National

OTTAWA—Liberal leader Justin Trudeau remained under fire yesterday for taking hefty speaking fees from charitable groups after becoming an MP—despite promising to pay back any organization that was dissatisfied.
The Conservatives maintained Trudeau never should have accepted any money from any charity—before or after becoming an MP.

VANCOUVER—The British Columbia coast has seen 22 major earthquakes over the last 11,000 years—and is due for another, says a new study.
But there is no cause for alarm, cautioned the author of the research paper published yesterday.

OTTAWA—In the midst of a raging scandal over the abuse of taxpayers’ money by senators, the Senate has hired two speakers to help denizens of the maligned upper chamber feel better about themselves.
All senators, their staff, and Senate employees have been invited to attend talks by communications consultant Barry McLoughlin and motivational speaker Marc-Andre Morel.

OTTAWA—A witness who is helping Elections Canada unravel a Conservative MP’s 2008 campaign expenses says he has been publicly bullied, discredited, and intimidated.

TERRACE, B.C.—The panel weighing the future of the Northern Gateway pipeline was to hear today from industry players who support the project.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and Enbridge’s partners in the project, including Cenovus and Suncor Energy, are scheduled to make their final arguments to the federal panel hearing in Terrace, B.C.

MONTREAL—A little over a year ago, Saulie Zajdel joined Stephen Harper for a happy-hour pub stop in Montreal as the Conservatives’ best hope to win their first seat in the city in a quarter-century.
Today, Zajdel is under arrest.

OTTAWA—The prime minister’s national security adviser, federal lawyers who work on terrorism cases, and intelligence analysts in the Privy Council Office would be forever forbidden from discussing sensitive aspects of their work under proposed new rules.

TERRACE, B.C.—The proponent and opponents of the Northern Gateway pipeline will make their final pitches to a federal review panel starting today—the last stage of public hearings before the panel issues its decision later this year.
Calgary-based Enbridge was slated to be the first to officially present its final argument for its project at the hearings.

OTTAWA—Justin Trudeau is promising to compensate all groups that paid him hefty speaking fees since he became an MP.
The Liberal leader said yesterday he’ll either give back the fees or find some other way to “make it right.”
He could, for instance, give charitable groups donations equivalent to the fees charged or agree to appear at future fundraisers for them—for free this time.

TORONTO—A convicted killer has won his bid to have his manslaughter finding tossed out on the basis that aboriginals were systematically excluded from Ontario jury rolls.
The Ontario Court of Appeal found the absence of aboriginal jurors violated Clifford Kokopenace’s constitutional rights.