CanadaOct 22, 2020
New Tory motion could trigger second confidence showdown for Liberal minority
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is brushing off concerns his party is setting up Parliament for yet another confidence vote.The Conservatives are using another chance they get this week to set the House of Commons agenda to propose a motion calling for a sweeping probe by the House of Commons health committee of a host of issues relating to the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.The motion is so broad and the demand for documents so massive that the Liberals are expected to argue that its passage would paralyze the government the same argument used to declare an earlier Conservat
CanadaOct 22, 2020
SIU investigating after teens allegedly open fire on officers during search
Toronto police say the Special Investigations Unit is investigating after several people, including two teen boys, allegedly opened fire on officers who were searching a home. Police say the incident happened early Wednesday morning in the city's east end. They say that while officers were in the home, as many as five occupants fired multiple rounds at police. Two boys, aged 14 and 15, and three 19 year olds have been charged with discharging a firearm with intent to wound, endanger life or prevent arrest. Toronto police did not provide any details about injuries, but they note that officers
CanadaOct 21, 2020
Federal Green party to vote against Conservative motion
The federal Green party will vote against a Conservative motion to form a committee to investigate Liberal spending on COVID-19. The three Green votes would all but assure defeat of the Tory motion. The Liberals said the motion meant the Trudeau government had lost the confidence of Parliament. When a government loses a confidence vote, an election quickly ensues. The Bloc Quebecois earlier indicated its members would back the Tories. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh would not say if his party will vote with the Liberals. But he did say he would not allow the Liberals to be able to hold an election.
CanadaOct 21, 2020
Liberals survive confidence vote, avert imminent election
There will be no fall federal election. A motion by the Conservatives to form a committee to investigate Liberal COVID-19 spending has been defeated. The Liberals deemed it to be a confidence motion, which could have sparked an election if it passed. It was defeated in a vote of 180 to 146. The Conservatives had dubbed their proposed committee as an ``anti-corruption'' committee, which prompted the Liberals to say that made it a confidence matter. The Conservatives then tried to amend the name, but that amendment was defeated before the main vote today. But those opposition MPs made it clear
CanadaOct 20, 2020
Police in Ottawa area arrest 16 in connection with wholesale drug trafficking
A nine-month investigation has led to 16 arrests and 138 criminal charges, mainly drug-trafficking counts, in eastern Ontario and Quebec, police say. The Ontario Provincial Police say they executed 12 search warrants in Ottawa as well as Gatineau and Luskville, Que., last Thursday with help from the Surete du Quebec. Police say they were targeting wholesale drug sellers linked with criminal networks in Ontario, including outlaw motorcycle gangs, as well as Ottawa and Quebec-based criminal organizations supplying drugs to mid-level traffickers and street gangs. In the raids police say they sei
CanadaOct 20, 2020
Trudeau hands out advice on Halloween, saying 'sacrifice' necessary for many
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his children are not going trick-or-treating for Halloween this year. He says this is because Ottawa, where he and his family live, is considered a COVID-19 hot spot and local public health officials have advised against children going door-to-door this year. He says his children might take part in a hunt for candy around the house instead. Trudeau says he understands how frustrating the pandemic is for parents and children but stressed it is important to listen to the guidance of local public health officials. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health o
CanadaOct 20, 2020
Ford appeals for people with symptoms in COVID-19 hot spots to get tested
Premier Doug Ford is encouraging anyone with COVID-19 symptoms who lives in a virus hot spot to get tested. Ford says the province has set up additional testing units in those regions but some people seem to be holding back from getting an assessment. His comments come as the province reports that it conducted 24,049 tests in the last day, with nearly the same amount being processed. Ford says the province now has the capacity to process up to 50,000 tests per day and has eliminated its testing backlog. He says the government would like to see more people getting tested in regions where the vi
CanadaOct 20, 2020
Ottawa commits $12 million help small business owners
Ottawa is committing 12-million-dollars to a fund to help small business owners respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money is to be made available through the Canada United Small Business Resilience Fund. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he knows things have been challenging for small business owners. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the resilience and creativity shown by small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic is an inspiration. The new federal funding will help small business owners buy personal protective equipment, renovate their spaces to respond to local public health me
CanadaOct 20, 2020
Conservatives to amend motion on COVID-19 committee to avoid confidence vote
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says he's willing to change the name and mandate of a proposed committee to probe COVID-19 relief programs to make it clear his party doesn't want to force an election. The Liberals have said that in pushing for an "anticorruption committee", the Tories are effectively saying they've lost confidence in the government, so the vote on setting it up ought to be one of confidence.That means if the Tories get the support of the Bloc Quebecois and NDP for the motion, they could topple the government.O'Toole says the Liberals' approach is nonsense and Canadians shoul