British Columbia's parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives says the government will engage residents to create a new anti-racism act. Rachna Singh says in a statement that the government also plans to work with the province's human rights commissioner and others to pave the way for race-based data collection. She says the goal is to reduce systemic discrimination in various sectors, including health care. Singh issued the statement following the release of a report by former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond that found 84 per cent of Indigenous respondents reported some form of discr

It has been exactly two years since Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou arrived at Vancouver's airport for a flight layover and instead was taken to a police station in handcuffs. Meng was arrested at the behest of US law enforcement, who have charged her with fraud based on allegations that both she and Huawei deny. She remains in Vancouver where hearings are ongoing in her extradition case. The arrest soured Canada's relationship with China and has been linked to the ongoing detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians in China.

Statistics Canada says the economy grew at a record annualized pace of 40.5 percent in the third quarter as businesses came out of COVID-19 lockdowns.Financial data firm Refinitiv says the average economist estimate was for an annualized growth rate of 47.6 per cent for the quarter.The rebound over July, August and September was a sharp turnaround from the preceding three-month stretch saw a record drop. Driving the bounce-back were the further rolling back of public health restrictions that allowed businesses to reopen.Statistics Canada also says there was a substantial increase in the housi

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting a record 46 deaths over the past three days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Henry says that brings the total in the province to 441 with most of the latest deaths among residents in long-term care. She says 2,364 new cases of COVID-19 were reported over the past three days, including 277 historical cases due to a problem with lab reporting last week in the Fraser Health region. Dr. Henry says the province now has 8,855 active cases, with 316 people in hospital including 75 in intensive care.

A naval exercise called Trident Fury 20 is set to begin today off western Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. Maritime Forces Pacific says the exercise will continue until December 13th and include participation from the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, US Navy aircraft and US Coast Guard. Trident Fury 20 is designed to provide tactical warfare training to offshore threats and improve co-ordination between forces. The public may be able to see ships, divers and aircraft in the area around Esquimalt Lagoon. Naval exercise begins today off the western Vancouver Isl

Police in Abbotsford say they are investigating a shooting incident that appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Major crimes detectives say young children and other family members were at a home in the 32000-block of Adair Avenue Saturday night when shots were fired. Police say the home and family are not known to police, leading to concerns the wrong address was targeted. Police are asking anyone who may have dash camera footage or other video images of the area to contact them.

The newly appointed cabinet minister Premier John Horgan has tabbed to lead economic recovery says he will mount a large team effort from inside and outside government. Ravi Kahlon says the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred innovation by many businesses, communities and governments, and he wants to ensure the teamwork continues. The former Olympian says his initial priorities as jobs, economic recovery and innovation minister involve helping small businesses survive the pandemic, but supporting innovation will be the impetus of the future. Kahlon previously served as a parliamentary secretary in

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is concerned about the ballooning federal debt and is once again calling for a tax on Canadians with fortunes topping 20 million dollars. Singh held a news conference this morning in Ottawa in advance of this afternoon's fall economic statement. He wants any sector-specific support the Trudeau government offers to come with strings attached to ensure funding flows to the benefit of workers rather than shareholders or executives. Singh is also pushing for enhanced child care, universal pharmacare and the end of for-profit long-term care homes. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

The federal Liberals will provide Canadians with a long-awaited update on the health of federal finances later today, and potentially unveil a suite of new spending. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will deliver the fall economic statement in the House of Commons around 4 p.m. local time in Ottawa, after markets close. The fall economic statement should have a full accounting of pandemic spending so far, and the depth of this year's deficit, which in July was forecast at a historic $343.2 billion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates vary of how deep a deficit the Liberals will unveil