Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says an Israeli military offensive into the densely populated area where some 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge in the Gaza Strip would be "catastrophic."He says in a joint statement with the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand that the impact of an incursion into Rafah would be "devastating" and there is "simply nowhere else for civilians to go."The three say Israel should not go down this path and it must listen to its friends and the international community.They are also calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and note an International

Canadian families will get between $760 and $2,160 in carbon price rebates this year as the carbon price itself gets hiked another $15 per tonne. The price increase will add another 3.3 cents to a litre of gasoline and about 2.9 cents to a cubic metre of natural gas. Most families will see a bigger rebate as a result $64 more every three months in Alberta, and $36 more in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. But the move to lift carbon pricing from heating oil for three years, along with overpayments last year, mean people in all Atlantic provinces except New Brunswick will see a dip in the amo

Canadian exports of the kind of coal used to make electricity hit an eight-year high in 2022, even as the Liberals have promised to work on banning exports completely by the end of the decade. The Liberals made the promise during the 2021 election and it was listed in Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault's mandate letter that December. In the year that followed, Canada exported more than eight million tonnes of domestically produced thermal coal, a 60 per cent increase over 2021 and more than eight times what was exported in 2018. That year, thermal coal exports hit a low of one million tonn

Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada will send Ukraine $60 million to support its F-16 fighter aircraft.The government says the money is part of the $500 million in military support announced last spring. Blair says the money will help source supplies and equipment for the F-16 fighters, such as spare parts and ammunition. He made the announcement as NATO allies gather in Brussels for ministerial meetings. Blair says the latest contribution builds on last month's announcement to help train Ukrainian pilots fly the F-16. As the two-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion nears, Bla

Thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers in countries like Canada, USA and UK are going on a one-day strike today on Valentine's Day. The organization that leads them in Canada, Rider Fair Two, says that its members here in Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg are joining the strike. According to Rider Fair Two, Uber and Lyft drivers are underpaid. Many ride share drivers in Toronto are making just $6.37 an hour, while Ontario's minimum wage is $16.55 an hour. However, Ober says that he does not expect the strike to have much impact on Valentine's Day. This is because most drivers are satisfied.

Manuelle Oudar is joining the Senate's ranks after most recently serving with a Quebec government commission on workplace equity, health and safety. Trudeau's office describes her as a respected lawyer, leader and advocate for justice who had a long public-service career in the province. An independent advisory board recommended Oudar's candidacy to the prime minister and the Governor General appointed her. She is the 81st person to be appointed under that selection process, which Trudeau brought in after coming into power. Nearly three-quarters of current senators were appointed during Trudea

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the Liberal government must introduce legislation for a national pharmacare plan by March 1 or risk breaking the supply-and-confidence agreement that has allowed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government to remain in power. Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Singh argued that universal pharmacare would not only expand health care but also help families cope with rising costs. “Pharmacare is a tool to fight inflation,” Singh said, warning that failure to act would carry consequences for the government. Singh pointed to the federal commission

There has been a stir with former US President Donald Trump's comment on NATO. Trump recently said during a rally in South Carolina that the US may not be able to protect NATO allies who are not spending the budget according to their defense commitments. The Minister of Defense of Canada commented very carefully on this comment of Trump. Bill Blair said that he doesn't think that they need to overreact to this but need to make sure that they keep their coalition strong. Trump's comments are important because he is expected to return to the White House and Canada is lagging behind other NATO

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has been embroiled in controversy over ArriveCAN, which was released during the Covid-19 pandemic.The Auditor General of Canada says there was mismanagement in the contract, development and implementation of the ArriveCAN app, making it impossible to determine the final cost of the app.However, the Auditor General put the cost at an estimated $59.5 million, while the Canada Border Services Agency said the estimated cost to build and operate the app was $54 million.