RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme is slated to appear today at a federal inquiry into foreign interference. It marks the second round of testimony at the inquiry for Duheme, who will be accompanied by other senior members of the national police force. The commission of inquiry's latest hearings are focusing on detecting, deterring and countering foreign meddling. The hearings, scheduled to continue through Oct. 16, are relatively broad in scope, examining key agencies as well as the experiences of diaspora communities. Beginning Oct. 21, the commission will then hold a week of policy consultations

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed to France today to attend the Francophonie summit, where the shadow of a wider war in the Middle East will likely loom large over the meeting of French-speaking countries. The summit, which happens every two years, will be held Thursday and Friday in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris. France is taking over the presidency of the Francophonie from Tunisia and says the summit's theme will be to "create, innovate and do business in French". Leaders are expected to discuss ways to promote the French language, address geopolitical challenges, ensure the digital sp

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is condemning Iran's missile attack on Israel, but says the international community must do everything it can to help avoid a bigger regional war. Exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon over the last year erupted into broader violence in the last week as Israel ramped up its campaign against Hezbollah by air and Tuesday began sending in ground troops. Also on Tuesday, Iran launched some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, and warned of a "harsher" attack if Israel responds in kind. Trudeau called Iran's attack a further destabilizing action by a "

The House of Commons will hold its third confidence vote in a week today, this time on a motion introduced by the federal government itself. The Liberals are seeking parliamentary approval to move ahead with changes to the capital gains tax first announced in the spring budget. The capital gains inclusion rate, which determines how much profit is taxable, was adjusted in June. Today’s motion will allow the government to introduce legislation that formally enacts the change. Under the new rules, Canadians earning more than $250,000 in capital income in a year - such as from selling secondary

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says small and medium-sized business owners will receive their long-awaited carbon pricing refunds before the end of this year. According to the Finance Department, the federal government will distribute more than $2.5 billion to about 600,000 Canadian businesses in December. The refunds will return a portion of carbon price revenues collected between 2019–20 and 2023–24 in provinces where the federal fuel charge applies. The amount each business receives will depend on its province of operation and number of employees. The measure is part of Ottawa’s c

The Bloc Québécois is set to increase pressure on the federal government today by forcing a House of Commons debate on its proposal to raise Old Age Security (OAS) payments for all seniors. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has given the Liberal government until October 29 to approve the party’s $16-billion pension plan, warning that failure to do so will prompt him to begin talks with other opposition parties to bring down the minority government. Even if the Liberals agree, the move would likely only buy them a few months of Bloc support. Blanchet’s party plans to use its opposition

Law professors at McGill University have suspended their five-week-long strike, allowing classes to restart this week after the university and the faculty union agreed to resume negotiations. The Association of McGill Professors of Law and the university’s administration said they will work toward negotiating a joint collective agreement process alongside other faculty unions. Classes are expected to resume by October 3. The announcement came a day after McGill warned it could cancel the fall semester if no agreement was reached. However, a message sent to students Tuesday did not clarify wh

Workers in four provinces are seeing an increase in their paycheques today as new minimum wage rates take effect across Canada. In Ontario, the hourly rate is rising by 65 cents to $17.20, an adjustment linked to inflation. Saskatchewan’s minimum wage is increasing by one dollar to $15, matching Alberta’s rate - the lowest among all provinces. In Manitoba, the minimum wage is up by 50 cents to $15.80, following a formula in provincial law that ties annual increases to the previous year’s inflation rate. On Prince Edward Island, the hourly rate climbs by 60 cents to $16, following an earl

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be travelling to France next Thursday to attend the Francophonie summit. The meeting of French-speaking countries, which happens every two years, will be held on Oct. 4 and 5 in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris. The Prime Minister's Office says Trudeau will work with other heads of state to further shared priorities including democracy and human rights. Representatives from Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec will also be at the meetings. Leaders are also expected to make a decision on applications to join the international francophonie body, including