In the news today, April 30

More Canadian soldiers are helping in the battle to sandbag homes against the still-rising floodwaters in central and eastern Canada than are deployed overseas, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says, though in a few places the water is slowly beginning to recede. States of emergency have been declared in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick as waters reach or surpass historic flood levels reached, in some cases, just two years ago. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes, including 9,500 in Quebec — two-thirds of them in Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, west of Montreal, after fleeing water from the Lake of Two Mountains that burst through a natural dike Saturday — and more are being urged to leave before water cuts them off from help.

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FEDS CUT OLD REFUGEE BACKLOG AS NEW ONE GROWS

A backlog of “legacy” refugee claims filed by applicants who have been waiting over seven years to find out if they can remain in Canada will soon be cleared, as Ottawa now turns its attention to an even bigger backlog of fresh asylum claims. The old list of stagnating cases one point stood at 32,000 claims and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen was eager to shine a spotlight this week on his government’s successful efforts at cutting it to almost nothing. The people whose cases have been on that list came to Canada seeking refugee protection prior to December 2012. That’s when the Conservatives, then in power, established new 60-day deadlines for refugee hearings. That left the 32,000 cases already in the system to be bumped to lower priority for scheduled hearings because they were already late.

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UNITED CONSERVATIVES SET TO BECOME ALBERTA GOVERNMENT

Former federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party are to officially take control of Alberta’s government today. Kenney is to become Alberta’s 18th premier and his cabinet members are to be sworn in during a ceremony at Government House in Edmonton. They are expected to get right to work with their first meeting immediately after. It will be the formal end of the four-year NDP government under Premier Rachel Notley.

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SENATE COMMITTEE IN EDMONTON ON OIL TANKER BAN BILL

A Senate committee is set to hear today from Albertans — including their new premier — on the federal government’s bill to ban tankers off the British Columbia coast. The committee on transport and communications is holding public hearings in Edmonton on Bill C-48. The bill would prohibit oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 tonnes of crude oil in the waters between the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the Alaska border. The legislation passed in the House of Commons last spring and is being debated in the Senate.

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EVIDENCE IN DISAPPEARANCE MAY HAVE BURNED: POLICE

Police say a suspect in the possible homicides of a missing woman and her toddler daughter may have tried to burn evidence and are urging the public to report any unusual fires in a rugged area outside Calgary. Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta says through the investigation they have learned that items may have been purchased that would destroy evidence. He declined to elaborate on what those items were. Aliyah Sanderson, 22-months old, and her mother Jasmine Lovett, 25, have not been seen since April 16 and were reported missing a week later after they failed to show up for a family dinner.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff appears by videoconference at the Commons foreign affairs committee to discuss threats to liberal democracy in Europe.

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet meet.

— The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science hold a press conference to detail the growing impact of unfilled medical laboratory professional positions across Canada.

— People for the Preservation of the Willow Island Coastal Wetland discuss the protection of wetlands near Miklavik on Lake Winnipeg.

— Svend Robinson, NDP candidate for Burnaby North-Seymour, will hold a press conference on the seismic risks he says are caused by the existing Trans Mountain oil storage tanks to the surrounding Burnaby community. Gordon Dunnet, a retired structural engineer, and John Clague, a professor in the SFU Department of Earth Sciences, will attend.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, April 30

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