The minister of Indigenous services says it's important Pope Francis is honouring his commitment to visit Canada this summer to issue an apology for the Roman Catholic Church's role in residential schools. The Vatican says the the pontiff will be visiting Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit on a trip from July 24 to 29. Survivors and leaders were hoping a visit to the former Kamloops residential school site would be included. Patty Hajdu says the visit is welcomed but the federal government will not step in to dictate where the Pope should visit.The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops says i

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will deploy a general and six staff officers to join NATO's multinational division. Canada leads NATO's battle group in Latvia with 695 armed forces members.Trudeau says Canada's contributions to NATO's defence will give Russian President Vladimir Putin pause about expanding aggression into NATO territory. Trudeau announced the additional resources during a joint news conference with Latvia's prime minister today in Ottawa.

Politicians ask a lot of questions in British Columbia’s legislature, but for New Democrat member Rick Glumac, his question posed Wednesday was especially important. Glumac, the member for Port Moody-Coquitlam, stood in the legislature to acknowledge all the partners who support the unique work that politicians in the legislature do, saying it certainly isn’t a normal job.He noted that his partner, Haven Lurbiecki, was in the legislature’s gallery and he told her that every day she made the world better and filled his heart with love.Amid applause and cheers from his colleagues, Glumac a

Ottawa is chartering three planes to bring Ukrainian refugees from Poland to Canada. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says seats on the flights to Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax will be available on a first come, first served basis. Thousands of Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since Russian forces attacked in late February, and Fraser says it isn't clear how many more will come. The flights are in addition to the commercial options that are being subsidized by a special fund. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the government continues to face logistical challenges in helping Ukrainians w

A British Columbia Indigenous man and his granddaughter who were arrested as they tried to open an account at the Bank of Montreal have settled a human rights complaint.A statement says the settlement agreement includes a monetary payment from BMO to Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter, a private apology, and a pledge from the bank to update its policies on how Indigenous status cards are handled.Johnson and his granddaughter, who are from the Heiltsuk First Nation, were trying to open an account when police were called over suspicion they were using a fake status card.A retired judge who le

Over the past month, members of Prince George RCMP’s Street Crew Unit conducted an investigation into drug trafficking in Prince George. Police arrested two men in the course of the investigation, seizing over 70 grams of suspected fentanyl, cash and drug trafficking paraphernalia off one of the suspects. Both of the men are well known to police for their ties to the illicit drug trade in Prince George.Police executed two Controlled Drug and Substance Act warrants, one at a residence on the 2000 block of Pine Street, the other at an apartment building on the 1700 block of 17th Ave, where inv

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says an automated alert system will be ready to warn British Columbia residents of spring flooding and summer wildfires but not yet for extreme heat. Alert Ready is a Canada-wide system that allows government officials to issue public safety alerts through major television and radio broadcasters, as well as compatible wireless devices. Farnworth says the system is all set for the spring thaw and will be in place by early June for wildfires. However, he says the Health Ministry is still working to determine parameters for deploying the alerts in the case o

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Stellantis auto plants in Windsor and Brampton, Ontario, will become global leaders in electric vehicle manufacturing. Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford made a joint appearance in Windsor today to announce one-billion dollars in funding to help Stellantis retool its Canadian auto plants for EV manufacturing. The company has also said it is expanding its research facility in Windsor to include a battery pack testing hub and an electric vehicle research centre. Trudeau says today’s deal on made-in-Canada electric vehicles is another investment in our

The Department of National Defence says four cadets at the Royal Military College are dead after what it calls a ``fatal incident'' at the institution's campus in Kingston, Ontario. They say it occurred early this morning at Point Frederick. Officials say the loss is being felt across the Royal Military College community, while next-of-kin notifications are still ongoing. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is investigating.