National News

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled her fall economic statement on Tuesday, updating Canadians on the country's financial health and introducing some new measures to target the housing crisis. 

Here are the highlights. 

— $20.8 billion: New federal spending since the spring budget.

— $488.7 billion: Total government spending for the current fiscal year, through the end of March 2024. 

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled a fall economic statement on Tuesday that aims to support middle-class Canadians amid soaring consumer prices and looming mortgage renewals. 

She announced $168 million in new spending over six years for programs focused on at saving Canadians money. 

Here's what the government proposes to do. 

Competition and trade 

The Liberals have proposed several amendments to the Competition Act in an attempt to improve consumer choice and lower prices.

Nearly a dozen members of the family of Pauline Brazeau were in Cochrane Provincial Court today (Nov. 21) in hopes of getting a glimpse of her accused murderer of nearly 47 years ago.

Ronald James Edward, 74, did not make an appearance. Instead, newly-appointed counsel Pawel Milczarek appeared before Justice Marian De Souza to request disclosure documents from the Crown.

The case returns to Cochrane court on Dec. 5, and Brazeau's family intends to return in hopes of finally seeing the accused. 

A company that runs a commercial kitchen at the centre of an E. coli outbreak at multiple Calgary daycares has entered a not guilty plea to municipal bylaw charges.

The City of Calgary charged Fueling Minds Inc. and its two directors, Faisal Alimohd and Anil Karim, in September with serving food at child care centres without a food services business licence. They face 12 charges and a total fine of up to $120,000.

The federal government will appeal a recent Federal Court ruling that struck down a cabinet order underlying Ottawa's ban of some single-use plastics, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Monday.

The Nov. 16 decision said Ottawa had overstepped by labelling all "plastic manufactured items" as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Evidence shows "thousands" of different items in that category have different uses and chemical makeups, and there is no evidence all of them can harm human health or the environment, Justice Angela Furlanetto found. 

Premier Scott Moe says a Saskatchewan Party legislature member has been kicked out of caucus and stripped of his appointments after being charged with obtaining sexual services.

Moe said he learned Friday of the charge against backbencher Ryan Domotor and took immediate action.

"Those in public office should be working to support vulnerable women, not exploit them,” Moe said in a statement.

“There is absolutely no place in our government, nor frankly in the assembly, for someone who has been charged with such a crime.”

The Canada Revenue Agency has denied or adjusted $458 million in funds disbursed to employers through a pandemic-era wage subsidy program as a result of a partially completed auditing process.

The agency is releasing a report Monday that offers detailed findings of its audits of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Program. The bulk of the findings cover the period ending March 31, but the report also offers more up-to-date figures as of Sept. 29.

A northern Manitoba man who went to fight alongside the Ukrainian army has died, the chief of Opaskwayak Cree Nation said Tuesday.

Austin Lathlin-Bercier went to join the Ukrainian army's battle against invading Russian forces soon after the war broke out last year and his family was told of his death this week, Chief Maureen Brown said.

"Austin saw what was happening in Ukraine and was very moved by the situation for the families, the children, the women, and that motivated him to set aside his apprehension," Brown said Tuesday in a phone interview.

A Canadian peace activist believed to have been taken hostage during the Hamas attack in Israel five weeks ago is dead, her son says.

Vivian Silver's son Chen Zeigen says Israeli authorities told him the remains of the 74-year-old woman had earlier been found in the kibbutz where she lived but were only identified now. 

Zeigen told reporters in Ottawa last month that his mother was born in Winnipeg and moved to Israel in 1974.

He said she dedicated her life to peacebuilding and fostering understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.

A Canadian peace activist believed to have been taken hostage during the Hamas attack in Israel five weeks ago is dead, her son says.

Vivian Silver's son Chen Zeigen says Israeli authorities told him the remains of the 74-year-old woman had earlier been found in the kibbutz where she lived but were only identified now. 

Zeigen told reporters in Ottawa last month that his mother was born in Winnipeg and moved to Israel in 1974.

He said she dedicated her life to peacebuilding and fostering understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.