CanadaMay 30, 2023
John Hannaford named new clerk of the Privy Council, as Janice Charette retires
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed a new head of the federal public service.John Hannaford, who is currently the deputy minister of natural resources, will become clerk of the Privy Council next month.Janice Charette, the current clerk, is set to retire June 24 after nearly 40 years in the public service, including as Canada's envoy to Britain.Hannaford was also a deputy minister of international trade and a foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, and served as Canada's ambassador to Norway from 2009 to 2012.Trudeau says in a statement that Hannaford brings a wealth of experience and a str
CanadaMay 26, 2023
New system will bring families of immigrants to Canada faster: Fraser
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says the government is using a new system to bring spouses, children and parents of recent immigrants to Canada more quickly.Family members who want to move to Canada can apply to join their sponsor while they wait for their permanent residency to be approved, but they're often denied the necessary visa because of concerns they're unlikely to leave once it expires.The new system uses advanced analytics to identify people who have a permanent residency application in the system and approve their visa to visit Canada more quickly.The minister says he hopes the tu
CanadaMay 26, 2023
Florida man pleads not guilty after Canada-U.S. human smuggling tragedy in Manitoba
A Florida man has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges after the frozen bodies of a family of four migrants were found near the Canada-U.S. border last year.Steve Shand, 48, entered the plea today via videoconference as part of his long-delayed arraignment in Duluth, Minn.Shand faces one count each of bringing people into the U.S. illegally and of transporting them inside the country.He was arrested in January 2022 in a remote area of northern Minnesota, where border agents encountered him with two Indian nationals in a rented passenger van.Just over the border, near Emerson, Man., RC
CanadaMay 25, 2023
Quebec will require economic immigrants to speak French before arriving: Legault
Quebec Premier François Legault says the province will require that the vast majority of economic immigrants to Quebec speak French before they arrive.Sixty-five per cent of immigrants to Quebec come through the economic immigration stream, which is controlled by the province.Legault says his government is also considering increasing the number of immigrants it accepts every year to 60,000 people from 50,000 people, by 2027.He says the rise in immigration would come from people arriving through the economic stream, adding that his government is not considering increasing the number of people
CanadaMay 24, 2023
Canadian MPs ask Trudeau to condemn Pakistan arrest of ex-PM Imran Khan
More than a dozen MPs in the Canada-Pakistan friendship group are urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call out Pakistan's arrest of its former prime minister.Imran Khan, who is now the opposition leader in Pakistan, was arrested earlier this month on corruption and terrorism charges triggering violent protests.The country's supreme court ordered Khan released saying the arrest was illegal.Khan was ousted as prime minister last year in a non-confidence vote he claims without proof was part of an illegal plot orchestrated by Washington and his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.Sixteen
CanadaMay 24, 2023
Trudeau leaves door open for Independent MP Han Dong to come back to Liberal caucus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is leaving the door open should Independent MP Han Dong decide he wants to rejoin the Liberals.The Toronto MP resigned from the government caucus earlier this year, saying he wanted to clear his name following allegations published in media reports.Global News reported, citing unnamed national security sources, that Dong told a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor would benefit the Conservatives.David Johnston, whom Trudeau appointed to investigate the government's response to foreign interference, said that allegation
CanadaMay 23, 2023
Johnston says no to public inquiry on foreign interference
Former governor general David Johnston says there's no need for a formal inquiry into allegations of foreign meddling in the past two federal elections.While he says that could not be done transparently because of the sensitivity of the intelligence involved, he does believe public hearings should be held.Johnston says there are serious shortcomings in the way intelligence is communicated and processed from security agencies through to government.Based on access to classified documents and security agencies, he has concluded that specific accusations of interference were less concerning than m
CanadaMay 19, 2023
Johnston's advice on public inquiry about foreign interference expected Tuesday
Special rapporteur David Johnston is expected to release his decision next Tuesday on whether the federal Liberals should hold a public inquiry on foreign interference.The recommendation is anticipated to be included in an initial report about how the government should proceed with allegations that Canada's last two federal elections were subject to meddling by other countries.Opposition parties' calls for a public inquiry into Chinese meddling have grown louder throughout the year amid a series of media reports shedding light on Beijing's alleged attempts to influence the 2019 and 2021 electi
CanadaMay 19, 2023
WestJet pilots, airline reach tentative deal ahead of strike: Union
A tentative agreement was reached this morning between WestJet and the union representing WestJet pilots.The airline is preparing to resume its operations but the airline says that since many flights have already been cancelled, it will take some time to fully restore operations.Passengers are advised to check the timing and status of their flight in advance.It may be mentioned that yesterday when the talks between the two parties did not reach any result, at that time flights within Canada, between Canada and the US and some oversees flights were also cancelled.