National News

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators spilled onto streets in several Canadian cities on Thanksgiving Day while the prime minister and Opposition leader spoke at a vigil at a Jewish community centre, following a weekend of deadly fighting in the Middle East.

Protesters gathered at Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto City Hall on Monday afternoon, many draped in or waving Palestinian flags as the crowd chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," in a demonstration that was denounced by the city's mayor. 

Some Canadians said they were stuck in Israel amid deadly fighting Sunday, as airlines cancelled flights out of the country and reaching the Canadian Embassy on a holiday weekend proved difficult.

Global Affairs Canada, meanwhile, said in a statement Sunday afternoon that it was aware of reports of one Canadian who has died amid the fighting and two others who are missing.

No further information about the identity of the Canadian who reportedly died, or the others who were missing, was included in the statement. 

Canadian politicians condemned an unprecedented Saturday attack Hamas militants waged on Israel that is being called the deadliest in the country in years.

Hours after the militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters to infiltrate the heavily fortified border by air, land and sea, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada strongly condemns the attacks and called for civilian life to be protected. 

The federal government is putting $740,000 toward further assessing the feasibility of searching a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Wednesday that more research is needed to figure out how a search could be done.

An initial feasibility, also funded by the federal government, found that a search would be possible but that toxic materials could pose a risk to workers. He said that meant more issues needed addressing.

A regimental funeral, including a procession and final salute, will be held for RCMP Const. Rick O'Brien today in Langley, B.C.

O'Brien, who was 51, died Sept. 22 while he and other officers were executing a search warrant at a home in Coquitlam. 

He was shot and died at the scene, while two other officers and the suspect were injured.

O'Brien came to the Mounties late in life, joining in 2016 after a career of working with at-risk children, but it wasn't long before he was decorated for bravery for helping to rescue victims from a home invasion. 

Wab Kinew, who is to become Canada's first First Nations provincial premier, spoke to young Indigenous people and those from all backgrounds in his victory speech Tuesday after the NDP won a majority in the Manitoba election. 

"I was given a second chance in life," Kinew said to a cheering crowd. "And I would like to think that I have made good on that opportunity. And you can do the same." 

Liberal member of Parliament Greg Fergus has been elected the House of Commons Speaker in a historic mid-session vote, becoming the first Black person to hold the position in Canada's Parliament. 

Fergus, 54, was first elected to represent the Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer in 2015. 

MPs gave him a standing ovation as he was announced the winner of the vote, and members of the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois caucuses shook his hand and hugged him, as did a small number of Conservative MPs.

Canada needs diplomats in India to help navigate the "extremely challenging" tensions between the two countries, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday in response to demands that Ottawa repatriate dozens of its envoys. 

India reportedly wants 41 of 62 Canadian diplomats out of the country by early next week — a striking, if largely anticipated, deepening of the rift that erupted last month following Trudeau's explosive allegations in the House of Commons. 

The first mandate letters Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave his cabinet ministers in 2015 said no relationship was more important to him, and to the country, than the one with Indigenous Peoples. 

He called for a new nation-to-nation relationship — one based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership.

He promised to end boil-water advisories in First Nations communities within five years. 

He said constitutionally guaranteed rights of First Nations are a sacred obligation.

The federal government is coping with cyberattacks this week, as a hacker group in India claims it has sowed chaos in Ottawa — but Canada's signals-intelligence agency says the "nuisance" attacks likely haven't put private information at risk.

The attacks seem to have hit institutions controlled by the government, but not the core infrastructure from which federal departments and agencies operate.

The Canadian Armed Forces says its website became unavailable to mobile users midday Wednesday, but was fixed within a few hours.