The Tuesday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Highlights from the news file for Tuesday, May 30:

ALBERTA PREMIER WANTS DIALOGUE ON DISASTERS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the devastating fire in Fort McMurray underlines the need for a national discussion on disaster mitigation. Notley says she has already asked that the subject be added to the agenda for July’s premiers meeting. She says although federal disaster relief is already in place, there may be room for more help from Ottawa on mitigation efforts. Notley says Alberta is not the first province to struggle with natural disasters such as wildfires in communities near the boreal forest. She says the forest is dense, summers are getting longer and sometimes hotter and Canadian politicians have to have “broader conversations” about the issue. Beginning Wednesday, and happening in stages, residents are being allowed to return to Fort McMurray, a month after a voracious wildfire destroyed 10 per cent of the northern Alberta city and forced its evacuation.

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DALLAIRE DECRIES GLOBAL INACTION ON SYRIA: Retired Canadian general and former senator Romeo Dallaire says the genocide in Rwanda is being repeated right now in Syria and the world isn’t doing enough to stop it. Dallaire is part of a delegation bringing forensic photos to Parliament Hill that depict atrocities committed against civilians in Syrian prisons by the regime of President Bashar Assad. Naomi Kikoler, deputy director of Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide in Washington, says the world needs to do for the Syrian people what it failed to do for the Jews during the Holocaust.

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NDP MP WANTS EVERYONE TO MOVE ON AFTER ELBOW INCIDENT: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not have to deliver any more apologies or face any parliamentary sanctions for knocking into a New Democrat with his elbow. NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau, who is travelling in China on parliamentary business, said in a statement she wants everyone to move on. “It is my sincere hope that all members will work to ensure that we never see this conduct repeated, and also that we take this opportunity to recommit to improving the tone of debate in Parliament,” said the statement, read out Tuesday to the Commons committee on procedure and House affairs.

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BUYER BEWARE: COSMETICS POORLY REGULATED: Health Canada doesn’t regularly test cosmetics for harmful or prohibited substances and there’s no legal requirement to report adverse health and safety incidents — unlike other consumer products — says a new audit from the federal environment commissioner. The report from Julie Gelfand finds that millions of consumers lack the information to make informed choices about the makeup, toothpaste, creams and other beauty products they use. And the growing online market is only making the problem worse. “It’s really important for consumers to be aware that products are not tested by Health Canada prior to being put on the shelves,” Gelfand said at a news conference.

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ECONOMY SLOWS IN 1ST QUARTER: The Canadian economy appears to be losing steam as it heads into the second quarter, which is expected to be a tough period made worse by the Alberta wildfires. Statistics Canada said Tuesday the economy contracted by 0.2 per cent in March for a second consecutive negative month as real gross domestic product grew at a slower-than-expected pace in the first quarter. David Watt, chief economist at HSBC Bank Canada, says the economy is struggling to maintain its underlying momentum. “The important takeaway from my perspective is that we had this weakness unfolding even before we start talking about the wildfires in Alberta, which is going to just disrupt economic data over the next couple of months,” he said.

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CPP REFORM FACES ROADBLOCKS: Federal sources say Canada’s most populous province has become a roadblock in work to gain the required support from provinces to make reform and expand the Canada Pension Plan. Ontario’s position in the ongoing talks is that it wants reforms to the Canada Pension Program to dovetail with the provincial pension program Ontario has vowed to create. Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa says he plans to use the Ontario program as leverage in negotiations for timely amendments to the national program, but doesn’t want to obstruct ongoing talks.

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SMALL TAX CHANGES IN MANITOBA BUDGET: The first budget by the new Progressive Conservative government in Manitoba contains some small tax tweaks and an initial step toward a balanced budget. Seniors with middle and high incomes are to see smaller school tax rebates under a new income-testing system. The rebate is to be reduced for seniors with a family income of more than $40,000, and cut entirely for those earning more than $63,500. There is one tax break in the budget — personal income tax brackets are to rise each year along with the rate of inflation, as is the case in most other provinces.

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ACCUSED IN MILITARY STABBING UNFIT TO STAND TRIAL: A judge in Ontario has ruled that a man accused of stabbing soldiers at a military recruitment centre in Toronto is unfit to stand trial — just hours after the RCMP laid terrorism charges against him. The lawyer representing Ayanle Hassan Ali sent a statement saying the ruling was handed down following a two-month psychiatric evaluation. Maureen Addie said her client was found to be “unfit to stand trial due to the ongoing psychotic symptoms of a major mental illness.” Judge Riun Shandler of the Ontario Court of Justice has ordered Ali to undergo 60 days of treatment in a bid to improve his condition and leave him able to stand trial.

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IRRITATED TRUMP DETAILS FUNDRAISING FOR VETERANS: Under pressure to account for money he claimed to raise for veterans, an irritated Donald Trump lambasted the news media Tuesday for pressing the issue and listed charities he said have now received millions of dollars from a fundraiser he held in January. Phone calls to all 41 of the groups by The Associated Press brought more than two-dozen responses Tuesday. About half reported checks from Trump within the past week, typically dated May 24, the day The Washington Post published a story questioning whether he had distributed all of the money.

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