The Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate target on hold at 0.25 per cent, saying economic conditions still require it even if things are going better than anticipated.In a statement, the central bank says it expects economic growth in the first quarter of 2021 to be positive, as opposed to its previous forecast in January for a contraction to start the year.The bank's senior decision-makers say resilience in the economy has to do with consumers and businesses adapting to new rounds of lockdowns and restrictions.The statement also points to a stronger-than-expected housing market as

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to comment on the Meghan and Harry interview, but said he's not interested in conversations about getting rid of the British monarchy. Asked how he reconciles his support for the monarchy with his stated desire to rid Canada of a legacy of colonialism, Trudeau said many institutions in Canada are built around colonialism and systematic racism, including Parliament, and said the answer is to listen Canadians who face discrimination so that institutions can be fixed. "The answer is not to suddenly toss out all the institutions and start over," Tru

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the pace of vaccination in Canada is "accelerating significantly." Trudeau told an Ottawa news conference the government is working tirelessly every day to acquire and distribute more doses.Trudeau says half-a-million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were delivered last week and are being distributed to provinces. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there's still no firm date for when Johnson & Johnson will send its COVID-19 vaccine to Canada. Health Canada approved the vaccine for use last week but the company has reported production delays could t

Canada's expert panel on immunization didn't contact Pfizer before its recommendation that the second dose be delayed up to four months. Pfizer Canada's president, Cole Pinnow, made that point today when he spoke to the House of Commons health committee. The advice came from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization because real-world data on one dose shows it is highly effective and with limited supplies, more people could get vaccinated with one dose sooner. Pinnow says one reason is that Pfizer believed the vaccine wouldn't get approved here until well after the New Year. Cole Pinnow

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the pandemic has been especially hard for women, who are leaving the workforce at a higher rate than men and often taking on the greater share of childcare duties. He told a virtual Daughters of the Vote event that the legacy of the pandemic should not be rolling back progress that women had made. This International Women's Day, he says more needs to be done to lift up Indigenous, Black, and women of colour to build a stronger and more equitable country. Speaking today at a virtual Daughters of the Vote event organized by Equal Voice, Trudeau said politician

Members of the House of Commons ethics committee have unanimously voted to summon WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger to testify. Last week, they declined requests to do so, a fact that MPs from all parties expressed concerns about on Monday. A summons from a Commons committee has legal force, and the motion gives the brothers until Friday to appear. The Commons ethics committee wants to hear from the Kielburger brothers as part of ongoing scrutiny of a federal agreement to have WE manage a now-cancelled student services grant program. But the charity had noted that New Democrat

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