Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will present the Liberal government's federal budget on April 16, as cost-of-living issues continue to dominate Canadian politics.In a news release, Freeland says the government economic plan is about build more homes, making life more affordable and creating good jobs. The spending plan is coming at a time when high interest rates are putting a damper on the economy and raising fiscal pressures on the Liberal government. Freeland recently reiterated her commitment to new fiscal guardrails introduced in the fall that would limit deficits. The federal

Two recent cases of measles in Quebec and Ontario have raised alarms among Canadian health officials, who say the infections were not linked to travel or known exposures. That suggests the disease may already be circulating within some communities. So far, at least nine cases have been confirmed nationally. While experts say the overall risk of a large outbreak is low, they warn that areas with lower vaccination rates remain vulnerable. Federal data shows immunization coverage has slipped over the past decade – with 79 per cent of children receiving both doses of the measles vaccine in 2021,

A federal byelection is being held today in the Ontario riding of Durham to fill the seat left vacant by former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole. O'Toole served as official Opposition leader from August 2020 until February 2022 and left his seat last spring. He was first elected as a member of Parliament in 2012. Jamil Jivani, a lawyer and commentator, is running for the Conservatives to replace O'Toole. The Liberals have nominated Robert Rock, a councillor in Scugog, Ont.. Rock initially sought the Conservative nomination but says he decided to run for the Liberals because the Conservative pa

The Liberal government is extending a program that funds 400 local reporting jobs across the country. Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge says Ottawa will spend another $58.8 million to continue the Local Journalism Initiative until 2027. The program, which provides funding for news organizations to hire local reporters, was first established in 2019. The government says its journalists provide news coverage in underserved communities including Indigenous, official language minority and LGBTQ+ communities. The funding is administered by not-for-profit organizations to protect the independence of

The Government of Canada's National Child Protection Act has passed all stages in Parliament, and is now going to become law soon. The purpose of this law is to protect the funding of the National Child Care System, which would be difficult for any future government to defund. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government announced the establishment of a National Child Care System in 2021. It aims to bring the cost of day care to $10 per day by 2026. However, experts have raised concerns about a lack of spaces to meet the growing demand for subsidized childcare. The federal government announce

The Supreme Court of Canada says police need judicial authorization to obtain a computer's internet protocol address, calling the identification number a crucial link between a person and their online activity. The top court's ruling came today in a case that began in 2017 when Calgary police investigated fraudulent online transactions from a liquor store. The store's third-party payment processor voluntarily gave police two IP addresses numerical identifiers assigned by an internet service provider. Police obtained a production order compelling the service provider to disclose the name and ad

Brian Mulroney, the former Canadian prime minister who struck a free trade deal with the U.S. but whose legacy was marred by revelations of improper business dealings with an arms dealer, has died. Mulroney died peacefully surrounded by family, his daughter Caroline Mulroney posted on social media platform X on Thursday. He was 84. Mulroney had a heart procedure in August and was treated for prostate cancer earlier last year, she said in a social media post in late August 2023. A corporate lawyer turned businessman, Mulroney led the center-right Progressive Conservatives to a historic win in

MPs have voted unanimously to summon the chief executives of Canada's three largest telecommunications companies to testify at a federal committee as it studies the accessibility and affordability of wireless and broadband services. A motion put forward Wednesday at the House of Commons' industry committee meeting by NDP MP Don Davies calls on Tony Staffieri, Mirko Bibic and Darren Entwistle, the CEOs of Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc. and Telus Corp., respectively to appear and answer questions. The committee had previously invited the trio, along with Quebecor Inc. CEO Pierre Karl Pelad

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada will bring back visa requirements for people from Mexico because of a spike in asylum claims in recent years. Miller says Mexicans accounted for 17 per cent of all asylum claimants in 2023, and most of their claims are either rejected or withdrawn by the applicants. Quebec Premier François Legault has been urging Ottawa to make the change, telling the federal government his province is reaching a breaking point because of the number of claims. Mexican citizens flying to Canada will be able to apply for an electronic travel authorization if they h