New polling suggests the majority of Canadians want the federal government to call an independent inquiry into foreign interference in the last two federal elections, but still feel the country's electoral system is safe. Market research firm Leger surveyed 1,544 people between March 10 and 12, asking a range of questions about Canada's electoral system and allegations of foreign interference. The results suggest 71 per cent of Canadians feel the electoral system is safe, while 29 per cent feel it is not. And the majority, 69 per cent of respondents, said they generally trust the results of el

Police allege the driver of a pickup truck that killed two people and injured nine others in the eastern Quebec town of Amqui acted deliberately and with premeditation.Provincial police Sgt. Claude Doiron says the 38-year-old driver will appear in court later today.Doiron said the police investigation suggests the driver swerved from one side of the road to the other over a "certain distance" to hit victims who were chosen at random and who range in age from less than one year to 77.Gérald Charest, 65, and Jean Lafrenière, 73, were killed during the alleged attack.The injured include two chi

An indefinite general strike is underway at Quebec City's Université Laval, where nearly 1,300 professors are off the job.The unionized professors went on strike today after a negotiation blitz between management and their union did not result in a new contract.The most recent collective agreement expired on Dec. 1, and the union has made a number of demands including equitable distribution of positions, better administrative supports, better work-life balance and workload management.The union members voted 94.5 per cent in favour of a strike mandate during a meeting on March 2, when nearly t

The Jesuits of Canada have released a list of priests and brothers they say were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over the past 70 years.The Jesuits, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, released the list of 27 names today following an audit that began in 2020 that looked at documents going back to the 1950s.Of the men named, all but three are dead.The order says in a statement that the release of the names is part of the Jesuits' effort to promote transparency, accountability, justice and healing for survivors of abuse.In most cases, the abuse came to light after the all

An Ontario judge has dismissed two breach of trust charges against a former Liberal MP who had been accused of using his political office for personal gain.Ontario Superior Court of Justice judge Sylvia Corthorn revealed her decision in Raj Grewal's case this morning, bringing an end to the criminal trial that has dragged on since last summer.She said a reasonable jury, properly instructed, would not have been able to render a guilty verdict, and she found Grewal not guilty as a result.Grewal’s lawyer argued in a directed verdict application last month that prosecutors did not present enough

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says he is clawing $82 million in federal health transfers to the provinces for charging patients for services that should have been covered by the public purse.Eight provinces will see reductions in their next health transfer from the federal government over fees charged to patients in 2020 and 2021.Most of the deductions are related to fees for diagnostic services such as MRIs and CT scans.The federal Liberal government enacted a new policy on diagnostic services in 2020 ensuring fees for such tests were covered by the Canada Health Act's single-payer policy.

A Liberal bill to delay the planned expansion of Canada's medically assisted dying regime has passed third reading in the Senate.The expansion, which was originally slated for March 17, would include people whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder.Justice Minister David Lametti announced the delay in February, saying more time was needed to ensure health-care professionals and Canadian society were prepared for the expansion.That will now happen one year later, in March 2024.Federal officials say the delay will allow more time to develop practice standards and assessment guidelines

Canada is banning the import of Russian steel and aluminum as part of its sanctions regime.Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says this will help undermine Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.The Department of Industry says Canada imported $208 million in steel products from Russia in 2021 and $79 million last year.Canada also imported $44 million in aluminum from Russia in 2021, followed by $16 million last year.Russia's trade with Canada plummeted in the first 10 months after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, with a 78 per cent per cent drop in exports from the same period one y

The committee of parliamentarians that oversees national security says it has begun a study of foreign interference, following a request from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.In a statement, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians says it will examine the state of foreign interference in Canada's democratic processes since 2018.The review will continue the work done in its previous review of the government's response to foreign interference, which covered the period from 2015 to 2018.The committee says it will also consider the independent report by former public serv