2015-12-15 Vader tied to killing: Crown | Canada News
Published by Bretton McCann,
Canada
Vader tied to killing: Crown
Court documents show forensic evidence, cellphone records, an undercover sting and a bullet hole in a hat are part of the Crown's long-running attempt to tie a suspect to the mysterious disappearance of two Alberta seniors.
Lyle and Marie McCann, both in their late 70s, were last seen in 2010 fuelling up their motorhome in their hometown of St. Albert, a bedroom community north of Edmonton. They were on their way to a family camping trip in British Columbia.
Two days later, their burned-out motorhome was discovered in a wooded area near Edson, Alta. The SUV they had been towing was found concealed in another location more than a week after that.
Their bodies have never been found, but police believe they were killed near the hamlet of Peers, east of Edson.
RCMP quickly named Travis Vader as a person of interest in the case although it took nearly two years for them to charge him with two counts of first-degree murder.
The charges were stayed in 2014, just a few weeks before the case was set to go before a jury. The Crown says it realized Mounties hadn't disclosed all evidence in the case. The charges were reactivated last December and a new trial before a judge alone is to start in March.
Vader's lawyers have been arguing in court that the charges should be tossed out over abuse of the judicial process. A hearing on the issue is underway, and a judge lifted a publication ban on some documents Tuesday.
In a pretrial conference memorandum on Dec. 2, 2013, the Crown writes that "forensic evidence ties" Vader to the couple's SUV.
It says Marie McCann's blood was found inside as well as Lyle McCann's hat with a bullet hole in it.
The Crown alleges that Vader used the couple's cellphone the afternoon of July 3, 2010 — the last day they were seen alive.
"The Crown's case is dependent upon circumstantial evidence, motive and exclusive opportunity, forensic evidence and post offence conduct evidence," reads the document.
None of the allegations have been tested in court, and the Crown states that the defence "does not admit these facts." Vader has pleaded not guilty.
Vader's lawyer Brian Beresh declined Tuesday to talk about the case.
The court documents show the use of undercover officers in the RCMP's investigation, dubbed Project Kontrail.
In November 2011, the documents say, Vader's sister Bobbi Jo Vader was involved in a "scenario" with some of the officers. At one point, during a trip from Edmonton to Calgary, they stopped at the remand centre in Red Deer so she could visit her brother.
An admitted crack addict, the documents say Bobbi Jo Vader initially told officers her brother couldn't have done it. But she later changed her mind.
"She said she believed that Travis was involved in the murders and she saw guns wrapped in blankets that could have come from the McCanns' motorhome," say the documents.
In an RCMP interview with one of the McCanns' children, Trudy Holder said her father kept an axe in the motorhome, under a seat, to fend off bears. He also owned several guns for hunting, she said, but he likely wouldn't have taken them on the trip.
Her mother also kept a small, loaded Derringer pistol in her eyeglasses case. Family didn't find it in their home after the couple disappeared.
Holder told police her father, a former long-haul trucker, used to talk about stopping to help others on the road but hadn't done so recently and wouldn't have if her mother was with him.
When on road trips, the couple typically pulled into rest areas to take breaks and make sandwiches, instead of stopping at restaurants, she said.
Conrad endorses Trump
Donald Trump hasn't received too many ringing endorsements from famous conservative elites — but he's just received praise from one Canadians know well.
Conrad Black has penned a piece titled, "Trump Is The Good Guy," for the conservative National Review. It apparently delighted his old pal, who's currently leading national polls for the Republican nomination.
"What an honor to read your piece," Trump tweeted to the Canadian-born former media baron. "As one of the truly great intellects & my friend, I won't forget!!"
The Lord Black of Crossharbour, his official title as a British peer, retorted: "Many thanks, Donald and all good wishes in helping to clean up the American government. Honored to be your friend."
The Republican establishment is reportedly so mortified by the prospect Trump might win its party nomination it's angling for the first brokered convention in decades.
Polls suggest the billionaire reality-TV star is less popular with wealthy people, and far less popular with those holding a college degree than with the working class.
But his affluent admirer deployed his considerable linguistic arsenal in defence of Trump, in a piece that featured Latin and French words and such verbal amuse-bouches as "clangorous," "apercus," "reminiscences," and "mendacious."
The basic premise of Black's piece was that Trump is being unfairly smeared by the political establishment and media, whom Black accuses of dishonestly distorting his policies.
He describes Trump as a threat to the corrupt American political system where members of Congress represent corporate lobbyists, and media unfairly tar candidates.
Black went on to list a number of Trump policies he described as reasonable. The list includes restrictions on third-party political contributions to so-called Super PACs; booting out 350,000 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes; and universal health care for all Americans.
But the list is subjective.
Trump has gone back-and-forth on health care. He once clearly endorsed a single-payer system, he now says the country can't afford it, he promises to undo Obamacare, but says he'll find other ways to ensure coverage for everyone. He has proposed busting down the barriers that limit insurance competition across state lines.
On illegal immigration, Trump's plan is far more extensive than expelling 350,000 people, as Black points out. The numerous other immigration provisions in his platform include ending birthright citizenship, and tripling federal deportation personnel to remove an unspecified share of the 11 million people without legal papers.
Black is more critical of his policies on foreign affairs and justice.
Trump favours a more hands-off approach abroad, and a tough-on-crime approach at home — Black calls the former "a bit flippant." As a former inmate who's deeply critical of the U.S. justice system, he also suggests his friend fails to appreciate its "rot."
He says the proposed ban on Muslim travellers was poorly phrased, and hysterically misrepresented. Black expects the candidate will eventually clear up the misunderstanding.
But on the whole, he gives high marks to his fellow Florida-dwelling friend.
"(He) is striking very close to the heart of the American problem: the corrupt, dysfunctional political system and the dishonest media," Black wrote.
"To adapt George Wallace's old phrase, he has shaken the American political system 'by the eyeteeth,' and it will be better for it."
Wallace was the Alabama governor who launched a third-party presidential run in 1968 in an effort to maintain racial segregation. His split from the Democratic party heralded a historic political shift, as the party lost its century-old hold on the south.
Speaking of third-party runs, Black predicts his friend won't make such a move.
Trump sounded determined late Tuesday to prove him right. After being wishy-washy on the issue recently, Trump appeared to rule out a split with the Republican party.
He did so during a Republican candidates' debate — and was especially explicit in a post-debate interview.
"I'm a Republican. I'm going to be a Republican," Trump told CNN.
"I'm not going to be doing a third party... No matter what."
Canada's flying relics
A spokesman for National Defence says the air force is only expecting to retire four of its venerable CH-124 Sea King helicopters in 2016 in addition to the four it has already put out pasture.
Daniel Le Bouthillier says the choppers, which have seen five decades of service, have been written off, but not yet sent to the scrap yard.
There are approximately 26 Sea Kings still operating and earlier this week a senior government official, speaking on background, said training and delivery of the new CH-148 Cyclone helicopters will have to be sped up in order to ensure there is no gap between the fleets.
The former Conservative government, which struggled to deliver replacement maritime helicopters, went to great lengths last spring — before the election call — to demonstrate the Sea Kings could begin retiring in 2015 as promised.
It approved a $500,000 program to ensure that the transition between the aircraft wasn't a total culture shock for pilots and ground crew.
There have been concerns the Sea Kings may be phased out faster than the Cyclones are equipped to replace them.
The 28 Cyclones have faced repeated development delays since being ordered in 2004 and are not expected to be fully operational until 2021 — three years after the last Sea King is to leave service.
There are six CH-148s at the military air base at Shearwater, N.S., with another two due before the end of the year.
Troops on Can-US border?
A U.S. presidential candidate has called for troops along the Canadian border, as the American election becomes consumed by national-security fears.
Ben Carson says he wants soldiers and national guard stationed along the Mexican border — and at "designated spots" along the Canadian border.
It's one of his Seven Steps to a Safer America. Others include formally declaring war against ISIL, restrictions on visitor visas, establishing a refugee safe zone within Syria, and investigating the group Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Carson had a brief spike in the polls for the Republican nomination.
But his support collapsed around the same time security came to dominate the conversation. The retired neurosurgeon was mocked for his allegedly loose grasp of foreign policy, including his method of pronouncing the name of the militant group Hamas — which from Carson's mouth sounded a bit like the chickpea dip, "hummus."
The Canadian border has, so far, mostly been spared from the U.S. national-security conversation save for the occasional news article hinting at a terrorist threat to the north.
Before he dropped out of the race, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was asked by a journalist about building a wall along the northern border with Canada and he appeared initially to be considering it.
First Nations plan of action
Highlights of the 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on aboriginal residential schools.
— Adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
— Establish a Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation reaffirming the nation-to-nation relationship between Aboriginal Peoples and the Crown;
— Solicit from Pope Francis an apology for the role played by the Roman Catholic Church;
— Call a public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women;
— Establish a written federal policy reaffirming the independence of the RCMP to investigate crimes in which the federal government may be an interested party;
— Change the oath of citizenship to reflect treaties with Aboriginal Peoples;
— Establish, through the provincial and territorial governments and the federal government, national standards for foster care and reduce the number of aboriginal children in care;
— Repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code, the so-called spanking law, in order to outlaw corporal punishment;
— Create a mandatory, age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, treaties and the contributions of Aboriginal Peoples taught across Canada from kindergarten to grade 12;
— Build a residential-schools monument in every provincial and territorial capital;
— Increase CBC and Radio-Canada funding to better ensure it can support reconciliation and include the languages and perspectives of Aboriginal Peoples;
— Pass a federal law establishing aboriginal education standards to ensure children going to school on reserves have access to the same resources as those outside their communities;
— Develop post-secondary programs in aboriginal languages;
— Establish mechanisms to narrow the health-care gap between Aboriginal Peoples and other Canadians, including building aboriginal healing practices into the health-care system and spending more on aboriginal healing centres;
— Allow trial judges to exempt Aboriginal Peoples from mandatory minimum sentences and work to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal Peoples in prisons and jails;
— Settle residential-school claims with those excluded from settlement agreement, including Metis, day school students and those in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Duffy felt 'railroaded'
Mike Duffy says former prime minister Stephen Harper conceded the senator had never broken any Senate expense rules, but was adamant that Duffy admit fault to keep Conservative supporters happy.
Duffy is recounting on the witness stand how he defended his expenses directly to Harper at a February 2013 caucus meeting. A photo of the two speaking at that meeting was entered into evidence Tuesday.
At the time, Harper was fielding questions in the Commons and in the media about why Duffy was claiming living expenses for time spent in his longtime home in the Ottawa area, on the premise his primary residence was in Prince Edward Island.
"(Harper) said, 'Well, you only spent 66 days there.' I said, "That's a lie. I spent a lot more time than that, and prime minister, when I wasn't on P.E.I., I was either here working in the Senate or I was on the road for you, on the rubber chicken circuit,"' Duffy testified.
He said he pleaded with the prime minister that telling the public he had made a mistake with his expenses would ruin his reputation. Behind the scenes, Harper's chief of staff, Nigel Wright, had been pressuring Duffy to admit he had made a mistake and repay the claims.
"I know it seems unfair, I know you didn't break the rules, but the rules are inexplicable to our base (of political support) and therefore you're going to have to pay the money back," Duffy says Harper told him.
"Nigel will make the arrangements."
A little over a month later, Wright would secretly repay Duffy's $90,000 in expenses while Duffy would tell the media that he had done so.
Duffy's testimony that he repeatedly resisted the pressure to admit fault is important to the defence's case. He has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges, including one of bribery related to the $90,000 payment.
The Crown has alleged that Duffy was a participant in the scheme to have Wright repay the $90,000, but the defence is arguing that Duffy was railroaded into acquiescing by powerful political figures.
Duffy said both Wright and Harper suddenly became cold to him that February, after previously lauding him for all the political work he done for the party.
"Why would I put a stain on my name, on my reputation, my wife and my kids and my grandchildren, oh, that your grandfather is a cheat? I'm not a cheat, I'm not a thief, and I don't break the rules," Duffy testified.
"I was not going to embrace this kind of process, and I was pleading with them to show some kind of decency, all of these born-again Christians were throwing me to the lions."
Kittens tossed from car
A 31-year-old woman is facing animal cruelty charges after allegedly tossing kittens from the window of a moving car.
Ontario Provincial Police say the alleged incident took place on Saturday afternoon in Haldimand County.
They say the woman was witnessed throwing three kittens from the window of a moving vehicle.
Police searched the area and found two of the kittens, neither of whom were seriously hurt.
The third one was never found.
Nicole Morrow of Haldimand County is now facing three charges of cruelty to animals.
Truth, yes. Reconciliation?
When Justice Murray Sinclair formally ends the six-year Truth and Reconciliation Commission later this morning with the release of its final report, he'll be setting a high bar for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Last June, when Sinclair released the damning preliminary report on the legacy of Canada's residential school system, the former Conservative government said it would await the final document before committing to any of the commission's 94 recommendations.
Trudeau's Liberals, however, swept the Conservatives from office in the October general election on a pledge to reset the Crown's relationship with Canada's indigenous peoples — including promising to implement all 94 of the proposed remedies laid out in the June summary.
As the final report cautions, "Reconciliation will require more than pious words about the shortcomings of those who preceded us."
"In every region of the country, survivors and others have sent a strong message, as received by this commission: for reconciliation to thrive in the coming years, Canada must move from apology to action."
The prime minister will take part in today's ceremonial report release, which is itself the fulfillment of a court-ordered agreement.
As part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement implemented in 2007, more than 80,000 survivors of residential schools were to receive compensation from a $2 billion fund, as well as receiving a full report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission born out of the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history.
The Liberals have already begun preliminary work on one key commission recommendation, an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls that the Harper government flatly rejected.
Some of the commission's other remedies will cost tens of millions of dollars to implement, such as eliminating the funding gap between children being educated on reserves, and boosting the number of aboriginal students in post-secondary education.
Others, meanwhile, may simply be beyond Trudeau's reach: How is the Liberal government to extract, for instance, an apology from the Pope for the Catholic Church's role in the schools system?
The prime minister also has more than the weight of 150 years of assimilationist policies to carry — something the commission describes as "cultural genocide." Trudeau also has some family history to attend to.
His father, Pierre Trudeau, also attempted to tackle the long-festering relationship between the Crown and First Nations in his first term as prime minister.
The 1969 federal government white paper on "Indian policy," released by Trudeau and his Indian Affairs Minister Jean Chretien, proposed to abolish the 1867 Indian Act and remove the distinct legal status of indigenous peoples, including treaty rights, in an effort to end what it called a discriminatory relationship. The policy was abandoned in 1970 after a massive outcry from First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples.
More recently, the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples expressed many of the same themes and concerns as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, complete with recommendations for action.
Today's final TRC report dryly notes the 1996 study was largely ignored; "a majority of its recommendations were never implemented."
But the 1996 report did begin to acknowledge the reality of Canada's historic policies toward its indigenous peoples. An historic apology delivered by then-prime minister Stephen Harper in the House of Commons in 2009 took things a step further.
The truth is out there. Reconciliation is another matter.
"To the Commission, reconciliation is about establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country," states the final report.
"In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, acknowledgment of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.
"We are not there yet."
Tough choices in defence
Harjit Sajjan, Canada's new defence minister, is uniquely qualified to know how Ottawa's abstract policy decisions can be bent, twisted and mangled in the far-flung corners of the globe — sometimes to the detriment of those in uniform.
He'll need every ounce of that special understanding as he guides Justin Trudeau's Liberal government through reshaping the country's war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and braces against a resurgent Russia.
Sajjan's experience was earned the hard way: one tour in Bosnia and three in Afghanistan as a special liaison officer who compiled the intelligence picture on the Taliban and Canada's sometimes unseemly local allies in Kandahar. But Sajjan, a former colonel, also brings the rare perspective of a being a reservist — a part-time, citizen soldier — to a headquarters of full-time, professional military people.
"I have a great sense of appreciation for somebody in uniform and what they go through, and how policy decisions on a high level can impact the boots on the ground," Sajjan told The Canadian Press in a recent interview.
"As I move forward and I get asked the questions, 'What are you going to do when it comes to the mission in Iraq,' or other places, I'm cognizant of that fact (that) when we make these policy level decisions, it's going to create the desired effect on the ground."
Sajjan lived the disconnect that was the Afghan war, where a relatively small Canadian contingent struggled to keep the Taliban at bay while trying to deliver aid and economic development to a population that grew indifferent, even hostile, as the years passed.
It is that sort of visceral sense which Sajjan brings to the cabinet table.
"I'll always look at it — my recommendation to put our servicemen and women in uniform into harm's way — that it's the right decision; that it's going to have the desired impact and that they have the right equipment to do the job."
To that end, Sajjan is expected — early in the new year — to put before cabinet a redrawn commitment to the war in Iraq and Syria, one that withdraws CF-18 jetfighters but beefs up local military and possibly police training. Later, he is expected to tackle the politically thorny issue of replacing the CF-18s with something other than the controversial F-35.
Gen. Jonathan Vance, the country's top military commander, says allies in the Middle East have asked that Canada continue to provide intelligence and logistical support by leaving behind its CP-140 Aurora spy plane and its C-150 aerial tanker.
The Opposition Conservatives say Canada is backing away from the fight against ISIL just as the U.S. calls for deeper military involvement.
Sajjan said the government's new approach, being crafted in consultation with allies, will be a "meaningful contribution'' that takes in not only the military but other elements, including efforts to de-radicalize would-be ISIL converts.
The full range of measures is still being developed and Vance wouldn't speculate on what they might be, but said the military "options will mature over the next month."
NATO is putting together a so-called defence capacity-building program to train Iraqi officers at safe locations in Turkey and Jordan.
"It does form one of the candidate areas we're looking at," said Vance, although the alliance is still in the planning stages and "there's no absolute certainty as what the Canadian contribution might be in that."
The training is expected to include a wide series of measures, such as countering improvised explosive devices, bomb disposal, de-mining, civil-military planning, cyberdefence, military medicine and medical assistance. It's the same type of instruction Canadians have given in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion was pitched on the idea at a recent NATO ministers meeting. It's something the Liberals might be able to sell to the public as a meaningful contribution to war against extremists at a time when other allies are increasing military pressure on the region.
The public has heard very little about the air force's bombing campaign in the Middle East since National Defence shut down briefings last July, ostensibly because of the federal election.
Whether progress was being made in defeating ISIL came into question earlier this year when the Pentagon launched an investigation into whether intelligence assessments by the U.S. command in charge of the war — CENTCOM — had been tweaked to make things appear more optimistic.
Vance was asked whether Canada relied on those assessments or whether he had concerns about what he was reading.
"I think the criticism that's been levied against the intelligence function has been largely overstated," he said. "I can tell you pretty categorically, I do not believe there has been any intelligence assessment that has been rewritten in such a way as to provide a more rosy picture."
Canada also has 200 military trainers deployed in western Ukraine, where the conflict with Russian-backed rebels has been at a stalemate. The country just went through a round of local elections, but the government of President Petro Poroshenko has faced increasing complaints of corruption and cronyism.
Vance said political progress in Ukraine is fundamental if Russia is to be deterred, but Dion went a step further, saying Canada may be in a position to help next year.
"They know they have a lot of improvement to do about the institutions," Dion said. "It is something we need to work with them, but at the end of day it is their role to improve their country."
Duffy resisted PMO advice
Sen. Mike Duffy says he resisted "at every opportunity" a scenario laid out for him by the former Prime Minister's Office to tell the public he had made a mistake and was repaying his Senate expenses.
Five days into the former Conservative senator's testimony, defence lawyer Donald Bayne has arrived at the most politically charged issue of the trial — the $90,000 payment.
Nigel Wright, the one-time chief of staff to former prime minister Stephen Harper, secretly repaid Duffy's contested Senate expenses in March 2013.
The negotiations between the PMO, Duffy and his lawyer over the repayment have formed the basis of the bribery charge that the senator faces. Duffy has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery.
The key question for the judge to consider is whether Duffy was coerced into going along with a scheme concocted by powerful political operatives, or whether he was a participant in setting the parameters for repayment.
As Bayne went through emails between PMO staffers in February 2013, Duffy said he was unaware at the time they were discussing a scenario where he would say he had made a mistake with his expenses and commit to repay them.
"Again, to be clear, was the scenario yours?" Bayne asked.
"Not mine, didn't contain my views of what had gone on. It was completely at odds, 180 degrees from what I believed," Duffy said.
Duffy has maintained that he did not break any rules when he claimed living and travel expenses based on the premise that his primary residence was in Prince Edward Island.
In his testimony in August, Wright told the court that he put pressure on Duffy to acquiesce and say he was repaying his expenses. But he also detailed how Duffy, through his lawyer, placed conditions upon him doing so during negotiations, including ensuring Duffy was never out of pocket.
Earlier in the day, Bayne finished reviewing a series of Senate contracts with Duffy that also triggered criminal charges. Duffy arranged for former broadcast colleague Gerry Donohue to receive $65,000 in contracts, and Donohue in turn paid out tens of thousands to other service providers on Duffy's direction.
According to Duffy, he needed help deciphering what his own government was doing and getting traction for his policy ideas.
In one case, Duffy organized a consulting contract for a former Prince Edward Island political operative, Peter McQuaid. He said McQuaid would help give him "ammo" for the weekly Conservative caucus meetings.
Duffy was particularly worried about safeguarding the equalization system for Prince Edward Island.
"I needed someone who knows what arguments worked for the federal government in the past and how can I argue with the current government that the status quo must at least be maintained," Duffy said.
Duffy said that Donohue, a former labour executive for a broadcast technicians union, would also give him advice on how to raise issues successfully with Harper.
"How do I go and tell the boss that he's wrong? As a professional negotiator, Mr. Donohue advised me on that," Duffy said.
Both McQuaid and Donohue provided verbal advice to the senator.
A third figure, former Parliament Hill journalist and ministerial aide Bill Rodgers, was paid to help Duffy sort out what the government was really doing on certain policies, versus what ministers said during caucus meetings.
"After a while, it became apparent that there was a disconnect between what was being said in that room and what was going on in the real world," Duffy told the court.
Rodgers, also known as William Kittelberg, would tell Duffy what was "real" and what was "political spin" from the Conservative cabinet.
"That allowed me to understand better the public policy landscape in which we were operating and to know when I spoke to people whether I was reading them back talking points that were incomplete or, in fact, false," Duffy said.
Bayne has emphasized that Duffy received no kickbacks for any of his contracts and that they were all transparently submitted to the Senate as legitimate public business. The argument is that while they were paid out in an unorthodox way, they were not criminal.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said Duffy pleaded guilty to 31 charges.
Back in black by 2019
The federal government won't jeopardize its goal of balancing the budget in 2019 to improve its ability to pay back the debt, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Monday.
The Liberals, who had promised to keep annual deficits under $10 billion, have recently started emphasizing instead their commitment to keep the debt-to-GDP ratio on a downward trajectory every year until the end of its mandate.
Experts have said the debt-to-GDP ratio — which is calculated by dividing total federal debt by the overall size of the economy, as measured by nominal GDP — will be an easier target to meet.
Some have suggested the government could run annual deficits of up to $25 billion and still meet the debt-to-GDP target, provided that the economy grows at a decent rate.
The government projects the ratio will gradually fall each year from 31.1 per cent in 2015-16 to 25.2 per cent in 2020-21.
Following his speech Monday before the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Morneau said the government won't singularly focus on one of its three economic goals — to grow the economy, reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio and balance the books by the next election — at the expense of others.
"We need to think of the three of them together," he said.
Morneau also announced that the government will seek advice from experts in Canada and abroad on how to boost economic growth by forming an advisory council. The group will include people who have experience growing successful economies, from both the private and public sectors, he said.
He said the advisory council, which will be unveiled in the new year, will help the government figure out how to deal with the country's longer-term economic challenges.
The economy contracted over the first two quarters of 2015 and it has struggled to fully rebound following the steep slide in commodity prices and the failure of other sectors to pick up the slack.
Morneau has also said that the Liberals inherited a worse-than-expected fiscal environment from the former Conservative government.
Old wounds reopened
The grandfather of a Quebec girl whose remains have been found after her disappearance eight years ago says family members are battling a variety of emotions as bad memories flood back.
"It's a bizarre mixture — one of sadness but one of consolation in knowing it's over," Henri Provencher told reporters three days after passersby happened on Cedrika Provencher's remains.
Asked how he feels, he replied: "Sad and miserable, but that's life. I wanted them to find a girl who was alive. You can think the worst, but when you actually get the news, it hits you harder than you think.
"All we can hope for is that police find the guilty party."
On Monday, more than 200 officers combed a wooded area in central Quebec in the hope of finding information that could lead to an arrest in the death of Cedrika, who was nine when she vanished near her home in Trois-Rivieres on July 31, 2007.
In a statement, provincial police said the investigation is ongoing and that they would not be making any further comment for now in order to not interfere with it.
A makeshift memorial was set up near where the remains were found Friday, with flowers and stuffed animals laid at the scene.
The girl's disappearance spawned massive manhunts, a huge police investigation and the distribution of hundreds of posters showing her photo.
She was last seen being approached by an adult to help search for a missing black and white dog.
On Sunday, a Facebook post attributed to Henri Provencher thanked the public for helping the family look for her.
"Despite the pain and broken heart, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of Cedrika's family all the population, police, media, and numerous volunteers who helped and participated in the search from near and far," said the post.
"You showed great generosity and a great solidarity in the horror we're living."