BCJul 15, 2020
Jagmeet Singh on 'Sver Wala Show': If evidence emerges, police should also investigate WE Charity contract
Leader of the Federal NDP, Jagmeet Singh shared his views on important political issues, on Connect FM's 'Sver Wala Show' this morning.Singh says that Public Services and Procurement Canada is a highly capable agency, and government should have undertaken the responsibility of administering Canada Student Service Grant on their own instead of giving it away to WE Charity.He says if substantial relevant evidence emerges out of the WE Charity probe, then police should also investigate the issue.About Canada's China policy, he agreed with government's decision to not swap Meng Wanzhou for the two
CanadaJul 15, 2020
Bank of Canada holds rate, forecasts GDP decline of 7.8% this year
The Bank of Canada is holding its key interest rate at 0.25 per cent in response to what it calls the ``extremely uncertain'' economic outlook from the COVID-19 pandemic, and plans to keep it there until the picture improves.In its updated outlook, the bank expects the economy to contract by 7.8 per cent this year.The central bank's report pegs the annual inflation rate at 0.6 per cent this year, rising to 1.2 per cent in 2021 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.Its inflation target is 2 per cent, and the bank says it will maintain the current rate until that target is achieved.The forecasts come with a
CanadaJul 15, 2020
331 cases reported in Canada, Alberta showing consistency in increasing number of COVID-19 cases
There are 108,486 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 56,730 confirmed (including 5,633 deaths, 26,025 resolved) Ontario: 36,950 confirmed (including 2,723 deaths, 32,785 resolved) Alberta: 8,912 confirmed (including 163 deaths, 8,048 resolved) British Columbia: 3,128 confirmed (including 189 deaths, 2,730 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,066 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 1,000 resolved) Saskatchewan: 876 confirmed (including 15 deaths, 785 resolved) Manitoba: 319 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 318 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 262 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 258 resolved)
CanadaJul 14, 2020
Nearly 270,000 Conservatives eligible to vote in leadership contest
The national Conservative party says it has 269,469 members eligible to vote in the current leadership race.About 100,000 of those memberships were purchased since the start of the year, when the contest to replace current leader Andrew Scheer officially began.The party released the figures today and says it is the largest membership in party history.Tories say the largest growth in membership has come in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta.Conservatives use a points system to elect a leader — each riding gets 100 points, and how many points a candidate receives depend
CanadaJul 14, 2020
Senators call for changes to COVID-19 aid and more transparency on spending
The Senate's finance committee says the Trudeau Liberals need to tell people very soon what they will do for those who max out a key federal COVID-19 benefit in the fall without jobs to go back to.The $500-a-week Canada Emergency Response Benefit is set to run out in September for millions of workers who have seen their incomes shrink or dry up entirely.The committee's report recommends the government provide declining CERB payments as incomes rise, rather than applying the current strict cut-off.Senators are also calling on the Liberals to consider a guaranteed income program to make sure all
CanadaJul 14, 2020
Sources say Canada, U.S. likely to extend mutual travel ban into late August
Sources say Canada and the United States are likely to agree to extend their mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries for another 30 days.
The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to so-called "discretionary" travel like vacations and shopping trips since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the continent in mid-March, an agreement that's set to expire July 21.
Officials familiar with the ongoing talks, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet public, say another extension until Aug. 21 is all but inevitable.
News of the likely extension, initially reported
CanadaJul 14, 2020
Feds should have put $900M into Canada Summer Jobs program: Opposition
Federal opposition parties are demanding to know why the Liberal government created a $900-million program to help students find volunteer positions rather than putting the money into an existing summer jobs program.The government says the new Canada Student Services Grant is intended to reward tens of thousands of students who are having a hard time finding work and want to help with the COVID-19 pandemic.Opposition parties say the Liberals could have accomplished the same task by putting the money into the existing Canada Summer Jobs program, through which thousands of jobs for students are
CanadaJul 14, 2020
COVID-19 numbers consistent in Ontario and Quebec, but on a rise in Alberta and B.C.
There are 108,155 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 56,621 confirmed (including 5,628 deaths, 25,911 resolved) Ontario: 36,839 confirmed (including 2,722 deaths, 32,663 resolved) Alberta: 8,826 confirmed (including 161 deaths, 7,989 resolved) British Columbia: 3,115 confirmed (including 189 deaths, 2,718 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,066 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 1,000 resolved) Saskatchewan: 871 confirmed (including 15 deaths, 766 resolved) Manitoba: 314 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 317 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 262 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 258 resolved)
CanadaJul 13, 2020
Trudeau apologizes for not recusing himself from WE decision
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's very sorry he didn't recuse himself from the government's decision to award a contract to WE Charity to manage a major student-volunteering program.He says his and his family's longtime involvement with the WE organization should have kept him out of the discussions.And he says he's particularly sorry that the delay in the program caused by WE's eventual decision to withdraw will harm students looking for ways to help in the COVID-19 pandemic.Trudeau has faced accusations of cronyism and allegations of a conflict of interest over his past connections wit