National News

The sun was shining on the beaches of Normandy on Thursday morning as a Canadian ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day got underway in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his French counterpart Gabriel Attal and Prince William were among dignitaries visiting Juno Beach, where flags bearing the Maple Leaf fluttered in a gentle breeze.

In the front row of a crowd of thousands were 13 Canadian veterans in military uniform, the oldest of them 104 years old, who survived the war effort on the same beach so many decades ago.

The sky was overcast but the sea was calm as a dark green amphibious vehicle rose up out of the gentle waves in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France, on Monday afternoon. 

On board the restored Second World War-era vehicle, Jim Parks watched the shoreline of Juno Beach approach just as he did on June 6, 1944, as a 19-year-old member of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. 

The sea voyage was a surprise for Parks, a 99-year-old Canadian, arranged by Dutch friends who specialize in historical re-enactments. 

The Bank of Canada marked a major turning point in its fight against inflation on Wednesday as it lowered its key interest rate for the first time in more than four years, making it the first central bank in the G7 to cut rates.

Governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank has more confidence inflation is moving closer to its two per cent target, citing various indicators that suggest price pressures have retreated.

The University of Manitoba has publicly apologized for harm it has caused to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities more than a century after it began accepting and storing Indigenous remains.

The university apologized Monday, saying it inappropriately accepted and stored ancestral remains along with burial belongings and cultural artifacts without consent from Indigenous communities.

Canada's deputy prime minister says the finding that some Canadian members of Parliament were "wittingly" helping foreign state actors is "concerning," but she trusts that law enforcement will do its job. 

Chrystia Freeland's comments come after a committee of MPs and senators released a report Monday that said intelligence shows foreign actors worked to foster relationships with parliamentarians. 

Soon after they were elected, some Canadian members of Parliament began "wittingly assisting" foreign state actors, says a report released Monday — including sending confidential information to Indian officials.

The report from a committee of MPs and senators with top security clearance says Canadian spy agencies produced a body of intelligence showing foreign actors cultivated relationships with both MPs and senators.

Robert Pickton, one of Canada's most notorious serial killers, died on Friday, 12 days after he was assaulted in prison.

Pickton, an inmate at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec, was 74.

For some, the death brings closure. But it also leaves open questions about the botched police investigation into Pickton, who was convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder but was suspected of killing dozens more women at his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C.

A national task force that provides guidance for primary health-care providers is not lowering the recommended breast cancer screening age to 40, despite urging from several cancer specialists, surgeons and radiologists. 

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has been reviewing its current advice that women start routine breast cancer screening at age 50.

It holds firm on that position, and on previous advice against routine screening past age 74.

Get ready to feel the heat, Canada.

The Weather Network is predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.

The weather broadcaster's annual summer forecast released Wednesday indicates Canada will be blanketed in heat over the next three months as the country sees fewer rainy days and several regions experience humid conditions.

"We'd be very surprised, very surprised, if this didn't turn out overall as a warm summer," Chris Scott, the Weather Network's chief meteorologist, said in an interview.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to attend the G7 leaders' summit next month in Italy, followed by the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland. 

In a news release today, the Prime Minister's Office says Trudeau's focus at the G7 summit will be on highlighting the importance of democracy, promoting fair economic growth and combating foreign interference.

Trudeau's office says he will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts and discuss the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars.