Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Art McDonald has been named as the next head of the Canadian Armed Forces. This announcement has ended the months of speculation about who would succeed General Jonathan Vance. The appointment also ends a long drought for the Navy, which has been passed over numerous times in favour of appointments from the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says McDonald will oversee the role of the Canadian Armed Forces in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he knows the country's top experts have upheld the highest standards in Health Canada's approval of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. The Moderna shot is the second to be greenlit in Canada, following the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 9th. Trudeau says deliveries from Moderna should arrive in the coming days. He says between the earlier doses of the Pfizer vaccine and the upcoming shipments, Canada is on track to have at least 1.2 million doses of the two shots by the end of January. Health Canada says the COVID-19 vaccine from U.S. biotech f

Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.4 per cent in October, its sixth consecutive month of growth. The increase followed growth of 0.8 per cent in September. Economists had expected an increase of 0.3 per cent for October, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. Both goods-producing and service-producing sectors were up overall in October, but Statistics Canada report notes declines in manufacturing and food services. Despite the growth, the Canadian economy remains about four per cent below where it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics Canada says its preli

Health Canada has approved a second COVID-19 vaccine for use in Canada. Up to 168,000 of the drug developed by US biotech firm Moderna are due to arrive in Canada before the end of the month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said deliveries could begin within 48 hours of approval. The vaccine approval follows the greenlighting of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine on December 9th. Moderna anticipates starting shipments to Canada within the next 48 hours. Up to 168,000 doses are set to arrive by the end of December, and two million by the end of March.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says "the whole research community" is working on the newly detected strain of the virus that causes COVID-19. They're trying to determine whether it's more of a threat to public health than the more familiar strains of the virus. Hajdu says the appearance of the new strain in the United Kingdom is a reminder that international travel is a bad idea during the pandemic. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new strain appears to spread much more easily. The Canadian government temporarily shut down flights from the U.K. Sunday evening. Public Safety Mi

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says this is a perilous time, and Canada is set for an even stronger resurgence of COVID-19. She is urging all Canadians to obey public health advice to keep the situation from getting worse and to protect health-care workers. Dr. Tam says so far, officials have not detected any cases of the new strain of COVID-19 sweeping southern England. Ottawa has temporarily banned flights from the UK. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says officials are considering bringing in even stricter border-protection measures.

The Trudeau government is restricting travel from the U.K. in an effort to prevent a new strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 from making it to Canada.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the move comes into effect at 12:01 a.m. and will last for 72 hours.The move doesn't apply to cargo flights or stops where passengers do not disembark, according to a Notice to Airmen. It comes after a closed-door meeting with members of the Incident Response Team.The ministers of health, transport, foreign affairs, intergovernmental affairs and public safety were all in attendance.Several European countri

As COVID-19 vaccines roll out in Canada, the country's chief public health officer says health authorities are keeping track of any negative reactions to the shots. But so far, Doctor Theresa Tam says there have been no serious side effects. She says 10 per cent of recipients might have soreness, or some fatigue. Some who've received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in other countries have reported serious allergic reactions, prompting the drug maker to warn people with allergies not to get it. Canada will have 100 freezers in place across the country for Moderna vaccine: Anita AnandAmerican biote

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s frustrated China doesn't understand the rule of law and continues to imprison Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Trudeau says China is only hurting itself by using such coercive diplomacy by arbitrarily detaining the pair. Kovrig and Spavor were arrested December 10th, 2018 and eventually charged with violating China's national security, which Canada and its allies have reject as trumped-up charges. They say China is retaliating for the arrest by Canada of a Chinese high-tech executive on an American extradition request. Huawei's Meng Wanzhou is s