Child labour policies, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions: In The News for Oct. 28

The Canadian Press used the Access to Information Act to obtain a public copy — as well as a heavily censored, classified version — and an internal briefing note summarizing the government’s intended response.

The report says Canada is taking a leading position by exposing its procurement to this scrutiny — an important and required first step.

Since receiving the findings, the government has updated its Code of Conduct for Procurement to incorporate human and labour rights expectations for vendors and their subcontractors.

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Also this …

A new analysis suggests the Liberal climate plan could meet Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions targets for the first time before the end of this decade.

The study by Clean Prosperity could give some heft to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau credentials ahead of planned climate discussions at the upcoming G20 summit and United Nations COP 26 meeting.

Trudeau is boarding a plane this morning bound for Europe to attend those summits, though his first stop on the six-day trip is an official visit to the Netherlands.

The Clean Prosperity analysis says all of Trudeau’s recent climate policies could get Canada emissions to 41 per cent below what they were in 2005, by 2030 — just within reach of the new 40 to 45 per cent target he set last spring.

Canada’s climate credibility has been in doubt after emissions rose following Trudeau signing onto the Paris agreement in 2015.

Climate will also form part of the talks at the G20 in Rome, but the COVID-19 pandemic will be the main focus there.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

SANTA FE, N.M. — Investigators say there was “some complacency” in how weapons were handled on a movie set where Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer and wounded another person.

They also said it’s too soon to determine whether charges will be filed.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza noted 500 rounds of ammunition were found while searching the set of the Western “Rust.” They included a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and suspected live rounds.

“Obviously I think the industry has had a record recently of being safe. I think there was some complacency on this set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico,” Mendoza told a news conference nearly a week after the shooting.

Authorities also confirmed there was no footage of the shooting, which happened during a rehearsal. Investigators believe Baldwin’s gun fired a single live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.

Detectives have recovered a lead projectile they believe the actor fired last week. Testing is being done to confirm whether the projectile taken from Souza’s shoulder was fired from the same long Colt revolver used by Baldwin. The FBI will help with ballistics analysis.

Two other guns were seized, including a single-action revolver that may have been modified and a plastic gun that was described as a revolver, officials said.

Rust Movie Productions, the production company, says it is co-operating with authorities and conducting its own internal review of procedures with the production shut down.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand _ New Zealand officials said Thursday they will gradually loosen their border quarantine requirements, which have been among the toughest in the world throughout the pandemic.

But while the changes will make it easier for New Zealanders stranded abroad to return home, officials gave no date for when tourists might be welcomed back. That change is likely still months away.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that from next month, most people arriving in New Zealand would need to spend seven days in a quarantine hotel run by the military, half the previous requirement, while some new arrivals from low-risk Pacific island countries could skip quarantine altogether and isolate at home.

He said the new rules were an interim step ahead of broader reopening measures that would be gradually introduced once more than 90 per cent of New Zealanders aged 12 and over were fully vaccinated. So far, 72 per cent of eligible people have had both shots.

The change follows a growing outcry from New Zealanders who have been trying to return home but have been unable to secure spots in the quarantine system. Some have resorted to legal action.

“I acknowledge that there’s a lot of pressure there. My message to the people who are keen to get back into New Zealand is: There isn’t very long to wait now,” Hipkins said. “And encouraging their fellow New Zealanders to get fully vaccinated will help us get to that point faster.”

Hipkins said he expected most new arrivals would be able to isolate at home by sometime in the first quarter of next year. He said the first priority was New Zealanders and those with valid visas.

“Tourists are more of a challenge, in that they don’t necessarily have somewhere to isolate on arrival,” Hipkins said. “But we’ll work our way through all of that.”

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On this day in 1991 …

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney withdrew his name from candidacy for the post of UN secretary general.

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In entertainment …

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court has refused to consider Brad Pitt’s appeal of a court ruling that disqualified the judge in his custody battle with Angelina Jolie.

The court on Wednesday denied a review of a June appeals court decision that said the private judge hearing the case should be disqualified for failing to sufficiently disclose his business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys.

The judge already ruled Pitt and Jolie divorced, but he separated the issue of custody of their five minor children. Jolie and Pitt were married in 2014. Jolie filed to dissolve the marriage two years later.

The state Supreme Court’s decision means the fight over the couple’s five minor children — which was nearing an end — could just be getting started.

Emails seeking comment from attorneys for Pitt and Jolie weren’t immediately returned.

Jolie, 46, and Pitt, 57, were among Hollywood’s most prominent couples for 12 years. A former Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, John Ouderkirk, officiated at their 2014 wedding, then was hired to oversee their divorce when Jolie filed to dissolve the marriage in 2016.

He ruled the couple divorced in 2019, but he separated the child custody issues.

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ICYMI …

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.— Four years after the “Greatest Show On Earth” shut down, officials are planning to bring back the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, but animals will no longer be featured in their shows.

A spokesperson for Florida-based Feld Entertainment says an announcement is expected sometime next year.

The three-ring circus shut down in May 2017 after a 146-year run.

Costly court battles with animal rights activists led circus officials to end elephant acts in 2016. Without the elephants, ticket sales declined.

Officials also blamed increased railroad costs, and the rise of online games and videos, which made the “Greatest Show On Earth” not seem that great anymore.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which was behind many of the protests, said it is thrilled with the concept of a circus without animal acts.

“The exciting announcement sends a powerful message to the entire industry, something that PETA’s been saying for decades: Cruelty doesn’t belong in the circus or in any other form of entertainment,” the organization told the Herald-Tribune.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Child labour policies, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions: In The News for Oct. 28

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