In the news today, May 15

Veterinarians are lobbying MPs today to authorize the use of medical cannabis for animals. The vets are bringing five dogs to Parliament Hill to draw attention to what they see as glaring omissions in the legalized regimes for medical and recreational marijuana. The law does not allow veterinarians to prescribe pot for pets, even though preliminary research suggests it could be beneficial in treating pain, seizures and anxiety. Dr. Sarah Silcox, president of the Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine, says some people using products sold for human consumption or unregulated “black market” products marketed for animal use, but about which veterinarians have concerns about safety and purity.

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CANADA IN ‘CLIMATE-CHANGE EMERGENCY’: LIBERALS

Both the Liberals and the federal New Democrats are pushing motions this week to declare climate change a national emergency. The Liberal motion, which is to be debated Thursday, asks MPs to recommit to the Paris climate-change accord by meeting the existing targets for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions and toughening them. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna was not hiding the strategy behind the Liberal motion — get the Conservatives to declare their support for the Paris agreement targets, or tip their hand on Andrew Scheer’s yet-unreleased climate-change plan by voting against them.

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COURT TO RULE ON REFERRAL POLICY FOR DOCTORS

Ontario’s highest court is expected to rule today on whether doctors in the province are obligated to give referrals for medical services that clash with their moral or religious beliefs. A group of doctors has asked the Court of Appeal for Ontario to overturn a divisional court decision that upheld the referral requirement. The requirement is part of a policy issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to address issues surrounding, among other things, assisted dying and abortion. Last year, the divisional court found that while the policy does infringe on doctors’ religious freedom, the benefits to the public outweigh the cost to physicians.

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UPDATED FISHERIES LAW COULD STEM STOCK LOSS

An ocean conservation group says changes coming to the way fisheries are managed in Canada could give hope for the rebound of some species and the protection of others. Bill C-68 was introduced a month after the Liberal government was sworn in and had its second reading in the Senate in December. Josh Laughren of Oceana Canada says the proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act would prompt the government to rebuild stocks that fall below sustainable levels. An expert panel convened by the Royal Society of Canada in 2012 found Canada had seen more than half of its fish biomass disappear since 1970.

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100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE

Today is the 100th anniversary of the start of one of Canada’s most notorious strikes. The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 brought the city to a virtual standstill as some 30,000 workers walked off the job. Mounted police and special constables were brought in, strike leaders were arrested and one worker was shot and killed as police charged at a massive group of workers on Main Street. After six weeks, workers returned to their jobs in what was a defeat for the labour movement. But in the long run, the Winnipeg strike led to many changes. A royal commission that examined the strike warned that workers were suffering while the manufacturing class was prosperous.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is in Washington to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, the new North American trade deal and relations with China.

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in Paris today for Christchurch Call, a meeting with global leaders aimed at stopping social media being used to organize and promote terrorism.

— Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Toronto Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy with a departure ceremony as part of the commemorative journey across Canada.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, May 15

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