Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is defending his government's response to the crisis in Afghanistan, saying all Canadian diplomats have now left the country. During a campaign event in the Toronto area today, Trudeau revealed that a total of nine flights out of Afghanistan have arrived in Canada over the past few weeks. Trudeau reiterated his promise that Canada would accept 20-thousand Afghan refugees. Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is ruling out the prospect of working with the Taliban. At a campaign event in the Vancouver area today, Singh said Canada should not recognize the group that ha

Seven Manitobans are $100,000 richer as the province today announced the first set of winners in its Vax to Win lottery program. The province started the incentive program in June as a way to encourage people to get vaccinated. The government put up $2 million in prizes broken down by health regions, along with scholarships for youth 12 to 17 years old. Today's winners were people who got their first dose on or before Aug. 2. The next lottery deadline is Sept. 6 for people who have received both doses on or before that date, with winners being announced later that month. The 10 winners of the

New survey results suggest Justin Trudeau's Liberals were clinging to a five-point lead on the eve of the federal election campaign.Thirty-five per cent of decided voters who took part expressed support for the Liberals, 30 per cent for the Conservatives and 20 per cent the NDP.Seven per cent would vote for the Bloc Québécois, which is fielding candidates only in Quebec, while five per cent supported the Greens and two per cent the People's Party of Canada.The online survey of 2,007 Canadians, conducted Aug. 13 to 15 by Leger in collaboration with The Canadian Press, cannot be assigned a mar

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says Canada plans to send military aircraft back into Afghanistan to evacuate Canada-connected Afghans. But Trudeau says the airport in the capital, Kabul, must be secured to combat the chaos that currently exists there. Trudeau says Canadian military aircraft are on standby in Kuwait, waiting until the Kabul airport can be secured so they can extract Afghan citizens who helped the Canadian mission there. Afghans have been flocking to the Kabul airport, desperately trying to get out of the country. Several people are reported to have been killed as they frantical

The federal parties are beginning to lay out their plans to revive the country's economy after months of pain from the COVID-19 pandemic.The Liberals are promising to extend a hiring credit first unveiled in their recent budget, aimed at boosting payrolls.Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole laid out his party's full platform, which similarly aims to create jobs, but also unwinds the Trudeau government's child-care system.Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is promising to pry money out of the pockets of CEOs who saw their compensation rise even as their companies received federal business aid.The

Ottawa is requiring that federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. Dominic LeBlanc, president of the Privy Council, says the government expects employers in federally regulated industries to do the same. There are close to half a million people who work directly for the federal government, a Crown corporation, the military or the RCMP.Nearly a million more work in federally regulated industries, which includes banks and airlines.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a week ago that he had asked the clerk of the Privy Council, the nation's top bureaucrat, to consider the mandate. Tran

The Canadian government is facing urgent calls to speed up its effort to save hundreds of former Afghan interpreters and their families as Western countries step up plans to evacuate Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked if Canada has already shut down its embassy in Kabul, but she would not answer, citing operational security concerns. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says and diplomats and now find themselves in danger as the Taliban sweeps the country. Freeland says the government's priority is ``supporting the brave Afghans who worked f

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is intending to visit Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on Sunday and ask her to dissolve Parliament, triggering an election. The expectation is that the election would take place Sept. 20. The plan was confirmed by a senior Liberal Party of Canada source, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss these matters publicly. There has been speculation about a coming election for months, but the exact timing has been up in the air given the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canad

Support is growing across the country for vaccine passports.Ottawa will launch one this fall for international travel and Quebec is getting ready to introduce its own for people who want to attend public events, or go to a gym, restaurants or bars.Winnipeg Jets fans who want to go to home games will have to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.Calgary Chamber of Commerce president Deborah Yedlin is in favour of vaccine passports, saying they would be an added safety measure as Alberta prepares to scale back testing, masking and isolation requirements on Monday.