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

Sri Lanka’s navy says it has recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people after a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off the island nation’s southern coast. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that authorities received information the vessel, identified as IRIS Dena, was in distress with about 180 people on board. He said Sri Lanka dispatched naval ships and air force aircraft to carry out a search-and-rescue operation. According to Sri Lanka Navy spokesperson Commander Buddhika Sampath, there was no sign of the ship when rescue teams arrived.

The Toronto Police Service says a 19-year-old man from Edmonton is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant in connection with a fatal shooting in Rexdale last month. At a joint update with York Regional Police, Det. Sgt. Sandra Arruda of the homicide and missing persons unit said officers responded at about 3:26 p.m. on Feb. 7 to reports of a shooting in the parking lot of Woodbine Shopping Centre, near Rexdale Boulevard and Highway 27. According to police, officers located a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries and later pronounced dead. Inv

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

The British Columbia government says it will introduce mandatory crane-related licensing and permitting following a series of fatal workplace accidents over the past five years. In a statement Tuesday, the province said it plans to establish a new WorkSafeBC crane licensing and permitting program to ensure crane operations meet “consistent, high-quality safety requirements.” According to the government, there have been seven crane-related fatalities in B.C. during that period, with 373 cranes currently in operation across the province. The announcement follows a WorkSafeBC report into the

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

British Columbia Chief Coroner Jatinder Baidwan announced Tuesday that a formal investigation will be conducted into the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. Speaking at a press conference in Victoria, Baidwan said the purpose of the investigation is to establish the facts surrounding the incident and issue recommendations aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future. He said the process is also intended to help restore public confidence in the system. According to the BC Coroners Service, the investigation will examine how individuals experiencing a mental health crisis are identified and w

The BC government has introduced Bill 7, in the legislature to provide education quality assurance, strengthen oversight, and crack down on bad actors. In this regard, in an exclusive interview with Connect FM today, BC's Minister of Post-Secondary education and Future Skills, Jessie Sooner, answered questions about the need for the bill, its timeline, identification of bad actors and penalties, and its alignment with federal laws. Minister Sunner said, “this legislation will provide more tools and will be useful in maintaining international education standards.” Minister Sunner said that