The Friday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories
Highlights from the news file for Friday, Dec. 9
TRUDEAU HAILS CLIMATE PLAN: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is claiming victory in his campaign to craft a national “framework” agreement on climate change — even though Saskatchewan and Manitoba remains provincial holdouts. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall’s full-throated opposition to the plan, which includes imposing a price on carbon, was fully expected going into Friday’s day-long first ministers meeting. But surprise resistance from British Columbia’s Christy Clark and Manitoba’s Brian Pallister threatened throughout the day to upset Trudeau’s hopes for a triumphant finale to a year of federal-provincial climate negotiations. A last-minute addition to the agreement appeared to bring Clark on side, with Wall the only premier not on board. Pallister also did not sign but left the door open to signing later on.
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INDIGENOUS LEADERS SHOULD BE AT 1ST MINISTERS MEETINGS, SAYS FIRST NATIONS LEADER: The head of the Assembly of First Nations says Canada needs to change the Constitution to ensure indigenous leaders can be in the room when the prime minister meets with the premiers. Indigenous leaders were invited to Friday’s meeting with the premiers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, but they were frustrated at being excluded from the afternoon session on climate change. Perry Bellgarde says Aboriginal Peoples and their traditional way of life suffer some of the worst effects of climate change and they should be fully involved in decisions on what to do about it. Bellgarde says the Constitution does not recognize First Nations, Metis and Inuit leaders as representatives from an order of government and says until that changes Aboriginal Peoples will always be excluded.