Organizers of an upcoming vote on an independent Sikh state say Canada's allegations of an Indian link to the killing of an activist in Surrey have significantly bolstered support for their cause.A lawyer for Sikhs For Justice says many supporters of an independent Sikh state in India had been reluctant to voice their opinions over fear of being labelled terrorists.But Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says discussions about India's possible role in the killing are allowing supporters to discuss the issue without fear.Sikhs For Justice will hold a second round of voting for its unofficial referendum ab

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced new rules aimed at protecting international students from fraud, following an investigation this summer into more than 100 cases involving fake admission letters.The immigration department launched a task force in June to investigate a scheme that dates back to 2017, which saw immigration agents issue fake acceptance letters to get international students into Canada.Of the 103 cases reviewed so far, roughly 40 per cent of students appeared to be in on the scheme, while the rest were victims of it.Miller says schools that accept international stude

A Montreal man who was killed in Israel during a surprise attack by Hamas earlier this month is being remembered as a hero and a "larger-than-life" personality at a funeral today.A casket draped in the flag of Israel was carried into the packed chapel of a Jewish funeral home in Montreal as the service for Alexandre Look began at 2 p.m.Look's father, Alain Look, said his son died a hero while protecting others at the onset of Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7.The 33-year-old was among the hundreds who were killed while attending a musical festival near the border between Israel and Gaza.One o

Quebec City police say a 19-year-old woman was killed in her home early this morning while a 16-year-old boy was seriously injured.Police say doctors fear for the life of the injured teen, who was listed in critical condition.Officers were led to the home in the city's Limoilou district after arresting another 16-year-old for impaired driving and vehicle theft.While looking inside the residence, authorities found the two victims, and the woman was pronounced dead on the scene.Homicide investigators and forensic teams were at the home today and a mobile command post was also deployed, with poli

A Canadian researcher whose criminal conviction in Algeria was criticized by human rights groups has been released from prison after a court reduced his sentence.Raouf Farrah's lawyer, Kouceila Zerguine, says an appeals court in the eastern Algerian city of Constantine reduced his client's prison sentence from two years to eight months, and Farrah, who had been detained since February, was released today with time served.He says Farrah's release is a relief but not a victory and that he is now seeking to have the Algerian Supreme Court review the conviction.Farrah said in a phone interview he'

Global Affairs Canada says it is providing support to the family of a seventh Canadian killed during ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas.Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly's office says Ottawa learned on Wednesday of another Canadian killed in the region, and her department relayed the update in a Thursday morning press release.The federal government confirms that two Canadians remain missing in the region.Officials are not confirming where the death occurred, as Israel continues to fire missiles into the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas militants' Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.Aid g

The Canada Border Services Agency has issued an "armed and dangerous" alert to its officers stationed along the Canada-U.S. border, warning them to be on the lookout for the man suspected of fatally shooting at least 18 people in southern Maine.The shootings were reported Wednesday night in Lewiston, about 260 kilometres southwest of the New Brunswick border.A police bulletin identified the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card, a firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.As a massive search continued today for Card, residents o

Peel police have issued an arrest warrant for a young man who fled police in Brampton in a Jeep and wanted for reckless driving and endangering pedestrians.According to a press release issued by Peel Police, around 10:30 p.m. on October 21, police received several complaints of a vehicle being driven erratically in the College Plaza parking lot in Brampton.When the police reached the spot, they found the driver of a black Wrangler Jeep driving dangerously and recklessly, after which he was stopped by the police and after a brief interaction with the police, he fled the scene.The jeep sped dang

A group of French-language university heads in Quebec is coming to the defence of English schools who say a planned tuition hike for out-of-province students could devastate their finances. The leaders of the Universite de Montreal, Universite Laval, Universite de Sherbrooke, Polytechnique Montreal and HEC Montreal criticize the plan in an open letter published in La Presse today.They denounce ``any measure that would put the very existence of a university at risk.''They also criticize what they describe as characterizations of non-Quebec students as ``cash cows'' and threats to the French lan