Canadian troops heading to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are set to depart from an Ontario military base today to help with the care, co-ordination and resettlement of Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Defence Minister Anita Anand is expected to announce and oversee the deployment from Canadian Forces Base Trenton this morning after a reconnaissance team visited Poland last week to plan for the mission.
Bank of Canada raises key rate to 1% and warns further hikes still to come
The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate by the highest amount in more than 20 years and warned more rate hikes are coming as it increased its outlook for inflation.
The central bank hiked its policy interest rate by half a percentage point to one per cent on Wednesday.
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said inflation is too high and is expected to stay elevated for longer than the bank previously thought.
“The invasion of Ukraine has driven up the prices of energy and other commodities, and the war is further disrupting global supply chains,” he said.
As provinces ask people to manage COVID risks, experts say the public has less data
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, retired teacher Lois Armstrong said local health officials where she lives in Kingston, Ont., provided daily updates about outbreaks, cases and deaths in the community.
Now, Armstrong, 68, said the public is being asked to take a bigger role in managing their risk but information from health authorities is less available than before. Data such as the location of outbreaks, meanwhile, is no longer made public, she added.
Canada takes aim at Russian defence sector with new sanctions over attack on Ukraine
Canada is targeting Russia's defence industry with its latest round of sanctions over Moscow's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the new measures impose restrictions on 33 entities in the Russian defence sector.
She says the organizations have provided support to the Russian military — directly or indirectly — and are therefore complicit in the pain and suffering stemming from Vladimir Putin's unjustifiable war in Ukraine.
Holocaust denial — and downplaying the Nazis' murder of Jews — to be outlawed
Holocaust denial is to be outlawed in Canada, in a further effort to stamp out rising antisemitism.
The federal government is set to make it a criminal offence to make a statement denying the Holocaust took place or condoning or downplaying the killing of Jews by the Nazi regime, except in a private conversation.
Ministers plan to use a bill enacting the budget to swiftly change the Criminal Code, budget documents show.
The move to outlaw Holocaust denial comes as MPs and anti-hate groups warn about the rise of white-supremacism and antisemitism in Canada.
The federal budget will have the support of the NDP, but will also face opposition
The Liberals have done enough to honour their agreement with the NDP, but that doesn't mean the federal budget will pass without opposition.
"We still have critiques and criticisms," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Thursday. "We're concerned, deeply concerned, about the approach on the environment."
He said the government should be spending more on clean energy instead of giving subsidies to fossil fuel companies.
The leaders of the Green party and Bloc Québécois echoed that.
Chocolate recall linked to salmonella outbreak in Europe now expanded to Canada
A recall of certain Kinder brand chocolate products linked to an outbreak of salmonella in Europe and the U.K. has been expanded to Canada.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says there have been no illnesses reported in Canada in association with the affected products distributed by Ferrero Canada Ltd.
The recalled chocolates include Kinder Schoko-Bons, Happy Moments - Kinder Confections Assortment, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Egg Hunt Kits, Kinder Mix 7 Easter Treats, Kinder Surprise Miraculous, Kinder Surprise Natoons and Kinder Surprise.
Progress on $35M Humboldt Broncos permanent memorial slower than expected
The manager for a Saskatchewan city planning a multi-purpose building in remembrance of a deadly junior hockey bus crash four years ago says plans are moving more slowly than had been hoped.
The City of Humboldt announced plans a year ago to build a tribute centre, including a gallery honouring the 16 people killed and 13 injured in the April 6, 2018, collision with a transport truck.
The $35-million price tag also includes an arena, a fitness and physiotherapy area, and a permanent memorial at the site of the crash north of Tisdale, Sask.
Rise in online child abuse prompts call for new law forcing removal of harmful images
One of Canada's foremost experts on child protection online said she is "very optimistic" that a panel advising cabinet ministers about combating online harm can map out a way to protect minors from sexual exploitation on the internet.
Lianna McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, was among a dozen people appointed last week to the expert panel asked to help the government craft a new online safety bill.
Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous delegates for residential schools
Pope Francis has apologized for the Roman Catholic Church's role in residential schools.
The Pontiff, speaking in Italian, asked for God's forgiveness for the deplorable conduct of members of the Catholic Church.
"I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry," Francis said, during a final meeting with First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegates at the Vatican.
"And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops in asking your pardon."
Francis also said he will come to Canada.