Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada and its G7 allies are taking Russia's denials of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny with a ``grain of salt.'' Champagne tells The Canadian Press Canada is working with Germany and G7 partners on a co-ordinated response to Russia's attack on the leading political opposition figure. The minister is also working on Canada's next moves on Hong Kong as he speaks from a post-trip quarantine after visiting four countries last week. Champagne recently took part in a virtual G20 foreign ministers' meeting, which includes Russia, but Canada

Federal transport officials have issued the first fines to air passengers who refused to wear face masks on Canadian flights, in violation of a government order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Transport Canada says two unnamed people have been fined $1,000 each for refusing to follow directions from air crews to wear their face coverings. The first incident occurred June 14 on a WestJet flight from Calgary to Waterloo, Ont., while the second took place July 7 on a WestJet flight from Vancouver to Calgary.Transport Canada says the passengers were each directed repeatedly by the air cre

The Conservative Party's fundraising arm has a new chair for the first time in two decades.Leader Erin O'Toole says he is nominating his longtime campaign fundraiser James Dodds to be chair of the Conservative Fund, replacing former senator Irving Gerstein, who is retiring. The nomination must be approved by the party's national council. Dodds is a vice-president at the TD Bank Group in Toronto and has aided O'Toole in both his bids to be the Conservative leader. O'Toole became the new leader Aug. 23 and is now putting his stamp on the party. On Wednesday he named his House of Commons team, i

Statistics Canada says the economy added 246,000 in August as the pace of job gains slowed compared with July, when 419,000 jobs were added. The figure marked the fourth consecutive month of gains from COVID-19 related lockdowns this spring, bringing the number to within 1.1 million of pre-pandemic levels. Gains in August were largely concentrated in full-time work, which had been lagging behind gains in part-time employment. Employment also rose at a faster pace for women than men for the third straight month as Statistics Canada reported women gained about 150,000 positions in August comp

Police say five people have been found dead and another with serious injuries following an early morning shooting in a home east of Toronto. A spokesman says multiple calls came in around 1:20 a.m. Friday reporting the sound of gunshots from a home in Oshawa, Ontario. Constable George Tudos says four of the deceased are believed to be men and one of them is believed to be a woman, but adds police are waiting on the coroner to confirm ages. A woman also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.Investigators believe the shooter is among the dead.

British Columbia is celebrating the contributions of the Punjabi Canadian community to its economy, history and culture through the development of new educational supports, exhibits and online resources. The project is part of the Province’s commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive society. “The Punjabi community has a long and unique history that has contributed significantly to the strength and success of our province,” said Premier John Horgan. “The Punjabi Canadian Legacy Project will share these stories with future generations, while honouring the resilience and diversity

There are 130,493 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 62,933 confirmed (including 5,767 deaths, 55,615 resolved) Ontario: 42,686 confirmed (including 2,812 deaths, 38,625 resolved) Alberta: 14,310 confirmed (including 242 deaths, 12,653 resolved) British Columbia: 6,041 confirmed (including 210 deaths, 4,644 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,634 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,574 resolved) Manitoba: 1,264 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 791 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,085 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,014 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 269 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 265 resolved) New Bru

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says British Columbia is at a precipice when it comes to a potential surge of COVID-19 infections. But Henry says reducing the number of cases is still within reach as long as people work together and follow public health protocols. She urged people to avoid activities that are considered high-risk, such as spending time with groups of people that they may not know. B.C. announced 89 new cases of COVID-19 as well as one additional death today, bringing the province's total number of COVID-19 cases to 6,041 and 210 deaths. Dr. Henry's warning comes af

Approx 198 Pakistani nationals, who got stuck in India since the lockdown have now left for their motherland. They thanked governments of both sides for assisting and helping them in returning to their homes. The Government of India on March 25 announced COVID-19 lockdown to curb its spread. One of the Karachi residents, Salma Chaudhary, who was stranded in India said that she faced a lot of problems due to the pandemic and lockdown but thanked the Ministry of External Affairs and Pakistan High Commission for helping her."I came on March for 15 days for the renewal of my passport and got stuck