Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says Canada may fast-track applications to come to Canada from people in the earthquake zones of Turkey and Syria.Two major earthquakes rocked southwestern Turkey and northwestern Syria in a matter of hours on Monday, destroying thousands of buildings.The confirmed death toll keeps rising, with more than 19,000 people killed and at least another 64,000 injured.Tens of thousands more are homeless in the middle of winter and struggling to access food, water and shelter.Fraser says his department is trying to understand the effect on applicants already in Canada's

Humanitarian groups that have been supporting Ukrainian refugees are calling on Ottawa to extend a special immigration program that allows people fleeing Ukraine to temporarily live, work and study in Canada.The program provides Ukrainians and their families with a visa to stay in Canada for up to three years while they figure out their next steps, but applications are due to close on March 31.As of Jan. 29, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since the Russian invasion of their country last year.Four organizations that represent Canadian volunteers, hosts and sponsors have wri

Ottawa's city council has approved a motion to reopen the street in front of Parliament Hill to traffic a year after it was closed off following the "Freedom Convoy" protests.Wellington Street, which was blocked by demonstrators during the weeks-long convoy protests last winter, will reopen no earlier than March 1.The city's transportation committee voted in favour of the same motion last month, and it was brought to the city council this morning for final approval.Councillors also voted to put in new infrastructure, including a temporary bike lane, and to explore closures of the street for su

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will increase federal health-care transfers to the provinces by $196 billion over the next 10 years, though only about one-quarter of that is new, previously unexpected money.Trudeau made this offer to the premiers today at a meeting in Ottawa.He says it will include an immediate and unconditional top-up of $2 billion to the Canada Health Transfer to ease the intense pressure on hospitals.The proposal includes a promise to increase the annual Canada Health Transfer over the next decade by another $17 billion above previous commitments.As well,

A new poll finds one-third of Canadian households say their financial situation has worsened over the last year.According to a Leger poll commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies, 34 per cent of Canadian households say they're financially worse off compared with a year ago.The majority of respondents, 58 per cent, said their financial situation is about the same as it was a year ago.Meanwhile, nine per cent report their financial situation has improved.Quebecers were the least likely to report their financial situation has worsened, while respondents in British Columbia were the mo

Ottawa is spending $2 million for an international organization to provide First Nations with options around identifying possible human remains buried near residential schools.A statement from the office of Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller says it is signing a technical agreement with the International Commission on Missing Persons.Based out of The Hague, the organization works in different countries to help identify the remains of those who have disappeared or been killed in conflicts and disasters, including after the 2013 Lac-Megantic rail disaster in Quebec.Miller's office s

Ottawa says Canada will contribute $10 million to earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria as part of an initial aid package.International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says the federal government is conducting a needs assessment for further aid and is also considering deploying the country's disaster assistance response team to help with rescue operations.The death toll of Monday's earthquake has surpassed 5,300 and is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue.The powerful 7.8 magnitude quake, which was followed by strong aftershocks, has levelled thousands of buildi

A Boeing 737 air tanker owned by a British Columbia company has crashed in western Australia while on deployment to a fire. Coulson Aviation, based in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, says in a statement that both pilots walked away from the accident and have been medically assessed. The statement says the company is offering all the support it can to its local and international crews and is grateful to its firefighting and aviation industry colleagues in Australia. Coulson announced last month that it had been awarded a contract to provide its Boeing 737 Flatliner, designated tanker 139,

Opposition parties say the public deserves answers about a Chinese balloon’s incursion over Canadian territory. The federal government is offering few details about the balloon’s flight over Canada before the U.S. military revealed its presence over the western state of Montana last week. While Beijing says it was a weather research balloon that got blown off course, Ottawa and Washington are alleging that it was being used to spy on sensitive military sites. The Liberal government has confirmed it flew into Canadian airspace from Alaska before crossing back into the Western U.S., but it w