Canada
2 dead after all-night shooting rampage in Vancouver, Canada
A gunman who roamed for hours through a sleeping Vancouver suburb shot four people early Monday, two of them fatally, as he opened fire at a casino, a center for the homeless and other locations before being killed by police, authorities said.
The attacks began in the wee hours in the bedroom community of Langley and continued until dawn, according to authorities, who initially suggested the shootings had targeted homeless people.
The first shooting occurred at midnight at the casino, with more shootings at 3 a.m., 5 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. — including at a residential complex that provides support for people who are transitioning out of homelessness. The other shooting scenes were a bus stop and a highway, police said.
Evidence of the all-night rampage was scattered around Langley, including an overturned bicycle spilling personal possessions onto a street and a shopping cart with someone’s belongings.
Also read: 2 killed, 5 injured in shooting at Los Angeles park: Police
Police sent a cellphone alert to residents at 6:20 a.m., saying they were at the scene of several shootings “involving transient victims," describing the gunman and asking people to “please remain alert and out of the area.”
But by then, the gunman was already dead. Sgt. David Lee, a spokesman for homicide investigators, later told reporters that it was not yet clear if the victims were homeless.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said an emergency response team confronted the suspect not far from a highway bypass where a man was found with a gunshot to his leg.
That's when officers fatally shot the gunman, said Ghalib Bhayani, superintendent of the mounted police.
Also read: Chief: 3 dead in Indiana mall shooting; witness kills gunman
Police later identified the shooter as Jordan Daniel Goggin, 28, of Surrey, British Columbia. They are investigating the motive.
Authorities did not know if the shooter and his victims were acquainted, Bhayani said.
He told reporters that the suspect's death is subject to an investigation by the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia, a civilian-led police oversight agency.
Besides the man with the leg wound, a woman was also wounded and was hospitalized in critical condition, police said.
The shootings roiled Langley, a town of 29,000 about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Vancouver. The town features a variety of shops and restaurants and boasts almost 350 acres (142 hectares) of parks. Many residents moved to Langley for its less expensive housing and commute to Vancouver, the largest city in the province of British Columbia.
Most of the shootings were in downtown Langley. One reported shooting was in neighboring Langley Township.
After the shooting began, ambulances and police vehicles converged at a mall. The area was cordoned off with yellow police tape and a major intersection was closed. A black tent was set up over one of the crime scenes. A homicide team confirmed on social media that its investigators deployed to Langley to help.
An unmarked police SUV at one of the shooting scenes, near a bus depot, had at least seven bullet holes in the windshield and one through the driver’s window.
Mass shootings are less common in Canada than in the United States. The deadliest gun rampage in Canadian history happened in 2020 when a man disguised as a police officer shot people in their homes and set fires across the province of Nova Scotia, killing 22 people.
The country overhauled its gun-control laws after an attacker killed 14 women and himself in 1989 at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique college.
It is now illegal to possess an unregistered handgun or any kind of rapid-fire weapon in Canada. To purchase a weapon, the country also requires training, a personal risk assessment, two references, spousal notification and criminal record checks.
Canadian Trade Union delegation calls on BGMEA President
A Canadian Trade Union delegation paid a courtesy call on BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at the latter’s in Gulshan, Dhaka on July 21.
The delegation included Lily Chang, Secretary-Treasurer for the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC); Jocelyne Dubois, Director, International, Social and Economic Policy Department (CLC); Doug Olthuis, Department Leader, Global Affairs and Workplace Issues, United Steelworkers (USW); Michelle Ravary, USW Local Union; Caroline Lemay, USW Local Union; and Alexandra Lourenco, USW Local Union.
BGMEA Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin, Vice President Miran Ali, Directors Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan, Md. Imranur Rahman and Neela Hosna Ara were also present at the meeting.
They had discussions about issues, particularly about workplace safety, workers’ rights and well-being.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan appraised the delegation about the exemplary progress made by Bangladesh’s apparel industry in workplace safety and labour rights through collaboration of the global brands and retailers, manufacturers, government, ILO, development partners, and local and global unions.
He also briefed them about the remarkable progress in the RMG industry in recent years especially in improving trade union activities, skills development and labor welfare.
Faruque Hassan said the RMG industry is increasingly focusing on the skill development of workers to equip them with skills and knowledge required to cope up with changing trends in the global apparel industry, especially brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
BGMEA is collaborating with the government and development partners in carrying out different skill development programs.
The RMG industry is committed to continue its efforts for the betterment of garment workers, he added.
Canada imposes new sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas sector, chemical industry
The government of Canada imposed another round of sanctions against Russia’s oil and gas sector and chemical industry, according to the Canadian foreign ministry’s website.
"On July 14, 2022, Canada further amended the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations to prohibit the provision of 2 manufacturing services to the Russian oil, gas, chemical and manufacturing industries," the document says, adding that Canada targeted the manufacturing sector by adding 8 new industries to the list.
According to the document, Canadian citizens and companies are prohibited from providing a number of services to the Russian side, including services incidental to manufacturing of fabricated metal products; motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; computer, electronic and optical products; electrical equipment and other sectors.
Minister Counselor at the Russian Embassy in Canada Vladimir Proskuryakov told TASS the sanctions were counter-productive and would entail negative effects for Canada as well.
"We believe that a yet another round of sanctions is totally groundless and counter-productive. As we have repeatedly warned, all economic sanctions are a double-edged sword and will certainly boomerang on Canada," the diplomat said.
Read: Russia slams sanctions, seeks to blame West for food crisis
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced those measures on Saturday. She said that once the measures are in effect, Canadian businesses will have 60 days to conclude contracts with targeted industries and services.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation following a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow's plans did not include an occupation of Ukrainian territories, its goals being the demilitarization and denazification of the country. In response, the West began to gradually introduce sweeping sanctions against Moscow and to supply weapons and military equipment to Kiev estimated at billions of dollars.
Air force chief returns home from Canada
Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan, chief of air staff of Bangladesh Air Force, returned home Thursday from an official visit to Canada.
Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan's visit is expected to strengthen the existing Bangladesh-Canada ties and play a vital role in the maintenance of BAF aircraft and helicopters, expanding the scope of cooperation in professional sectors in future.
The chief of air staff had left Dhaka for Canada last Sunday at the invitation of Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force Lieutenant General AD Meinzinger, the Inter Service Public Relation Directorate said Friday.
During the visit, Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan called on President and CEO of Canadian Commercial Corporation Bobby Kwon and Assistant Deputy Minister of Global Affairs Canada Paul Thoppil.
They exchanged views on bilateral issues of mutual interests.
The chief of air staff visited the aerospace engineering and maintenance institute "Cascade Aerospace," "Maxcraft Avionics Facilities," and "Heliwelders Canada Facility."
During this visit, he observed the progress of the BAF C-130B aircraft, which is under overhauling process at Cascade Aerospace.
Also, the chief of air staff visited the "Bell Helicopter Facility" and "Advantech Wireless Technology Facility" in Ottawa.
Also read: BAF fully capable of protecting Bangladesh air space: Air Chief
Tipu urges Canada to set up edible oil refinery at EEZ
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has urged Canada to set up an edible oil refinery at an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as Canada produces huge canola quality edible oil.
Bangladesh imports edible oil worth $ 2 billion every year and Canada can take this market advantage by setting up an edible oil refinery which can be exported to neighboring countries as there is also a huge market, he said.
Canada is also a big market for Bangladeshi ready garments where export volume is over $1.0 billion annually.
Tipu Munshi said this when Canadian High Commissioners in Dhaka Dr. Lilly Nicholls met Tipu Munshi at his secretariat office on Wednesday.
In response Dr Lilly said Canada is keen to enhance trade and investment with Bangladesh.
Tipu also sought Canadian cooperation in agricultural research and innovation.
Chinese, Canadian FMs hold talks over phone
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday held a phone conversation with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly at the latter's request.
During their conversation, Wang said that the people of China and Canada have enjoyed long-term friendly exchanges, noting that Canada is one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China (PRC).
However, in recent years, China-Canada relations have suffered a serious setback due to the Meng Wanzhou case, which is something we do not want to see, Wang said.
The essence of this case lies in the U.S. suppression over Chinese high-tech enterprises by coercion, a shameful behavior that everyone could see clearly, Wang said.
No country should act as a facilitator of such unilateral bullying, and any country targeted by the U.S. approach has the right to make necessary responses, he added.
Noting that China always views and handles China-Canada relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, Wang said the current situation of bilateral relations is not in the interests of both countries, calling on Canada to face up to the problems and cooperate with China. He further put forward three proposals in this regard.
Also Read: China to back military-ruled Myanmar regardless of situation
Firstly, Canada should view China objectively and maintain a steady and pragmatic China policy.
China's political system and development path are the Chinese people's own choices, which have inevitable historical logic and are in line with China's national conditions and its people's needs, said Wang.
China's development and progress are not only the legitimate right of its 1.4 billion people, but also an important part of the modernization of all mankind, he said.
China and Canada have no historical disputes or real conflict of interest. China hopes that Canada, in spirit of mutual benefit and win-win, will do more to enhance mutual trust and promote bilateral relations, Wang said.
Secondly, the two countries should respect each other's core interests and not create new obstacles to the development of bilateral relations.
The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-Canada relations, Wang said, adding that if the Taiwan question is not handled properly, China-Canada relations will suffer fundamental damage.
China hopes Canada will adopt a correct attitude and position on issues concerning China's core interests, he said.
Thirdly, Canada should uphold its independence and eliminate unnecessary external interference.
Noting that the elder generation of leaders of the two countries surmounted obstacles to reach the decision to establish diplomatic ties, Wang said there are many good stories and traditions in China-Canada exchanges that should be cherished and carried forward.
China hopes Canada will work with China to eliminate external interference, overcome difficulties and realize sound, stable and sustainable development of bilateral relations, he said.
Also Read: Bangladesh again requests Canada to deport Bangabandhu's killer Nur
Joly said Canada is one of the first countries to recognize the PRC, and Canada-China relations enjoy a solid foundation, adding that Canada respects China's sovereignty, system and the choices made independently by the Chinese people, and positively recognizes China's great achievements in development, especially in reducing poverty.
Canada-China relations during this period of time, he said, are at a difficult stage, and Canada is willing to treat China with sincerity and respect and take a forward-looking approach so as to push bilateral ties back on track and build a more resilient bilateral relationship.
Canada appreciates China's important contributions to the global anti-pandemic fight, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China on climate change, environmental protection and the fight against COVID-19, he added.
The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine issue.
Noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a comprehensive and authoritative elaboration about China's position on the issue, Wang said China calls on all parties to think with calm and rationality, create opportunities for peace and open up prospects for negotiations.
The negotiations are now facing setbacks and difficulties, but as long as the talks persist, there will be a possible cease-fire, hence a hope of peace, said Wang, adding that China will continue to play a constructive role to this end in an objective and just manner.
Joly said the Canadian side is ready to maintain communication with the Chinese side.
Proud to contribute to Bangladesh’s food security efforts: Canadian envoy
Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr. Lilly Nicholls on Tuesday said they are proud to be contributing to Bangladesh’s food security efforts noting that Canadian wheat is the best quality in the world.
She said Canada is one of the top exporters of high-quality wheat to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is an important market for Canadian agricultural products.
The High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh and Cereals Canada officially launched “Cereals Canada’s Guide to Milling, Analytical Testing and Baking of Canadian Wheat” in Bangla and English.
Read: Dhaka trashes NIKKEI Asia report as “completely false, misleading”
The release of the latest Canadian wheat milling handbook will help millers and bakers how best to use Canadian wheat and flour to make high-quality food products.
In 2021, Canada exported over US$793 million in products to Bangladesh, over US$628 million of which was agriculture products, according to the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka.
Wheat is an important element in these exports, and Bangladesh is Canada’s seventh-largest customer for its high quality wheat, it said.
Bangladesh again requests Canada to deport Bangabandhu's killer Nur
Bangladesh has reiterated its call to Canada for the deportation of Nur Chowdhury, the self-confessed and convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
During a bilateral meeting with Canadian Minister for International Development Harjit Sajjan at the Indonesian Lounge in UNHQs on Friday, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen drew attention of the government of Canada for the deportation of Nur Chowdhury from the country.
Few days ago in Dhaka, Dr Momen raised the same issue with Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls.
Also read: Bangladesh reiterates call to Canada for deportation of killer Nur Chy
"We understand it’s an important issue for Bangladesh. I’ll convey this to my capital,” the High Commissioner told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.
Nur Chowdhury has been living in Canada as a fugitive for close to thirty years.
The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh updated Canadian counterpart Harjit Sajjan about the ongoing situation of Rohingya and sought Canada's cooperation in repatriating Rohingyas to Myanmar, according to Bangladesh Mission at the UN.
The Canadian Minister assured his country's support for the repatriation of the Rohingya and praised Bangladesh's generosity in providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to the the persecuted Rohingya population.
Dr Momen invited the Canadian Minister to visit Bangladesh while the Canadian Minister accepted the invitation and said that he would visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.
The Foreign Minister is now in New York on an official visit.
Also read: Joint committee to work to brand Bangladesh in Canada
He will present Bangladesh’s amended documents to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) at the UN on March 1.
Canadian police arrest 2 leaders of protesting truckers
Hundreds of truckers clogging Canada’s capital stood their ground and defiantly blasted their horns Thursday, even as police arrested two protest leaders and threatened to break up the nearly three-week protest against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Busloads of police arrived near Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, and workers put up extra fences around government buildings. Police also essentially began sealing off much of the downtown area to outsiders to prevent them from coming to the aid of the protesters.
“The action is imminent,” said interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell. “We absolutely are committed to end this unlawful demonstration.”
Police arrested organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber around Parliament Hill, but officers were not moving in force on the demonstrators. Police took Lich into custody late Thursday.
Police continued negotiating with the protesters and trying to persuade them to go home, Bell said. “We want this demonstration to end peacefully,” he said, but added: “If they do not peacefully leave, we have plans.”
Also read: Key US-Canada bridge reopens after police clear protesters
Many of the truckers in the self-styled Freedom Convoy appeared unmoved by days of warnings from police and the government that they were risking arrest and could see their rigs seized and bank accounts frozen.
“I’m prepared to sit on my ass and watch them hit me with pepper spray,” said one of their leaders, Pat King. As for the trucks parked bumper-to-bumper, he said: “There’s no tow trucks in Canada that will touch them.”
King later told truckers to lock their doors.
Amid the rising tensions, truckers outside Parliament blared their horns in defiance of a court injunction against honking, issued for the benefit of neighborhood residents.
Ottawa represented the movement’s last stronghold after weeks of demonstrations and blockades that shut down border crossings into the U.S., inflicted economic damage on both countries and created a political crisis for Trudeau.
The protests have shaken Canada’s reputation for civility and rule-following and inspired similar convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
“It’s high time that these illegal and dangerous activities stop,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared in Parliament, not far from where the more than 300 trucks were parked.
“They are a threat to our economy and our relationship with trading partners,” he said. “They are a threat to public safety.”
Ottawa police began locking down a wide swath of the downtown area, allowing in only those who live or work there after they pass through one of more than 100 checkpoints, the interim chief said.
Also read:Canada protests sound common refrain: ‘We stand for freedom’
Police were especially worried about the children among the protesters. Bell said police were working with child-welfare agencies to determine how to safely remove the youngsters before authorities move in.
Early this week, the prime minister invoked Canada’s Emergencies Act, empowering law enforcement authorities to declare the blockades illegal, tow away trucks, arrest the drivers, suspend their licenses and take other measures.
On Thursday, Trudeau and some of his top ministers took turns warning the protesters to leave, in an apparent move by the government to avert a clash, or at least show it had gone the extra mile to avoid one.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government began freezing truckers’ accounts as threatened. “It is happening. I do have the numbers in front of me,” she said.
Ottawa police likewise handed out leaflets for the second straight day demanding the truckers end the siege, and also helpfully placed notices on vehicles informing owners how and where to pick up their trucks if they are towed.
The occupation has infuriated many Ottawa residents.
“We’ve seen people intimidated, harassed and threatened. We’ve seen apartment buildings that have been chained up. We have seen fires set in the corridors. Residents are terrorized,” said Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
The protests by demonstrators in trucks, tractors and motor homes initially focused on Canada’s vaccine requirement for truckers entering the country but soon morphed into a broader attack on COVID-19 precautions and Trudeau’s government.
The biggest, most damaging of the blockades at the border took place at the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit. Before authorities arrested dozens of protesters last weekend and lifted the siege, it disrupted the flow of auto parts between the two countries and forced the industry to curtail production.
The final blockade, in Manitoba, ended peacefully on Wednesday.
The movement has drawn support from right-wing extremists and veterans, some of them armed — one reason authorities have hesitated to move against them.
Fox News personalities and U.S. conservatives such as Donald Trump have egged on the protests. Trudeau complained on Thursday that “roughly half of the funding to the barricaders here is coming from the United States.”
Some security experts said that dispersing the protest in Ottawa could be tricky and dangerous, with the potential for violence, and that a heavy-handed law enforcement response could be used as propaganda by antigovernment extremists.
Trucks were parked shoulder-to-shoulder downtown, some with tires removed to hamper towing.
“There is not really a playbook,” said David Carter, a professor at Michigan State University’s School of Criminal Justice and a former police officer. “I know there are police chiefs in the U.S. looking at this and developing strategic plans and partnerships to manage a protest like this if it should occur in their cities.”
The presence of children also complicated the planning. As a showdown seemed to draw near, Canadian Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said: “To those who have children with them, this is no place for children. Take them home immediately.”
Tensions mount in Ottawa as police warn truckers to leave
A showdown appeared to be shaping up in Ottawa’s nearly three-week siege by truckers protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions as police in the capital warned drivers Wednesday to leave immediately or risk arrest.
The big rigs parked outside Parliament represented the movement’s last stronghold after demonstrators abandoned their sole remaining truck blockade along the U.S. border.
With that, all border crossings were open for the first time in more than two weeks of unrest, centering attention on the capital, where drivers defiantly ripped up warnings telling them to go home.
Authorities in yellow “police liaison” vests went from rig to rig, knocking on the doors and handing truckers leaflets informing them they could be prosecuted, lose their licenses and see their vehicles seized under Canada’s Emergencies Act. Police also began ticketing vehicles.
One protester shouted, “I will never go home!” Some threw the warning into a toilet put out on the street. Protesters sat in their trucks and honked their horns in a chorus that echoed loudly downtown.
Read: Ottawa declares state of emergency over COVID-19 protests
Police delivered a second round of more explicit warnings just before Wednesday evening, spelling out what charges and penalties could face those who stay. The city’s interim police chief indicated officers might move in soon to clear the hundreds of trucks.
“We are going to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space. We are going to remove this unlawful protest. We will return our city to a state of normalcy,” interim Chief Steve Bell told city leaders in a statement. “You will be hearing and seeing these actions in the coming days.”
Protest leaders braced for action on Wednesday.
“If it means that I need to go to prison, if I need to be fined in order to allow freedom to be restored in this country — millions of people have given far more for their freedom,” said David Paisley, who traveled to Ottawa with a friend who is a truck driver.
The warnings came two days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the emergency law to try to break the protests.
“It’s not for politicians to tell police when and how to do things. What we have done with the emergency act is to make sure the police have the necessary tools,” Trudeau said Wednesday. “It’s something that I, like all residents of Ottawa, hope to happen soon.”
The crisis has become one of the most serious tests yet for Trudeau, the boyish-looking 50-year-old who has long channeled the star power — if not quite the political heft — of his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was prime minister a generation ago.
Some lawmakers are faulting the younger Trudeau for not moving more decisively against the protests, while others are accusing him of going too far in assuming emergency powers.
Since late January, protesters in trucks and other vehicles have jammed the streets of the capital and obstructed border crossings. The demonstrations by the self-styled Freedom Convoy initially focused on Canada’s vaccine requirement for truckers entering the country but soon morphed into a broad attack on COVID-19 precautions and Trudeau himself.
On Wednesday, protesters who had stopped traffic and trade for a week along the U.S. border at Emerson, Manitoba, opposite North Dakota, pulled away in tractors and trucks without any arrests.
Within hours, the crossing was fully open with no delays for commercial trucks, border officials said.
The protests have drawn support from right-wing extremists and have been cheered on and received donations from conservatives in the U.S., triggering complaints in some quarters that America and its pandemic politics have been a bad influence on Canada.
Daniel Bulford, a protest leader who described himself as a former officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a recent member of Trudeau’s security detail, accused the Trudeau government of resorting to “extreme and authoritarian” measures to quell the demonstrations.
Protest organizers encouraged supporters to come to the capital to make it difficult for police to clear them out. But the nation’s top safety official warned them to stay away or face legal consequences.
Meanwhile, the premiers of two Canadian provinces and 16 U.S. governors sent a letter to Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden calling on them to end their nations’ vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the border.
Over the past weeks, authorities hesitated to move against many of the protesters around the country, citing in some cases a lack of manpower and fears of violence.
But the bumper-to-bumper occupation has infuriated many Ottawa residents, who have complained of being harassed and intimidated on the clogged streets. The rising frustration cost Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly his job this week.
As of Tuesday, Ottawa officials said 360 vehicles remained involved in the blockade in the city’s core, down from a high of roughly 4,000.
Read:Canada protests sound common refrain: ‘We stand for freedom’
“They don’t want to give this up because this is their last stand, their last main hub,” said Michael Kempa, a criminology professor at the University of Ottawa.
An Ottawa child welfare agency advised parents at the demonstration to arrange for someone to take care of their children in the event of a police crackdown. Some protesters had their youngsters with them.
Police in the capital appeared to be following the playbook that authorities used over the weekend to break the blockade at the economically vital Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit. Police there handed out leaflets informing protesters they risked arrest.
After many of those demonstrators left, police moved in and arrested dozens who remained. The blockade had disrupted the flow of goods between the two countries and forced the auto industry on both sides to curtail production.
Stephanie Carvin, who once worked for Canada’s domestic intelligence service and teaches national security at Carleton University in Ottawa, said police in the capital face a tricky situation. Some of the protesters are extremists, and police run the risk of violence if they try to disperse or arrest them, she said.
“The last thing we want is any kind of propaganda that can really feed the flames of this movement for years to come,” Carvin said.