The Bank of Canada has increased the interest rate by 0.25 percent today.This is the first hike since January this year.After the new rate hike, the central bank's prime interest rate has risen to 4.75 percent.This has made all types of loans expensive.In March this year, the central bank put a conditional pause on rate hikes and predicted that the Canadian economy would slow under the measures taken to control inflation, but the economy in the first quarter of this year was much stronger than the central bank's estimate. After which the interest rate has been increased again.The central bank

The Trudeau government is earmarking $1.5 million for LGBTQ community organizations to boost security measures at Pride parades and other events this summer.The money matches a request by a national umbrella group, Fierté Canada Pride, which will distribute it to local committees that apply.The funding can be used for expenses such as vehicle and crowd control, barricades, fees for paid-duty police or private security.Organizations supporting gender and sexual minorities across Canada have ramped up their security after a documented rise in hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people, and physical con

Former governor general David Johnston says he will begin holding public meetings next month on foreign interference attempts in Canada's elections.Johnston, whom Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed to investigate the issue, is appearing before a parliamentary committee today for a marathon three hours of testimony.Johnston released a report last month that found significant shortcomings in the way the federal government handles intelligence about alleged foreign meddling.Opposition parties agree that the 2019 and 2021 federal election results were not compromised, but they still say a pub

The Canadian Transportation Agency says Flair Airlines Ltd. has the highest number of complaints per 100 flights of all the major airlines in Canada, as airlines have had a rocky recovery year with delayed and cancelled flights. Between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, Flair saw an average of 15.3 complaints per 100 flights.Back in March, Flair saw four of its leased planes seized because of overdue payments, causing hundreds of cancelled flights.Sunwing Airlines Inc. came second at 13.8 complaints per 100 flights, and Swoop Inc. was third at 13.2.Meanwhile, WestJet had 6.6 complaints per 100

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser says India is among the top sources of foreign interference in Canada.Jody Thomas says "a number of state actors and non-state proxies" are conducting foreign interference in Canada, and at a conference last week she listed three countries that Ottawa has frequently cited: China, Russia and Iran.But Thomas also specifically mentioned India, a country the Liberals highlighted in their Indo-Pacific strategy as a priority for establishing closer economic and scientific ties.Federal agencies have in recent years warned that India may try to

NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East) released a statement and said that following concerning reports of Punjabi international students facing deportation orders due to a targeted exploitation scheme by a fraudulent immigration agent, her office has been working with the Canadian Federation of Students, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, and Migrant Rights Network to advocate for impacted students so they can stay in Canada.She said that last week, she wrote to the Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Public Safety to urge the government to i

Almost 700 firefighters from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are set to arrive in Canada over the next two weeks to help with the unusually severe start to the wildfire season.There are already more than 500 international firefighters, incident commanders and other workers in Alberta, which has been battling multiple severe fires since early May.Most of the additional help will also go to Alberta, though some are being sent to Nova Scotia where out-of-control fires have been wreaking havoc since last weekend.Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says the

The federal government is proclaiming a National Day Against Gun Violence, to be held annually on the first Friday of June.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and representatives of the Toronto Raptors basketball team are set to discuss the plans today at an event in Toronto.The government says the goal of the national day is to raise awareness and foster a national discussion about the causes and effects of gun violence.It comes as the Senate reviews a government bill that would cement restrictions on handguns, increase penalties for firearm trafficking, try

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed a new head of the federal public service.John Hannaford, who is currently the deputy minister of natural resources, will become clerk of the Privy Council next month.Janice Charette, the current clerk, is set to retire June 24 after nearly 40 years in the public service, including as Canada's envoy to Britain.Hannaford was also a deputy minister of international trade and a foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, and served as Canada's ambassador to Norway from 2009 to 2012.Trudeau says in a statement that Hannaford brings a wealth of experience and a str