Law & Politics
Summary
Parliament will vote on proposed law on Nov. 29
Attempt to legalise assisted dying rejected in 2015
Public opinion and ruling party split over issue
LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) – A proposed law allowing terminally ill adults in England and Wales to end their lives was published on Tuesday, setting out safeguards such as ensuring the approval of doctors and judges to try to ease concerns in Britain over its possible misuse.
The proposed law has polarised opinion and has split the governing Labour Party. Lawmakers will vote on the proposed law on Nov. 29, almost 10 years since parliament rejected an earlier bid to legalise assisted dying.
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Read MoreInvestigators have confirmed whistleblowers’ complaints of “misuse of public funds” through sweetheart contracting in Defence Minister Bill Blair’s department. It follows a 2022 audit that documented inside dealing and favouritism.
The department in a notice said a Canadian Armed Forces base commander hired a favoured supplier without authority, oversight or legal advice. The cash value of the contract was not disclosed.
“It was alleged base authorities entered into an agreement with a transportation company to provide ‘free’ shuttle bus services on a regular schedule to take military and civilian personnel from the base to the local community and back,” said the notice. “A subsequent investigation conducted by the Directorate of Special Examinations concluded the agreement in place between the Department of National Defence and the transportation company was not a valid contract, thus resulting in legal liability concerns which were never addressed.”
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Read MoreA federal agency whose president boasted to MPs of “the highest standard” on ethics has failed an internal audit. Irregularities in contracting at the National Research Council included favouritism, missing paperwork, inside dealing and poor oversight.
“Monitoring of risks within professional services contracting was not functioning,” said a Research Council report. Random checks of 20 contracts awarded to consultants found in almost two thirds of cases, 61 percent, “key supporting documents were missing.”
“With regards to conflicts of interest, we observed strong indications of a real or apparent conflict that was not identified and disclosed in two files e
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Read MoreChief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault will testify on why he attended a secret meeting with New Democrats and Liberals to discuss rewriting the Elections Act. Perrault’s office said he considered it routine though it included a proposal guaranteeing pension eligibility for 28 New Democrat and Liberal MPs. “Elections Canada was asked to attend a meeting in Ottawa to provide its technical expertise,” said Matthew McKenna, spokesperson for Elections Canada. “The Chief Electoral Officer answered questions,” he added. Perrault will now testify at the House affairs committee on who said what, Spokesperson McKenna told Blacklock’s. “He looks forward
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Read MoreMPs may not call Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a terrorist even if the word appears in constituency mail being read aloud in the House of Commons, the Speaker has ruled. Reciting letters with rough language was no excuse for breaching decorum, MPs were told.
“Members cannot do indirectly what they do not have the right to do directly,” ruled Assistant Deputy Speaker Carol Hughes. “The use of unparliamentary language by quoting from others is unacceptable.”
“We will not tolerate these type of comments,” said Hughes. “I would urge all members to stay away from such comments even when quoting from documents. Taking unparliamentary language from a quotation and attributing it to another individual does not make it more acceptable.”
The ruling followed remarks by Conservative MP Anna Roberts (King-Vaugha
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Read MoreMike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, twice presidential candidate, and television host, has been named as President-elect Donald Trump’s ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee will become the first evangelical Christian in the role.
In a statement Tuesday, Trump said:
I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, has been nominated to be The United States Ambassador to Israel. Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!
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Read MoreDonald Trump Jr has shared a mocking video warning Volodymyr Zelensky that he will ‘lose his allowance’ when his father returns to office, as fears mount in Ukraine over what a Trump presidency will mean for US support in the war against Russia.
This weekend saw the largest drone attack
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Read Moreas The Rest is Politics podcast peaked? Its hosts have certainly had a rather rocky ride of late – with ex-Tory MP Rory Stewart widely mocked last week over his bullish assertion that ‘Kamala Harris will win comfortably because Biden’s admin has been solid’ before the Democrat candidate went on to lose to Donald Trump. Now Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell is in the spotlight over women’s rights concerns and his, er, ignorance of the whole matter.
In a recent podcast episode, Campbell spent much time opining on the trans issue – first expressing surprise at how much gender ideology conc
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Read MorePfizer failed to warn patients that its injectable contraceptive drug, Depo-Provera, can increase the risk of developing a brain tumor, a lawsuit filed Monday alleges.
Pfizer and its subsidiaries “knew or should have known for decades that Depo-Provera, when administered and prescribed as intended, can cause or substantially contribute to the development of meningiomas,” a type of brain tumor.
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