Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will keep its spending focus on emergency aid and won't talk about long-term health-care funding until after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. He says Ottawa needs to keep supporting those hit hard financially by the pandemic, having sent billions in aid to businesses and individuals, as well as to provinces. Speaking at a midday press conference, Trudeau says that short-term view can't yet give way to longer-term concerns about the effect COVID-19 is having on the Canada's provincially run health-care systems. On Thursday, the country's

Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID-19 as the country's health regulator has cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two. Health experts are eager for a one-and-done option to help speed vaccination. Canada has also approved vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca and Health Canada is the first major regulator to approve four difference vaccines. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine can be stored and transported at refrigerated temperatures for at least three months, facilitating distribution across the country. Health Canada Senior Ad

A Canadian justice department lawyer says comments made by former U.S. President Donald Trump do not meet the standard to halt an extradition hearing of a senior executive for Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies. Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei's founder and the company's chief financial officer, at Vancouver's airport in late 2018. The U.S. wants her extradited to face fraud charges. Her arrest infuriated Beijing, which sees it as a political move designed to prevent China's rise. In a 2018 interview, Trump said he would "intervene (in the case) if I thought

Canada's premiers are again demanding Ottawa increase annual health care transfer payments to provinces and territories. The premiers are unanimous in their call for the federal government to hike the transfers by 28 billion dollars this year, and then by five per cent each year thereafter. They argue the federal government shoulders only 22 per cent of the cost of health care. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged that the federal government's share must eventually increase, but he's told premiers that will have to wait until after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Manitoba Premier Bri

A panel of experts says up to 80 per cent of Canadians over 16 could get a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June, if governments extend the interval between the two doses to four months. Deputy federal public health officer Doctor Howard Njoo says the move is based on the most recent data on how vaccines are working.Canada is now on track to receive a total of 6.5 million vaccine doses by the end of this month. That's 500,000 more than originally forecast. Health officials in Alberta, BC and Newfoundland and Labrador have said they are extending that interval to four months, while

Unifor president Jerry Dias says Air Canada is promising to refund passengers whose flights were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.Dias says the airline has made the commitment repeatedly during negotiations with the federal government over an aid package for the battered sector.He says he spoke with Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau last night, confirming the pledge.Dias says roughly 4,000 of the union's 15,000 aviation workers remain fully employed a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, lending urgency to discussions in Ottawa.Air Canada and the Finance Department did not respond immediately

A former military ombudsman says he told Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about allegations of misconduct against former chief of defence, General Jonathan Vance three years ago, and was met with hostility. Gary Walbourne spoke to a parliamentary committee this afternoon, telling members he had a toxic working relationship with Sajjan. Walbourne says he told the minister that the person accusing Vance of wrongdoing did not want to issue a formal complaint. Sajjan at that time repeatedly refused to say what he and Walbourne discussed during their meeting on March 1, 2018, citing confidentiality

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expressing optimism that his government's timeline for getting a vaccine into the arm of every Canadian who wants one can be accelerated. He says the federal government's September timeline didn't factor in the arrival of new vaccines such as the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot, which was approved last week. Trudeau notes that a change in the public health guidance regarding the time allowed between the first and second doses of a vaccine could also affect Canada's rollout. Health officials in B-C and Newfoundland and Labrador have said they are extending that interva

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says this isn't the time to pull back on support for workers and business owners. This morning he announced announced an extension of programs to help workers and businesses make it to the finish line of the pandemic. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support will continue at their current levels until June. Trudeau says we've come a long way in the fight against the pandemic, but we're not out of the woods yet. He has announced an extension of programs to help workers and businesses make it to the finish line.Tru