National News

The Canadian soldier charged with speaking against federal vaccine mandates while wearing his uniform and who recently led a march to Ottawa is now facing a court martial.

Warrant Officer James Topp's lawyer says the army reservist was recently notified that he will be allowed to have his case heard in a military court instead of by his chain of command.

Phillip Millar says the decision represents a second about-face after the military initially offered his client a court martial, only to rescind the offer and send his case to his unit commanders.

Canada has become the first country to ratify Sweden and Finland's request to join NATO, bringing the two countries closer to full membership.

The Prime Minister's Office says Justin Trudeau met with Finland's president, Sauli Niinistö, and Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, at the NATO Summit last week. 

In a statement, Trudeau says Canada champions the alliance's open door policy for any European country in a position to "advance the commitments and obligations of membership."

The federal government has signed a $20-billion final settlement agreement to compensate First Nations children and families harmed by chronic underfunding of child welfare on reserve, which Indigenous Services Canada said Monday was the largest such deal in Canadian history.

“First Nations children deserve to be surrounded by love and live free of discriminatory government policy," Cindy Woodhouse, the Manitoba regional chief at the Assembly of First Nations, said in a statement Monday.

Canada is about to toss more than half of its doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine because it couldn't find any takers for it either in or outside of Canada.

A statement from Health Canada says 13.6 million doses of the vaccine expired in the spring and will be thrown out.

A year ago Canada said it would donate almost 18 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to lower-income countries.

As of June 22, almost nine million doses were delivered to 21 different nations.

There's one prevailing piece of advice when it comes to managing air travel in 2022: "pack your patience." But as flight cancellations and delays continue, there are also some steps you can take to make the process as smooth as possible, industry insiders say. From avoiding peak times to packing a luggage tracker, here are their tips. 

Preparation starts at home

Before you head to the airport, make sure you have all your documentation in order, said Leila Lavaee, the founder of a Toronto-based travel agency. 

Shelli Fryer was wide awake at 2:54 on Canada Day and hoped the stack of messages piling up in recent days could help her close her eyes.

The 59-year-old Langford, B.C., woman said she's been having trouble sleeping since Tuesday when she was among those held hostage during a violent bank shooting in Saanich. 

The messages pouring in since then, she said, have offered some of the comfort she's sought and commended her bravery during the ordeal.

New federal regulations to force down the greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline and diesel will cost Canadians up to 13 cents more per litre at the pump by 2030.

An impact analysis of the Clean Fuel Regulations published Wednesday estimates they will cut about 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, or five to six per cent of what Canada needs to eliminate to meet its current targets for that year.

By Kelly Geraldine Malone and Brittany Hobson

Many communities are reimagining Canada Day celebrations to recognize Indigenous Peoples, as the country continues to reckon with its legacy following the discovery of possible unmarked graves at former residential schools. 

“Being Canadian is engaging with these really difficult things,” said Sean Carleton, an assistant professor of history and Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba.

The chief of police in Saanich, British Columbia, says it is truly amazing that no members of the public were hurt during a gunfight at a bank in which two robbery suspects died.

Chief Const. Dean Duthie says two suspects who were believed to be wearing body armour died Tuesday in the gun battle with police outside a Bank of Montreal. 

Six members of the Greater Victoria emergency response team were hurt, three of them seriously enough to require surgery. 

Duthie says the emergency response team happened to be deployed nearby and was on the scene within minutes.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more money for Ukraine on Tuesday — including a $200-million loan through the International Monetary Fund — at the end of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Germany.

Canada's contribution comes as G7 leaders committed to phase out or ban the import of Russian coal and oil in response to that country's war with Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis sparked by the invasion.

Trudeau said Canada remains determined to support Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity.