Defence Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa will fast-track the purchase of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-drone weapons for the Canadian military with a mechanism last used during the war in Afghanistan.Anand announced the plan in a keynote speech to the defence community this morning, saying the new weapons are needed now for Canadian troops in Latvia and other parts of Europe.The defence minister also emphasized the need to update Canada's long-term plan for the military.The Liberal government released a defence policy in 2017, at a time when the threat posed by terrorist organizations such

More than 1,000 volunteers have fanned out across Metro Vancouver for the first homeless count since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Homeless Services Association of BC says 11 municipalities across the Lower Mainland are taking part in the 24-hour, point-in-time count, which began Tuesday evening.The association says its volunteers try to be as accurate as possible in order to understand who is living without safe, affordable, appropriate housing, and why they are in that situation.The hidden homeless, such as couch surfers or those living in vehicles, are likely under-represented, but

Liberal MP and former cabinet Marc Garneau is resigning after 15 years in politics.He did not answer questions this morning about why he's stepping down, telling reporters he wanted to speak to colleagues at the party's caucus meeting first.Garneau, who was federal transport minister for about five years before serving as foreign affairs minister in 2021, says he will make a speech in the House of Commons later today.He represents the Montreal constituency of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Westmount and was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008.Garneau was one of the first six Canadian astronau

A Canadian engineering giant whose work includes critical military, power and transportation infrastructure across the country has been hit with a ransomware attack.The Department of National Defence says Black & McDonald reported the attack last month, but the company has refused to publicly confirm the incident.The Defence Department and Ontario Power Generation, which also confirmed the attack, say there is no evidence that it compromised sensitive or secret information about their sites and operations.But cybersecurity expert Terry Cutler says the attack is worrying since any secret da

On the occasion of Hola Mohalla, Premier David Eby has issued a statement wishing a happy and joyous festival to the Sikh community of B.C. and worldwide. The statement read, "Today, we join the many Sikhs in British Columbia and around the world who will celebrate the beginning of Hola Mohalla. The three-day festival is a time for communal meals, prayer and religious songs, as well as lively, colourful processions, including displays of Gatka, the traditional Sikh form of self-defence martial arts. On behalf of all British Columbians, I wish a joyous festival to everyone celebrating Hola Moha

The province is moving to improve food security in B.C. by creating new and enhanced programs to strengthen the food supply chain and expand local food production.Premier David Eby made the announcement today, saying more than 200-million dollars is being pumped into food security supports.A statement from the premier's office says food security provides an available, affordable, uninterrupted supply of nutritious food while building effective programs for people and communities most at risk from inflation, climate events and supply chain upheavals.The Ministry of Agriculture and Food will inv

Councillors in Surrey, B.C., plan to use newly allotted provincial funding to reduce the city's proposed 17.5 percent property tax increase slated for the 2023 civic budget. During a finance committee meeting on Monday, councillors voted to send the budget back to staff so an $89.9 million allotment from the province's Growing Communities Fund could be applied to the bottom line.A statement from the city says council has asked staff to use the money to cut the overall proposed property tax increase from 17.5 percent to no more than 12.5 per cent.The revised budget is expected to be ready for r

Migration in both directions across the Canada-U.S. border is likely on the agenda today as Immigration Minister Sean Fraser visits Washington, D.C.Fraser's office says he is scheduled to meet with his American counterpart, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.The federal Liberal government is under mounting pressure, particularly from Quebec, to do something about the flow of undocumented migrants into Canada from the U.S.Some Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, have been actively trying to make a political issue out of the number of migrants moving in the opposite direction.Prime Mini

The parliamentary budget officer says the federal government has more than enough staff to process applications for economic immigrants on time.In a report released today, Yves Giroux analyzed the cost of processing applications for economic immigrants through the express entry system for five fiscal years.The report says Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has 65 per cent more staff than needed to process the 2022-23 applications on time, and has more staff than needed for all years assessed.The federal government's goal is to process 80 per cent of those applications within six mon