The Manitoba government is following other provinces in restricting the use of cellphones in classrooms beginning this school year. There is to be a ban for students in kindergarten to Grade 8, while those in high school will be restricted from using their devices during class time but are free to use them during breaks and lunch. The province says exemptions are to be made for medical or accessibility reasons. The bans are designed to reduce distractions and help students focus in class. Some Manitoba school divisions already had their own bans in place. Saskatchewan announced its decision la

The World Health Organization has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern and experts say it's critical for Canada to respond. The WHO declaration comes as mpox formerly known as monkeypox has spread between several African countries and there are concerns it could spread further. McGill University global health researcher Dr. Madhukar Pai says the current risk to Canadians is low, but it's important to provide funding and resources to help African nations get the outbreak under control. He says it's the way to prevent the virus from travelling and becoming a bigger th

Canada's international trade minister is criticizing the U.S. Department of Commerce for nearly doubling duties on softwood lumber, saying the move is unfair and unwarranted. Minister Mary Ng says the U.S. has significantly increased duties on softwood lumber from Canada, from 8.05 per cent to 14.54 per cent. It's the latest salvo in a bilateral back-and-forth that Ottawa has described as a drag on efforts to improve the cost and supply of housing. Ng says the increase will harm consumers and producers on both sides of the border and called for a lasting resolution to this long-standing disput

Quebec says that starting this fall it will authorize early requests for medical assistance in dying from certain patients before their condition renders them incapable of giving consent. The province has been calling on the federal government to modify the Criminal Code to allow people to make such requests, but Quebec says it won't wait any longer. Quebec adopted a law in June 2023 permitting people with serious and incurable illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease, to ask for MAID while they have the capacity to provide consent, with the procedure being carried out after their condition has

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he plans to look into whether the man accused of plotting a terror attack in Toronto should have his Canadian citizenship revoked. Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested in Richmond Hill, Ont., and face nine terrorism charges including conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. When the RCMP announced the charges on July 31 they said the two men were "in the advanced stages of planning a serious, violent attack in Toronto." The elder Eldidi, who is a Canadian citizen, is also ch

A House of Commons committee will investigate how a man facing terror charges was admitted to Canada and obtained citizenship. Members of Parliament on the national security committee voted unanimously to launch a study on the terror suspects arrested in the Toronto area last month. Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his son Mostafa Eldidi, 26, were arrested in Richmond Hill, Ont., and face nine terrorism charges including conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The RCMP announced the charges on July 31 and said the two men were "in the advanced stag

The Public Health Agency of Canada says a third person has died in a Listeria outbreak connected to Great Value and Silk plant-based milks. The agency says there are now 20 confirmed cases of listeriosis in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta. The Ontario ministry of health previously confirmed the first two deaths happened in that province. It's not yet clear where the third death happened. The affected products include Silk brand almond milk, coconut milk, almond-coconut milk and oat milk, as well as Great Value brand almond milk with best before dates up to and including Oct. 4. Last w

The recently appointed chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission says he has agreed to resign today after an investigation into comments he made in the past related to Israel. The justice minister launched an investigation after Canadian Jewish organizations raised concerns about Birju Dattani's past activities. Dattani has previously denied allegations that he made anti-Israel statements, including what Conservatives characterize as a "justification of terrorism." Justice Minister Arif Virani told Dattani in a letter at the end of July that the results of the investigation ra

The Quebec Liberal Party is proposing that the province adopt its own constitution, a project it says will be "unifying." The idea was announced this morning by members of the party's policy commission Julie White and Antoine Dionne Charest, son of former Quebec Liberal premier Jean Charest. In a video released on social media they say a constitution would assert key elements of "who we are," including the province's language, the powers of the Quebec government and the distinct Civil Code used in civil litigation. Charest says the proposal is in response to polices of the governing Coalition