Canada's Mark Carney government has begun preparations for its first federal budget, to be presented in the fall. The government said the budget 2025 will focus on boosting private investment and building the strongest economy in the G7. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has launched pre-budget consultations today. The federal government said Canadians can also participate by visiting the Canada.ca/YourBudget website until August 28, 2025, to share their views on key issues. The government's main focus in the budget will be to eliminate the GST for new homes up to $1 million an

A new poll by Leger has found that Quebec residents are the happiest in Canada. The web survey of nearly 40,000 Canadians found that Quebecers rated their happiness at an average of 72.4 out of 100, which is well above the national average. New Brunswick followed Quebec with an average of 70.2, while Manitoba and Prince Edward Island finished at the bottom of the list. Mississauga, Ont. had the highest happiness rating of the 10 largest cities, while Toronto was lowest. Montreal finished second in the category. The survey found that 49 per cent of respondents said their happiness level was un

The CEO of TikTok is asking Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for an urgent meeting about the federal government’s order directing the company to shut down its Canadian operations. Shou Chew wrote to Joly on July 2 asking for an in-person meeting within two weeks, according to a letter obtained by The Canadian Press. Chew argued that order was made in different circumstances, when it looked like the United States was going to ban TikTok. "There is no upside to this outdated and counterproductive government order, which was issued under a different government and in a different era, and which

Alberta is rolling out new regulations in September banning transgender athletes from playing women's sports, but officials say they will still welcome out-of-province transgender competitors. Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko says the province doesn't have the authority to regulate athletes from different jurisdictions because they can't overstep the rules outside groups abide by. Premier Danielle Smith says the ban is about fairness on the playing field so that girls are not battling opponents with biological advantages. But detractors say it's about stigmatizing and punish

Police in Surrey, B.C., are investigating a collision that claimed the life of a child Sunday night. Officers with the Surrey Police Service responded to reports of a crash between a vehicle and a young pedestrian in the 13800 block of 64 Avenue. Police say the child didn't survive despite the life-saving efforts from paramedics. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and is co-operating with the investigation. Police say the roads and intersections in the vicinity of the crash are likely to be shut down for a significant portion of the night due to the investigation. Surrey police ar

Police say they are looking for a group of migrants who were inside a vehicle that collided near the Canada-U.S. border in southern Quebec. Authorities were called early Sunday to the scene in Hemmingford, Que., north of the New York border, where an SUV with two people collided with a vehicle carrying at least 10. The 48-year-old driver of the SUV was arrested for impaired driving. Provincial police spokesperson Sgt. Stéphane Tremblay alleges the people in the second vehicle are believed to be migrants who illegally crossed the border from the United States. He says four people from the migr

Two Edmonton men have been charged with human trafficking after police say several foreign workers were forced to clock up to 90 hours a week without proper pay. R-C-M-P say they started investigating last summer after receiving a complaint about exploitative working conditions at a gas station and motel owned by the men. The motel is in the northwestern town of Fox Creek, while the gas station is in Calmar, southwest of Edmonton. A 55-year-old man and his 26-year-old son face a total of five charges, and police say they're also looking into allegations of money laundering.

Statistics Canada said Friday that the unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percentage point to 6.9 per cent in June as the economy added some 83,000 jobs. The vast majority of those jobs were part-time, the agency said, with 47,000 positions added in the private sector. A Reuters poll of economists heading into Friday’s release had expected the jobless rate would rise to 7.1 per cent in June as employment levels held flat. The June figures buck the recent slowdown in the labour market. Last month was the first significant job gain since January and snapped a streak of three consecutive m

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Canadian government will "steadfastly" defend workers and businesses following the latest trade threats by U.S. President Donald Trump. In a post on social media, Carney says Canada will continue to work to secure a trade deal with the U.S. by a revised deadline of Aug. 1. In a letter to Carney on Thursday, Trump threatened to impose 35 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods by that date, evidently setting a new deadline for the trade talks that had been looking to wrap by July 21. Trump wrote if Canada works to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States h