Housing Minister Sean Fraser says post-secondary institutions will be able to apply for low-interest loans to build student housing starting this fall. Post-secondary institutions will have access to a pre-existing program that offers developers low-cost financing to build rental apartments. The Apartment Construction Loan Program was topped up with an additional $15 billion this fall, bringing the total funding available to $40 billion. Fraser is making the announcement today alongside other cabinet ministers as the House of Commons returns after a winter break. The announcement comes as the

Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada's main opposition party, took sharp aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the first day of proceedings in the House of Commons on Monday. In addition to besieging the government over housing costs and crime, Poilievre also accused Canada of being too divided under Trudeau's administration. Poilievre was speaking on Bill C-234, introduced by his MP Ben Lobb, which calls for the removal of the carbon tax for farmers. Attacking the Trudeau government, he said that if you continue to tax food donors and truckers who supply food, you are taxing all people. He ca

A federal inquiry into foreign interference begins a week of hearings today on the preliminary point of how to handle the shroud of official secrecy around the controversial issue. The inquiry says the initial five days of hearings will help identify ways to make information public, even though much of it comes from classified documents and sources. The discussions on national security and confidentiality of information will help set the stage for the next public hearings, likely to take place at the end of March. The March hearings are intended to delve into allegations of foreign interferenc

The leader of the main opposition in Canada's House of Commons, Pierre Poilievre is going to contest the federal election for a minister of Punjabi origin from the Ontario government.Yesterday Parm Gill has resigned as MLA and Cabinet Minister of the province.Parm Gill said that the people of his constituency wanted him to join Pierre Poilievre.Gill was a two-time MLA from Milton constituency.Premier Doug Ford had previously made him Citizenship and Multiculturalism Minister in 2021 and was Red Tape Reduction Minister at the time of his resignation.Gill said that he decided to submit his resig

The Bank of Canada is set to make its first interest rate announcement of the year this morning. Economists widely expect the central bank will continue holding its key interest rate steady at five per cent. But all eyes will be on governor Tiff Macklem for any hints on when the central bank plans to pivot to rate cuts. The Bank of Canada has held its key interest rate steady at its last three announcements as economic data suggests monetary policy is slowing inflation. However, Canada's annual inflation rate ticked back up in December to 3.4 per cent, complicating the central bank's path. For

Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says former U.S. president Donald Trump is completely in his own world, and if he makes it back to the White House it could spell trouble for Canada. During the NDP's caucus retreat in Edmonton, Singh said Trump operates in his own league, and likened him to an egomaniac who is seeking vengeance on his political enemies. Singh says it's incredibly disturbing to watch it unfold. Trump's rematch with U.S. President Joe Biden became more likely Tuesday after he won the New Hampshire primary, tightening his grip on the Republican presidential nomination. T

The federal New Democrats are holding a three-day caucus retreat in Alberta's capital, a place where the party would like to grow its support. The NDP caucus is set to talk about health care, affordability and the party's next national campaign as MPs get ready for Parliament to return next week. On Monday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh went door-knocking with Edmonton Centre candidate Trisha Estabrooks, a riding the party is hoping to win in the next election. Jennifer Howard, Singh's chief of staff, says the party will also discuss their confidence-and-supply agreement with the minority Liberal g

Canada will reduce the number of international student permits by 35 per cent next year as part of a temporary two-year cap on foreign enrollment, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Monday morning. The cap will cut the number of approved study permits in 2024 to 364,000. The 2025 limit will be reassessed at the end of this year. He said the move would allow them to address institutions and “bad actors” who are charging exorbitantly high tuition fees for international students, all while increasing the number of international students they are accepting. Students applying to masters

Monthly payments for 2024 under the Canada Child Benefit Program have started from Friday. Under this, families receive a tax-free monthly payment to help with the cost of raising children under the age of 18. This program is managed by the Canada Revenue Agency. The amount of Canada Child Benefit received depends on the number of children in the family, their ages and the total income of the family in the previous year. Low-income families can receive about $619 per month for each child under 6 and a total of $7,437 per year, while families with children ages six to 17 can receive $522 per