Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Carignan set to officially become defence chief Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan is set to officially take over command of the Armed Forces this morning in a ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. Carignan will also be promoted to the rank of general during the change-of-command ceremony. She was chosen by the federal government to become Canada's first female defence chief, and she's no stranger to firsts. Carignan was also the first woman to command a combat unit in the Canadian military, and her career

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is headed to China on Friday at the invitation of Beijing, after years of diplomatic strain following the 2018 detention of two Canadians. In recent months, China has urged Canada to work on shared priorities and draw less attention to disagreements. Joly's visit follows Canadian security officials flagging Chinese interference as the country's greatest strategic threat, a charge Beijing rejects. Canadian business leaders have called out Ottawa for being an outlier in restoring high-level dialogue with Chinese leaders, arguing Canada can still raise human

Canada's premiers are wrapping up the summer meeting of the Council of the Federation today. The premiers of the 10 provinces and three territories have been in Halifax for their three-day gathering hosted by Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston. A statement from the premiers says key priorities that have been discussed include housing, affordability and skills training; strategic infrastructure; the future of energy; and emergency preparedness and response. Several premiers have expressed frustration over what they say is a lack of teamwork from the federal government on important files. Alberta P

Quebec RCMP say they seized 62.7 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the walls of a grand piano during searches in the Lanaudière region and the Sherbrooke, Que., area. They arrested four people on July 12 allegedly involved in a conspiracy to import and traffic the drugs, following a tip from Homeland Security Investigations, a United States law enforcement agency. RCMP say they also seized $10,000 in cash and several electronic devices. The four arrested are Billy Donais Cadieux, 26, of St-Félix-de-Valois; Pablo Hernandez, 52, of Baie d'Urfé; Michael Dubois, 37, of St-Denis-de-Brompton; and Ju

Canada's premiers will be in Halifax today to begin three days of scheduled meetings in Nova Scotia's capital. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who is the current chair of the Council of the Federation, is hosting the event in the city's downtown core. Houston told reporters after a cabinet meeting Thursday that premiers will be focused on discussing "key issues" like affordability, housing and infrastructure. He also says he expects to have conversations about the relationships between the provinces and the federal government. A statement from Newfoundland and Labrador's executive council say

Federal officials say rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl that has caused flash floods in the Maritimes is also lowering the risk of wildfires in eastern Canada. So far, this wildfire season is less severe than the record-setting year in 2023. But the risk is high in particular for B.C., Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The number of active fires is growing, and there are now 284 wildfires in Canada, including 135 that are out of control. Just shy of 1.3 million hectares have burned, which is close to the 10-year average for this time of year. Officials say none of the p

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says supervised consumption sites are just "drug dens" and that he will close them if his party forms the next government. Poilievre visited a park near such a site in Montreal this morning and said he would close all locations near schools, playgrounds and "anywhere else that they endanger the public." The first supervised injection site opened in Vancouver more than 20 years ago. The sites are intended to try and prevent overdoses by allowing people to bring drugs to use under the observation of trained staff. A 2011 the Supreme Court ruling said that clo

Pierre Poilievre says NATO allies treated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau like a human piñata at the leaders' summit this week but he still won't commit to the alliance's spending goal. The Conservative leader says Canada has lost its place on the international stage under the Liberal government, and Trudeau lectures the world without doing his part. The prime minister announced Thursday that he expects to hit NATO's defence spending target in 2032 after facing days of pressure at the three-day meeting in Washington, D.C. He did not share details about how Canada will get there. Poilievre says

Heavy overnight rain has caused washed out roads and evacuations in an area of Nova Scotia that suffered flood damage and fatalities a year ago. Emergency alerts were issued overnight Thursday in Digby, Annapolis, Kings and Hants counties, as Environment Canada reported that over 100 mm of rain fell in a few hours, as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl moved through the province. Some communities in the Annapolis Valley reported receiving up to 110 mm of rain, and residents in Windsor, N.S., were once again pumping out their basements. Brett Tetanish, the chief of the Brooklyn volunteer fire depa