Canada will seek to admit 401,000 new permanent residents next year, a target that if met would be a historic number of newcomers. But how realistic that plan is in an era of closed borders, a massive economic downturn and reduced capacity within the federal government to handle applications remains to be seen. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino unveiled the government's latest immigration targets today in a report tabled to Parliament. Between 2021 and 2023, the goal is to admit upwards of 1.2 million new permanent residents. The plan tabled in Parliament did not break out the targets f

The Manitoba government is ordering many businesses in the Winnipeg region to close after a record increase in COVID-19 cases. The province is reporting 480 new COVID-19 cases, more than double the previous daily record. Starting Monday, bars and restaurants in the Winnipeg region will only be allowed to offer takeout and delivery. Movie theatres and concert halls will be closed and most retail stores will be limited to 25 per cent capacity. Elective and non-urgent surgeries in the Winnipeg region are being cancelled, and hospital visits across Manitoba are being suspended. Case numbers in th

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says if Canadians continue their current rates of contact, COVID-19 case counts will reach eight-thousand per day by December. Dr. Tam says further restrictions and closures may be needed in communities where the virus is surging. Quebec is reporting 952 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 more deaths today while Quebec is reporting 896 new cases and another nine deaths. Ontario Premier Doug Ford's constituency office is being deep-cleaned and will be closed for the foreseeable future after some staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The premier's off

The pace of economic growth in Canada slowed in August as real gross domestic product grew 1.2 per cent in the month, Statistics Canada said Friday. The rise compared with a revised 3.1 per cent gain in July, up from its initial reading for the month of 3.0 per cent. The report came as the agency also released a preliminary estimate for a gain of 0.7 per cent in September to bring growth in the third quarter to about 10 per cent. Economists on average had expected an increase of 0.9 per cent for August, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. TD Bank senior economist Sri Thanabalasingam

A 50 year old Fredericton man says he is sorry he shot and killed four people in August 2018. Matthew Raymond is on the witness stand for a third day as he stands trial for four counts of first-degree murder. Yesterday he told the jury he thought the people around him were demons coming to kill him, but today says he no longer believes in the presence of demons. The defence admits Raymond shot Donnie Robichaud, Bobbie Lee Wright and police constables Robb Costello and Sara Burns but argues he should be found not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is condemning what he is calling a deadly terrorist attack in the French city of Nice.French authorities say an attacker armed with a knife killed three people at a church in the Mediterranean city Thursday, prompting the country to raise its security alert status to the highest level.Trudeau says in a Twitter post that Canada stands in solidarity with the French people and denounces the attack as unjustifiable, adding his thoughts are with the loved ones of the victims.Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet called on Trudeau to issue a strong condemnati

A group of Quebec fitness centre owners says its members are no longer planning to open Thursday in defiance of the government's lockdown orders. The owners released a statement today calling on their clients to instead join them in a series of protests outside their gyms and fitness studios on Thursday. On Monday, a coalition of more than 250 gym owners threatened to open their doors this week, prompting a warning from Premier Francois Legault that they and their clients would be fined. This week Legault extended lockdown orders across regions under the government's highest pandemic-alert le

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says it will take quite some time for the economy to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.In its latest economic outlook, the bank says a rapid expansion as the Canadian and global economies re-opened has given way to slower growth.It says Canada's economy won't fully recover what was lost to COVID-19 until 2022 and Macklem says the the path will be uneven over time and across sectors.The economy is forecast to contract by 5.7 per cent this year but grow by 4.2 per cent next year and 3.7 per cent in 2022.The outlook was issued as the bank kept its over

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet is calling on the government to apologize for legislation that remains controversial 50 years after its passage during the October Crisis in Quebec. In October 1970, the Liberal government under then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau decided to suspend civil liberties by invoking the War Measures Act in response to the kidnapping of a Quebec cabinet minister and a British diplomat by members of the militant FLQ separatist group.The legislation, passed at the request of the Quebec premier and Montreal's mayor, saw soldiers patrolling the streets as auth