National News

Fresh research suggests western Canada's once-dwindling caribou numbers are finally growing.

But the same paper concludes the biggest reason for the rebound is the slaughter of hundreds of wolves, a policy that will likely have to go on for decades.  

"If we don't shoot wolves, given the state of the habitat that industry and government have allowed, we will lose caribou," said Clayton Lamb, one of 34 co-authors of a newly published study in the journal Ecological Applications.

"It's not the wolves' fault."

It can sometimes be difficult to discern what constitutes a hate crime, Ottawa's police chief acknowledged Monday as he confirmed his department is investigating a pro-Palestinian protest over the weekend on Parliament Hill. 

Members of the city's hate and bias unit began investigating complaints about the event Saturday, which police characterized as pertaining to the Gaza Strip. 

Dennis Mathu and Stephanie Gordon first started posting financial-advice videos on YouTube three years ago — a side hustle that helped to scratch a creative itch. 

They never imagined it would lead them down some of the most powerful political corridors in Canada. 

Mathu and Gordon — Steph & Den, as they're known online — were among several content creators invited to Tuesday's federal budget lockup, where they got early access to Ottawa's new spending blueprint. 

Federal officials in charge of the National Microbiology Lab defended security protocols at the Winnipeg institution against accusations from MPs of bureaucratic incompetence Friday. 

"We acted as expeditiously as we could, given the information that was available," Public Health Agency of Canada head Heather Jeffrey said Friday.

Carol Love watches the tides at a Vancouver Island lagoon, and when the time is right, she starts to play her violin.

She plays for an audience of one, a killer whale calf that has been trapped alone in the lagoon for almost a month.

Preparations for more conventional efforts to save the whale continue, involving a large fishing net.

But Love, from Nanaimo, B.C., stands and plays on a bridge at high tide, hoping her music entices the young orca to swim through a narrow channel, under the bridge and into the open ocean to freedom, no net required.

A 1970s Canada Post building in Alberta and stone Quebec City army barracks dating back to 1856 are just some of the public lands the Liberal government plans to turn into homes.

The idea, outlined in the federal budget released Tuesday, is to use federally owned sites across the country to help ease the Canada-wide housing crunch. 

Here's what to know. 

How many properties are on the list?

The federal government is Canada's largest landowner.

The House of Commons admonished a private citizen Wednesday for the first time in more than 100 years — a spectacle that provided plenty of social-media content for members of Parliament, many of whom were on their phones by the time it all ended. 

It is just the latest example of ArriveCan fallout as MPs point fingers over the Liberal government's failure to manage development of the COVID-era app. 

GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth was ordered to appear before the bar of the House after refusing to answer certain questions at a committee hearing.

Three men accused by the Crown of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 have been found guilty of mischief. 

Jurors deliberated for three hours Tuesday night before finding Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and Gerhard (George) Janzen guilty of one count each of mischief over $5,000. 

Gasps of surprise were heard in a courtroom packed with supporters of the trio when the verdict was announced. 

The 2024 federal budget will provide "generational fairness" to younger Canadians by raising taxes on those who have already capitalized on Canada's economic strengths, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday as she tabled the document in the House of Commons.

The budget comes as the Liberals have watched their once-healthy voting base among young people evaporate in favour of the Conservatives, largely as younger Canadians feel like the economic decks are stacked against them.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced the 2024 federal budget on Tuesday. Some key highlights:

Housing

In hopes of building nearly 3.9 million new homes across Canada by 2031, the government plans to:

— increase the capital cost allowance rate for apartments from four to 10 per cent, allowing builders larger tax writeoffs;

— extend the mortgage amortization period to 30 years for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds;