The federal government is investing more than $46 million over the next five years to explore and protect Canada's oceans. Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray says understanding of the marine environment is "relatively meagre" because oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Speaking at a news conference at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Vancouver, Murray said the investment will give Canada a clearer picture of how ecosystems are changing and how resources can be managed sustainably. The funding will come from the government's $3.5-billion Ocean Protection Plan. Kate

The Crown wants the Quebec sexual assault case involving Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygaard to proceed more quickly. Nygaard's case has been adjourned for months as he faces charges in Toronto and the United States, and prosecutor Jerome Laflamme told a Quebec court judge today that the complainant wants to pursue legal action. Nygaard, 81, was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act following nine sexual assault-related charges in New York. He will stand trial in Toronto in September 2023 on charges of sexual assault and confinement. Nygaard will face trial in Quebec fo

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is "ready" to provide help after powerful earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, killing thousands of people. In a statement, Trudeau called the reports and images from Turkey and Syria "devastating" and expressed his thoughts for those affected. More than 2,600 people have been killed so far and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers and residents search for survivors of Monday's earthquake. It was Turkey's worst earthquake this century and came before sunrise in bitterly cold weather, followed by another magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the after

As a massive arctic air mass sweeps across the eastern half of Canada today, Environment Canada issued a long list of extreme cold warnings covering six provinces across the two territories.Government and private agencies are scrambling to provide shelter to those in need as temperatures are expected to range from -40 degrees Celsius to -50 degrees Celsius in many areas.In Nova Scotia, Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard said residents in Halifax could face icy gusts that could feel like -43 degrees Celsius.P.E.I. Residents are also being warned of bitterly cold conditions that could

The Senate has passed the Online Streaming Act, known as Bill C-11, with a dozen amendments after a lengthy study.The bill would update Canada's broadcasting rules to reflect online streaming giants like YouTube, Netflix and Spotify, and require them to contribute Canadian content and make it accessible to consumers in Canada, or face stiff fines. canCanadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says he expects the House of Commons to pass the bill next week after reviewing the Senate's changes.The senators introduced amendments aimed at protecting user-generated content and highlighting the prom

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to decide whether military judges are truly independent.The Supreme Court of Canada issued its ruling this morning in response to an appeal by several service members whose criminal cases are pending.As per the rules, the court provided an explanation for its decision to hear the case, which is a 2018 case when a top army judge was accused of fraud.Although the case against Colonel Mario Dutil was eventually dismissed, it set off a series of events that led to tensions between the remaining military judges and then-Defense Chief General Jonathan Vance.The

Defence Minister Anita Anand confirms the country will send four of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The announcement comes one day after Germany announced it would send battle tanks to Ukraine and would also approve requests from other countries looking to do the same. Ukraine has been asking Western allies for weeks to send battle tanks as its forces struggle to make gains against Russia. But Canada was unable to respond until Germany gave its approval.

Social Development Minister Karina Gould says Service Canada has eliminated 98 per cent of the massive backlog of passport applications. Most new passport applications were being processed on time by October, but thousands of applications before then were backlogged, with would-be travellers facing excessive delays. Gould expects more Canadians to apply for passports in the next few years because the first ones issued with a 10-year expiry date will come up for renewal in July. She is in Hamilton, Ontario for a three-day cabinet retreat, which is also focused on the war in Ukraine and inflati

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada is working with allies to help Ukraine, but refused to say whether that means sending along battle tanks to Kyiv. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also wouldn't say whether Canada wants to send tanks. Speaking at a cabinet retreat in Hamilton, Ontario, Freeland only said that Ukraine winning the war with Russia would boost the global economy. Her remarks come after Germany and the U-S said they are taking steps to send tanks to Ukraine.