Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press

Defence lawyers making final arguments on behalf of one of the prominent "Freedom Convoy" organizers are maintaining their client's innocence, with proceedings scheduled to continue next week.

Diane Magas argued before a judge Thursday that her client, Chris Barber, never meant to gridlock Ottawa and that he is not responsible for the actions of convoy participants.

She also said there's an "enormous" amount of material to deal with in the trial and the process has taken more time than expected. The trial began in September 2023 and has faced a number of delays.

"Freedom Convoy" organizer Pat King was released on bail Friday after spending more than a week in jail on Crown allegations that he breached his bail conditions.

The Crown alleged King broke his previous release conditions, which only allowed him to use social media to fundraise for his legal defence. The Crown says his online activity extended beyond what was allowed between July 10 and 29.

King, whose criminal trial ended last month, flew from his home in Alberta to Ottawa last week to turn himself in to police after learning of the allegations. 

Applications opened Wednesday for two streams in the federal government's new $30-billion public transit fund even though the money won't start flowing for another two years, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

The 10-year Canada Public Transit Fund has been in the works for months and was in the recent federal budget but more details were provided as Trudeau made a visit to a subway yard in Toronto.

The Assembly of First Nations finalized a deal with Ottawa late Wednesday night that will see the federal government spend $47.8 billion to reform child welfare programs over the next 10 years.

AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak made the announcement on the final day of the AFN's annual general assembly in Montreal, just two days after she told chiefs there was an offer on the table but that she could not yet discuss it publicly.

The head of the Assembly of First Nations has informed chiefs that a draft deal with Ottawa on child-welfare reforms is worth $47.8 billion, a source who was in the room says — more than double what was initially promised.

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak revealed that number to chiefs and their proxies on Tuesday afternoon, says the source, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to share the details publicly.

The president of the Manitoba Métis Federation is blasting the Métis Nation of Ontario at a summit on how leaders are reacting to — and can come together to fix — what they call Indigenous identity fraud.

Co-hosted by the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Chiefs of Ontario, the summit in Winnipeg also includes Inuit and Innu leaders who have raised concerns about the topic in their respective jurisdictions.

Canada and Manitoba are partnering to launch an alert system that would inform the public when an Indigenous woman or girl goes missing, they announced Friday in Winnipeg, ahead of a national day to mark the crisis.

The long-awaited Red Dress Alert system is a bid to prevent deaths and increase safe reunions with loved ones. 

Statistics Canada concluded in a report last year that the homicide rate for Indigenous women and girls was six times higher than the rate for their non-Indigenous counterparts. 

The federal government is planning to create a new agent of Parliament to oversee modern treaty implementation, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says will ensure Ottawa is held to account no matter who is in power.

He announced the plan to appoint a commissioner for modern treaty implementation Tuesday in Gatineau, Que., at a second annual meeting of self-governing Indigenous governments.

"This is a lasting commitment to be a better treaty partner," he said. 

A Manitoba MP is trying to create an alert system to notify the public when Indigenous women go missing — an endeavour she hopes will lead to fewer deaths and more safe reunions with loved ones.

"This is a critical initiative," New Democrat MP Leah Gazan, who represents the riding of Winnipeg Centre, said last month as a House of Commons committee began studying her "Red Dress Alert" proposal.

"This is an initiative that will save lives."

The committee process for a testy piece of legislation that would recognize Métis governments in three provinces has been extended until at least February.

House of Commons committee hearings about Bill C−53 have seen 65 witnesses testify and 274 briefs submitted that argue vigorously either for or against the legislation, which Métis leaders say would set the stage for treaties on internal matters such as child welfare.