National News

A 1970s Canada Post building in Alberta and stone Quebec City army barracks dating back to 1856 are just some of the public lands the Liberal government plans to turn into homes.

The idea, outlined in the federal budget released Tuesday, is to use federally owned sites across the country to help ease the Canada-wide housing crunch. 

Here's what to know. 

How many properties are on the list?

The federal government is Canada's largest landowner.

The House of Commons admonished a private citizen Wednesday for the first time in more than 100 years — a spectacle that provided plenty of social-media content for members of Parliament, many of whom were on their phones by the time it all ended. 

It is just the latest example of ArriveCan fallout as MPs point fingers over the Liberal government's failure to manage development of the COVID-era app. 

GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth was ordered to appear before the bar of the House after refusing to answer certain questions at a committee hearing.

Three men accused by the Crown of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 have been found guilty of mischief. 

Jurors deliberated for three hours Tuesday night before finding Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and Gerhard (George) Janzen guilty of one count each of mischief over $5,000. 

Gasps of surprise were heard in a courtroom packed with supporters of the trio when the verdict was announced. 

The 2024 federal budget will provide "generational fairness" to younger Canadians by raising taxes on those who have already capitalized on Canada's economic strengths, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday as she tabled the document in the House of Commons.

The budget comes as the Liberals have watched their once-healthy voting base among young people evaporate in favour of the Conservatives, largely as younger Canadians feel like the economic decks are stacked against them.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced the 2024 federal budget on Tuesday. Some key highlights:

Housing

In hopes of building nearly 3.9 million new homes across Canada by 2031, the government plans to:

— increase the capital cost allowance rate for apartments from four to 10 per cent, allowing builders larger tax writeoffs;

— extend the mortgage amortization period to 30 years for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds;

The winning bidder of more than a dozen unopened boxes of classic hockey cards uncovered in a Regina home says he's feeling remorse over his $3.7-million-dollar purchase after hearing how sad the runner-up was upon losing out.

"When I heard the runner-up bidder was literally devastated by missing out on acquiring this, I felt real empathy for him," Jack Arshawsky of Thornhill, Ont. said in an interview, adding he's hoping someone famous, perhaps even Wayne Gretzky, might be interested in taking the boxes off his hands.

The first instalment of the 2024 Canada carbon rebate will be delivered to some Canadians today as long as they filed their taxes by the middle of March.

Canadians living in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and all four Atlantic provinces will receive the first of four instalments today if they filed their 2023 taxes by March 15.

Those who filed their taxes since March 15 will see their first instalment on May 15, while those who file after today will wait until June or July.

Two First Nations men wrongfully convicted of murdering a restaurant worker are suing three levels of government saying their imprisonment was the result of racial discrimination. 

Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse were sentenced to life in prison when they were teens for the killing of Ting Fong Chan, who was stabbed near a Winnipeg construction site in 1973.

They have maintained their innocence for decades. 

The men filed separate statements of claim this week naming the Manitoba government, the Attorney General of Canada and the City of Winnipeg.

Total solar eclipses like the much-anticipated one taking place on Monday are usually thought of as visual experiences.

Lasting memories of the day might include a few minutes of complete darkness, prompted by the rare alignment of the sun, Earth and moon.

The highlight for others, if they're lucky enough to get their hands on a pair of special eclipse glasses to protect their eyes, could be a glimpse of a partially shadowed sun. 

Brussels is playing host to foreign ministers from 32 countries this week to mark 75 years since the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 

As the alliance celebrates its anniversary, it's staring down the familiar threat of an unpredictable Russia. 

It's also bracing for the prospect of another perilous situation that it has faced once before: a Donald Trump presidency.