National News

A parliamentary committee voted Monday to launch a study into the causes behind Canada's chaotic holiday travel season and to hear not only from industry giants, but also from some of the passengers who saw their plans upended. 

Members of the federal transport committee met to discuss the scope of the study, which all agreed was necessary given the widespread disruptions that plagued thousands of passengers who travelled by air and train last month and into January. 

Grieving friends and relatives of victims killed during the downing of Flight PS752 called for justice and accountability from the Iranian regime Sunday as Canadians from coast to coast marked three years since the country's military shot the plane down.

At a highly-emotional and politically-charged ceremony in North Toronto, The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims remembered those lost in the crash while loudly condemning the Islamic Republic of Iran's human rights violations.

The mayor of a Mexican city caught up in a wave of drug cartel violence last week wasted little time reassuring Canadians and other foreign visitors that his city is safe for travellers.

Edgar Gonzalez, in a video posted online by the City of Mazatlán, strolled through his city's historic centre on Friday, shaking hands and posing for pictures with tourists.

From the frosty throes of a Canadian winter, the land of conquistadors and Frida Kahlo can seem a million miles away. 

But that's not the way North American diplomats, trade experts and business leaders see it — and they hope the continent's leaders have a similar vision as the so-called "Three Amigos" gather this week in Mexico City. 

"The potential for North America is immense," said Eric Farnsworth, the former Clinton-era White House official who now leads the D.C. office of the Council of the Americas and the Americas Society.

The federal government says 1.8 million Canadians travelled to Mexico in 2022. Some of the more popular tourist spots include Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Mazatlan, Playa Del Carman and Puerto Vallarta.

Travel agents say direct flights from many locations and all-inclusive resorts are a major draw.

But, like other travel, it's not without risks.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office says he shared a call with King Charles that centred on environmental issues. 

Trudeau's office says he and the King discussed the COP15 biodiversity summit that was held in Montreal last month, where nearly 200 countries signed a landmark conservation agreement.

They also exchanged "ideas on tackling climate change and protecting the environment moving forward."

Canadian tourists were trapped inside a Mexican hotel Thursday as buses that were supposed to take them to an airport and safely home burned outside. 

"It's just chaos," said Tina Dahl of Edmonton, whose six family members stranded in the popular tourist city of Mazatlan were supposed to fly out Thursday night.

The federal government advised Canadians in Mexico to limit their movements and shelter in place due to violence in the western part of the country. 

Airline passengers leaving China, Hong Kong and Macau will have to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test when they enter Canada starting today.

The Canadian government announced last week that the travellers would need a negative test administered within 48 hours of their departure as cases soar in China. 

Other countries, including the United States and several European nations, imposed similar rules despite protest from China. 

Nour Alideeb and her partner are trying to decide what to do with the hundreds of dollars they're now saving on child care for their two-year-old son.

Parents are seeing their child-care fees reduced by 50 per cent, on average, as part of the federal government's early learning and childcare agreements with provinces and territories. 

For Alideeb and her family in Mississauga, Ont., that means about $700 in savings each month. 

Today marks Canada's first National Ribbon Skirt Day. 

Manitoba Sen. Mary Jane McCallum's bill to recognize the day every Jan. 4 passed in Parliament late last year.

It was inspired by Isabella Kulak, a member of the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan who wore a ribbon skirt to her rural Saskatchewan school in December 2020, when she was 10 years old.

She wore the colourful garment, donned by Indigenous women at cultural events, as part of a formal day — but her family said at the time that a staff member told her the outfit wasn't considered formal enough.