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“It’s just so disheartening” – Zimmer’s comments on MMIW draw criticism

McDavid making long-awaited NHL debut amid nerves, hype and curiosity

ST. LOUIS — Connor McDavid has dreamed of playing in the NHL since he was a kid, but there was no tossing and turning on the eve of his big-league debut.

McDavid got a good night's sleep, and it wasn't until he woke up in a St. Louis hotel Thursday morning that he let his mind wander. That's when the nerves kicked in.

"That's kind of when it hit me that I'll be playing in my first NHL game," the Edmonton Oilers' No. 1 pick said hours before suiting up against the Blues. "That's when I first realized. Last night I had no problem sleeping, like nothing at all. Just woke up this morning and that was kind of it."

McDavid enters the league with the nerves of any 18-year-old but unlike other rookies, also carries the weight of being compared to Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky. There's also a curiosity factor in play that might be the highest of its kind in the history of the sport.

"I did spend some time talking to Sid about his experience and even since then the world has really changed as far as media and social media and that type of stuff," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. "This is a new adventure for everybody involved. I know that Connor has the tools to handle the pressure, and we'll do everything we can to help him."

The Newmarket, Ont., native starts his new adventure with Taylor Hall and fellow rookie Anton Slepyshev as his linemates. Hall has been impressed by McDavid's defensive play so far but cautioned not to make too much of how he comes out of the gate.

"It's important to remember he's 18," Hall said. "I'm 23 and I still have bad games, Sidney Crosby's the best player in the world, he still has bad games. There's going to be some trials and some errors, but I think that he's in a position to succeed, and it's going to be fun to watch him grow."

McDavid is almost timidly bashful about the significance of his NHL debut. He might be the only one.

"He's humble like Gretz," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He's sincere, very complimentary to existing veteran players in the league and has a healthy respect for the history of the game."

There's already respect for McDavid from players who haven't yet been on the ice against him and just watched his highlights. Blues defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk said he wanted to "make sure that you're not the first guy getting danced by the young guy."

Shattenkirk isn't the only elite defenceman thinking about that.

"When you see highlights, you kind of wonder, 'What's this guy going to be like to play against?'" Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks said. "He's pretty shifty for a young guy, and you just don't want to get embarrassed by him."

New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider expects McDavid to be "the real deal" and says he "seems to be that Sidney Crosby-type player." Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty wants to see for himself.

"I'm excited to play against him," Doughty said. "I think it's pretty obvious that no one can take him lightly, so he's going to come into the league with a big target on his back right off the bat."

That target is already there. St. Louis captain David Backes talked up his team's in-your-face, hard-nosed style and assured that whenever McDavid is an opponent, "he's going to experience that and let's see how he responds to it."

McLellan conceded he's as curious as everyone else to see how McDavid does on a new-look Oilers team that features plenty of fresh faces. McDavid's baby face is the one everyone will be watching closely not only early on but potentially for the next 15 years.

"He's one of the most talented guys I've ever seen," centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. "In here, we're not going to put too much pressure on him. He's 18. He's going to go out and be a great player, but we're not expecting him to score a hat trick every night or anything like that.

"We just want him to go play, have fun, and no matter what he does, he's going to help the team."

---

Follow @SWhyno on Twitter

Stephen Whyno, The Canadian Press

Calgary mayor disappointed niqab issue a “flashpoint” in federal campaign

Calgary's mayor has toned down his criticism of the Conservative government for its handling of the niqab issue.

Naheed Nenshi ripped the Conservative's position as politically motivated and "dangerous" in an interview last week and then got into a war of words on the issue with Defence Minister Jason Kenney.

But Nenshi, who attended a citizenship ceremony this morning, stayed away from those words, saying he was disappointed the issue has become such a "flashpoint" in the current campaign.

He is urging Canadians to vote for the Canada they want, but shied away from any criticism of the Conservative government.

Nenshi says human rights are fundamentally urban issues and immigrants primarily move to cities with the hope of living a better life.

The issue of religious accommodation and specifically banning the wearing of face coverings during citizenship ceremonies has become one of the campaign's most contentious issues, particularly in seat-rich Quebec.

 

The Canadian Press

Blue Jays fans from across Canada descend on Toronto to take in playoff opener

TORONTO — Blue Jays fans have descended upon Toronto from across the country to take in the team's first post-season game in 22 years.

Glenn Smith and Norm Bassett have come from the Northwest Territories, driving 1,000 kilometres to Edmonton before hopping on the red-eye to get to Toronto a few hours before the opening pitch.

Smith, clad in a full Blue Jays uniform, says it was time to blow some money on his favourite team since it's been so long since their last appearance in the playoffs.

Smith, like dozens of others outside the Rogers Centre on Thursday afternoon, says the Blue Jays will crush the Texas Rangers and eventually win the World Series.

Angela Gleason and her husband, Michael, have driven in from Barrie, Ont., hoping the Blue Jays replicate the result of the last playoff game they attended in 1993 when the team won the World Series.

The Canadian Press

Diminutive Brandon Banks has big expectations with Hamilton Tiger-Cats

HAMILTON — Diminutive Brandon Banks likes to think big.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats' dynamic punt returner expects to score each time he settles under a booming kick. Although such expectations are unrealistic, the five-foot-seven, 153-pound Banks remains the CFL's most dangerous special-teams performer with four punt returns for touchdowns.

That's one behind the league record held by Ottawa Redblacks receiver Chris Williams, who set the standard in 2012 while with Hamilton. Banks, who had an 83-yard punt return TD in last weekend's 23-20 home loss to the Calgary Stampeders, will have Williams' mark in his sights when the Ticats (8-5) host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-12) on Friday night.

"I just want to go out there pretty much every time and return the kick if I can, but we know the reality," Banks said on the Ticats' website. "Hopefully I can get (fifth return TD) to tie the record.

"I just want to go out there and give 110 per cent effort . . . I'm just going to scratch and claw. I'm not so big so I've got to give a little bit more than the (other) guy. I'm just going to go out there each punt return and try to take one to the house."

Kent Austin, Hamilton's head coach/GM, said Banks certainly brings a unique skillset to the table.

"They (punt return TDs) are not easy to do," Austin said. "He's a great player, a great returner.

"He doesn't just help us on the ones he takes back to the endzone but he has the ability to flip the field and get us good field position. He's a premiere punt returner."

The Ticats can certainly use Banks' big-play abilities given they're tied atop the East Division standings with the arch-rival Toronto Argonauts (8-5) and Ottawa (8-6). What's more, Hamilton has shown a vulnerability at home, having lost three of its last four games at Tim Hortons Stadium.

The Ticats won their first 10 games at the facility before the Montreal Alouettes snapped that streak with a 26-23 road victory Aug. 23. Hamilton has lost two straight for the first time this season and will look to avoid its first three-game home losing streak since Sept. 19, 2008 — a span of 64 games.

Banks said Hamilton can't afford to look past a Saskatchewan squad that's 2-3 under interim head coach Bob Dyce.

"Actually, they're a good team with the new coach," Banks said. "Watching film I saw guys out there making plays especially on the defensive end.

"We can't just look at them as just another team. We've got to come and play because these next five weeks are critical for us."

Hamilton won the first meeting of the season 31-21 in Regina on July 26.

Surprisingly, Saskatchewan remains in playoff contention but needs plenty of help to reach the post-season.

Saskatchewan must not only win all four of its remaining games, but have B.C. drop all five of its contests. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers must beat the Lions this weekend, then go winless the rest of the way.

And finally, Montreal must lose four of its final five contests.

The good news for Saskatchewan is veteran slotback Chris Getzlaf appears poised to return to the lineup after missing seven games with a foot injury. Despite his lengthy absence, the 32-year-old Regina native's four TD grabs is tied with Rob Bagg for the team lead.

"I think it means a lot to the quarterbacks, I think it means a lot to the team on a whole," Dyce said of Getzlaf's anticipated return. "A veteran like Chris, he's a total pro.

"He's kind of like a coach out there, even while he's injured he's helping guys out so that understanding and sometimes the presence of a veteran leads to greater confidence of the whole team."

But centre Dan Clark (concussion) won't play and will be replaced by Corey Watman.

For the Ticats, centre Mike Filer (lower body) and defensive end Eric Norwood (knee) are both expected to play Friday night.

The Canadian Press

Advocate says B.C.’s children in government care need more social workers now

VICTORIA — British Columbia's independent children's watchdog says the province needs more social workers to protect vulnerable children.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says the province has fewer social workers now compared to 13 years ago and that the government must hire more by boosting funding for the Children's Ministry.

Turpel-Lafond concludes in a report that consistent failures within the ministry mean it has failed to meet its own standards to protect children.

Her report comes as the government is under fire after two suicides of teenagers who were in its care.

The report was released on the same day that the B.C. Government and Services Employees Union issued its own report criticizing government support of social workers in aboriginal child service agencies.

Children's Minister Stephanie Cadieux says Turpel-Lafond's data is out of date and that 110 new workers have been hired.

The Canadian Press

Victims of Lac-Megantic disaster close to receiving part of $450-million fund

MONTREAL — Lawyers for victims of the Lac-Megantic train disaster are recommending their clients accept a motion that would allow Canadian Pacific Railway to stop blocking hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement money, an attorney said Thursday.

Jeff Orenstein, whose Consumer Law Group represents the victims of the derailment, said attorneys from all sides have agreed to recommend giving Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP) legal assurances in exchange for it dropping its appeal against the $450-million fund.

He said his clients and the Quebec government — also plaintiffs in the case — still need to be consulted and haven't yet given the green light to the motion that was recently tabled by lawyers for Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railroad (MMA), the now-defunct firm at the centre of the disaster that killed 47 people on July 6, 2013.

Orenstein said he and the attorneys for the Quebec government "would support the motion. But neither of us felt comfortable saying we agree without both of our clients saying officially they also agreed."

He said Quebec Superior Court Justice Gaetan Dumas has given them until Tuesday evening to confirm, in writing, that the motion is officially accepted by all sides.

If that happens, CP has said it will drop its appeal and the settlement money could begin to be distributed to victims by the end of the year.

MMA didn't have enough insurance to pay damages to victims and creditors, so it filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Canada. The settlement fund is tied to the bankruptcy proceedings in both countries.

CP has been the only company accused in the derailment to not participate in the settlement fund and over the summer sought leave to appeal the fund.

All the other companies that offered money to victims were to be released from legal liability for the derailment.

CP objected to the motion for several reasons, notably because the company thought it wouldn't be able to defend itself if it was taken to court by any of the firms released from legal liability.

MMA's motion offers CP legal assurances that if it is taken to court and loses, it can't be asked to pay for the same damages already paid out by other firms, Orenstein said.

Patrice Benoit, lawyer for MMA, said Thursday that CP can still be held liable for the derailment.

"There is absolutely no concession that has been granted to Canadian Pacific," he said outside the courtroom in Granby, Que., 80 kilometres east of Montreal.

"What Canadian Pacific has offered — and what we have accepted subject to us agreeing on the language — is to withdraw all its appeals in Canada and the United States."

Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press

Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman hates spiders, but relishes the spotlight

TORONTO — Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman isn't much of a fan of the outdoors, doesn't like bugs and hates spiders.

But put him on a pitching mound in front of millions and he's in his element. Locked and loaded with something to prove.

"As far as sports-wise, I feel like I'm able to keep my emotions in check and use the limelight as kind of a way to get up. I love it, I love it," the 24-year-old right-hander said Thursday on the eve of Game 1 of Toronto's American League Division Series against Texas.

"This is what you dream of. This is when you're a little kid and you're playing in the backyard and you say 'I'm playing in the playoffs.' This is why you play the game. So I couldn't be more excited. I'm not nervous. I'm not slightly nervous.

"I mean I haven't pitched in nine days so I'm excited to get out there and get on the mound and get going."

Stroman (4-0) will face Rangers ace Cole Hamels (13-8) in Game 2 Friday, the latest chapter in his remarkable comeback from March surgery to repair an anterior cruciate knee ligament ripped up during a routine fielding drill in spring training.

"This is definitely the biggest start of my career, hands down," he said. "But I'm ready for it."

Stroman is a five-foot-eight, 180-pound bundle of energy topped by a mop of multi-coloured hair stuffed into an endless supply of baseball caps.

He has a pitching repertoire of five pitches — he credits the sinker as a key addition — that is fuelled by the chip on his shoulder and the heart he wears on his sleeve.

"I pitch with a lot of hate and anger and emotion in my heart," he acknowledged.

Asked about the hate, he replied: "A lot goes into it. I'm five foot eight. A lot of people doubt me. So that's with me every single pitch out there on the mound."

He says his father, knowing his son "wasn't going to be the biggest guy in the room," told him to play with that chip on his shoulder and not to worry about what anyone else said. 

According to manager John Gibbons, Stroman's accelerated comeback was "totally unexpected." 

"He told me in spring training after the injury 'I'll see you in September,' and I thought it was a pipe dream,'" said Gibbons. "But we encouraged him, he went off and did his education (completing his degree at Duke), did his rehab and he just kept moving and moving. And next thing you know he's here."

Stroman says the comeback was arduous.

"I exhausted every opportunity and did everything in my power to get back to this team. I did. And it was not fun. A lot of it was not fun. I made the best situation out of it. I couldn't explain it. I'll never have to go through anything as hard as that in my life."

Stroman, who went 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA as a rookie in 2014, has yet to lose since returning to action in early September and is a vibrant part of the Jays' clubhouse.

"He really picked up where he was last year," said Gibbons. "He's been a force."

Even Hamels is impressed by Stroman's perseverance, saying he deserves "some serious credit for what he's done this year."

"I was in Clearwater just down the street from when he injured his knee and from what he's been able to do, it's absolutely tremendous. I think it shows his true character just for the fact of being able to go to school and playing the game of baseball," he said.

"That's something that I don't think I could have done, so he's definitely got something pretty special with him."

Away from the park, Stroman says he's a "city guy" who relies on roommate Aaron Sanchez to take care of bugs he comes across at their place in Florida. 

———

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

 

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

Dawson Creek’s Memorial and Kin Arenas reopening on Tuesday

Flyers training camp underway

Students in free for Huskies home opener tomorrow

Review says Crown decision in Rehtaeh Parsons’ case was reasonable

HALIFAX — A review into the handling of the Rehtaeh Parsons case by the RCMP and Nova Scotia's Public Prosecution Service says it was reasonable of the Crown to conclude there was no realistic prospect that sexual assault charges would result in conviction.

The provincial government ordered the review by Murray Segal, a former Ontario chief prosecutor, in August 2013 but it was delayed until legal proceedings involving two men charged with child pornography offences in the case concluded.

"Another Crown counsel could have reasonably chosen to prosecute the sexual assault component of the case, but it no doubt presented a unique challenge for the prosecution," says the report released Thursday.

"The police investigator understood that the decision whether to lay charges was still hers to make but in light of the Crown prosecutor's opinion, the decision not to lay charges of sexual assault was understandable."

The young woman's family alleged she was sexually assaulted in November 2011 when she was 15 and bullied after a digital photo of the alleged assault was passed around her school. Parsons was taken off life-support after attempting suicide in 2013.

Police said they looked into the allegations of sexual assault and an inappropriate photo, but concluded there weren't enough grounds to lay charges after consulting with the prosecution service.

The child pornography charges were laid after Parsons died.

A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty last November to distributing a sexually graphic image of Parsons. Another 20-year-old man later pleaded guilty to making child pornography by taking a photo of the accused having sex with Parsons.

Both men were youths at the time of the offences and were charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which means they cannot be identified.

Segal's report also deals with the subsequent allegations of child pornography and says the police investigator was told by another Crown prosecutor that those offences could not be prosecuted. The investigator was told it was not possible to tell from the photo that the persons involved were under age.

"The Crown's advice related to child pornography offences was incorrect," the report says.

"It reflected a misunderstanding of the law as it relates to child pornography."

The report says the Internet Child Exploitation Unit reviewed the file and concluded that child pornography charges could have been laid at the conclusion of the initial investigation.

In his report, Segal describes Parsons as a "vibrant and promising young woman" with a loving and supportive family.

He writes that Parsons was "devastated by the circulation of an intimate photograph taken without her consent, and the bullying and cyberbullying that resulted from it."

The investigation into Parsons' allegations of sexual assault took close to a year to conclude, the report says. 

It was during that time that Parsons changed schools twice and was hospitalized for weeks following renewed thoughts of suicide.

"In the end, she did not receive the support and assistance a young person in crisis required," the report says. 

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press

Search continues for missing man last seen in Grande Prairie

Person familiar with situation says Juergen Klopp headed to Liverpool to become manager

LONDON — Juergen Klopp is headed to Liverpool to take over as manager of the Premier League club, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Klopp has not yet signed a contract.

Liverpool has called a news conference for Friday morning. Brendan Rodgers was fired on Sunday following an 18-month slump since nearly winning the Premier League title in 2014.

Klopp, one of the most respected and charismatic coaches in Europe, left Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season after guiding the club to two German league titles and a Champions League final.

His first match in charge of Liverpool will be against Tottenham on Oct. 17.

Liverpool is 10th in the league and in a rebuilding phase after the departures of striker Luis Suarez, iconic midfielder Steven Gerrard and young star Raheem Sterling over the last two seasons.

It will be the 48-year-old Klopp's first job outside Germany, where he made his name as an extrovert, a maverick and an innovative coach — particularly in a seven-year stint at Dortmund. His philosophy is a high-octane, hard-running style that suffocates opponents, similar to the approach Rodgers desired and had success with in the 2013-14 season when Liverpool almost ended its wait for a first championship since 1990.

Bespectacled, never short of a quip and exuding passion on the touchline, Klopp is one of European soccer's big personalities and was a fan favourite at Mainz — where he started his coaching career in 2001 — and then Dortmund.

Klopp took over at Dortmund in 2008, with the team having finished 13th in the Bundesliga the previous season. He won the league in 2011 and 2012 and reached the Champions League final in 2013, but his energy-sapping approach had taken its toll on the squad by the time he quit in May. As, in part, had the loss of star players including Robert Lewandowski and Mario Goetze over consecutive offseasons.

Klopp is taking charge of a similar club to Dortmund — with its working-class roots, strong heritage and passionate fan base — and many believe the German is a perfect fit at Liverpool. His task is to close the gap on the big four of Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, and get the team back in the Champions League.

Liverpool is one of the most successful teams in England with 18 league titles and five European Cups.

___

AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Newcastle contributed to this report.

Rob Harris, The Associated Press

13 accused of bringing drugs and weapons into Canada; 48 charges laid

TORONTO — Thirteen people are facing 48 charges in an investigation into an international drug- and weapon-smuggling operation.

Ontario Provincial Police say illegal drugs — mostly cocaine — were being brought into Canada from Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia and Guyana, then distributed through the Toronto area and in Newfoundland and Labrador.

OPP say prohibited guns were also being brought in from Florida.

They say officers seized 123 kilograms of cocaine, 22 firearms, $146,000 in Canadian currency and four vehicles over the course of the investigation, dubbed Project Monto.

OPP Chief Superintendent Rick Barnum says the people charged are those who orchestrated, rather than carried out, the smuggling.

Twelve of those charged  — all from the Toronto area — have been arrested.

They are David Blevins, 36, of Oakville; Jermaine Wilson, 38, of Mississauga; Sandra Lewis, 48, of Milton; Dainnia Cameron, 40, of Milton; Kenton Lnafhorne, 42, of Vaughan; Rionne Martelly, 38, of Milton; Donovan Brown, 44, of Oakville; Dexter Griffith, 43, of Toronto; Natasha Ruddock, 24, of Toronto; Rocco Petrucci, 49, of Toronto; Michael Robinson, 44, of Toronto; Fitz Prince, 63, of Toronto.

All face drug trafficking charges. Blevins and Brown are also charged with weapons trafficking offences.

Dwidth Ferguson, 32, of Guyana, is wanted on drug trafficking charges.

The Canadian Press

One suspect arrested, Canada-wide warrant issued for second in man’s kidnapping

DRUMMOND, N.B. — RCMP have made an arrest and issued a Canada-wide warrant for a second suspect wanted in the alleged kidnapping of a man at gunpoint in New Brunswick.

Police say a 37-year-old man, originally from Nova Scotia, was arrested in Halifax.

The Mounties are still searching for 43-year-old Gilbert Theriault, who is from the Drummond area of New Brunswick.

They say Theriault faces charges of using a firearm to kidnap the alleged victim, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, uttering a death threat, injuring the victim's dog, and extortion.

RCMP say the 62-year-old victim was forced to leave his home Monday in the Drummond area by two men.

He told police he was placed in the trunk of a car and driven to a dirt road about 10 kilometres away, where his kidnappers left the scene.

Police allege the man made his way out of the trunk and sustained minor injuries.

Theriault is described as five-foot-six and 120 pounds with a tattoo of an eagle on his right bicep.

 

 

The Canadian Press

Montreal mayor says feds ‘playing politics’ over criticism of sewage dump

MONTREAL — The federal government is playing "cheap" politics and has little credibility on matters of science, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said Tuesday, in reaction to Ottawa's call for the city to suspend plans to dump eight billion litres of sewage into the St. Lawrence River.

Coderre gave officials from Environment Canada three days to meet him and city bureaucrats in order to talk alternatives.

The mayor came out strong against the government, accusing the Conservatives of trying to score "small, cheap political points" during the federal election campaign "off the backs of Montrealers' safety."

Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq called on the city Tuesday to suspend plans to dump the sewage while her department studies the environmental impacts of releasing the waste into the water.

Aglukkaq added she asked her officials to "explore options to prevent this release."

"The proposed plans by the City of Montreal to dump billions of litres of untreated raw sewage into this important river is very concerning — as many citizens have noted publicly ... I ask that (Montreal) Mayor (Denis) Coderre halt his plans while a proper assessment is done," Aglukkaq said.

Montreal plans to dump the untreated wastewater into the river between Oct. 18 and 25.

City officials say they have to release the sewage into the St. Lawrence because roadwork will temporarily shut down a nearby treatment facility and there is no other place for the waste to go.

Coderre said Tuesday it would cost at least $1 billion to divert the sewage.

Quebec's environmental department has green-lighted the plan.

The mayor added Environment Canada knew about the problem since September 2014 and the federal department had "months and months" to come up with alternatives.

He took a swipe at the environment minister and the Conservatives, whom he insulted with a colourful reference to a children's show.

"If the government of Canada — who is really credible in matters of science and who think 'The Flintstones' are a documentary — are trying give us lessons to win political points," he mused, "I am not getting into it."

Coderre acknowledged the federal government had the power to block the city's plans.

Coderre also dismissed criticism from the NDP, who's leader Tom Mulcair said Tuesday on the federal election campaign trail that if elected prime minister he wouldn't allow the city to dump the wastewater.

"My dear Tom," he said, "we did all our homework. And the only possible option is this."

Coderre wasn't able to fully explain why he said there would be "no impact" on the St. Lawrence River after the dumping.

He answered: "Because the experts said so."

"Because of the oxygen that goes through the (water) flow," he said. "The waste can eventually be collected. There is dilution, there are some ways that nature is working. We eventually collect all our waste."

A petition aimed at stopping the release has so far collected 70,000 signatures.

Federal Green party candidates in Quebec have called the city's decision "ill-advised," suggesting it could have done better.

Daniel Green, a Green candidate, said parsing the work over a longer period instead of proceeding with a one-shot deal in October could have lessened the impact, as would having the work done in February, when frigid temperatures would kill off bacteria.

Coderre has also dismissed concerns raised by a U.S. state senator from New York, Patty Ritchie, who wrote a letter to the International Joint Commission — whose mandate it is to protect the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes — to probe Montreal's decision.

Ritchie said the notion of dumping "the equivalent of 2,600 Olympic-sized swimming pools filled with wastewater" from homes and businesses needs further study.

Coderre insists the plan is the right one.

"When you're factual, when you look at the experts, at the end of the day that was the decision to be taken because it was the only one," he said.

 

By Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press

Second round of #PeaceDebates will be at the Lido tonight

The election that could kill TPP trade deal: No, not the Canadian one

ATLANTA — There was plenty of chatter at international free-trade talks about the election that could kill the new Trans-Pacific Partnership deal.

No, not Canada's.

From the protesters outside, to the lobbyists indoors, the gaze at this convention site was cast a little farther ahead to the 2016 United States election.

Political forces from the left and right are squeezing in on those fateful few swing votes in the U.S. Congress. In the Senate, about 10 votes separate the deal from failure.

In a few months, those members could decide whether TPP becomes the biggest trade zone in history, or a soon-forgotten, self-congratulatory press release.

A little blue car parked outside the convention site hinted at the opposition ahead.

It was covered in presidential campaign signs for Bernie Sanders, who's doing the squeezing from the left. A passenger held up a printed cutout of the surprisingly competitive socialist senator who's upended the Democratic race, pushing Hillary Clinton to take a stand against the Keystone pipeline, and is now urging her to oppose TPP.

"TPP will have a very difficult road ahead," said Melinda St. Louis, who helped organize a sidewalk protest when the Sanders-mobile pulled up to the curb and joined in.

Nearby, cancer patient Zahara Heckscher held up an IV bag and said longer patent-type protections could make the cutting-edge medicines she uses unaffordable in poorer countries.

St. Louis said there's already talk of primaries to oust congressional Democrats who supported the recent fast-track vote to facilitate trade deals, and they're nervous: "None of them want to take . . . a difficult vote (next year)."

Inside the hotel, pressure mounted from the other side.

The chamber-of-commerce types fretted about Republicans. A letter floated around, signed by GOP establishment figures who urged a pause in the talks. They feared American pharmaceutical companies wouldn't get a good-enough deal.

Orrin Hatch and Paul Ryan demanded 12 years of patent-style protection on hyper-expensive, cell-based biologics. Negotiators settled at a compromise between five and eight. Hatch, who received about $834,000 in campaign donations from the pharmaceutical-and-health industry in the last election cycle, later issued a statement: "I am afraid this deal appears to fall woefully short."

And then there's the candidate who defies political categorization.

Donald Trump isn't heavily funded by industry; he's hated by the establishment; he's certainly not left-wing. But he's the Republican front-runner. And he apparently hates this deal as much as other ones. He tweeted Monday: "The incompetence of our current administration is beyond comprehension. TPP is a terrible deal."

A trade expert who helped start the TPP process is watching closely. Timothy Keeler was chief of staff at the White House agency, USTR, that opened the initial discussions with original TPP countries in late 2008.

He expects it to pass. But he's no longer so sure.

"If you'd asked me six months ago, I'd have said it's very likely," said Keeler, a partner at Mayer Brown. 

"I think with the rise of Donald Trump, and Bernie Sanders, and the resignation of Speaker John Boehner, that's certainly lowered the chances. I still think this Congress will approve it . . . I can see it happening eight, nine months from now. And I can see it happening in a lame-duck session (after the presidential election)."

What are the telltale signs — the swing votes to watch and see where TPP's headed?

Keeler offers two answers.

There's the simple one: "Let's see how long Donald Trump stays in the lead — that's something to keep an eye on."

Then there's the more detailed picture.

He said the Obama administration needs to persuade key members — Democrats Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Ron Wyden of Oregon. Republicans to watch, he said, are Hatch, Ryan and Senate leader Mitch McConnell who represents tobacco-growing Kentucky.

Tobacco got smoked in the deal.

Having been sued over cigarette-packages, Australia forced the U.S. to exempt tobacco from the right of companies to challenge laws in special courts.

In the other chamber, McConnell's counterpart is quitting. It was actually a dispute over trade that started the domino-effect that toppled John Boehner from the leadership.

The chamber leader stripped members of caucus positions after they voted against him on trade fast-track. They joined a rebellion, and forced Boehner out.

A Canadian opponent of the deal says the U.S. will be key. Martin O'Hanlon was there at the Atlanta protest, as the head of a union involved in the fight. 

"The biggest fight in the world right now with regard to TPP is in Washington," said O'Hanlon, a former editor for The Canadian Press who's left to head the national branch of Communication Workers of America.

"You've got all these things coming together. It could be a perfect storm for Obama and the TPP."

He predicted it would stall in Congress. And without approval in all 12 countries, the deal dies.

Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press