Canada's first-ever pandemic election culminates today as Canadians from coast-to-coast go to the polls to choose the 338 members of Parliament to sit in the House of Commons.Elections Canada says almost 6.8 million people voted early, most of them at advanced polls over a week ago, and the rest through special ballots cast by mail or at Elections Canada offices.But a majority of Canada's more than 30 million eligible voters will mark their ballots today.Elections Canada encourages voters to wear masks but only requires them in places where they are mandated by provincial rules. Proof-of-vacci

Former defence chief Jonathan Vance's obstruction of justice case has been adjourned till next month after its first, brief, virtual courtroom proceeding. Military police charged the former Canadian Armed Forces commander, who was not present but represented by a lawyer at the hearing Friday, with one count of obstruction of justice in July. Investigators referred the case to the civilian court system, citing what it described as "the limitations of the military justice system" in trying Canada's top military officer. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service alleged in court document

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says the federal campaign won't be an exercise in futility even if voters choose another minority government.With just days to go before Monday's vote, polls suggest Trudeau's Liberals and Erin O'Toole's Conservatives are running neck-and-neck and that neither could land a majority mandate.Speaking in the border city of Windsor, Ont., Trudeau says the policy debates Canadians have had over the past five weeks will underpin the next government's agenda.Trudeau adds that voters may not see an election being necessary for a path out of the pandemic, but he says it's

An Ontario university investigating allegations of sexual misconduct will require all students living in residence to take training on sexual assault and consent. Western University has introduced the measure as part of a new ``action plan'' to address concerns around sexual violence and student safety. The school says it plans to make the training mandatory for all students, but that it's starting with those who live on campus, with the first sessions happening Monday. Western will also hire one-hundred new ``safety ambassadors'' a mix of upper-year undergraduates and graduate students who w

Hamilton police say one man is dead and two are in life-threatening condition after a violent kidnapping Thursday morning. Police say officers were called to a home in Mount Hope, Ont., at 2:55 a.m. after reports of a shooting. Officers say they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds who were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police say one of the men died in hospital and the other is undergoing surgery. A third man, their father, was forced into a black SUV and taken from the house. Hours later police say they found the abducted man with life-threatening injuries. Police

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole refused to answer repeated questions this morning about how Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has handled the COVID-19 pandemic.Kenney declared a state of public health emergency last night in the face of a spiralling health emergency, the highest case count in the country, and overcrowded intensive care units.Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says conservative politicians haven't been as effective in fighting the pandemic.O'Toole would only say Trudeau should have tackling the fourth wave instead of calling an election.N-D-P Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters in Toron

Federal leaders are united in their commitment to fight sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, but not on how to do it. Campaigning in southwestern Ontario today, Jagmeet Singh promised a New Democratic government would act on the recommendations of retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps, who in 2015 called for an independent centre to hold the military accountable on sexual misconduct. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole has committed to creating an independent watchdog, and to a freeze on promotions for senior leaders until the issue is addressed. Trudeau would not commit to an

The question of who will make life more or less affordable for Canadians hits the federal campaign trail as new figures show the pace of price increases is at its highest in two decades.The country's headline inflation figure registered an annual increase of 4.1 per cent in August, fuelled by rising demand as more parts of the economy reopened and eased supply-chain constraints for many goods.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaking this morning in Essex, Ont., says he's concerned about inflation rates and that bringing down housing prices is one way to address it.In Halifax an hour later, Liberal Le

A mother, father and four children who perished in a fire inside their vacation trailer are being recalled as an active, boisterous family by a friend who rented them the Amherst, N.S. farmhouse where they lived. Colin Smith said he was close to the father, 30 year old Robert Jorge (R.J.) Sears, and his friend's life centred on working hard and enjoying his young family alongside his partner, 28 year old Michelle Robertson, at their home in Amherst, N.S. The 44 year-old recalls their bustling household included a cat, a dog and a bearded lizard, and he has strong memories of all four children