Senators have passed a government bill that cements restrictions on handguns, increases penalties for firearm trafficking and aims to curb homemade ghost guns. The legislation also includes a ban on assault-style firearms that fall under a new technical definition. Senators voted 60 to 24 in favour of the bill at third reading today. Upon introducing the bill last year, the Liberals announced a plan to implement a freeze on importing, buying, selling or otherwise transferring handguns to help reduce firearm-related violence. Federal regulations aimed at capping the number of handguns in Cana

A House of Commons committee says Greg Fergus should stay in his job as Speaker, but he should apologize again and reimburse Parliament for using its resources to make a video that was shown at a partisan event. In a report released this morning, the procedure and House affairs committee also says there should be clear guidelines for future Speakers about the impartiality of their role. The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois have called for Fergus to resign over a video in tribute to the outgoing interim leader of the Ontario Liberals, and renewed those calls today. Fergus shot the video in h

Vancouver residents will have to pay more in residential taxes next year, which is set to increase by 7.5%. According to Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, city staff presented the 2024-2028 Budget Outlook in June. It was projected to grow by 9.5% until the cuts were made. Sim said the council asked staff to figure out the savings after which the increase could be capped at 7.5%. 3% of this will be given to the Vancouver Police Department, whose budget for the year 2024 will be half a billion dollars, i.e. about $472 million. Sim was successful in getting support from the council to support a $100,00

Ottawa announced today that seniors over the age of 87 will be the first cohort that can apply to join a new federal dental-benefits plan, which will be phased in slowly over the next year. Health Minister Mark Holland announced the rollout of the program this morning, and it is budgeted to cost 13 billion dollars over the next five years.The program is for people with an annual household income under 90-thousand dollars who don't have access to private insurance. Eligibility will be slowly expanded over the course of 2024 to include all qualifying seniors, children under the age of 18 and peo

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Ottawa will require foreigners applying to study in Canada to have double the amount of funds currently required. Miller says the change is among those meant to ensure international students aren't left vulnerable to sketchy employers and unable to afford life in Canada. He is also warning provinces that the Liberals might limit visas if colleges and universities don't adequately support students, but he tells reporters that governments need to have more conversations before such changes. The Liberals are also ramping down a policy that lengthened the

The Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate at five per cent because higher interest rates are clearly restraining spending. The central bank says the combination of weaker growth and a cooling job market suggests demand is no longer outpacing supply in the economy and that this slowdown is necessary to restore price stability. However, the Bank of Canada isn't ruling out future rate hikes just yet, saying it is still concerned about risks to the outlook for inflation and remains prepared to raise rates further if needed

New report from Statistics Canada suggests the problem of sexual misconduct in the military is getting worse. The survey suggests 3.5 per cent of Canadian Armed Forces personnel say they were sexually assaulted by another military member in 2022. That is a significant increase from the 1.6 per cent reported in the same survey in 2018, and 1.7 per cent in 2016. Statistics Canada defines sexual assault as sexual attacks, unwanted touching, and sexual activity when the victim was unable to consent. Victims of these assaults were more likely to be women, the survey found, and they were disproporti

Global Affairs Canada has confirmed the deaths of two more Canadians amid the Israel-Hamas war, bringing the total number of Canadian-related deaths to nine. The department says the latest two deaths occurred in Lebanon, whose border has been under fire since October 7 between Israel and Hezbollah militants.On the same day, Hamas launched attacks on southern Israel. Global Affairs Canada did not provide a death toll, but said in an update that 130 more Canadians had left Gaza this weekend via the Rafah crossing, leaving the battlefield. The total number of Canadians who have left has increased

British Columbia's coroner says the toxic and unregulated drug supply has claimed more than 2,000 lives in the province in the first ten months of this year. A statement from the coroners' service says in October alone 189 people died from overdoses, which is more than six deaths a day. It is also the 37th consecutive month where at least 150 people died from illicit overdoses. The service says more than 13,300 people have died because of poisoned drugs since the crisis was declared in April 2016. Jennifer Whiteside, minister of mental health and addictions, says in a statement that they recog