The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Ottawa - Same-sex marriage raises "profoundly difficult" issues and could affect the Liberals' electoral fortunes in Western Canada, says senior cabinet minister Ralph Goodale. He did not defend his party's support for same-sex marriage in a round-table discussion with The Canadian Press, and suggested that the debate is not over yet. "On same sex it's a profoundly difficult set of issues," said the veteran Saskatchewan minister. He conceded that the issue could the cost the Liberals seats in parts of the West. Regina - Premier Lorne Calvert took to the airwaves Tuesday to apologize for an internal New Democrat cartoon that depicts Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson as a Nazi-like guard loading NDP sympathizers into a boxcar. The cartoon was drawn by NDP communications co-ordinator Carlo Binda and circulated via an e-mail to nearly 40 high-ranking party insiders. Binda has resigned from the NDP but won't comment on the cartoon. Toronto - A study has concluded Canada's blood system is about as safe as it can be, given the current level of testing technology. The study, to be published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says the risk of acquiring blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV from a blood transfusion are likely lower in Canada than they are in the United States, Spain and Italy.
