Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Glen Purves, a senior economist at BlackRock, as Canada’s new deputy minister of international trade, according to a federal government announcement. The appointment is aimed at expanding Canadian exports beyond the United States and strengthening access to global markets. The government said Purves will help guide international trade policy as Canada works to diversify trade partnerships. Purves has served since January 2025 as global head of macro research at the BlackRock Investment Institute in New York. He previously spent 12 years in the federal

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa is working to strengthen trade and defence ties with India while continuing discussions around domestic security and respect for the rule of law. Anand made the remarks Tuesday while attending a security and defence event in Ottawa. According to her public comments at the event, Canada views India as an important partner in the Indo-Pacific region but considers issues related to domestic security and the rule of law equally significant. She said Canada is deepening defence relationships with partners such as India as part of its broad

Canada has asked Oman for permission to use its airspace if evacuations become necessary as tensions escalate in the Middle East, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said. Anand confirmed she spoke with her Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, about securing potential access to Oman’s airspace to help extract Canadians from the region if required. According to federal officials, about 100,000 Canadians are currently in the affected area. Ottawa has not announced any government-organized repatriation flights. The federal government is advising Canadians to leave the region by commercial means

Air Canada says it is increasing capacity between Canada and India as it suspends several Middle East routes due to current conditions in the region. The airline announced it will add one additional flight on its Toronto–Delhi route from March 7 to March 21. That will bring the total to two daily flights between Toronto and Delhi during that period. Air Canada also said it will deploy larger aircraft on select Toronto–London–Mumbai flights to accommodate additional passenger demand. The changes come after the airline suspended all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv until March 22. Ai

Canada could play a larger role in global oil and liquefied natural gas supply as conflict in the Middle East disrupts energy markets, federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said. According to Hodgson, several countries have contacted Canada about increasing oil and LNG shipments to offset supply shortfalls. He did not identify which countries had made recent approaches. The minister acknowledged that production of LNG or oil cannot be significantly increased within days, but said the situation underscores the need to further develop Canada’s natural resources. “It is not possible to ramp up

Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Australia as part of his ongoing foreign tour, with a stated focus on strengthening bilateral relations with one of Canada’s long-standing allies. According to a senior Canadian government official, engagement between Ottawa and Canberra has not been as active in recent years as it could have been. The visit is being positioned by the Prime Minister’s Office as an effort to reinforce cooperation amid global uncertainty and shifting geopolitical pressures. Canada and Australia share historic ties and are both members of the Five Eyes intelligence al

A Winnipeg man is facing criminal charges after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police say he allegedly posted online threats targeting Prime Minister Mark Carney and made hateful comments about Jewish and Muslim communities. According to the RCMP, a national security investigation began in January into a user account on the social media platform X. Police allege the account posted threats directed at Carney and content inciting hatred toward Jewish and Muslim communities. Mounties say a 55-year-old Winnipeg man was arrested last month and charged with three counts of uttering threats to cause deat

Air Canada says it is suspending all flights to Israel and Dubai until March 22 because of ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In a passenger advisory, the airline said services are expected to resume March 23 if conditions permit. The suspension applies to flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai, according to the company’s statement. Air Canada said customers affected by the cancellations can change their bookings without additional charges. Travellers who choose to cancel their trip will receive a full refund, the airline said. The carrier also issued a flexibility policy for some Middle East route

The Canada Border Services Agency says officers seized more than 111 kilograms of suspected cocaine at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry on Feb. 19. According to a CBSA news release, a commercial truck arriving from the United States was referred for secondary inspection. During examination of the trailer, border services officers located and seized 111.4 kilograms of suspected cocaine. CBSA said Sarkaren Vir Singh, 29, of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and Chamkaur Singh, 25, of Belleville, Ontario, were arrested. The agency said both individuals and the seized drugs were transferred to the Royal