The federal government has announced its new immigration level plan.Immigration Minister Mark Miller said the federal government is sticking to its goal of welcoming 500,000 new permanent residents in 2026.Immigration targets have increased steadily in recent years.Last year, the government released a plan to give PR to 465,000 people in 2023, a figure that will increase to 500,000 by 2025.The new targets tabled in Parliament show the government plans to equalize the number of new permanent residents in Canada in 2026, with plans to increase the 2024 and 2025 targets.It is worth noting that th

The Quebec government is increasing its immigration target to about 60,000 people next year and imposing new French-language requirements for newcomers.Premier François Legault says the official target will remain steady at 50,000 people a year but a document his government released today shows that number will rise by 10,000 when immigrants admitted through other programs are factored in.The premier told reporters today his government will require all economic immigrants, who are chosen by the province, not Ottawa, to pass a French test before they are admitted.Quebec will also begin requiri

British Columbia has plans to make Holocaust education mandatory for high school students with additions to Grade 10 curriculum coming in 2025.Eby made the announcement at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Monday.Premier David Eby says it's been a "frightening time" for the Jewish community after deadly terrorists attacks by Hamas militants in Israel earlier this month.He says there has been a rise in antisemitism in B.C., and combatting hate starts with learning from the past so the same horrors are never repeated.The changes will take effect in the 2025-2026 school year to

More than 200,000 people turned out to vote in two unofficial referendums at the centre of Canada's ongoing tensions with India, officials said Sunday, after the latest one in the MetroVancouver municipality of Surrey wrapped up in the evening.A second referendum on Khalistan, an independent state in India proposed by some Sikhs was held today at the same Surrey gurdwara where activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in June.Sarbraj Kahlon, news director at Radio Punjab who was at the referendum site, called the latest vote a success after 65,700 people turned out in Surrey Sunday to cast b

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced new rules aimed at protecting international students from fraud, following an investigation this summer into more than 100 cases involving fake admission letters.The immigration department launched a task force in June to investigate a scheme that dates back to 2017, which saw immigration agents issue fake acceptance letters to get international students into Canada.Of the 103 cases reviewed so far, roughly 40 per cent of students appeared to be in on the scheme, while the rest were victims of it.Miller says schools that accept international stude

Maine's governor says at least 18 people were killed and 13 were injured in shootings in Lewiston.Gov. Janet Mills made the remarks at a press conference Thursday.She said the state will ``deploy all available state resources, including grief counselors, to help the affected citizens.Mills says shooting suspect Robert Card is considered armed and dangerous, warns people not to approach him.A list of mass killings in the United States since January.The latest mass killing in the United States happened Wednesday in Lewiston, Maine.A man opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar, killing at least

India's high commission in Canada says the country's officials will resume processing some types of visa applications in Ottawa and at consulates in Toronto and Vancouver.The decision comes a month after New Delhi suspended the services in Canada and for Canadian citizens worldwide.The high commission says it is resuming business, medical and conference visas, as well as entry for people with family ties in India, but did not include information about other types of visas.The Canadian Press confirmed the authenticity of social-media posts about the decision, and has sought information about wh

The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate steady at five per cent today, noting there are clearer signs of the economy cooling and inflation easing.However, it warns that it is prepared to increase rates further if necessary.The central bank says it's still concerned that price growth is easing too slowly and that the inflation rate has been volatile in recent months.Forecasters widely expected the rate hold as economic data suggests high interest rates are already causing an economic pullback.New economic projections released by the central bank suggest economic growth will continue to be

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem warned premiers who publicly asked the central bank to not raise interest rates last month that their requests could undermine the institution's independence.The premiers of Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador wrote to Macklem ahead of the Bank of Canada's Sept. 6 rate decision, outlining concerns about the effects of higher rates on their residents and asking the central bank not to raise its key rate further.In a Sept. 13 letter, Macklem warned that instructions or requests from elected officials could give the impression that the Bank