Unemployment rate falls to new record low as wages ramp up: StatCan
The economy added 40,000 jobs in May, driven by a gain in full-time jobs as the labour market continued to tighten and wages pushed higher, Statistics Canada said Friday.
The increase came as the unemployment rate fell to 5.1 per cent, the lowest rate since at least 1976 which is as far back as comparable data goes. The unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent in April.
TD Bank senior economist James Orlando said as Canadians headed out to patios and hit the road for overdue vacations, employers continued to search for workers to meet heightened demand.
Urgent measures must be taken to ensure rights of Canadian children: UN committee
The United Nations committee on the rights of the child has released a report expressing serious concerns about the welfare of children in Canada — particularly those who are Indigenous.
"The committee is deeply concerned about the discrimination against children in marginalized and disadvantaged situations," said the report, made public Thursday.
The committee cited structural discrimination against Indigenous and Black children, "especially with regard to their access to education, health and adequate standards of living,"
WHO: COVID cases and deaths falling nearly everywhere
The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported globally fell everywhere last week except the Middle East and Southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organization.
In its latest weekly update on the pandemic, the U.N. health agency said Wednesday that confirmed cases dropped 12% to more than 3 million and reported deaths declined 22% to about 7,600.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the continuing decline of COVID-19, which peaked in January, as “a very encouraging trend.”
No, you're not imagining it - package sizes are shrinking
It’s the inflation you’re not supposed to see.
From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It’s dubbed “shrinkflation,” and it’s accelerating worldwide.
In the U.S., a small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; a few months ago, it had 65. Chobani Flips yogurts have shrunk from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces. In the U.K., Nestle slimmed down its Nescafe Azera Americano coffee tins from 100 grams to 90 grams. In India, a bar of Vim dish soap has shrunk from 155 grams to 135 grams.
Mendicino was 'misunderstood' saying cops asked for Emergencies Act: deputy minister
A senior official in the department of public safety says the minister has been "misunderstood" in saying police asked the federal government to use the Emergencies Act in February.
Deputy minister Rob Stewart appeared before the special joint committee that’s examining the Liberals' decision to invoke the act on Tuesday evening.
In April, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told the same committee that after weeks of blockades in downtown Ottawa and at several border crossings, the government was in regular consultation with law enforcement including the RCMP.
PM sidesteps guest-list controversy, urges focus on 'important issues' at L.A. summit
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn't saying whether he supports President Joe Biden's decision to exclude Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba from this week's Summit of the Americas.
Trudeau acknowledges that some of the countries in the Western Hemisphere are "less like-minded" than others.
But he says they all share a number of urgent issues, such as migration pressures, climate change and recovering fully from the COVID-19 pandemic.
All three are expected to be on the agenda at the weeklong summit as the prime minister departs for Los Angeles later today.
Canada celebrates final days of Queen's Platinum Jubilee festivities
Canadians across the country organized parties, donned traditional British garb and planted trees over the weekend as they joined the world in celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee marking her 70 years on the throne.
The Canadian festivities were more muted affairs compared to the boisterous, four-day party that took place in London in honour of the occasion.
Gas prices continue to surge higher in Canada, with more increases expected next week
Gasoline prices continued to trend upward across much of Canada over the weekend and experts warn more increases are coming this week.
National average gas prices rose to about $2.06 on Sunday, up almost three cents from the day before and 11 cents higher compared with a week ago, according to the Canadian Automobile Association.
"We're seeing gas price records repeatedly shattered across the country," said Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy.
Midnight membership deadline marks new phase of Conservative leadership race
Candidates have until midnight to secure party memberships for their supporters to vote in the election for the next Conservative leader, who will replace Erin O'Toole.
The deadline marks a major milestone in the campaign and the start of a new phase in the race.
The party's leadership election organizing committee said late last month it had already broken records for how many new members candidates have drawn in ahead of the June 3 cutoff.
Kevin Costner to return to Alberta as Stampede Parade marshal
This summer will see Kevin Costner return to Alberta as marshal of this year's Stampede Parade.
Costner starred in the films Open Range and Let Him Go, which were both filmed in the province.
The latter saw him spend some time in High River for filming in 2019.
"I just gotta tell you how nice it felt to be selected at the parade marshal," said Costner in the announcement video. "You don't see those kinds of things coming. I'm not sure what the list looked like, I'm glad I was on it."