorist allegations had been damaging, causing him to lose his seat in the House of Commons in the following May and placing him and his family under stress and anxiety.
MONTREAL: DIESEL FUEL LEAKS INTO RIVER
Suncor Energy says an undetermined amount of diesel fuel leaked near its Petro-Canada refinery in Montreal last night but was quickly contained. A spokesman says the majority of the diesel that made it into the St. Lawrence has been contained and the company is working to clean it up. He also says Suncor will launch an investigation into the cause. Environmentalists with Climate Justice Montreal warns that the leak is a reminder of just how dangerous the facility is to the St. Lawrence River ecosystem.
MONTREAL: CANADIANS GETTING STUN GUNS THROUGH MAIL
Some Canadians are illegally buying stun guns, known as tasers. Border agents say the weapons are being purchased over the Internet and shipped from the U.S. In 2008 border agents seized 24 tasers sent through the mail. This year that number is 237. A spokesperson for Customs and Immigration says the trend will likely continue because there are not enough agents to search every package mailed to Canada.
OTTAWA: OUTGOING GOV.-GEN. PRAISES MILITARY
Outgoing Canadian Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean has praised Canada's military in her final speech as its commander-in-chief and the Queen's representative in Canada. Miss Jean says that as a child growing up in Haiti military uniforms were associated with the brutal repression of the population. But she added that working with the Canadian Forces has given her a realization of the integrity, courage and generosity of Canadian soldiers. Academic David Johnston will succeed Miss Jean on Friday. She will serve as UNESCO's special envoy for Haiti.
OTTAWA: GOVT. REJECTS CENSUS APPEAL
The governments of Quebec and Ontario have launched a formal complaint against the decision by Canada's Conservative Party government to abolish the mandatory, long-form census. It's to be replaced by a voluntary, shorter census form. The two central provinces complain in a letter that the suppression of the long form will lessen their governments' ability to provide education, innovation and economic development. It also contends that it will impede their understanding of Canada's labour market. Industry Minister Tony Clement immediately dismissed the letter, saying the government disagrees that Canadians should be threatened with penalties for failing to fill out census forms.
BRITAIN
European security officials say an alleged terrorist plot to stage shooting sprees like that in Mumbai, India, two years ago is still active. Officials says terrorists are being actively sought in Pakistan, where the plot was uncovered two weeks ago. No details of the conspiracy have been released. The three-day rampage in Mumbai two years ago left 166 people dead. The most recent terrorist threat has impelled the U.S. to increase drone attacks against targets in northwestern Pakistan.
NORTH KOREA
A North Korean official has said his country should strengthen its "nuclear deterrent" in response to the threat posed by the United States. Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil-yon told the UN General Assembly today that the U.S. is not a defender, but a disrupter, of peace. He cited U.S. nuclear aircraft carriers sailing in waters off the North Korean coast. However, Mr. Pak later said that Pyongyang's official policy goal remained the eventual denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the world.
CHINA
Google says it's future in China is uncertain as a result of the search engine company's decision to stop censoring its search results for topics which the Chinese government considers sensitive. Google shut down its mainland service in March and directed users to its website in hong Kong. The company's head of government affairs for Asia, Ross LaJeunesse, acknowledged to students at Hong Kong University that Google has lost some market share in China and that its Hong Kong website is sometimes blocked, driving some users to rivals like Baidu.com. He also denounced the Chinese government to continuing to clamp down on Internet dissent.
UNITED STATES
The United States is adding eight Iranian officials to a financial blacklist for what the Obama administration says were their roles in human rights violations following the disputed June 2009 presidential election. The sanction order has been signed by President Barack Obama. It blocks any assets in the U.S. held by the eight Iranians and prohibits Americans from doing business with them. The list includes Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp and several cabinet ministers whom Washington accuses of rights abuses, including killings and beatings after the June poll.
SPAIN
Spain's first general strike in eight years took place on Wednesday, disrupting public transport and factories. The walkout was a protest against the government's plans to met deficit reduction plans imposed by the EU. Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will start seeking Parliament's approval for an austerity budget on Thursday. His government intends to pass labour reforms that will make it easier for companies to hire and fire. The government will also reform pension plans and extend the retirement age by two years to 67. There was also labour action against austerity budgets in Brussels, Athens and other European cities.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
A UN preliminary report on a decade of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It lists more than 600 violent incidents over a 10-year period ending in June 2003. The document says the vast majority of the incidents can be classified either as war crimes or crimes against humanity. The report focuses in part on a three-year period starting in August 1998 during which at least eight foreign armies and 21 militia groups clashed with each other and with civilians. One of the foreign armies was Rwanda's. The final version of the report has been delayed until Oct. 1 after a protest by Rwanda.
MARKETS
TXS on Wednesday: 12,383, up 104. Canadian dollar: US96. Euro: $1.40. Oil: $77.76, up 1.58.
LINCOLN: GROUPS DON'T WANT TRANSCANADA PIPELINE
Environmental groups in the midwestern U.S. state of Nebraska are advising residents to join a campaign to prevent the Canadian pipeline firm TransCanada Corp. from building a pipeline through the state. A coalition of groups has set up a toll-free tip line for citizens to report instances of alleged "heavy-handed tactics." The groups accuse the company of trying to strongarm people into allowing the planned pipeline to run through their properties. TransCanada wants to expand an existing pipeline. The Keystone XL line would pass through Nebraska on its way to a refining hub near Houston, TX, to transport crude oil from Alberta's oilsands. TransCanada claims the project would create hundreds of jobs in Nebraska, give state finances a boost and reduce U.S. dependence on oil from unfriendly countries.
MONTREAL: DIESEL FUEL LEAKS INTO RIVER
Suncor Energy says an undetermined amount of diesel fuel leaked near its Petro-Canada refinery in Montreal last night but was quickly contained. A spokesman says the majority of the diesel that made it into the St. Lawrence has been contained and the company is working to clean it up. He also says Suncor will launch an investigation into the cause. Environmentalists with Climate Justice Montreal warns that the leak is a reminder of just how dangerous the facility is to the St. Lawrence River ecosystem.
CHICAGO: BLACK WANTS CONVICTIONS DISMISSED
The lawyer for Conrad Black has asked a U.S. federal appeals court in Chicago to toss out the former Canadian media tycoon's conviction. Attorney Miguel Estrada argued that, in convicting Black, juriors gave too much weight to a law that's since been deemed largely constitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court curtailed narrowed the definition of the "honest services" law in June, under which Black had been convicted for defruading Hollinger International Inc. investors. Wednesday's hearing came two months after a judge released Black from prison pending a decision on his appeal. He'd served two years of a six-and-a-half year sentence in a Florida prison for defrauding Hollinger and obstructing justice.
WEATHER
British Columbia on Thursday: sun, high C20 Vancouver. Yukon, Northwest Territories: mix sun cloud. Nunavut: cloud. Whitehorse, Yellowknife 10, Iqaluit 2. Prairies: sun. Edmonton, Winnipeg 18, Regina 20. Ontario, Quebec: rain. Toronto 21, Ottawa 18, Montreal 17. Atlantic Canada: rain. Fredericton 23, Halifax 22, Charlottetown 21, St. John's 17.
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
The Canadian Football League is out with its players of the month for September. Saskatchewan's Andy Fantuz is top Canadian and teammate Darian Durant is the winner of the offensive player award. The defensive nod goes to Toronto's Ronald Flemons. Teammate Chad Owens takes the special teams honour.
TENNIS
Milos Raonic, of Thornhill, ON, upset Sergiy Stakhovsky at the Malaysian Open. Raonic will meet Igor Andreev in his first ATP Tour quarter-final on Friday.
