National News
Carney rolls out ‘aggressive’ plan to build up domestic defence sector
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney sent a clear signal through his overtures to the domestic defence industry on Tuesday: it’s time to grow. Carney announced the country’s first defence industrial strategy in Montreal, a $6.6 billion plan that lays out how Ottawa wants to build out the defence industrial base and scale up small ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Tax hike, record deficit and public sector cuts among B.C. budget highlights
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
VICTORIA — Here are some highlights from British Columbia’s 2026 budget, which Finance Minister Brenda Bailey says involves “serious work for serious times.” It includes a tax increase on the lowest income tax bracket, cuts to public-sector staffing and delays to capital projects, even as the deficit continues to spike. INCOME TAX HIKE The tax ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!B.C. budget delays care homes, hospital and cancer facility, student housing
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
VICTORIA — British Columbia’s budget is delivering hits to the young, the old and cancer patients alike as government construction undergoes “re-pacing” to address fiscal pressures. There are delays to seven long-term care projects from Abbotsford to Fort St. John, as well as the second phase of Burnaby Hospital and Cancer Care, and student housing ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!African Nova Scotian community, church leaders mourn Rev. Jesse Jackson
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
HALIFAX — Rev. Jesse Jackson left a lasting impact on Nova Scotia, say leaders of the African Nova Scotian community, and was considered like an extended family member to those he met during a visit to the province in 2009. Sherri Borden Colley, a longtime Halifax journalist, says getting to interview the prominent civil rights ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Canada’s new top envoy to Washington takes up his post
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
WASHINGTON — Canada’s new top diplomat in Washington presented his credentials to U.S. President Donald Trump today, officially taking on the role of ambassador to the United States at a turbulent moment in Canada-U.S. relations. Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker and pension fund manager, will be looking to help Canada find tariff off-ramps and ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!B.C. hikes tax rate as budget delivers record $13 billion deficit
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
VICTORIA — British Columbia Finance Minister Brenda Bailey has unveiled what she calls a “serious” budget for 2026 that raises the base income tax rate while failing to rein in the deficit as previously pledged. The tax rate on the lowest bracket is being increased by 0.54 per cent, with government staff saying 60 per ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Poilievre says he’s spoken with Jivani about U.S. trip and MP ‘speaks for himself’
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he encourages MPs to use their connections to fight U.S. tariffs — but acknowledges he has spoken to one member of his caucus who has drawn criticism over his recent trip to D.C. Ontario MP Jamil Jivani travelled to Washington earlier this month, where he met with his ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Former CBC bureau chief Elly Alboim, 78, remembered for his lasting mark on politics
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
OTTAWA — Longtime CBC News parliamentary bureau chief and Carleton University journalism professor Elly Alboim, who died last week at age 78, is being remembered for his lasting mark on politics and for helping to launch generations of new political journalists. Born to Polish immigrant parents, Alboim served as CBC’s parliamentary bureau chief from 1977 ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Fact File: Video from Ontario festival misrepresented as anti-immigration march
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
A video posted to social media this week claimed to show people at an Ontario winter festival calling for “deportations.” The video of torchbearers marching during the festival is real, but the chanting audio was taken from protests in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The original video shows the crowd talking and laughing, not chanting ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!PM Carney meets ex-Liberal MP in Terrebonne after Supreme Court overturns election
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
TERREBONNE — Prime Minister Mark Carney met today with former Liberal MP Tatiana Auguste in the Terrebonne riding, following the recent Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the federal election that put her in office last spring. Auguste had been declared the winner in Terrebonne over Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné by a single vote after ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!5 things you should know about Canada’s new defence industrial strategy
By Canadian Press on February 17th, 2026
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled Canada’s first-ever defence industrial strategy Tuesday in Montreal. It seeks to boost Canadian defence exports by 50 per cent within a decade. The $6.6-billion plan sets out what the government calls a “build, partner, buy” model to source military gear domestically — especially for “sovereign capabilities” critical to ... Read More »
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