CanadaAug 10, 2020
Opposition MPs question decision to manage rent assistance aid program to M-CAP
Opposition MPs on the Commons finance committee want to know more about an agreement between Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and a company where the husband of the prime minister's chief of staff works.Katie Telford's husband Rob Silver is an executive vice-president at M-CAP, which the government tapped to administer a rent-assistance program for small businesses affected by COVID-19.The Prime Minister's Office says Telford established clear ethical walls between herself and M-CAP back in January. CMHC says it didn't have the internal capacity to quickly get the program running and t
CanadaAug 09, 2020
Liberals turn over thousands of pages on WE decision
The federal Liberal government has turned over thousands of pages of documents related to the WE controversy to a House of Commons' committee, which lawyers are now vetting for personal information and cabinet secrets.
The finance committee demanded the documents last month as it probes whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's relationship with WE Charity influenced the government's ill-fated decision to have the organization run a $912-million student-volunteer program.
The Liberals handed more than 5,000 pages about the decision to the committee over the weekend, but it isn't clear when they
CanadaAug 08, 2020
Big jump in COVID-19 cases in Alberta, 423 cases reported in Canada
There are 118,984 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 60,241 confirmed (including 5,687 deaths, 50,886 resolved) Ontario: 39,897 confirmed (including 2,783 deaths, 36,024 resolved) Alberta: 11,430 confirmed (including 208 deaths, 10,097 resolved) British Columbia: 3,934 confirmed (including 195 deaths, 3,353 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,409 confirmed (including 20 deaths, 1,221 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,071 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,005 resolved) Manitoba: 476 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 351 resolved), 15 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 266 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 263 reso
CanadaAug 07, 2020
Canada plans $3.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. in aluminium dispute
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Americans will be the first casualties of President Donald Trump's tariff on Canadian aluminum. Freeland says Canada will strike back with 3.6 billion dollars in tariffs on a list of American products. The government will spend the next 30 days consulting with industry stakeholders to determine which items to target. When the US slapped a tariff on Canadian steel two years ago Canada retaliated with tariffs on American ketchup, ballpoint pens, orange juice, whisky and toilet paper. President Donald Trump accuses Canada of breaking a promise not to
CanadaAug 07, 2020
Statistics Canada says country gained 419,000 jobs in July
Statistics Canada says the country's labour market gained 419,000 jobs last month as more parts of the economy were allowed to reopen.The agency says the national unemployment rate was 10.9 per cent in July, down from the 12.3 per cent recorded in June.The figures beat market expectations, with the average economist estimate from financial markets data firm Refinitiv was for a gain of 400,000 jobs in July and an unemployment rate of 11 per cent.Combined with the 953,000 jobs gained in June and the 290,000 in May, the country was within 1.3 million jobs from pre-pandemic level. About 266,0000 m
CanadaAug 07, 2020
Four more workers test positive for COVID-19 at Manitoba pork plant
A union representing workers at a meat-processing plant in Manitoba says four more employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
A total of eight employees at the Maple Leaf pork plant in Brandon have now tested positive since the weekend.
Jeff Traeger, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832, says he expects the number to continue to increase.
The union, which represents nearly 2,000 workers at the plant, is renewing its call to have the company halt production there until the situation is under control.
Maple Leaf has said the cases are not linked to workplace spread bu
CanadaAug 07, 2020
374 COVID-19 cases reported in Canada, drop in cases in Alberta and Ontario
There are 118,561 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 60,133 confirmed (including 5,687 deaths, 50,886 resolved) Ontario: 39,809 confirmed (including 2,783 deaths, 35,906 resolved) Alberta: 11,296 confirmed (including 205 deaths, 9,984 resolved) British Columbia: 3,881 confirmed (including 195 deaths, 3,315 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,387 confirmed (including 19 deaths, 1,164 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,071 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,005 resolved) Manitoba: 459 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 348 resolved), 15 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 266 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 263 resol
CanadaAug 06, 2020
Canada 'profoundly concerned' over Chinese death sentence for citizen in drug case
Global Affairs Canada says the federal government is ``profoundly concerned'' about a Canadian citizen sentenced to death in China. The Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court announced Xu Weihong'spenalty today and said an alleged accomplice, Wen Guanxiong, had been given a life sentence. The brief court statement gave no details but local media said Xu and Wen had gathered ingredients and tools and began making the drug ketamine in October 2016, then stored the final product in Xu's home in Guangzhou's Haizhu district. Police later confiscated more than 120 kilograms of the drug from Xu's ho
CanadaAug 06, 2020
N.S. Premier stepping down as Premier and Liberal party leader
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil has announced he is stepping down as premier and Liberal party leader. The premier said today that after 17 years in provincial politics, it's time to do something else.He says he loves the job, but that he was all set to leave in April, but the COVID-19 pandemic put his plans on hold. McNeil says he will stay on until a new leader is chosen. He was elected premier in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017.