A Surrey man could face fines totalling 13-thousand dollars if he's convicted of forcing the diversion of a plane flying from Vancouver to Toronto. The 60 year old was arrested early Sunday when the plane diverted to Winnipeg after it's alleged he lit a cigarette, ignored the direction of crew and refused to wear a protective face mask when ordered. Winnipeg RCMP say the man has now been charged with mischief over five-thousand dollars. But he could face fines almost triple that amount if it's decided he failed to comply with aviation regulations such as the prohibition against smoking aboard

The prime minister says he is committed to combat racism in the federal government, including the R-C-M-P. Justin Trudeau made the pledge in the House of Commons today under questioning by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Meantime, the Bloc Quebecois tried today to have the NDP leader kicked out of the House of Commons for a second day for calling a Bloc member racist yesterday. Commons Speaker Anthony Rota said he would take the request under advisement, but allowed Singh to remain and ask questions as part of the special Commons committee on COVID-19.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a made-in-Canada mobile app to alert Canadians who may have been exposed to a person infected with COVID-19 is ready for testing in Ontario.Trudeau says the app is completely voluntary and will not share or store any personal information, including a user's geographical location.However he says the app will be more effective the more people download and use it.It will work by asking people to anonymously tell the app if they have tested positive for COVID-19, and then all the phones that have recently been close to that phone for an extended time will alert t

Canada has officially recorded more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 across the country. The 173 new cases of COVID-19 reported today in Ontario, one of two provinces at the epicentre of the outbreak, pushed the overall tally past the grim milestone. Such a figure seemed incomprehensible six months ago when public health officials greeted word of the country's first COVID-19 case with repeated assurances that the risk of contracting the virus was low. That message shifted dramatically in mid-March as cases were reported across the country, prompting widespread shutdowns meant to help flatten th

Canada has lost its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. Canada's loss came in the first round of voting today in a secret ballot of 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly. It follows the loss by the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper in 2010, and after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared Canada's candidacy after coming to power in 2015. Canada lost to Norway and Ireland for two available seats for a two-year term starting next year. The voting began at 9 a.m. eastern time, with the UN ambassadors being given staggered access to the General

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called a Bloc Quebecois MP racist today after a New Democrat motion on RCMP discrimination failed to receive unanimous consent from the House of Commons.Singh refused to apologize for the words directed at Bloc member Alain Therrien.That prompted the Speaker to order Singh to leave the House for the rest of the day.Singh had asked the Commons to recognize there is systemic racism in the RCMP and to call on the government to review the force's budget, ensure the Mounties are truly accountable and do a full review of the RCMP's use of force.There was at least one objecti

Blood samples collected from tens of thousands of Canadians will soon be tested for signs of COVID-19 antibodies as the federal government seeks to learn how many people have already contracted the novel coronavirus.Dr. Teresa Tam, chief public health officer for Canada, says Ottawa's immunity task force is collaborating with Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec on the project.The federal government today announced a contract is now in place with Abbott Laboratories to buy 140,000 serological tests for the project.The blood tests can detect the presence of the antibody that is produced afte

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising to deliver a "snapshot" of the federal government's finances in the House of Commons July 8. The Liberals were supposed to present a full budget for 2020 in March but postponed it indefinitely when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Trudeau has said uncertainty from the pandemic makes meaningful forecasts impossible. Revenues have plunged and expenses have soared as millions of workers stopped earning incomes as their workplaces shut down, and started collecting benefits instead. Trudeau says the situation demanded the biggest government response in our li

There are 99,467 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 54,146 confirmed (including 5,269 deaths, 22,350 resolved) Ontario: 32,554 confirmed (including 2,538 deaths, 27,431 resolved) Alberta: 7,482 confirmed (including 151 deaths, 6,882 resolved) British Columbia: 2,756 confirmed (including 168 deaths, 2,416 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,061 confirmed (including 62 deaths, 997 resolved) Saskatchewan: 684 confirmed (including 13 deaths, 631 resolved) Manitoba: 293 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 292 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 2