National News

Canada's oil and gas producers can hike output by the equivalent of 300,000 barrels a day by the end of the year to help displace Russian fossil fuels, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Thursday.

Wilkinson, speaking at the end of an International Energy Agency meeting in Paris, said two-thirds of that is oil and the rest natural gas.

"Canada's European friends and allies are experiencing an energy security crisis, a crisis that could impact industry, mobility, and even the heating of homes," Wilkinson said. "This crisis must be addressed."

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been banned from joining the thousands of foreigners who have flocked to Ukraine in recent weeks to help fight Russia’s invasion.

Vice-chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen told the House of Commons defence committee on Wednesday that the order came from Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff and it applies to both full-time service members and part-time reservists.

The value of carbon-price rebate cheques from the federal government will jump more than 66 per cent in Ontario and Manitoba this year, to make up for too-small rebates the last two years.

The second annual report on federal carbon pricing, which was tabled in the House of Commons this week, shows Canada collected more than $4.2 billion in carbon pricing on consumers and small businesses in 2020-21.

The Liberals and New Democrats have reached a tentative deal to keep the Liberal minority government in power through to 2025, media reports say.

The CBC is reporting the leadership of both parties reached an agreement that would see the NDP support the Liberals on confidence votes.

The report says the deal would see the Liberals acting on national pharmacare and dental care, which are key priorities for the NDP.

Reports by the CBC and the Globe and Mail, citing unnamed sources, say that New Democrat members of Parliament still need to approve the deal.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. and the union representing 3,000 conductors, engineers and train and yard workers say they have agreed to final and binding arbitration to end a work stoppage.

Workers will return to the job at noon local time Tuesday.

In a statement issued early Tuesday morning, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference spokesperson Dave Fulton said while arbitration was not the preferred method, TCRC was able to negotiate terms and conditions that were in the best interest of its members, with wages and pensions still stumbling blocks.

Industry groups that rely on Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. for the shipment of goods are pleading with the federal government to take action as the work stoppage at the Calgary-based railway continues into its second day.

Leaders of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the National Cattle Feeders' Association were in Ottawa Monday, urging the government to immediately bring an end to the work stoppage they say could devastate their industry.

Gerald McMaster has always wondered what mysteries and cultural objects are kept within the Vatican’s collection of Indigenous artifacts.

The renowned First Nations curator and artist says the artifacts are important to how Indigenous people see themselves and the world around them. Yet, he says, not many have ever laid their eyes on what's in the vaults. 

A spokesman for Teamsters Canada Rail Conference says the union is expecting to be back at the bargaining table with a mediator today after a labour dispute with CP Rail led to a work stoppage late Saturday.

More than 3,000 conductors and engineers at CP rail are on the picket line after the company and union failed to reach a deal by a midnight deadline.

Both CP Rail and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference say the other side is at fault for the stoppage which is parking trains when supply chain disruptions are already severe.

A new poll suggests Canadians are looking for ways to cut back on spending as their concerns about the cost of living rise alongside headline inflation rates.

Four-fifths of respondents to the Leger poll had started or planned to buy cheaper items at the grocery store to save on food bills, and cut back on how much food they throw out to stretch every dollar.

Some three-quarters of respondents told the firm they planned to cut spending on household items and eat from local restaurants less frequently.

Federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for emergency preparedness are working to launch a new national flood insurance program to protect homeowners in high-risk flood zones. 

A task force made up of government leaders and representatives from the Insurance Bureau of Canada is expected to release a final report on the program later this spring after two years of work.