National News

After a months-long health battle, Pope Francis has died.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced his death early on Easter Monday, saying he died at 7:35 a.m. in Vatican City.

"His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a press conference. "He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalized."

The federal Liberals and NDP both released their costed campaign platforms Saturday as Elections Canada reported record turnout in the first day of advanced polls.

Nearly two million people showed up to cast a ballot on Friday, the first of four days for advanced voting in the federal election.

Elections Canada said in a social media post it will be making adjustments over the coming days to handle the high traffic after many voters were met with long lineups at polling stations.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to strike down a key element of the Liberal government's environmental policy Friday as he and other party leaders got back on the campaign trail following the national leaders' debates in Montreal.

The campaigning Friday also coincided with the opening of the first of four days of advance polling across the country.

Both Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stayed in Quebec to make announcements Friday morning, while Liberal Leader Mark Carney made his way to Niagara Falls, Ont.

The Supreme Court of Canada says a person must wait seven years after completely finishing their post-secondary studies before they can be released from student loan debt under the federal bankruptcy law.

The top court's decision came Thursday in the case of Izabela Piekut, who received government student loans in the course of three university programs from 1987 to 2003.

Piekut later returned to school and earned a master's degree in 2009 without the help of additional student loans.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney spent his first English election debate presenting himself as a safe pair of hands for a country in crisis — while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sought to frame him as more of the same after a decade of Liberal government.

Carney, who is leading in the polls, became the main target of all his rivals' attacks early in Thursday's final debate of the election — a trend that carried over from Wednesday's French language debate.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre aligned on support for new oil and gas pipelines as a matter of national security during the French language election debate Wednesday night.

Dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump was a running theme as the four main federal party leaders took the stage in Montreal for the first of two debates. Even the debate moderator Patrice Roy cited the elephant in the room as he pitched questions on immigration, affordability and Canadian identity.

The Bank of Canada left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday as it waits to get a clearer picture of how global trade uncertainty is going to impact the Canadian economy.

The central bank held its policy rate steady at 2.75 per cent, the first time it has left the key rate unchanged following seven consecutive cuts since June.

That decision arrived in the midst of the United States' ever-shifting global trade war, and Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem made clear that the disruption from south of the border was the clear focus of Wednesday’s decision.

The stage will look different than originally planned Wednesday night, when Canada's major party leaders square off in the first of two nationally televised debates.

Instead of five podiums on the stage, there will now only be four.

The Green Party had its invitation rescinded less than 12 hours before the debate is set to start, with the Leaders' Debate Commission saying the party no longer met the criteria to be included.

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault called the "last minute decision" both "unfounded" and "undemocratic."

The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge of a government ban on firearms that Ottawa considers fit only for the battlefield, not hunting or sport shooting. 

The Liberals outlawed some 1,500 firearm models and variants in May 2020, meaning they could no longer be legally used, sold or imported. 

The move was generally applauded by gun control advocates as a first step toward removing firearms used in mass shootings from circulation. 

Liberal Leader Mark Carney's French language skills will be put to the test, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will seek to turn his numbers around, when the five main federal party leaders square off in Montreal tonight in the first of two debates ahead of election day on April 28.

The two-hour French-language debate will be moderated by Radio-Canada's Patrice Roy and will focus on five themes: the cost of living, energy and climate, the trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration and foreign affairs.