The British Columbia government has introduced legislation to make September 30 as a paid statutory holiday marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.Labour Minister Harry Bains introduced a bill in the legislature today, saying the holiday will be observed this September and every September 30 afterwards.The decision comes after a call to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, that asked the federal government to establish a day to honour residential school survivors, their families and communities.In case the legislation passes as expected, B.C. will join Prince Edwar

A new poll finds one-third of Canadian households say their financial situation has worsened over the last year.According to a Leger poll commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies, 34 per cent of Canadian households say they're financially worse off compared with a year ago.The majority of respondents, 58 per cent, said their financial situation is about the same as it was a year ago.Meanwhile, nine per cent report their financial situation has improved.Quebecers were the least likely to report their financial situation has worsened, while respondents in British Columbia were the mo

Ottawa is spending $2 million for an international organization to provide First Nations with options around identifying possible human remains buried near residential schools.A statement from the office of Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller says it is signing a technical agreement with the International Commission on Missing Persons.Based out of The Hague, the organization works in different countries to help identify the remains of those who have disappeared or been killed in conflicts and disasters, including after the 2013 Lac-Megantic rail disaster in Quebec.Miller's office s

Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have announced plans to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks. The announcement follows Germany agreeing last month to allow deliveries of the more modern Leopard 2 tanks.It also comes as Kyiv anticipates a new Russian offensive around the anniversary of the invasion. However, military analysts expressed skepticism about the potential impact of such an assault.Meanwhile, Moscow's forces continued to shell Ukrainian towns and cities.Regional authorities reported Tuesday that shelling in the northeastern town of Vovchansk caused

Ottawa says Canada will contribute $10 million to earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria as part of an initial aid package.International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says the federal government is conducting a needs assessment for further aid and is also considering deploying the country's disaster assistance response team to help with rescue operations.The death toll of Monday's earthquake has surpassed 5,300 and is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue.The powerful 7.8 magnitude quake, which was followed by strong aftershocks, has levelled thousands of buildi

A Boeing 737 air tanker owned by a British Columbia company has crashed in western Australia while on deployment to a fire. Coulson Aviation, based in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, says in a statement that both pilots walked away from the accident and have been medically assessed. The statement says the company is offering all the support it can to its local and international crews and is grateful to its firefighting and aviation industry colleagues in Australia. Coulson announced last month that it had been awarded a contract to provide its Boeing 737 Flatliner, designated tanker 139,

The Law Society of Alberta has voted in favour of keeping a requirement for its members to complete a course on Indigenous history and culture. Almost 3,500 lawyers voted on the motion, which would have struck down the society's right to require such courses. Last week, 51 lawyers signed a petition calling that right into question, with some of the signatories calling the required course political indoctrination. In the end, their petition was defeated by a roughly three-to-one margin. That means lawyers will continue to have to take the course as a condition of practising law in Alberta. Brit

Opposition parties say the public deserves answers about a Chinese balloon’s incursion over Canadian territory. The federal government is offering few details about the balloon’s flight over Canada before the U.S. military revealed its presence over the western state of Montana last week. While Beijing says it was a weather research balloon that got blown off course, Ottawa and Washington are alleging that it was being used to spy on sensitive military sites. The Liberal government has confirmed it flew into Canadian airspace from Alaska before crossing back into the Western U.S., but it w

The federal government is investing more than $46 million over the next five years to explore and protect Canada's oceans. Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray says understanding of the marine environment is "relatively meagre" because oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Speaking at a news conference at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Vancouver, Murray said the investment will give Canada a clearer picture of how ecosystems are changing and how resources can be managed sustainably. The funding will come from the government's $3.5-billion Ocean Protection Plan. Kate