Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has offered effusive thanks to New Democrats and stinging criticism of the Conservatives after the NDP supported the minority Liberal government's efforts to more speedily ratify the new North American trade agreement. Freeland said the government wanted to end study by a House of Commons committee of the new deal, which replaces the quarter-century-old North American Free Trade Agreement. Both the United States and Mexico have formally ratified the new pact, which was reached after the Trump administration in Washington foisted a renegotiation on its t

Hundreds of forestry workers staged a rally on the lawn of British Columbia's legislature Tuesday, reminding the government about how important the industry is to the economy and to the survival of rural communities. Many of the workers arrived in logging trucks and parked their rigs near the legislature, temporarily shutting down a busy thoroughfare. Among the crowd of about 500 people were many who carried placards saying, ``Forestry Feeds My Family.'' Forests Minister Doug Donaldson spoke to the crowd, saying he will take their message to the government. Port McNeill Mayor Gaby Wickstrom t

Budget 2020 moves British Columbia forward by building the infrastructure the growing province needs, supporting thousands of new jobs, strengthening investments in health and education and making life more affordable for everyone. "From new roads, hospitals, housing, schools and child care centres to better, more affordable services in every community, we're seeing fundamental changes that are making life better for British Columbians," said Carole James, Minister of Finance. "Together, we've made a lot of progress and we can't turn back. Budget 2020 keeps our province moving forward by foc

RCMP say one of their officers narrowly avoided being run down by a woman by hopping on the hood of his cruiser. Mounties say in a news release the officer tried to stop the woman after identifying her vehicle as one allegedly associated with fuel thefts in the southern Interior. They allege she rammed into his cruiser when he tried to block her way, and she accelerated toward him after he exited the vehicle. The 44-year-old woman from 100 Mile House faces multiple charges, including dangerous driving, flight from police and assaulting a police officer with a weapon.

Ontario now has no novel coronavirus cases under investigation.A daily update from the provincial government shows that 421 people have been tested in the province over the past several weeks, and nearly all were negative for the virus.Three people in Ontario tested positive for the virus, called COVID-19, all of whom had a recent travel history to the affected area in China.At least one of the cases has since completely recovered, with tests showing she no longer has the virus in her system.There have been eight confirmed cases in Canada, including five in British Columbia.In China, more than

Renowned Punjab politician Sukhpal Singh Khaira today talked about Punjab’s politics in Sver Wala Show with Vijay Saini today. Khaira said that the political realities of Delhi and Punjab are totally different and victory in one state does not translate into an automatic victory in the other. He alleged that Delhi is the first priority of Arvind Kejriwal and he does not care much about Punjab. Complete audio of this interview will be available on Connect FM’s social media pages.

Via Rail says partial service is set to resume between Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa beginning Thursday.Almost all other Via Rail services remain cancelled with the exception of Sudbury White River and Churchill The Pas, until further notice.Via trains have been disrupted by protests by people showing solidarity with the hereditary Wet'suwet'en chiefs opposing the Coastal GasLink project.Protestors have blocked rail lines across the country and disrupted freight and passenger traffic.Via says the partial resumption of service between Ottawa and Quebec City follows a notification received fr

The federal government is asking for more time to amend the assisted-dying law, acknowledging that it can't meet a court imposed deadline to drop a provision that allows only those who are already near death to qualify for medical help to end their lives. Justice Minister David Lametti filed a motion Monday requesting a four-month extension on the court ruling. Quebec Superior Court Judge Christine Baudouin ruled last September that it is unconstitutional to limit the right to a medically assisted death to those whose natural death is "reasonably foreseeable." She gave the government until Ma

About 255 Canadians on a cruise ship off the shore of Yokohama, Japan should be on a government chartered plane soon bound for Canada, and ultimately a two-week quarantine in Cornwall, Ontario. So far none of them are showing symptoms of the virus called COVID-19. At a news conference in Vancouver federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu says she does not have an exact timeline yet. As for people coming into Canada from China, Hajdu says this country is taking its cue from the World Health Organization on what measures should be taken. About 15 Canadians on the Diamond Princess have the new coronav