Improving The International Supply Chain Through IPEF

How IPEF Builds On Prior Trade Relationships Negotiated By The Biden Administration: In May 2023, the Biden Administration announced the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a commitment to improving supply chains between the US, and the Indo-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia , New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. The stated goal of the IPEF is “to coordinate actions to mitigate and prevent future supply chain disruptions and secure critical sectors and key products for our manufacturers.” The IPEF also responds to increasing tensions between the US and China that have…

Norwich Township paid Christian-focused law firm to draft flag bylaw

The southwestern Ontario township in the midst of a culture war over gay Pride symbols hired a boutique law firm that specializes in representing churches and religious institutions to help it draft its flag by law, CBC News has learned. Norwich Township used the Ottawa-based Acacia Group to help it come up with its flag and banner policy, township clerk and chief administrative officer Kyle Kruger confirmed. The controversial bylaw forbids non-civic flags from being flown on municipal property and led one councillor to resign in protest. The Acacia Group is a law firm with Christian roots. A statement on…

Gadsden State hires law enforcement veteran Freeman as its first police chief

Veteran law enforcement officer Jay Freeman will become Gadsden State Community College’s first police chief. The school announced Freeman’s hiring, effective June 26, on Friday in a news release. He will leave the Southside Police Department, where he’s served since 2009. “We are delighted to have Chief Freeman on our staff,” school President Kathy Murphy said. “We know he will do an amazing job in building Gadsden State’s very first police department. We believe his past work experience and his passion for public safety and security made him the best person for this new role at Gadsden State.” Jay Freeman…

Pakistani transgender activists to appeal the Shariah court ruling against laws aimed at protecting them

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Transgender activists in Pakistan said they plan to appeal to the highest court in the land an Islamic court’s ruling that guts a law aimed at protecting their rights. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed by Parliament in 2018 to secure the fundamental rights of transgender Pakistanis. It ensures their access to legal gender recognition, among other rights. Many Pakistanis have entrenched beliefs on gender and sexuality and transgender people are often considered outcasts. Some are forced into begging, dancing and even prostitution to earn money. They also live in fear of attacks. The…

These 2 friends want to raise a child together, but rigid Quebec laws create barriers

Maude Boutin St-Pierre and her longtime friend Kathleen Laurin-Mc Carthy have a dream: to raise a child together. But their plan to co-parent falls into a blind spot in Quebec law. “We have a platonic relationship, that is to say that there is no sexuality or romance between the two of us,” explained Boutin St-Pierre. “But we have a very strong bond of attachment.” The pair, who each has a spouse, met in CEGEP about 10 years ago. The idea of ​​having a child together came up very quickly, first as a joke, then as an interesting way. “Those around…

UFLPA Enforcement Remains Work in Progress

US Customs and Border Protection’s (“CBP”) implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) remains a work in progress, as importers work to mitigate shipment detentions and respond to UFLPA reviews and enforcement actions. Emerging best practices may guide stakeholders as they navigate these uncertainties. Develop a Due Diligence System Due diligence systems allow companies to proactively evaluate forced labor risks within their supply chains through comprehensive information gathering and robust risk assessments, which can mitigate the legal and reputational consequences of forced labor. To establish a due diligence system, a company should: Continuously collect information on Tier 1…

Province should pay legal fees from fatality inquiries into Indigenous teen suicides: judge

The Alberta government should pay the legal fees for a small First Nations children’s services agency that appeared at the fatality inquiries into the suicides of four Indigenous teenagers, a judge ruled in a strongly-worded 15-page decision. Fatality inquiries took place last year into the suicides of four Maskwacis teenagers — between the ages of 15 and 19 — each of whom had recent contact with child protection services. Reports have not yet been released into the deaths, which took place between 2017 and 2020. The Akamihk Child and Family Services Society made a court application in hopes the judge…

Emergencies Act: Year later, court hears legal challenge

OTTAWA – A national civil liberties group told a federal judge Monday the federal government has not clearly spelled out proper legal justification for its use of the Emergencies Act early last year in response to protests in the national capital and at key border points. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association was among the groups and individuals in Federal Court to argue Ottawa lacked sound statutory grounds to invoke the emergency measures The government contends the measures taken to deal with the pan-Canadian emergency situation were targeted, proportional, time-limited and compliant with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The…