Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reconstituted a special cabinet committee focused on Canada-US relations following Donald Trump’s re-election as president. This committee will address key issues affecting both countries. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has been appointed as its chair. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc will serve as the committee's co-chair. Transport Minister Anita Anand, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, and other ministers will also be part of the committee. The group is expected to meet soon and es

The Australian government is planning to ban social media usage for those who are below 16 years of age.Naming it as "world-leading" legislation, the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it will be tabled in parliament next week and is "aimed at mitigating the "harm" social media was inflicting on Australian children. This one is for the mums and dads... They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back," he told the media. As per media reports, the government has said that the ban will not a

The Government of Canada has made significant changes to the visitor visa rules. The Canadian authorities have announced that the 10-year visitor visa will no longer be available.According to the latest update from the Immigration Department, multiple-entry visas with a duration of 10 years will now be granted only to select individuals, with immigration officers on-site having the authority to make these decisions.The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has placed special emphasis on the duration of visitor visas. As most visas are now single-entry, their validity will typically range f

Gun violence continues to rise in Canada, reaching record levels, particularly in parts of the Greater Toronto Area. The number of shootings in the city of Hamilton this year is unprecedented. According to Staff Sergeant Steve Berezuk, there have been 58 shootings in Hamilton as of Nov. 4, compared to 35 for all of last year. This marks a new record for shooting incidents in the city. Meanwhile, Peel police report seizing one illegal firearm every 36 hours. Chief Nishan Duraipa of Peel police noted that 84 illegal firearms were seized between January and September last year, compared to 157 du

Donald Trump will be sworn in as the President of the United States on January 20, 2025. Before then, Trump and his team will begin the process of selecting officials for his new cabinet. Indian-origin figures such as Kash Patel, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Bobby Jindal are also likely to be given positions in the Trump administration. They could be assigned important roles. According to reports, Kash Patel may be appointed as the Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Born into a Gujarati family, Kash Patel is a former national security official in the Trump administration and is currently

Canada's environment commissioner says the country is still not on track to meet its commitments under the Paris climate agreement. Ottawa has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to be 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 but thus far they have only fallen seven per cent below 2005 levels. In a report tabled today Jerry DeMarco says his office looked at 20 of the 149 measures from the government's 2030 Emission Reductions Plan progress report. Only nine of those were on track, another nine were facing challenges, and the other two had significant barriers like delays in meeting

The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in the country is projected to reach a new high in 2024. The annual report released Thursday says total health spending this year is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian. CIHI's national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent last year, and 1.7 per cent in 2022. This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spe

The Alberta government is asking rural municipalities to send letters naming oil and gas companies that aren't paying their property taxes, but one rural leader says there's no hope for enforcement. Rural Municipalities of Alberta estimates oil and gas companies owe more than $250 million in overdue property taxes to rural communities across the province. Energy Minister Brian Jean sent letters to rural municipalities in September asking officials to name companies that haven't paid up. Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver says once the government gets those names, action can b

Canada announced Wednesday it is ordering the dissolution of TikTok's Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media app but said it won't block access. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is meant to address risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc. “The government is not blocking Canadians' access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice," Champagne said. Champagne said it is importa