The Canadian Press

Pope Francis has named a retired Quebec Superior Court judge to investigate allegations of sexual touching against a senior leader of the province's Roman Catholic Church.

In a Feb. 8 mandate letter, Francis asked André Denis to conduct an investigation into "the facts, circumstances and imputability" of the allegations against Cardinal Gérald Lacroix.

The allegations against Lacroix emerged in January when he was named as a perpetrator in a class-action lawsuit alleging sexual assault by clergy and staff who were under the supervision of the Quebec City archdiocese.

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney was remembered by politicians of all political stripes Thursday as a "giant" and a "visionary," as the country absorbed the news of his death at the age of 84.

"Mr. Mulroney was one of the greatest prime ministers in Canadian history," said former Quebec premier Jean Charest, who served in Mulroney's cabinet.

Mulroney died peacefully while surrounded by his family, his daughter Caroline, an Ontario cabinet minister, said on social media. Her spokesman later said he had been hospitalized in Palm Beach, Fla., after a recent fall.

The federal natural resources minister says Saskatchewan residents won’t get a carbon rebate, after the province announced it would stop remitting the levy on natural gas to Ottawa.

Jonathan Wilkinson says the province’s move hurts lower income families in Saskatchewan, who would get more in the rebates than they pay in the levies.

Premier Scott Moe had announced the province’s gas utility would stop collecting the carbon price from customers in January, and the province had until Thursday to remit those dollars.

Statistics Canada says there are now more millennials than baby boomers in the country, ending the 65-year reign of the post-Second World War generation as the largest cohort in the population.

The federal agency noted the change in its population estimate for July 1, 2023, broken down by age and gender released today.

The average age in Canada dropped slightly between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023 for the first time since 1958.

However, Statistics Canada says the number and proportion of people aged 65 years and older have continued to rise.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew have announced more than $633 million in health-care funding.

Almost $434 million is to support Manitoba's three-year plan to improve health care and about $199 million is to bolster care for seniors.

In a news release, the governments say the funding is to support Manitoba's goal to hire 400 more doctors, 300 more nurses, 200 paramedics and 100 homecare workers.

A mother, her three young children, including a two−month−old daughter, and a teenage family member killed in Manitoba are being remembered as beautiful souls.

An obituary has identified the victims as Amanda Clearwater, her children, Bethany, Jayven, and Isabella Manoakeesick, and niece Myah−Lee Gratton.

Family and friends have also been sharing stories of the family on social media, calling their deaths tragic, unimaginable and a horrible nightmare.

Their bodies were found Sunday at multiple crime scenes in and around the town of Carman, southwest of Winnipeg.

RCMP say a woman, her three young children and a teen relative were found dead Sunday at different locations in southern Manitoba. The woman's partner, 29-year-old Ryan Howard Manoakeesick of Carman, has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder.

Here is a timeline of the police response to the killings. All times are local:

7:30 a.m.

Officers are called to a report of a hit and run on Highway 3, south of Carman, where they find the body of a 30-year-old woman in a ditch.

10 a.m.

Ottawa says it is aware of reports that another Canadian citizen has gone missing in the Gaza Strip.

Global Affairs Canada says it is providing consular assistance to the family but can't share more because of privacy considerations. 

The Associated Press reports that Israeli forces detained two young adult American brothers and their Canadian father in Gaza in an overnight raid.

Relatives of the men say they were taken from their home.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the federal government is putting nearly $200 million in new money toward supporting low-income renters and shelters.

Ottawa is pouring an additional $99 million into the Canada Housing Benefit, which offers financial support for low-income renters in partnership with provinces and territories.

Freeland says another $100 million will go toward emergency winter funding to help shelters to create more spaces for people without housing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is wishing King Charles a speedy recovery after Buckingham Palace revealed the monarch has been diagnosed with cancer. 

Trudeau says after hearing the news, he's thinking about the King, just like countless others across Canada and around the world. 

The palace did not release additional details, except to say the cancer is not related to the King's recent treatment for a benign prostate condition.