Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is once again urging Israel and Iran to prevent their long-running conflict from spiralling into a broader Middle East crisis. She is calling for de-escalation and has co-signed a lengthy statement that touches on the Israel-Hamas war, the humanitarian plight in Gaza and attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen. The statement was issued in Italy by foreign ministers from the Group of Seven, which represents like-minded, wealthy countries such as the United States and France. The ministers condemn Iran for attacking Israel with missiles that were almost ent

Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Guilbeault is taking the stand after Tuesday's federal budget promised to amend the Financial Administration Act so government payments accepted for deposit at Canadian banks will carry whatever title the government wants. "The fact that they haven't been doing it now for many years led us to take this position," Guilbeault said. His department has been battling with banks for almost two years o

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is finally set to present the federal budget in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, showcasing how the government plans to win back support from disgruntled Canadians worried about the cost of living. The Liberal government has already unveiled significant planks of the budget over the last few weeks during a campaign-style pre-budget tour aimed at drumming up attention for their agenda. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged the upcoming spending plan will earmark billions of dollars to build more homes, expand child care, beef up the military and

The federal leader of the New Democrats is insisting his party's position on carbon pricing remains unchanged. But Jagmeet Singh is refusing to say explicitly whether he supports Canadians having to pay it on consumer items like gasoline. Singh met with reporters today for the first time since a speech last week created confusion about the NDP position on the federal consumer levy on fuel. In it, Singh sang the praises of "affordable, low-carbon options" and vowed to "not punish people" who can't change how they heat their homes or get to work. He later said he was trying to emphasize initiati

The federal government is doubling its investment to train urban firefighters to battle wildfires a growing threat to Canada's cities and towns. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the government is giving $800,000 to the International Association of Fire Fighters to conduct additional training. That's twice the sum spent last year on 25 instructors who then trained more than 300 firefighters in Chilliwack and Kamloops, B.C, and Grand Prairie, Alta. The impacts of climate change and population growth are combining to increase the risk that wildfires happen in or near urban areas

Vancouver police say they're investigating a suspected overnight homicide in the city's south end. Police say they were called to a report of gun shots around 11 p.m. Friday at the intersection of East 55th Avenue and Main Street. They say officers found the body of 24-year-old Chirag Antil in a vehicle. Police say there have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to come forward.

After reporting dismal first-quarter sales, Tesla is planning to lay off about a tenth of its workforce as it tries to cut costs, multiple media outlets reported Monday. CEO Elon Musk detailed the plans in a memo sent to employees. The layoffs could affect about 14,000 of the 140,473 workers employed by the Austin, Texas, company at the end of last year. Musk's memo said that asTesla prepares for its next phase of growth, it needs to look at every aspect of the company for cost cuts and increased productivity, The New York Times and CNBC reported. News of the layoffs was first reported by e

The first instalment of the 2024 Canada carbon rebate will be delivered to some Canadians today as long as they filed their taxes by the middle of March. Canadians living in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and all four Atlantic provinces will receive the first of four instalments today if they filed their 2023 taxes by March 15. Those who filed their taxes since March 15 will see their first instalment on May 15, while those who file after today will wait until June or July. The payments are based on household size and for a family of four range from $190 in New Brunswick to $450 in

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn't understand why the federal New Democrats are pulling back their support for the carbon price, though he acknowledges they are facing political headwinds. New Democrats have long been supporters of the climate policy, and even campaigned on it in the 2019 election. But this week, the NDP shifted its position, saying carbon pricing is not the "be-all, end-all" and encouraging premiers to come up with new ideas to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The NDP also backed a non-binding Conservative motion demanding that Trudeau sit down with provincial and