Four stories in the news today, July 24:
PM HARPER TO VISIT SASKATCHEWAN TODAY
Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues a swing through western Canada today, stopping in Regina to meet with Premier Brad Wall. Harper joined B-C Premier Christy Clark on Thursday to meet crews battling a wildfire near West Kelowna. Both provinces have been ravaged by wildfires this year and both have asked the federal government for more support to fight the fires.
PM TO MEET SENATE ABOLITION CHAMP
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will meet today in Regina with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall to discuss forest fires but he may find himself trying to douse the flames of another disaster: the Senate. Wall champions abolition of the scandal-plagued upper house and today’s meeting will likely raise questions about Harper’s own plans for the discredited chamber.
THREE DEAD IN QUEBEC FIRE
Authorities in Quebec are expected to release the identities today of two of the three people who died Thursday in an apartment building fire in Drummondville. Eight other people were injured in the blaze, which one witness described as “apocalyptic.” There was no word yet on what caused the fire.
RCMP WARNS OF ‘EXTREMIST INSIDERS’
The sensational case of a Kansas airport worker who planned to blow up a plane could hold important lessons for Canadian security personnel trying to detect a brewing terrorist plot, an RCMP intelligence report warns. Terry Loewen’s failed plan to detonate a bomb-laden vehicle on the tarmac of a Wichita airport near a parked plane _ potentially killing scores of passengers _ “may be seen as a viable alternative to in-flight attacks,” the declassified report says.
ALSO IN THE NEWS
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair continues his Ontario tour with stops in London, Stratford and Waterloo.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will visit Vancouver.
Justice Minister Peter MacKay will be at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax to announce support to help young Canadians find jobs, then visit Halifax police headquarters to make an announcement about criminal justice legislation.
Natural gas giant Encana Corp. will releases its second-quarter results.
