A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging him to meet the NATO spending target Canada agreed to a decade ago. All NATO allies pledged to spend at least two per cent of GDP on defence, but Canada is spending well below that at around 1.33 per cent. In a letter dated today, 23 senators say Canada is a valued ally and note its contributions, including leading a multinational battle group in Latvia. But they say the alliance is facing a severe threat landscape and they are calling on all NATO countries to uphold their commitment. Under its ne

The Ottawa police hate-crime unit has charged an unnamed older woman with assault, harassment by threatening conduct and mischief after a woman's hijab was pulled off at a recent protest. Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups gathered last week outside city hall after the Israeli flag was raised to mark 76 years since that country's establishment. Police say a woman wearing a hijab was attending a lawful demonstration when someone approached and removed the headscarf "while making lewd gestures." They say they identified that person as a 74-year-old woman, but won't share her name or when she

Immigration Minister Marc Miller is expected to table legislation today that would extend citizenship to some children born outside of the country. In 2009, the Conservative government changed the law so that Canadian parents who were born abroad could not pass down their citizenship unless their child was born in Canada. Amendments to the Citizenship Act in 1977 and 2009 also stripped thousands of people who were born abroad of their Canadian citizenship. Those who've not had access to citizenship rights as a result of the amendments are known as "Lost Canadians." Last year, the Ontario Super

Interpol says more than 200 stolen Canadian vehicles have been found each week across the globe since February. The international law enforcement agency says a total of more than 1,500 vehicles have been identified thanks to the RCMP's decision earlier this year to integrate Canada's database for stolen vehicles with Interpol's. Interpol’s database, which collects information from 137 countries, indicates that so far this year Canada ranks among the world’s top 10 countries for stolen vehicles. It says thieves are attracted to Canada's abundant supply of highly prized models such as SUVs a

The Opposition Conservatives, backed by the Bloc Québécois, are calling for the House Speaker to resign over what they say is yet another display of partisan behaviour. The accusation stems from a post on the Liberal party website promoting an event involving Speaker Greg Fergus. The event details include a political attack on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying his "reckless policies" would risk the health, safety and pocketbooks of Canadians. Liberal party spokesman Parker Lund says the language was auto-populated, and is standard language for events posted on their website. He bl

Four Indian nationals accused in the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are all due in court today. Twenty-two-year-old Amandeep Singh appeared via video link for his first appearance in a Surrey, B.C., court last week, and the matter has been put forward to today. Singh was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder earlier this month while he was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges. Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh, who already face the same charges following their arrests i

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says some immigrants to Canada who lack official status need a pathway to help them stay, while in other cases Ottawa must speed up deportation procedures. The Liberals pledged in late 2021 to "explore ways of regularizing status for undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities." The office of Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he is on track to present a proposal to his fellow cabinet ministers before Parliament rises for its summer break next month. Trudeau says Canada must avoid anti-immigrant sentiment by preserving the integrity of the

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is imposing sanctions on Israelis she accuses of "extremist settler violence" in the West Bank, three months after pledging to do so. The sanctions apply to four men who stand accused of "violent and destabilizing actions against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank." Israel has occupied the Palestinian territory, which is separate from the Gaza Strip, since 1967, and settlers have increasingly built communities that Canada and many other countries say violate international law. Last October's Hamas attack in Gaza prompted Israel to b

A 60-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 34-year-old daughter in Ormstown, Que., southwest of Montreal. Alain Caza appeared in court this morning, where he was charged with killing Amanda Caza. Quebec provincial police says local officers responded Wednesday morning to a call about an altercation between two people at a home on Cairns Street. When the arrived they found the woman, whose death was declared on site, as well as a 60-year-old man presenting non-life-threatening injuries. The accused will remain detained until his case returns to court May 24