National News

The economy shed 33,000 jobs in March, the biggest loss since January 2022, while the unemployment rate ticked higher, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The agency said the unemployment rate for March rose to 6.7 per cent compared with 6.6 per cent in February.

The hit came amid increased uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs that have threatened economic growth.

The job losses reversed some of the gains made at the end of last year and into January.

"Freedom Convoy" organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber have been found guilty of mischief for their roles in the 2022 mass protest in Ottawa.

Lich and Barber were key figures and organizers in the protest that saw hundreds of vehicles and thousands of people occupy downtown Ottawa and insist they would stay until COVID-19 public health mandates were eliminated.

The New Democrats and Conservatives both pitched ideas on the federal election trail Thursday to make Canada and its workers more resilient in the face of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh proposed tax-free savings bonds, while Pierre Poilievre said a Conservative government would remove the federal sales tax from Canadian-made vehicles.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, in his role as prime minister, met virtually Thursday with Canada's premiers to discuss the U.S. tariffs as Canadian automakers started to feel the effects.

Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are set to hear a verdict today in the joint trial over their roles in the mass protest against pandemic health measures that rolled into Ottawa more than three years ago.

Lich and Barber were both charged with mischief, intimidation and counselling others to break the law in relation to their roles in the 2022 protest that drew thousands of demonstrators to Ottawa for three weeks.

Their trial wrapped up in September after hearing 45 days of evidence and legal arguments.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will address reporters shortly after the White House declared both Canada and Mexico exempt from new reciprocal tariffs announced today by U.S. President Donald Trump.

A fact sheet from Trump's office says goods imported under the existing continental trade deal, known as CUSMA, will not face tariffs, while those outside the deal will see a 10 per cent tariff.

Canada was left off a lengthy list Trump unveiled this afternoon showing the tariff levels most other countries will face starting Thursday.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney promised Monday to get the federal government back into the business of home building, while Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives pitched a national energy corridor to fast-track approval of key infrastructure.

The New Democrats rolled out their own national project — a promise to help retrofit 3.3 million homes and pay for it by cutting supports for big oil and gas companies. 

A representative for the Canadian Red Cross says the situation on the ground in Myanmar is "still very dire and tragic" days after a massive earthquake that has killed more than 1,700 people.

Canadian Red Cross operations lead Chiran Livera said teams of staff and volunteers made up of both international and local Red Cross workers were in Myanmar when the quake hit on Friday, and they have been able to distribute help, including water and shelter kits, from warehouses stationed around the country.

Many butterflies, bees and moths are fluttering into oblivion. A new report co-authored by a Canadian researcher warns that more than one-fifth of pollinator species it studied in North America are at risk of extinction.

Affordability measures dominated the promises on the federal election trail on Saturday, with the NDP focused on capping the price of some food items and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre offering more tax writeoffs to some trades workers.

The first week of the federal election drew to a close with both Liberal Leader Mark Carney and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh paying a visit to the national capital.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney will be campaigning in Nepean today, the Ottawa riding where he is seeking election.

Carney, who has not yet served as an MP, is expected to meet with volunteers in the riding at 10 a.m.

Carney has faced questions about his decision to run in Nepean, which became vacant only after the Liberal party ousted MP Chandra Arya as its candidate three days before the election was called.