Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are talking up the benefits of yesterday's federal budget. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Freeland in promoting the budget, calling it a plan to help Canada and Canadians through the COVID-19 crisis and set the table for a strong comeback. Trudeau calls it a historic plan for a historic moment. Trudeau says it's important to make the right investments in what comes next. He says his government won't make the mistake of cutting support too quickly like the previous government did following the great recession of 2008. Fr

Highlights from the federal Liberal budget tabled Monday by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland: $30 billion over the next five years, and $8.3 billion ongoing for early learning and child care and Indigenous early learning and child care. The plan would aim to see an average drop in fees next year by 50 per cent for preschooler daycare spaces and an average of $10-a-day care by 2026. $3 billion over five years, starting in 2022-23, to Health Canada to support provinces and territories in improving standards for long-term care. The government says this funding will keep seniors safe and improv

Investigators with the York Regional Police Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Peel Regional Police, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, dismantled a large-scale international drug trafficking network that extended to Western Canada, the United States and India.In May 2020, officers began an investigation, dubbed Project Cheetah, into a robust network involved in importing large quantities of cocaine, ketamine, heroin and opium into Canada. The drugs were then distributed across the country through a sophisticated system

Canada hit the 10 million milestone this morning for total COVID-19 vaccines administered and is closing in fast on getting a first dose to one in four Canadians. With Ontario reporting almost 67,000 new vaccinations this morning, Canada surpassed the 10 million mark. About 9.1 million people have now received at least one dose, including about 915,000 who have received both required doses. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. Though amid these vaccinations Ontario is reporting Ontario is reporting 4,447 new cases of COVID-19 today and 19 more deaths attribute

Ontario is imposing stricter public health measures to control the spread of COVID-19. Premier Doug Ford says a state of emergency is being extended for an extra two weeks, and outdoor gatherings will be limited to only members of the same household. The province is also setting up checkpoints to restrict interprovincial travel. Big-box stores will also have their capacity capped at 25 per cent, down from the current 50 per cent. Ontario's solicitor general says the province is giving police sweeping new powers to enforce public health orders. Sylvia Jones says officers will have the authori

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Red Cross will be deployed to help set up mobile vaccination clinics in Toronto, as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the country's most populous city. Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa this morning, Trudeau said Canada continues to face an "incredibly serious" situation.Ontario is reporting more than 4,800 new cases of COVID-19 today, reaching a new peak for a second day in a row. More than 1,400 of the new cases are in Toronto. Ontario is reporting 4,812 new cases of COVID-19 today, reaching a new peak for a second day in a row. It's also repor

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government has now signed an agreement with Pfizer for another eight-million doses of its vaccine. The news follows word earlier today that Canada's incoming vaccine supply from Moderna will be slashed in half through the rest of April. Trudeau says for next month alone, the number of Pfizer doses will be double what we were expecting. He says it means more Canadians can be vaccinated more quickly. Trudeau says Pfizer will deliver four-million additional doses in May, two-million additional doses in June and two-million more in July. Trudeau says the bott

Procurement Minister Anita Anand says Canada's incoming vaccine supply from Moderna will be slashed in half through the rest of April. Anand says in a statement that Moderna will ship 650,000 doses of its vaccine to Canada by the end of the month, instead of the expected 1.2 million. Moderna said the limited supply is due to a ``slower than anticipated ramp up'' of their production capacity. Anand says the company also told Canada that one to two million doses of the 12.3 million scheduled for delivery in the second quarter may be delayed until the third quarter. Anand adds the federal gover

A top federal public health official says a faster vaccine ramp-up alone would likely not have thwarted the third wave of COVID-19 in many parts of the country. Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo says vaccines are one tool but maintaining tight health measures is also crucial, especially with more transmissible and dangerous virus variants on the rise. Dr. Njoo says more than 8.8-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Canada, with 84 per cent of people over 80 receiving a first dose. Dr. Howard Njoo says 69 per cent of those between 70 and 79 got a first