The Bloc Québécois will try to put the squeeze on the Liberals today by calling for a debate in the House of Commons about increasing old age pension payments for all seniors. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has given the government until Oct. 29 to green-light the estimated $16-billion cost of his party's pension bill, or else he will begin talks with other opposition parties to bring down the government. Acquiescing to the Bloc's demands, however, will only buy the government a few months of support. The Bloc plans to use its opposition day motion to call on the government to support t

A union representing McGill law professors has suspended a five-week-long strike and will allow classes to begin this week. McGill's administration and the Association of McGill Professors of Law say they have decided to find a way to negotiate collective agreements jointly with other faculty unions, and classes will resume by Oct. 3. The news comes a day after McGill threatened to cancel the fall semester if the union didn't agree to a deal. A message sent to law students this morning did not say whether McGill will drop its legal challenge of the faculty's right to unionize, which was one of

The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.The rate in Ontario is rising by 65 cents to $17.20 an hour, an increase tied to inflation.Saskatchewan's minimum wage is going up by a dollar to $15, but it will still be the lowest in Canada, along with Alberta. In Manitoba, the rate is going up by 50 cents to $15.80, a hike that follows a formula set in provincial law tied to the rate of inflation of the previous calendar year.And in Prince Edward Island, the minimum wage is increasing by 60 cents to $16, which comes after a 40-cent hike earlier this year. British Columbia has the high

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be travelling to France next Thursday to attend the Francophonie summit. The meeting of French-speaking countries, which happens every two years, will be held on Oct. 4 and 5 in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris. The Prime Minister's Office says Trudeau will work with other heads of state to further shared priorities including democracy and human rights. Representatives from Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec will also be at the meetings. Leaders are also expected to make a decision on applications to join the international francophonie body, including

Two Liberal ministers are inviting the NDP Leader to a briefing on carbon pricing so he can "better understand" how it helps fight climate change while putting more money back in families' pockets. In a letter sent to Jagmeet Singh today, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson say it's very disappointing the NDP has fallen for what they call the Conservatives' "disinformation campaign" on the climate policy. At the NDP caucus retreat earlier this month, Singh wouldn't say whether his party would keep the consumer carbon price if it formed government. Sing

Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.2 per cent in July, following essentially no change in June, helped by strength in the retail trade sector. The agency says the growth came as services-producing industries grew 0.2 per cent for the month. The retail trade sector was the largest contributor to overall growth in July as it gained one per cent, helped by the motor vehicles and parts dealers subsector which gained 2.8 per cent. The public sector aggregate, which includes the educational services, health care and social assistance, and public administration sectors, gained

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says there's more work to be done before a new compensation contract for Alberta's doctors is finalized. LaGrange says she has to make sure the new deal, which was agreed to in part this past April, is sustainable. She says doctor compensation under the existing contract over the past few years has risen quicker than inflation and population growth and is currently over budget this year. The group representing Alberta's doctors have said the government is dragging its feet in implementing the new deal and putting patients' lives at risk in the pro

Less than 24 hours after the Conservatives lost their first attempt to topple the government the Tories are trying again. A new motion being debated this morning states that the House of Commons has lost confidence in the Liberal government and "offers Canadians the option to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime." That's the list of slogans the Tories have been using for months. On Wednesday, the majority of MPs voted against the first non-confidence motion that was put forward by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. The series of confidence votes comes after the ND

Canada has issued a joint statement with its allies calling for "an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border," citing an "unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation." The statement, issued along with the United States, Australia, European Union, United Arab Emirates and eight other countries, calls on the governments of Lebanon and Israel and all parties involved to endorse the temporary ceasefire and "give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the cease-fire plan put forward was only a proposal and that th