Mary Simon has officially become Canada's 30th Governor General, and the first Indigenous person to hold the role. As she took her seat at the head of the Senate chamber, her husband, Whit Fraser, turned to her, took a small bow and then sat down next to Simon. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Simon, an Inuk leader and former Canadian diplomat, as his choice to be the Queen's representative in Canada earlier this month, replacing Julie Payette who resigned in January. Her choice came amid a national reckoning with the country's historical mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples, including horrif

Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu has stayed home from the Tokyo Olympics due to the pandemic, but will be watching on TV as other athletes try to live out her gold-medal dreams. In addition to watching tennis, Andreescu will be keeping a close eye on the swimming. She's good friends with Penny Oleksiak, who will be defending the 100-metre freestyle gold medal she won at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. Canada's Bianca Andreescu won't be participating in the Olympic tennis tournament in Tokyo, but she'll be cheering on the Canadian team from home. The 2019 US Open champion pulled out of the

Canada's incoming governor general has had her first audience with the Queen.Mary Simon will be sworn in as the representative of the sovereign in Canada on Monday.The Queen and Simon met virtually on Thursday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.During the meeting, the Queen invested Simon as an extraordinary companion of the Order of Canada, an extraordinary commander of the Order of Military Merit and a commander of the Order of Merit of thePolice Forces.Simon, who was born in the Nunavik village of Kangiqsualujjuaq, will be Canada's first Indigenous governor general.The post has been empty since J

Canada has a team of 370 athletes in Tokyo, but most won't be taking part in tomorrow's Olympic opening ceremony. Only 30 to 40 Canadian athletes will march into Olympic Stadium behind flag-bearers Miranda Ayim of the women's basketball team and men's rugby sevens co-captain Nathan Hirayama. COVID-19 restrictions set out that athletes can only come into the Olympic Village five days before they compete, which means fewer athletes are on hand for the start of the Games. US beats Canada in women's softball: The U.S. is 2-0 in Olympic women's softball following a 1-0 victory over Canada. Monica

A group representing Canada's small business sector has launched a petition pressing the federal government to halt the phasing out of financial support programs.The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says small business owners are keen to replace subsidies with sales but only 35 per cent are back to normal levels of sales and many don't see that happening until next year.In addition to closing the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan program last month, Ottawa has started to phase out the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS).The subs

A new survey has NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh not far behind Justin Trudeau as Canadians' choice for prime minister. The survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies had 25 per cent of respondents picking Justin Trudeau as the best PM. While 19 per cent chose Jagmeet Singh. Only 13 per cent preferred the Conservatives' Erin O'Toole. The survey comes just weeks before a possible election call. It could signal trouble for Trudeau's chances of winning a majority Liberal government.

The opening ceremony isn't until Friday morning but Canadian women's teams have already seen action in these Summer Games. The women's soccer team played host team Japan to a 1-1 draw in Sapporo. Christine Sinclair scored the only goal for Canada. This was her record 187th international goal in her 300th career appearance with Canada's national team. Canada's women's softball team defeated Mexico 4-0.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reportedly extended its COVID-19 travel restrictions on Canada and Mexico for another 30 days. The move, first reported by Reuters, comes despite the Canadian government's decision to begin easing its own restrictions on fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents as of Aug. 9. It also comes as little surprise: Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Monday that Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas had warned him the U.S. would not be following Canada's lead. Border experts say the Biden administration is likely not ready to open t

Canada’s Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program is unique in the world. It gives families the chance to reunite here, providing them the opportunity to thrive in this country. Family reunification plays a significant role in attracting, retaining and integrating immigrants who contribute to our success as a country.Building on the success of the PGP Program in recent years, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will invite a record number of people to apply under the 20