Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new $1.5-billion housing fund will help non-profit organizations acquire more rental units across Canada and make sure they remain affordable. The new Canada Rental Protection Fund will be included in the upcoming federal budget, to be tabled on April 16. Trudeau says the fund will provide $1 billion in loans and $470 million in contributions to non-profits and other partners to help them acquire affordable rental units. Today's announcement is the latest in a series of new housing measures unveiled by the Liberal government in its campaign-style pre-budget

In Quebec, heavy snow and winds led to the cancellation of many schools in the western part of the province today, while about 280,000 homes were without power as of 8 a.m., according to Hydro-Québec. The regions of Laurentian, Montreal and Monterrey were the worst affected by the bad weather. The Meteorological Department predicted up to 20 centimeters of snow in Montreal in the morning. Montreal typically receives about 13 cm of snowfall during this month. On 9 April 2000, the city recorded its heaviest snowfall in a single day which was 33.9 cm.

Canadian airlines say travellers won't see their flight times affected by Monday's total solar eclipse, though passengers should protect their eyes during the astronomical event. Air Canada says there won't be any operational impacts when the moon casts a shadow over the sun in parts of Eastern Canada on Monday afternoon, though it did issue a reminder to staff not to look directly at the eclipse as it's happening. WestJet says it's taken unspecified safety precautions, and passengers hoping to catch a glimpse of the shadowed sun out the window should bring their own protective gear to prevent

Ontario Provincial Police and the Canada Border Services Agency say they've recovered 598 stolen vehicles destined for export at the Port of Montreal. Police say 75 per cent of the seized vehicles, with an estimated value of $34.5 million, were stolen in Ontario. OPP deputy commissioner Marty Kearns says no arrests were made but the investigation is ongoing. Police say 390 containers at the port were searched during a joint operation involving border services, police forces in Quebec and Ontario and insurance investigators. Kearns says the financial impact of the seizures on organized crime is

The federal government is setting aside another $15 billion in the upcoming budget for its apartment construction loan program. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the funding will help build another 30,000 apartments within the next 10 years. The government is also reforming the program to extend loan terms and expand financing to housing for students and seniors. The announcement is part of the Liberals' pre-budget tour of the country. On Tuesday, Trudeau announced a $6-billion infrastructure fund to support homebuilding and a $400 million top-up to the housing accelerator fund. The Liberals

Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole is set to testify this morning at a federal inquiry into foreign interference, alongside three politicians who claim China has targeted them. O'Toole said last spring that Canada's spy agency told him he had been the target of Chinese interference intended to promote false narratives online about his policies and discredit him during the 2019 election. The Tories say security officials never informed the party about these concerns, which O'Toole blames for the loss of eight or nine seats. A government rapporteur found little evidence of such a link. This

A federal inquiry into foreign interference is set to hear from the Independent MP at the centre of allegations about foreign meddling in Canadian elections. Han Dong left the Liberal caucus after it was alleged he willingly participated in Chinese interference efforts and won his seat with Beijing's help in 2019 claims he denies. Special rapporteur David Johnston found last May that there were "irregularities" observed with Dong's 2019 nomination and "well-grounded suspicion" that these were tied to China's Toronto consulate, but that Dong was not aware of these issues. Dong is slated to test

One of seven premiers who asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to pause the consumer carbon price increase is now asking him for a meeting to discuss alternatives. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey penned a letter to Trudeau over the weekend asking for an "emergency meeting of leaders." The four Atlantic premiers and the leaders in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario asked Trudeau not to increase the federal consumer carbon price by $15 per tonne today. Many of them have long opposed any carbon levy, but say the affordability crisis plaguing Canadians is reason to halt the increase.

Former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister Benoît Pelletier has died in Mexico at age 64. In a statement announcing his death, his family described him as an attentive husband and devoted father who was deeply committed to Quebec and the French language. Pelletier was a well-known University of Ottawa law professor when he made the leap into provincial politics in 1998 by winning a seat in the western Quebec Chapleau riding for Jean Charest's Liberals. He presided over the Liberal party's special committee on Quebec's political and constitutional future, and was considered the father of the Chare