The federal Conservatives are asking the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner to probe Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's vacation in Jamaica and how his staff handled the detail that he stayed for free. Conservative MP and ethics critic Michael Barrett sent a letter to Konrad von Finckenstein on Tuesday asking whether he knew Trudeau was staying at a luxury estate owned by a family friend. Barrett says the vacation is "not the equivalent of staying at a friend's home" calling it instead a gift with commercial value. The Canadian Press has not independently verified a National Post report

Earth shattered global annual heat records last year and it's flirting with the warming threshold that nations wanted to stay within to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. That's according to Copernicus, the European climate agency, which reported Tuesday that 2023 was 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. That's just a whisker below the 1.5-degree threshold nations agreed to try to stay within at the Paris climate talks in 2015. And Copernicus said this January is on track to be so warm that the world will go past that 1.5-degree threshold f

The RCMP says one person has died in a helicopter crash near Revelstoke, B.C.They say the helicopter, which was first reported missing Friday, was found in Glacier National Park. Police have now confirmed the person, who was the only one aboard the helicopter, died in the crash. The RCMP says it is now working alongside the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service to determine the cause of the crash. Pedram Mohyeddin, a spokesperson for Maritime Forces Pacific, said in an interview Saturday that the helicopter was on its way from Calgary to Sicamous, B.C., on Friday when it wen

Almost half of the thousands of international students accepted by Canadian learning institutions have faced rejection from visa authorities in recent years. This has been revealed in a report which says that between January 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023, the Department of Immigration approved only 54.3 percent of the 866,206 study permits approved by learning institutions, i.e. 470,427 applicants. Immigration officials say applications are considered on a case-by-case basis based on the information provided by the applicant for a study permit. Some applicants do not meet the financial requiremen

The new rules announced by Canada for international students are going to be implemented from January, according to which from January 1, 2024, it will be necessary to show funds of $20,635 to obtain a study permit, which was $10,000 for a long time. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced this in early December. He had also warned that states which do not help students for accommodation may be subject to a cap on visas. At the same time, the permission for international students who are currently in Canada to work more than 20 hours per week has been extended until April 30, 2024. The gov

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is ruling out the possibility of forming a coalition government with the Liberals if no party wins a clear majority after the next federal election. Singh says in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press that the idea is off the table for the New Democrats, even though the two parties have been working closely together. They signed a deal in March 2022 in which the NDP agreed to support the minority Liberals on key votes in Parliament in exchange for action on NDP policy priorities. The collaboration has so far led to the introduction of a national dental-care prog

Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for British Columbia's central coast, Sunshine Coast and Greater Victoria regions, forecasting gusts of up to 120 kilometres an hour in some parts. The weather agency says an intense Pacific frontal system will remain off the coast through Friday, bringing the strongest winds to exposed coastal areas between northern Vancouver Island and Bella Bella. In the Sunshine Coast and the Victoria region, wind speeds are expected to reach 70 kilometres an hour with gusts up to 90 kilometres an hour. Environment Canada says the high winds may damage roof shing

The Canadian Transportation Agency says it's issued a $97,500 penalty to Air Canada for violating the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations. The penalty of $97,500 is for several violations of the regulations. The agency says that on August 30, Air Canada failed to assist a wheelchair user to disembark its plane. The passenger, who has spastic cerebral palsy and can't move his legs, was forced to disembark on his own. As well, the CTA says Air Canada failed to ensure that its personnel periodically checked in on the passenger while he was waiting in the terminal.

After being accused of plotting the murder of Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in America, Indian Prime Minister Modi has given his statement for the first time. Prime Minister Modi said that if they get evidence, he will definitely look into it, but some incidents cannot affect the relationship between the US and India. In an interview to The Financial Times, Modi said, "If anyone gives us information, we will definitely investigate it. We have full commitment to the law." Meanwhile, Modi also expressed serious concern over the activities of some extremist groups in foreign coun