National News

Here's a look at some of this week's top news photos from around the world as selected by The Canadian Press editors.

Health Canada has announced a recall of specific Stanley-branded travel mugs, citing safety concerns.

The recall involves the "Switchback" and "Trigger Action" travel mugs with black plastic lids, sold in various colors and sizes of 355 ml (12 oz), 473 ml (16 oz), and 591 ml (20 oz).

Hazard Identified

The recall stems from an issue where the threads on the affected lids may shrink when exposed to heat and torque, causing the lids to detach unexpectedly during use. This poses a significant risk of burns to consumers.

Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says he is "calling a timeout" in the Canada Post strike, and asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board to send about 55,000 employees back to work.

Mackinnon says the Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are at an impasse after a nearly month-long work stoppage, and negotiations are actually going in the wrong direction.

He says if the board agrees the two sides are at an impasse, it has been asked to order union members to return to work until May.

Canada has told the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal it can't say when it will work through a backlog of some 140,000 cases related to First Nations child services.

That has led to a prominent child welfare advocate and First Nations leaders in Manitoba warning about an escalating crisis caused by Canada's inaction.

The union representing Canada Post workers says an unfair labour practice complaint over the company's layoffs has been resolved.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers filed the complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Nov. 29 after hundreds of striking postal workers received temporary layoff notices while on strike.

The union said in a statement issued Wednesday night that a mediated settlement has been reached that requires Canada Post to notify affected employees that they are not on a temporary layoff.

The Bank of Canada lowered its key interest rate by half a percentage point today but signalled a slower pace of rate cuts moving forward.

The decision marked the fifth consecutive reduction since June and brings the central bank’s key rate down to 3.25 per cent.

Forecasters were widely expecting the jumbo interest rate cut after the November labour force survey showed the unemployment rate rose to 6.8 per cent.

TikTok is challenging the federal government’s order to shut down its operations in Canada, claiming it will eliminate hundreds of jobs and potentially terminate a quarter of a million contracts that it has with Canadian advertising clients. 

The company filed documents in Federal Court in Vancouver on Dec. 5, seeking to set aside the order to wind-up and cease business in Canada. 

Canada Post and the union representing postal workers are in a war of words as a countrywide strike enters its 27th day.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers pushed back on recent criticisms from Canada Post in a bulletin to members Tuesday evening, giving a list of proposals it said are meant to bring the two parties closer together.

The Liberal government’s move to order the shutdown of TikTok’s Canadian operations over national security concerns has left hundreds of the company’s Canadian employees in limbo. 

Ottawa hasn't publicly specified the date by which TikTok has to comply, and while the company has pledged to fight the order in court, it's also talking to the government in hopes of finding a "solution."

Ottawa's plan to send prohibited firearms to Ukraine to fight the Russian incursion has some experts scratching their heads, while staunch Ukraine supporters worry it could unintentionally pit aggrieved gun owners against the war effort.

The Liberal government announced last week it will work with Canadian businesses to donate select weapons banned in Canada to Ukraine, though details about the new plan remain sparse even days later.