Canada’s military ombudsman is demanding the federal Liberal government immediately grant his office true independence and oversight powers over the Canadian Armed Forces.Ombudsman Greg Lick says numerous scandals and crises over the past 30-plus years have resulted in calls for external oversight of Canada’s military to protect troops and others.That includes the current sexual misconduct scandal that is ripping through the senior ranks.While governments and leaders within the Armed Forces and Defence Department have publicly agreed to such recommendations each time, Lick alleges such ag

Fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents will soon be able to return to Canada without a mandatory quarantine.The first stage in loosening the border restrictions that have been in place for 15 months will begin at 11:59 p.m. eastern time on July 5.It will apply only to people already eligible to travel to Canada, including citizens, permanent residents, and people registered under the Indian Act.Those travellers must have two doses of a vaccine approved by Health Canada, provide a negative COVID-19 test from 72 hours before arrival, take a second test upon arrival, and have a quara

The Federal Court of Canada has upheld the constitutionality of the federal government's quarantine hotel program. Today's ruling written by Chief Justice Paul Crampton says that pandemics, like wars, require sacrifices to save lives and prevent broad-based suffering. He adds that anyone engaging in behaviour that poses a risk to the health and safety of others cannot expect the law to prevent the state from performing its essential function of protecting its citizens from that risk. The ruling does take aim at border officials for not informing one of the applicants about the location of her

Ontario police say they were met with gunfire when they attempted to apprehend a man suspected in a homicide in Manitoba. Ontario Provincial Police say in a video on Twitter that officers received information that Eric Wildman could be in the area. Police say officers attempted to get into a residence in Prince Edward County, just outside Belleville, Ont., and were fired at when they tried to enter. They say officers moved into positions around the residence and crisis negotiators were eventually able to get the two men inside to surrender. One of the men was identified as Wildman. The 34-yea

A motion was passed in the House of Commons last night targeting Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan.Sajjan has been under heavy criticism since former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne revealed that he first flagged an allegation of sexual misconduct involving then-defence chief Jonathan Vance to the minister in March 2018.While Sajjan and the Liberal government say he followed all proper procedures, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole accuses the minister of consistently failing victims of sexual misconduct in the military.He also alleges Sajjan misled Canadians about his military service and the n

Travel restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border will remain in place for at least another month.Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the American and Canadian governments are extending restrictions on non-essential international travel until July 21.He adds in a tweet that the government will provide details on Monday about plans to let fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents enter the country.The measures at the border have been in place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The pressure to relax the restrictions has been building from businesses on both sides of

The Canadian government is investing up to $29 million to support the domestic production of respirators and surgical masks in order to increase the country's capacity to deal with future pandemics. The funding is part of a $38.7-million project with Montreal-based Meltech Innovation Canada Inc., which specializes in the production of safety products and personal protective equipment. Minister of Innovation Francois-Philippe Champagne says the funding will help ensure Canadian front-line health-care workers continue to have a reliable supply of the equipment they need, while creating jobs in

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says his party will force the House of Commons to vote on a motion targeting Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. Sajjan has been under heavy criticism since former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne revealed that he first flagged an allegation of sexual misconduct involving then-defence chief Jonathan Vance to the minister in March 2018.While Sajjan and the Liberal government say he followed all proper procedures, O'Toole says the minister has consistently failed victims of sexual misconduct in the military.O'Toole alleges Sajjan has also misled Canadians about his

International Development Minister Karina Gould says Canada will provide $115 million in aid over two years for more than 5.6 million Venezuelan asylum seekers living in countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean.A donors conference Canada is hosting today aims to raise US$1.44 billion needed to implement a response plan put together by 159 organizations across the countries that host refugees and migrants from Venezuela.Gould says the refugee crisis is having a significant impact on host countries especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Canada wants to help these countries