A leading Canadian expert on government-funded basic incomes says the oft-debated idea could have averted much of the economic effects of COVID-19. Evelyn Forget says a basic income program would have automatically provided help to hard-hit Canadians instead of forcing governments to set up emergency aid in a rush. Basic income is essentially a no-strings attached benefit governments provide to citizens that sets a financial floor for individuals and families. Advocates of such a program have pointed to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit as an example of how the country could make basic in

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says opposition parties can keep digging into the WE Charity issue, but his government is focused on helping Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic. Before Trudeau prorogued Parliament in August, two House of Commons committees spent months investigating a multimillion-dollar federal program for students awarded to WE Charity in the spring. But the federal Conservatives are calling for a new anticorruption committee to roll those two probes of the now-defunct Canada Student Services Grant into one. Sidestepping questions about whether he supports the creation of

The federal Conservatives want MPs to create an anti-corruption committee to investigate the WE Charity issue. Tory ethics critic Michael Barrett says the new forum would press for answers to lingering questions about the controversy. In the meantime, the Conservatives plan to press the House of Commons ethics and finance committees this week to resume looking at the matter. They say the proposed new anti-corruption committee could soon take over the probe of the Liberal government's choice of WE Charity to administer the the multimillion-dollar Canada Student Service Grant program. Oppositio

The federal government says technical difficulties that prevented some Canadians from applying for new financial supports have been solved. The Canada Revenue Agency reported the issues hours after applications for the benefits opened today. The new Canada Recovery Benefit a replacement for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit promises 500-dollars per week. The federal government also anticipates about 700-thousand Canadians will apply for the new caregiver benefit, which offers added support for parents and others who are forced to miss work to care for a dependent due to COVID-19.

Ontario is imposing new restrictions in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa to help slow the spread of COVID-19. They will prohibit indoor dining at restaurants and bars, and close gyms, movie theatres and casinos. The measures will go into effect tomorrow and will be in place for at least 28 days. The government is also asking people in those areas to leave their homes only for essential purposes. The new restrictions come as Ontario marked a record 939 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, most of them in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa. The government says if current trends continue, the province c

Unemployment continues to edge downward in BC and across the country, as Canada tries to shed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics Canada says 378,000 mainly full-time jobs were added last month, lowering the national jobless rate to nine per cent from 10.2 per cent in August. Unemployment reached a record-high of 13.7 per cent during the height of the pandemic in May and while September's number is encouraging, Stats Can says it would have been 11.9 per cent last month if people who wanted a job, but didn't look for work had been included in the calculation. In BC, more people ea

The federal government is boosting funding for food banks across the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the government is adding another 100 million dollars to the Emergency Food Security Fund for food banks and Indigenous organizations. The first 100 million dollars in funding provided an estimated six-million meals to two-million people across the country. The money will help organizations like the Salvation Army and Food Banks Canada meet the surge in demand for their services caused by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of the first wave back in

Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo says Canada is at a crisis point in the COVID-19 pandemic. He's cancelled his Thanksgiving plans with his son and says even close family members should stay apart if they don't live together. New restrictions go into effect tomorrow in Toronto, neighbouring Peel Region and Ottawa as COVID-19 infections continue to soar in Ontario. For at least 28 days there will be no indoor dining at restaurants and bars. The province is also shutting down gyms, movie theatres and casinos and asking people in those areas to leave their homes only for essenti

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will provide direct help to businesses to help them offset the cost of rent.He says a revamped commercial rent-relief program will cover up to 65 per cent of eligible expenses for companies, and up to 90 per cent for those subject to localized lockdowns.The government also says today that it will cover up to 65 per cent of eligible wages through its subsidy program, but only until the end of December, and expand a well-used loan program by providing an additional $10,000 that could be forgivable.