Defence Minister Anita Anand wouldn't tell a virtual conference hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce when the government will meet the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP. She would only say that Canada is on an ``upward trajectory'' when it comes to meeting the target first agreed to in 2014 as well as modernizing NORAD. Anand also says she's in the process of working on the "unwritten chapter" of Canada's defence strategy: modernizing the outdated continental defence system it shares with the U.S. She says Canada intends to work closely with domestic defence contractors in orde

Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre is denouncing the so-called ``white replacement theory'' that is fuelling racism in the US. He calls it ``ugly and disgusting hate-mongering.'' In a statement to The Canadian Press, he also condemned the deadly shooting rampage at a store in Buffalo that left 10 people dead, mostly Black. US law enforcement is investigating the shooter's online posts, which include the conspiracy theory that there's a plot to diminish the influence of white people in America by bringing in more non-white immigrants. Poilievre was responding to a tweet by fel

A driver who struck and killed a woman and her three young daughters in Brampton nearly two years ago has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. Brady Robertson will receive nearly three years in credit for time already served awaiting trial, bringing the total down to 14 years and two months. Prosecutors sought a 23-year prison sentence for Robertson, and a lifetime driving ban. At a sentencing hearing last month, Robertson apologized for his actions, saying he was ``deeply tormented'' by the June 18th, 2020 crash.

The minister of Indigenous services says it's important Pope Francis is honouring his commitment to visit Canada this summer to issue an apology for the Roman Catholic Church's role in residential schools. The Vatican says the the pontiff will be visiting Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit on a trip from July 24 to 29. Survivors and leaders were hoping a visit to the former Kamloops residential school site would be included. Patty Hajdu says the visit is welcomed but the federal government will not step in to dictate where the Pope should visit.The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops says i

The Vatican says Pope Francis will stop in Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut during his visit to Canada this summer. It says the capital cities of Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit will act as bases for the trip from July 24 to 29. The visit comes after the Pope's historic apology last month for the Roman Catholic Church's role in residential schools in Canada. Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, general coordinator of the trip for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, says it will be another important step for healing and reconciliation. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said the

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will deploy a general and six staff officers to join NATO's multinational division. Canada leads NATO's battle group in Latvia with 695 armed forces members.Trudeau says Canada's contributions to NATO's defence will give Russian President Vladimir Putin pause about expanding aggression into NATO territory. Trudeau announced the additional resources during a joint news conference with Latvia's prime minister today in Ottawa.

All six candidates running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada will gather on an Edmonton stage tonight for the first of two official debates. And though he missed last week's unofficial sparring in Ottawa so he could sell party memberships, Patrick Brown will take part in tonight's debate. The Brampton, Ontario mayor's opponents include longtime MP Pierre Poilievre, who Brown recently criticized for offering, ``wacky investment advice'' for saying the cryptocurrency Bitcoin was a solution to inflation. Tonight, candidates will field questions on topics such as the futur

Ottawa is chartering three planes to bring Ukrainian refugees from Poland to Canada. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says seats on the flights to Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax will be available on a first come, first served basis. Thousands of Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since Russian forces attacked in late February, and Fraser says it isn't clear how many more will come. The flights are in addition to the commercial options that are being subsidized by a special fund. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the government continues to face logistical challenges in helping Ukrainians w

Some of Canada's biggest automakers say the federal government needs to be more ambitious and co-ordinated in its approach to electric vehicle charging or it won't get as many people into battery-powered cars as it wants to by the end of this decade. The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, which represents Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, is issuing a list of recommendations to Ottawa today warning that EV adoption isn't going to happen if Canadians don't have confidence in the network of charging stations available. Association President Brian Kingston says the government wants ev