Canadians appear to still have solid faith in doctors and scientists nearly six months into the COVID-19 pandemic.A new survey done for Proof Strategies over the Labour Day weekend suggests more than eight in 10 Canadians trust doctors and nearly eight in 10 trust scientists.That shows little change from the levels of trust recorded in a similar survey from the beginning of May, and remains higher than the levels recorded by the same survey taken in January. Provincial premiers also seem to be earning more trust from their constituents than they were before the pandemic, though only about half

The federal government is extending its commercial rent-relief program one last time.The Liberals say the program that aims to help small businesses with their rent or lease costs will be extended for this month, unveiling the details one week after rent was due.In a release, the government says the one-month lifeline is a "final extension" for the program and that officials are looking at other options to help small businesses.The rent-relief program provides forgivable loans that cover half of rent for eligible small businesses, and also requires landlords to waive a further one-quarter of w

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is naming his shadow cabinet, including his predecessor Andrew Scheer as the party's infrastructure critic.O'Toole is keeping Ontario's Pierre Poilievre as finance critic and promoting Alberta's Michelle Rempel Garner to health critic and New Brunswick's Rob Moore to justice critic.Critics are government ministers' main questioners in the House of Commons and are supposed to be ready to move into their offices if the Opposition took over governing.Ontario MP Michael Chong is taking a big step up to become the Conservatives' critic for foreign affairs.Alain Ray

The leader of New Brunswick's Progressive Conservatives has ditched a candidate who reposted a Facebook message that suggested violence against a transgender person. Blaine Higgs says he was disturbed by the reposting of the meme by Roland Michaud, the party's candidate in Victoria-La Vallee.Higgs said he only became aware of the repost today.The post suggested a transgender woman should be punched for trying to use a woman's washroom.Michaud wasn't immediately available for comment.

One of the country's largest labour organizations is launching a campaign to coincide with Labour Day to push for changes to the federal social safety net.The Canadian Labour Congress is hoping the government widens planned changes to the employment insurance system to provide jobless benefits to any worker in the country. President Hassan Yussuff says the changes are practical steps the federal government can take to better prepare the country for future economic crises. Congress president Hassan Yussuff says many workers and families would not have survived financially so far had it not been

Canada's chief public health doctor says a slow but steady increase in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 is a cause for concern. Dr. Theresa Tam says today the average daily number of people testing positive over the last week is 545 — a 25 per cent increase over the previous week which saw a daily average of 435, and 390 a week before that.That number increased every day over the last week prompting Tam to remind Canadians not to get complacent about their risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. Overall, in the last week, 3,955 people tested positive across Canada, and

There are 131,124 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 63,117 confirmed (including 5,767 deaths, 55,724 resolved) Ontario: 42,834 confirmed (including 2,811 deaths, 38,741 resolved) Alberta: 14,474 confirmed (including 242 deaths, 12,799 resolved) British Columbia: 6,162 confirmed (including 211 deaths, 4,706 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,638 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,578 resolved) Manitoba: 1,273 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 835 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,085 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,015 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 269 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 265 resolved) New Bru

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada and its G7 allies are taking Russia's denials of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny with a ``grain of salt.'' Champagne tells The Canadian Press Canada is working with Germany and G7 partners on a co-ordinated response to Russia's attack on the leading political opposition figure. The minister is also working on Canada's next moves on Hong Kong as he speaks from a post-trip quarantine after visiting four countries last week. Champagne recently took part in a virtual G20 foreign ministers' meeting, which includes Russia, but Canada

Federal transport officials have issued the first fines to air passengers who refused to wear face masks on Canadian flights, in violation of a government order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Transport Canada says two unnamed people have been fined $1,000 each for refusing to follow directions from air crews to wear their face coverings. The first incident occurred June 14 on a WestJet flight from Calgary to Waterloo, Ont., while the second took place July 7 on a WestJet flight from Vancouver to Calgary.Transport Canada says the passengers were each directed repeatedly by the air cre