Asylum seekers working on the front-lines of the COVID-19 crisis are getting an early chance at permanent residency in Canada.Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced the program today in response to public demand that the so-called "Guardian Angels" many in Quebec be recognized for their work in the health-care sector during the pandemic.Ordinarily, asylum seekers must wait for their claims to be accepted before they can become permanent residents, but the new program waives that requirement.To apply for residency now, they must have claimed asylum in Canada prior to March 13 and have

British Columbia's Health Minister warned those planning on holding large parties and events this upcoming weekend to expect visits from officials to ensure COVID-19 guidelines are being followed. Adrian Dix says parties may not be immediately shut down but there would be consequences for those found flaunting the rules. The pronouncement comes as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in B.C., particularly among young adults between the ages of 20 to 29. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says those infections have been seen after exposure events, such as parties where young adults have bee

Canada's official fiscal watchdog says the federal wage subsidy program might cost $14 billion less than the government predicted. A new report today by Parliamentary Budget Office analyst Ben Segel-Brown estimates subsidizing wages for companies during the COVID-19 pandemic will cost $67.9 billion through the end of December.Finance Minister Bill Morneau estimated in his July fiscal report it would cost $82.3 billion.Segel-Brown says that figure was prudent at the time because of economic uncertainty and ongoing work to update the program's rules.The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy encourages

British Columbia has recorded 85 COVID-19 cases, the third-highest number of new cases in a single day since the pandemic began. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says many of the new infections are of young people from the Lower Mainland. The statement says the public needs to refocus on measures to flatten the curve and that watching the cases climb is concerning. There has been one new death, bringing the death toll to 196, while 3,469 people have recovered. The latest COVID-19 figures come as the province announced it is hirin

To ensure schools are ready to welcome students into classrooms for the week of Sept. 8-11, 2020, there will be a gradual restart to allow extra time to orient students and staff on the new health and safety measures in place."Schools are going to look different in September," said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. "Staff, students and parents need time to get familiar with all the new health and safety procedures that are designed to keep them safe and confident in their school settings." Starting Sept. 8, all staff will meet with their school's joint health and safety committee to receive

Today's sitting of Parliament is expected to be the last one that will see Andrew Scheer in the role of Conservative leader.In addition to being an MP from Regina since 2004, he also served as the Speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015.It was after the Tories lost government in 2015, and the subsequent resignation of then-leader Stephen Harper, that Scheer decided to go for the leadership job.He won in 2017, eking out a very narrow victory over fellow MP Maxime Bernier.He spent the next two years trying to gain recognition across the country, while shoring up the party's war chest

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are announcing 46 new cases, for a total of 4,111 cases in British Columbia. "There are 472 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,444 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, eight people are hospitalized with COVID-19, five of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. "There have been no new COVID

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has full confidence in Finance Minister Bill Morneau and that any reports to the contrary are false.Trudeau's office has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement in support of Morneau in a bid to shut down speculation the finance minister is about to be fired.Opposition parties have been calling for Morneau's resignation over allegations that he had a conflict of interest in the WE Charity affair.News that Mark Carney, a former governor of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, is helping to advise Trudeau on the post-pandemic economic recovery

Two federal cabinet ministers and the country's top public servant will be grilled today about how a charity with close ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wound up administering a $912-million student grant program.The House of Commons ethics committee is scheduled to hear from Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough and Ian Shugart, clerk of the Privy Council.The committee is ostensibly conducting a review of the existing safeguards in place to prevent conflicts of interest when the federal government is deciding how to spend taxpayers' dollars.But opposition M