Five stories in the news for Wednesday, May 31
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NS LIBERALS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT MAJORITY
Nova Scotians have elected Stephen McNeil's Liberals to a second straight majority government, but only by the slimmest of margins. The Liberals now hold 27 seats in the province's 51-seat legislature -- one more than necessary for a majority, and seven fewer than they held at dissolution. The Progressive Conservatives took 17 ridings in yesterday's vote, while the NDP were elected in seven.
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FEDS TO MAKE CASH-FOR-ACCESS RULES INTO LAW
The Trudeau government is poised to introduce legislation that will put an end to exclusive, private fundraisers featuring cabinet ministers, party leaders and leadership contenders. The ruling Liberals have already adopted new rules requiring that all fundraisers featuring ministers be advertised in advance, conducted in publicly available places and open to the media. The party has promised to publicly disclose within 45 days the names of all those who attended and other details.
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WOMAN DIES WHILE TRYING TO CROSS BORDER
The reeve of Emerson, Manitoba, says it was just a matter of time. Greg Janzen was reacting to the death of a 57-year-old woman, believed to be from Ghana, whose body was found late last week in northern Minnesota -- just a few kilometres shy of his municipality. The local sheriff's department said an initial autopsy concluded the cause of death was possible hypothermia, but a final autopsy is still pending. The police said they believe Mavis Otuteye had been heading for Canada.
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SOME TORIES WANT REVIEW OF VOTING PROCESS
Some Conservatives are calling for a review of the party's leadership selection process, after Andrew Scheer won the race with the support of less than 50 per cent of voting party members. The Tories used a preferential system to choose a new leader from among the 14 contenders on the ballot. Calgary Conservative MP Ron Liepert said the problem wasn't with the ranked ballot system so much as it was with the unwieldy number of candidates.
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BLUE JAYS BEER TOSSER PLEADS GUILTY
A man who tossed a beer can onto the field during a dramatic Blue Jays playoff game last fall has pleaded guilty to mischief in connection with the incident. In an agreed statement of facts presented in court on Tuesday, Ken Pagan admitted tossing a can of beer on the field as a Baltimore Orioles player was about to catch a fly ball during the seventh inning of the pivotal wild card game in Toronto. The can thrown from the stands at the Oct. 4 game just missed outfielder Hyun Soo Kim as he made the catch. Pagan pleaded guilty to mischief under $5,000 and is to return to court on June 28.
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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY
— The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls continues to hold community hearings in Whitehorse.
— Statistics Canada releases the gross domestic product, income and expenditures for the first quarter.
— Nashville visits Pittsburgh in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Penguins up 1-0 in the series.
— Canada Post unveils the eighth of its Canada 150 stamps, this one honouring the 1972 Team Canada hockey team.
— Lawyers for Lorne Grabher, who wants his personalized licence plate reinstated, will appear in court in Halifax.
The Canadian Press
