The federal government is setting aside another $15 billion in the upcoming budget for its apartment construction loan program. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the funding will help build another 30,000 apartments within the next 10 years. The government is also reforming the program to extend loan terms and expand financing to housing for students and seniors. The announcement is part of the Liberals' pre-budget tour of the country. On Tuesday, Trudeau announced a $6-billion infrastructure fund to support homebuilding and a $400 million top-up to the housing accelerator fund. The Liberals

Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole is set to testify this morning at a federal inquiry into foreign interference, alongside three politicians who claim China has targeted them. O'Toole said last spring that Canada's spy agency told him he had been the target of Chinese interference intended to promote false narratives online about his policies and discredit him during the 2019 election. The Tories say security officials never informed the party about these concerns, which O'Toole blames for the loss of eight or nine seats. A government rapporteur found little evidence of such a link. This

A federal inquiry into foreign interference is set to hear from the Independent MP at the centre of allegations about foreign meddling in Canadian elections. Han Dong left the Liberal caucus after it was alleged he willingly participated in Chinese interference efforts and won his seat with Beijing's help in 2019 claims he denies. Special rapporteur David Johnston found last May that there were "irregularities" observed with Dong's 2019 nomination and "well-grounded suspicion" that these were tied to China's Toronto consulate, but that Dong was not aware of these issues. Dong is slated to test

One of seven premiers who asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to pause the consumer carbon price increase is now asking him for a meeting to discuss alternatives. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey penned a letter to Trudeau over the weekend asking for an "emergency meeting of leaders." The four Atlantic premiers and the leaders in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario asked Trudeau not to increase the federal consumer carbon price by $15 per tonne today. Many of them have long opposed any carbon levy, but say the affordability crisis plaguing Canadians is reason to halt the increase.

Former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister Benoît Pelletier has died in Mexico at age 64. In a statement announcing his death, his family described him as an attentive husband and devoted father who was deeply committed to Quebec and the French language. Pelletier was a well-known University of Ottawa law professor when he made the leap into provincial politics in 1998 by winning a seat in the western Quebec Chapleau riding for Jean Charest's Liberals. He presided over the Liberal party's special committee on Quebec's political and constitutional future, and was considered the father of the Chare

The federal government's pre-budget charm offensive is back for a second straight day this time aimed at parents and child care providers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government plans to provide more than $1 billion in low-cost loans, grants and student loan forgiveness to expand child care across Canada. Trudeau made the announcement in Surrey, B.C., part of the Liberal government's effort to win back support among younger voters and middle-class families. He says an additional $60 million will be set aside for non-repayable grants for eligible child care centres to build new space

Four of Ontario's largest school boards have launched lawsuits against the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and TikTok alleging the social media platforms are disrupting student learning. The lawsuits claim the platforms are negligently designed for compulsive use and have rewired the way children think, behave and learn, leaving teachers and schools to manage the fallout. The allegations in the lawsuits filed in Ontario Superior Court have not been proven. The school boards suing are the Toronto District School Board, the Peel District School Board, the Toronto Catholic Distr

Quebec provincial police are investigating after two bodies were found in a home in the Laurentians region. The bodies were found about 9:15 a.m. inside a residence in Lac-Supérieur, Que., about 105 kilometres northwest of Montreal. Provincial police spokesperson Camille Savoie says the two people were transported to hospital where they were declared dead. Savoie says the deaths are considered suspicious. The crimes against persons unit has taken over the investigation. Police are not commending on the cause or circumstances surrounding the two deaths.

The federal government wants to support those who rent their homes with a protection fund, a bill of rights and a plan to give reliable renters credit when they step up to by a home. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there's something fundamentally unfair about paying $2,000 a month for rent, while those paying the same for a mortgage get equity and build their credit score. The measures are part of next month's federal budget and include a $15-million Tenant Protection Fund, which would pay provincial legal aid groups to help tenants against unfairly rising rents, 'renovictions' or bad landl