Former Quebec premier Jean Charest has decided not to seek the federal Conservative leadership. In an interview with Radio-Canada today, he says the odds are stacked against someone from outside the party like he is. Charest had been testing the waters for a leadership attempt since current Conservative leader Andrew Scheer announced his intention to resign.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will move next week to formally approve North America's new, long-delayed free trade pact.Trudeau says the government will introduce a ways and means motion Jan. 27 when Parliament resumes, and will table legislation to ratify the deal two days later.Trudeau says millions of Canadians depend on stable, reliable trade with their largest trading partners.That will effectively remove the final legal hurdle in preserving continent-wide trade after President Donald Trump foisted the acrimonious renegotiation of the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agre

Quebec's immigration minister has acknowledged the province's system to sponsor refugees needs reform after hundreds of people camped out in his department's Montreal offices over the weekend, hoping to claim one of the few available applications.The government said it would only accept 750 privately-sponsored refugee applications for the entire province.Most were reserved for organizations seeking to bring an asylum seeker to Quebec, while just 100 applications were reserved for groups of two to five people hoping to sponsor a refugee. The Immigration Department held to a first-come, first-s

Three possible cases of a new type of viral pneumonia have been investigated in Canada and ruled out as coronavirus, the country's chief public health officer said Monday.The World Health Organization, meanwhile, announced plans to hold an emergency meeting to decide whether the illness linked to three deaths in China is an international emergency.Dr. Theresa Tam declined to say where in Canada the potential cases were located, but she said the individuals had travelled to Wuhan, the Chinese province where coronavirus is believed to have originated in a now-closed seafood market before being d

It's now Day 5 of the state of emergency in the St. John's, N.L., as cleanup continues from Friday's massive blizzard that dumped 76 centimetres of snow in the area.Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says 450 troops including about 175 reservists will be in Newfoundland today to help the province dig out from the storm.Travel remains difficult across eastern Newfoundland, and some residents are relying on each other for food. The City of St. John's says some stores will be allowed to reopen today to sell "basic foods."Most other businesses have to remain closed, with exceptions for gas stations a

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at airport in the national capital on November 15. He came to India after concluding his visit to Brazil, where he attended 11th BRICS 2019 summit. PM Modi arrived in Brazil's Brasilia on November 13. He addressed the BRICS Business Forum and interacted with BRICS Business Council as well as the New Development Bank on the sidelines of the summit.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an old ally of BJP, on Monday said to have decided not to contest the Delhi assembly elections as it was not ready to give up its stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). "SAD and BJP have an old relationship, but after the stand taken by Sukhbir Singh Badal on the CAA, which is to include the people from all religions, the BJP leadership wanted us to reconsider this stance. So, we decided to not fight these polls instead of changing our stand," SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa told reporters here. "The SAD also believes that the National Register of Citizens

British Columbia's anti-gang squad says it has seized about 50 kilograms of illicit drugs after a vehicle fled when police officers tried to stop it in Surrey on Jan. 8. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says when the vehicle was stopped, police seized 38 kilograms of suspected heroin and 10 kilos of imitation prescription painkiller. Police say both drugs are believed to contain the powerful opioid fentanyl. The arrest prompted six additional search warrants in the Lower Mainland, which police say resulted in the discovery of about $20,000 in cash and three firearms. The driver an

A new affordable rental housing project for seniors and families on Southwest Marine Drive is part of the 3,500 new homes underway or completed in Vancouver, thanks to partnerships between the Province, the City of Vancouver and community partners. “People in Vancouver deserve safe, secure and affordable housing, but the last provincial government chose to ignore the housing crisis,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We’re making different choices and investing in the housing people need. Working with our community partners and the City of Vancouver, we