An Ontario judge has dismissed two breach of trust charges against a former Liberal MP who had been accused of using his political office for personal gain.Ontario Superior Court of Justice judge Sylvia Corthorn revealed her decision in Raj Grewal's case this morning, bringing an end to the criminal trial that has dragged on since last summer.She said a reasonable jury, properly instructed, would not have been able to render a guilty verdict, and she found Grewal not guilty as a result.Grewal’s lawyer argued in a directed verdict application last month that prosecutors did not present enough

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says he is clawing $82 million in federal health transfers to the provinces for charging patients for services that should have been covered by the public purse.Eight provinces will see reductions in their next health transfer from the federal government over fees charged to patients in 2020 and 2021.Most of the deductions are related to fees for diagnostic services such as MRIs and CT scans.The federal Liberal government enacted a new policy on diagnostic services in 2020 ensuring fees for such tests were covered by the Canada Health Act's single-payer policy.

A Liberal bill to delay the planned expansion of Canada's medically assisted dying regime has passed third reading in the Senate.The expansion, which was originally slated for March 17, would include people whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.Justice Minister David Lametti announced the delay in February, saying more time was needed to ensure health-care professionals and Canadian society were prepared for the expansion.That will now happen one year later, in March 2024.Federal officials say the delay will allow more time to develop practice standards and assessment guidelines

Canada is banning the import of Russian steel and aluminum as part of its sanctions regime.Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says this will help undermine Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.The Department of Industry says Canada imported $208 million in steel products from Russia in 2021 and $79 million last year.Canada also imported $44 million in aluminum from Russia in 2021, followed by $16 million last year.Russia's trade with Canada plummeted in the first 10 months after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, with a 78 per cent per cent drop in exports from the same period one y

The committee of parliamentarians that oversees national security says it has begun a study of foreign interference, following a request from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.In a statement, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians says it will examine the state of foreign interference in Canada's democratic processes since 2018.The review will continue the work done in its previous review of the government's response to foreign interference, which covered the period from 2015 to 2018.The committee says it will also consider the independent report by former public serv

The Quebec RCMP say they are investigating two alleged secret police stations operated by Chinese authorities in the province.In a statement, the federal police force says its Integrated National Security Team has opened investigations into the suspected police stations in Montreal and Brossard, a suburb just south of the city.Sgt. Charles Poirier says Canadians of Chinese origin were victims of activities carried out by the stations, adding that any type of intimidation, harassment or targeting of diaspora communities will not be tolerated.Poirier says the RCMP are carrying out actions aimed

Defence Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa will fast-track the purchase of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-drone weapons for the Canadian military with a mechanism last used during the war in Afghanistan.Anand announced the plan in a keynote speech to the defence community this morning, saying the new weapons are needed now for Canadian troops in Latvia and other parts of Europe.The defence minister also emphasized the need to update Canada's long-term plan for the military.The Liberal government released a defence policy in 2017, at a time when the threat posed by terrorist organizations such

Liberal MP and former cabinet Marc Garneau is resigning after 15 years in politics.He did not answer questions this morning about why he's stepping down, telling reporters he wanted to speak to colleagues at the party's caucus meeting first.Garneau, who was federal transport minister for about five years before serving as foreign affairs minister in 2021, says he will make a speech in the House of Commons later today.He represents the Montreal constituency of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Westmount and was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008.Garneau was one of the first six Canadian astronau

A Canadian engineering giant whose work includes critical military, power and transportation infrastructure across the country has been hit with a ransomware attack.The Department of National Defence says Black & McDonald reported the attack last month, but the company has refused to publicly confirm the incident.The Defence Department and Ontario Power Generation, which also confirmed the attack, say there is no evidence that it compromised sensitive or secret information about their sites and operations.But cybersecurity expert Terry Cutler says the attack is worrying since any secret da