The Conservatives continue to insist that professional protesters are disrupting rail traffic across the country. During Question Period this morning, Conservative MP John Brassard told Parliament that quote ``The prime minister is taking his cues from the granola-crunching, Castro-loving, V-W bus driving, anti-resource, anti-government, anti-everything professional protesters with absolutely no connections to First Nations groups.'' The transport minister's Parliamentary Secretary replied that the Conservatives' exaggerated tone is only making the situation worse.

A 27-year-old teacher at a Winnipeg high school has been charged with sexual exploitation and sexual assault of a student. Police say the offences involving the 16-year-old student at Grant Park High School happened between Dec. 1 and Feb. 8. The Winnipeg School Division is co-operating with police but a spokesperson would not say whether the woman is still employed as a teacher. Const. Rob Carver says in at least one alleged incident the teacher gave alcohol to a group of students. She is also charged with supplying alcohol to a minor. Carver says it's a possibility the teacher may face more

Ontario health officials say the province now has a seventh confirmed case of the novel coronavirus.The chief medical officer of health says the newest patient is a man in his 50s who had travelled to Iran.Dr. David Williams says the man arrived in Toronto on Tuesday and went to the emergency department of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre the next day.He says proper protocols went into place at the hospital and the man was isolated as he was tested for the virus known as COVID-19.The man was sent home the same day to recover and has been in self-isolation since then.This marks the country's

Hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en are scheduled to meet for a second day with senior federal and provincial ministers today as they try to break an impasse in a pipeline dispute that's sparked national protests and led to disruptions in the economy. Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and British Columbia Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser began the long-sought talks Thursday afternoon. They wrapped up after about three hours with Fraser saying the talks were productive and the mood in the room was respectful. Bennett said it was a "very good start." Heredi

Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal made a strong statement by saying that if any Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader found guilty in North-East Delhi violence then that person should be given double the punishment. The Chief Minister made this comment on being asked about allegations over AAP Councillor from Nehru Vihar, Tahir Hussain. The family members of Ankit Sharma have accused Tahir Hussain for the killing. "Any person who is found guilty should be given stringent punishment. If any Aam Aadmi Party leader is found guilty then that person should be given double the punishment. There should b

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is to visit eastern Europe next week, with stops in Ukraine, Latvia and Poland. Champagne says he will meet with top airline officials in Ukraine as part of his push to secure compensation for families of the 57 Canadians who died in last month's Ukraine International Airlines crash in Tehran. Iran has admitted it fired two missiles at the plane, killing all 176 people on board.

Coastal GasLink has agreed to a two-day pause in its activities in northwestern B.C. during talks taking place between federal government ministers and hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation. The R-C-M-P has also committed to ending patrols along a critical roadway during the discussions that are set to continue through tomorrow. The chiefs praised the moves in a statement released shortly before talks got underway this afternoon in Smithers. They say the actions provide the space needed to sit down at the table in good faith to discuss their opposition to Coastal GasLink's natura

The head of Canada's largest port says the novel coronavirus is eating into trade, and it's coming after a year that saw cargo volumes dip. Vancouver Fraser Port Authority CEO Robin Silvester says the number of cancelled sailings is on the rise as large parts of the Chinese economy are shut down due to the outbreak. Silvester says slowdowns could also severely dent trade with Korea and Japan, which together with China account for well over half of the freight volume at Canada's Pacific gateway. China cut wheat and canola shipments from Canada last year amid diplomatic tensions.

Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and her B.C. counterpart Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Scott Fraser have arrived in Smithers for afternoon meetings with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs. In a Twitter message posted before she left Vancouver this morning, Bennett called the meeting "truly important", and after she reached Smithers she said the talks will "reaffirm" the interest of senior levels of government in speaking with the Wet'suwet'en about title and rights. Fraser says he's pleased further talks have been arranged with chiefs opposed to th