National News

Seasonal or higher than normal temperatures across much of the country will offer Canadians a chance to enjoy the summer, but predictions from a prominent national forecaster warn the humidity could welcome a rather stormy few months.

Chris Scott, chief meteorologist at The Weather Network, says the heat coupled with an active jet stream will lead to above normal precipitation that runs across the Prairies through to Ontario and Quebec. 

While that "doesn't mean every day is going to be a wash-out," Scott says he expects "some rather intense storms from time to time."

A national freeze on importing, buying, selling or otherwise transferring handguns is a central feature of firearm-control legislation tabled Monday by the federal Liberals.

The measure does not ban handguns outright, allowing current owners to continue to possess and use them, but seeks to cap the number already in Canada.

"This is a concrete and real national measure that will go a long way towards keeping Canadians safe," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa.

Murray Sinclair received the Order of Canada Thursday for dedicating his life to championing Indigenous Peoples' rights and freedoms.

Sinclair held his wife's hand as the award was announced in Rideau Hall, and was met with a standing ovation as he rose to receive it.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon presented Sinclair with the award at the ceremony, which was held several months after it was announced he would receive the honour.

Canada has purchased more than 20,000 rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine, Defence Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday.

Anand, speaking at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Victoria, said the $98-million purchase will include the needed fuses and charge bags and comes from the $500-million Ukrainian military aid package announced in April's federal budget.

She said the rounds, which are the NATO artillery standard of 155 millimetre and will work with the artillery guns Canada shipped to Ukraine in April, are "exactly what Ukraine has asked allies to provide."

Kseniia Zinenko stepped outside of the Winnipeg airport Monday evening after a nine-hour flight from Poland to Manitoba's capital city.

The 30-year-old is one of more than 300 Ukrainian nationals who were on a federally chartered flight to bring people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine to Canada. 

"Very tired," Zinenko replied when asked how she was feeling after arriving in Winnipeg. "But the Canadian people (are) very good to meet us."

Tens of thousands of people remain without power after Saturday's powerful storm that left at least nine dead and caused extensive damage throughout southern Ontario and Quebec.

Hydro utilities reported Sunday that the damage to the power grid is extensive and complicated, meaning even as crews worked around the clock to make repairs, it could still be days before the outages are resolved.

As many as five people are dead and tens of thousands remain without power following a fierce storm that swept across Ontario and Quebec.

Gatineau police said a 51-year-old woman died when the boat she was in capsized in the Ottawa River near Masson-Angers, Que. during Saturday's storm.

Ontario Provincial Police said a 44-year-old man was killed in Greater Madawaska, west of Ottawa, after reportedly being struck by a falling tree, while police in Ottawa said one person died in the city's west end, but didn't release any further details.

The Liberal government is banning Chinese vendors Huawei Technologies and ZTE from Canada's long-awaited blueprint for next-generation mobile networks.

"Telecommunication companies in Canada will not be permitted to include in their networks products or services that put our national security at risk," Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Thursday in Ottawa.

"Providers who already have this equipment installed will be required to cease its use and remove it under the plans we are announcing today."

A whirlwind visit by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has ended but the calls for meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples have not.

The couple departed Canada Thursday night after a three-day tour that began in St. John's, N.L., with a solemn moment of reflection on residential school deaths and ended in the North with a meeting with First Nations chiefs on climate change.

Charles told people in Yellowknife that he was deeply moved by conversations with survivors who courageously shared their experiences of the schools.

A new report says digital technology has become so widespread at such a rapid pace that Canadians have little idea what information is being collected about them or how it is used.

The report by David Lyon, former director of the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., highlights a need for more transparency in data collection and analysis, as well as new digital rights and means of ensuring justice for Canadians.