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

Highlights from the news file for Thursday, Nov. 10

GIRL, 7, FOUND DEAD AFTER AMBER ALERT: RCMP in Saskatchewan say they have found the body of a missing seven-year-old girl who had been the subject of an Amber Alert. The alert was issued by police overnight after Nia Eastman was not returned to her mother. Police say Nia’s father, Adam Jay Eastman, was found dead earlier in the day from self-inflicted injuries. Officers found the girl’s body in a home not far from the scene. Police say they are trying to piece together what happened after her father picked her up from school on Wednesday.

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CANADIANS DON’T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT MILITARY, GOV. GEN. SAYS: Governor General David Johnston says Canadians may have a lot of respect for the country’s military, but they don’t know enough about what it actually does. Soldiers routinely rank near the top of opinion polls that ask Canadians which professions they respect the most. But a survey conducted for the Department of National Defence earlier this year suggests many Canadians have only a limited familiarity with the military, if any. Johnston says events such as Friday’s Remembrance Day ceremony are important for recognizing and raising awareness of the duty and sacrifice demonstrated by Canada’s military personnel.

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TRUMP VISITS THE WHITE HOUSE: The transition of power has begun in the United States. U.S. President Barack Obama and president-elect Donald Trump met for more than an hour Thursday at the White House — the first time the pair has met face-to-face. After the meeting, Obama said it’s important that the outgoing and incoming administrations co-operate to ensure a smooth transition of power. The meeting follows a bitter campaign, during which Obama described Trump as unfit for office.

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ANTI-TRUMP PROTEST IN WASHINGTON: As president-elect Donald Trump met with Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, more than 100 protesters held a sit-in outside the nearby Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. The mostly student protesters held signs that said “#stillwithher” and “Love Trumps Hate”, a phrase that Hillary Clinton often used during her campaign against Trump. The demonstrators sat on the sidewalk outside Trump’s new hotel, chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “Stronger Together,” a slogan of Clinton’s campaign.

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TRUDEAU SAYS CANADA WILLING TO DISCUSS NAFTA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is willing to discuss the North American Free Trade Agreement with a Trump administration. Trudeau said Thursday it’s “important that we be open to talking about trade deals, like NAFTA or any other trade deal.” U.S. president-elect Donald Trump vowed during the campaign to renegotiate NAFTA and other trade deals. Trudeau also said Ottawa needs to make sure Canadians continue to benefit from all trade deals.

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U.S. VOTE COULD BENEFIT CANADIAN POT SUPPLIERS: Canada’s marijuana industry could benefit after seven states representing twice the population of Canada voted in favour of legalizing the drug, either recreationally or medically. Voters in California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine approved on Tuesday the use of recreational cannabis, joining four other states and Washington, D.C., that have similar laws in place. The CEO of Privateer Holdings, a U.S.-based private equity firm that focuses on investing in the marijuana sector, says he expects Canadian producers will enter into partnerships with their neighbours to the south following the referendums.

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WORK ON SUBMERGED B.C. TUG GOING SLOWLY: It’s slow going for salvage crews working to drag a submerged tugboat into deeper water so it can be loaded onto a barge and removed from the area west of Bella Bella, B.C. Heiltsuk Nation spokeswoman Ayla Brown says anchors and chains have been attached to the salvage barge and the Nathan E. Stewart — but the tug has so far only moved 75 of the required 300 metres. More than 100,000 litres of diesel and other oil spilled from the tug after it ran aground on Oct. 13.

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B.C. TEACHERS WIN SUPREME COURT BATTLE: A battle over bargaining rights for British Columbia’s public school teachers has been settled in Canada’s highest court, with a majority of the judges ruling in favour of the B.C. Teachers Federation. The Supreme Court upheld the appeal launched by the teachers after a B.C. court found their Charter rights were not affected by removal of the ability to bargain class size and composition. The B.C. Federation of Labour calls the ruling a huge victory for labour rights in Canada.

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SUPREME COURT REJECTS G20 APPEALS: Two class-action lawsuits arising out of the chaotic Toronto G20 summit more than six years ago appear destined for trial after the country’s highest court refused on Thursday to get involved. Toronto’s police authorities had wanted the Supreme Court to stop the legal actions in their tracks. The class actions were spawned by the violence-marred weekend in June 2010 when police arrested or detained more than 1,000 people in what was later described as one of the worst violations of civil liberties in Canadian history.

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TWO OFFICERS SHOT IN PENNSYLVANIA: Authorities in Pennsylvania say a gunman with a history of domestic abuse fatally shot a police officer and wounded another early Thursday before he and a woman were found dead following a fight at their apartment. Officer Scott Bashioum and the other officer were responding separately to an emergency call from neighbours when they were “ambushed.” Bashioum, a father of four, died in hospital, while the other officer was in stable condition after surgery.