The Canadian Press

The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate by the highest amount in more than 20 years and warned more rate hikes are coming as it increased its outlook for inflation.

The central bank hiked its policy interest rate by half a percentage point to one per cent on Wednesday.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said inflation is too high and is expected to stay elevated for longer than the bank previously thought.

“The invasion of Ukraine has driven up the prices of energy and other commodities, and the war is further disrupting global supply chains,” he said.

Manitoba's Progressive Conservative government is releasing its budget today, and it's expected to include more money for health care.

The 2022 budget is the first under Premier Heather Stefanson, who replaced former premier Brian Pallister after he resigned last year. 

During pre-budget announcements last week, the province committed $15 million for personal care homes and funding to hire new forensic nurse examiners to care for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. 

Stefanson has said there will be other health-care measures in the budget. 

A recall of certain Kinder brand chocolate products linked to an outbreak of salmonella in Europe and the U.K. has been expanded to Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says there have been no illnesses reported in Canada in association with the affected products distributed by Ferrero Canada Ltd.

The recalled chocolates include Kinder Schoko-Bons, Happy Moments - Kinder Confections Assortment, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Egg Hunt Kits, Kinder Mix 7 Easter Treats, Kinder Surprise Miraculous, Kinder Surprise Natoons and Kinder Surprise.

The national price on pollution will go up another $10 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions as scheduled today in most provinces.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is withstanding political pressure to delay or cancel the increase as fuel prices surge due mainly to the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

Guilbeault says the government is not going to stall or move backward on its climate action plan, of which the carbon price is seen as a "cornerstone" policy.

Vaccinated travellers can enter Canada without a COVID-19 test beginning today. 

The change will spark a surge in travel bookings both into and out of the country, according to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, although it's not likely to reach pre-pandemic levels yet. 

People could still be randomly tested when they arrive and Health Canada requires anyone coming from outside the country to wear a mask in public for 14 days. 

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland plans to deliver this year's federal budget next week.

Freeland told the House of Commons she will unveil the government's spending plans on April 7 in a document that has been expected to focus on measures to spur economic growth.

It is also anticipated the budget will have new social programs promised as part of an agreement to earn the backing of the New Democrats in key parliamentary votes.

That includes the first steps on national pharmacare and dental care.

Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been charged in Quebec with sexual assault and forcible confinement.

Nygard, who is also facing sex-related charges in Toronto and the United States, is scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on Tuesday, according to the Quebec prosecutor's office.

Canada's oil and gas producers can hike output by the equivalent of 300,000 barrels a day by the end of the year to help displace Russian fossil fuels, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Thursday.

Wilkinson, speaking at the end of an International Energy Agency meeting in Paris, said two-thirds of that is oil and the rest natural gas.

"Canada's European friends and allies are experiencing an energy security crisis, a crisis that could impact industry, mobility, and even the heating of homes," Wilkinson said. "This crisis must be addressed."