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Parliament gets back to work Wednesday with a new Speaker, a new prime minister and plenty of new faces in the House of Commons.

Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia will preside over the House of Commons for the first time today, while his office has confirmed that all 343 members of Parliament have now been sworn in.

Roughly a third of those MPs, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, were elected for the first time in April and will face their first question period today.

A judge in Minnesota has sentenced a man to 10 years for his role in a human smuggling operation that saw a family freeze to death in southern Manitoba near the Canada-U.S. border.

Harshkumar Patel, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, did not address the court.

A co-accused in the case, Steve Shand, was to be sentenced later Wednesday.

Judge John Tunheim described the crimes as "extraordinarily serious.”

A jury convicted the two men last fall on four charges related to bringing people illegally into the United States from Canada.

Winnipeggers will need to keep using an alternate route longer than expected as construction and maintenance is keeping the Louise Bridge closed. 

All northbound lanes, southbound lanes, east side sidewalk and west side sidewalk of the Louise Bridge between Higgins Avenue to Stadacona Street have been closed since May 23.

The closure was expected to last until May 28, but has been extended to June 1.

From Alberta to Manitoba, residents across the Prairies are out of their homes, while others remain on edge as wildfires inch closer to their communities.

The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan has imposed an evacuation order for more than 1,800 residents of Pelican Narrows, 412 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

They are to flee to PAGC Urban Services, also known as the Margo Fournier Centre, in Prince Albert.

Seated in a brand-new throne and surrounded by dignitaries, King Charles opened Parliament Tuesday with a show of royal tradition — the first throne speech delivered by a reigning monarch in Canada in nearly half a century.

Reading from the speech — which is drafted by the federal government and lays out its policy priorities — the King proclaimed the "True North is indeed strong and free" and reaffirmed Canada's sovereignty while underscoring the "unprecedented" challenges the nation faces.

A new book aims to empower citizens to ask more intelligent questions and think more critically about how municipal governments spend tax dollars on the services and public infrastructure that make up our day-to-day lives. 

Numerous fire crews were called to a 12-storey apartment building in West Broadway Monday evening following reports of smoke and possible trapped residents. 

The blaze broke out just before 6:30 p.m. in a complex in the 100 block of Young Street. 

Calls to 9-1-1 reported that there may be people trapped in one of the suites. 

Due to the size of the building and the potential of trapped victims, a second alarm was called, and more crews arrived at the scene. 

The Winnipeg Pops Orchestra's latest concert showcases the unique role that it plays in the city’s cultural landscape: an opportunity for volunteer musicians to play at a high level and offering an accessible window into classical music for audiences.  

“The Winnipeg Pops Orchestra is a great group of people,” said conductor Tony Cyre in an interview on Morning Light. “They just want to play, they just want to have fun, and they want to make the best music possible.” 

The province is investing in two initiatives that will help improve the lives of Manitobans living with dementia. 

Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced Monday, the province will provide an additional $200,000 in new programs that will increase quality of life. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney's vision for nation-building and economic growth is expected to form the main thrust of the throne speech when King Charles reads it today in the Canadian Senate.