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The Hook: Political news, freshly caught

Police use of licence plate scans breaks privacy law: commissioner

British Columbia's information and privacy commissioner has condemned how the Victoria police department uses the information scanned from licence plates on people's vehicles. Read more…

 

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Canada prepares for drug patent concessions to clinch free-trade deal with EU

As free trade talks with the European Union reach the endgame, Ottawa is signalling it is prepared to give the Europeans at least part of what they asked for on drug patents — a move that could cost Canadians up to $900 million a year. Read more…

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Immigration Dept. spends near $750K to track ethnic media reports on Minister Kenney

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration spent almost $750,000 monitoring ethnic media over the past three years, including assessments of election campaign events and "perceptions" of minister Jason Kenney. Read more…

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Canada unique for lack of xenophobic sentiment in public discourse: Kenney

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was in Burnaby, B.C. yesterday to explain changes to how would-be newcomers connect with employers in Canada, and to answer questions about the controversial Temporary Foreign Workers Program, which has come under scrutiny this week over 200 Chinese coal mine workers in B.C. Read more…

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Ottawa courts private-sector funding for new approach to social policy

OTTAWA - The federal government wants to tap into a "gold mine" of private-sector funding to finance its social programs. Read more…

US envoy tempers Tory optimism on Keystone XL as Obama win stokes hope

OTTAWA -- The Harper government shouldn't be getting its hopes up that Barack Obama's re-election will mean speedy approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, says the U.S. ambassador to Canada. Read more…

Kinder Morgan launches BC consultations on controversial pipeline expansion

Energy giant Kinder Morgan is holding public consultations across the Lower Mainland over the next several weeks, bringing its proposed TransMountain pipeline expansion under public scrutiny. Read more…

Economists mixed on how Obama re-election affects Canadian economy, Keystone XL

TORONTO -- Canadian economists delivered a mixed reaction on Wednesday to the re-election of President Barack Obama and whether the certainty of a leader in the United States would benefit the global economic recovery. Read more…

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Donnelly asks Conservatives about Cohen Commission, gets no answer

Fin Donnelly, NDP MP for New Westminster-Coquitlam and Port Moody, rose in Question Period today to ask whether the government would heed the recommendations of the Cohen Commission on protection of fish habitat. He did not get an answer. Read more…

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Two unions seek federal court muscle to oust foreign workers from BC mine

VANCOUVER - Two labour unions are asking a federal court to overturn temporary work permits issued to Chinese workers at a coal mine in northern British Columbia, arguing that there are unemployed Canadians who could fill the jobs. Read more…

Prime minister pushes trade, investment deals with preoccupied India

NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to the Indian capital on Monday with the message that Canada is prepared to talk serious business, but his hosts don't appear to be as ready to sign off on freer trade yet. Read more…

Harper assails NDP 'extremism' in opposing China investment treaty

OTTAWA - Tom Mulcair was labelled an anti-trade, anti-business extremist Wednesday for threatening to rip up a controversial investment treaty with China. Read more…

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Ottawa investigating foreign worker permits for Chinese miners in BC

VANCOUVER - The federal government is investigating foreign worker permits that will bring Chinese miners to British Columbia to determine whether the applications meet federal requirements. Read more…

Food bank use in Canada remains well above 2008 recession levels: report

OTTAWA - The number of Canadians depending on charity for food continues to grow, a new study being released today has found. Read more…

BC government asking public where to cut ferry service

The British Columbia government has launched a $700,000 consultation process as it decides where to trim ferry service. Read more…

Ocean experiment off BC coast shows need for regulations, Canada tells UN

A controversial ocean fertilization experiment off the British Columbia coast highlights the urgent need for a worldwide regulatory regime to consider such experiments on a case-by-case basis, Canada told delegates Monday at a meeting of countries that have signed onto a moratorium. Read more…

Deadline looms for Cohen report on sockeye collapse

VANCOUVER -- A report that's expected to explain why and how millions of sockeye salmon vanished from B.C.'s Fraser River must be handed into the federal government next week, but it's still unclear when, or even if, the public will get to see a copy. Read more…

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Drop in corporate tax revenues doubles federal deficit

OTTAWA - A sharp drop in corporate tax revenues in August helped push Ottawa's deficit for the current fiscal year to $6.2 billion, about double what it was at the end of the previous month, the federal government reported Friday. Read more…

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Thousands pledged to 'bold action' in demo against pipeline and tankers Monday in Victoria

Declaring "B.C.'s coastline is not for sale," thousands of demonstrators pledged to take what the online statement they have signed calls "bold action" are expected to gather at the legislature building in Victoria on Monday, according to organizers at Defend Our Coast. Read more…

Three of four Canadians against ceding control of resources to foreign governments: poll

More than three out of four Canadians believe that foreign governments should not be able to control resources on Canadian soil, and most Canadians want the Harper government to block the purchase of the Calgary-based Nexen oil and gas firm by a Chinese state-owned corporation. Read more…