Canada – Winnipeg Free Press

Health Minister Marjorie Michel rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Health minister says Canada can’t rely on U.S. health institutions anymore

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: 1:54 PM CST

OTTAWA - Health Minister Marjorie Michel says she can no longer trust American health agencies as reliable partners.

Michel says Canada is used to looking to the United States as a source of health and scientific information but that has changed since President Donald Trump took over.

An editorial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in July argued the Trump administration is dismantling the country's public health and research infrastructure.

The administration slashed the budgets of the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, both of which collect and analyze public health data.

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Freezing rain, snow expected in parts of Ontario as Newfoundland braces for blizzards

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Freezing rain, snow expected in parts of Ontario as Newfoundland braces for blizzards

The Canadian Press 1 minute read 4:35 AM CST

Parts of southern Ontario are under weather warnings today, with freezing rain expected in the Windsor region and parts of the Greater Toronto Area into the evening.

Environment Canada says some areas north of Toronto could see a mix of ice pellets and snowfall amounts of between five and 12 centimetres.

Further north, areas from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay to Dryden could experience freezing rain and snow amounting to 20 centimetres.

Heading out west, Environment Canada is warning of extreme cold in the northern parts of Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon.

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4:35 AM CST

A resident takes advantage of a lull to take their child for a sleigh ride in St. John's on Friday, March 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

‘The year that the shoe dropped’: How the Canada-U.S. relationship changed in 2025

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

‘The year that the shoe dropped’: How the Canada-U.S. relationship changed in 2025

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 6:26 AM CST

WASHINGTON - The people anxiously sipping hot chocolate in the Canadian Embassy in Washington on a cold night in January almost a year ago couldn't have predicted the roller-coaster of trade provocations and bilateral blow-ups the next 12 months would bring.

In hindsight, that unusually chilly Washington evening foreshadowed how the Canada-U.S. relationship would soon freeze over.

Trump's tariff threats and his talk of annexing Canada had already rattled Canadian politics over the preceding weeks. A rushed trip to Mar-a-Lago in early November 2024 failed to mend former prime minister Justin Trudeau's already rocky relationship with the incoming U.S. president.

On Jan. 20, the day of his second inauguration, Trump returned to the Oval Office to announce his "America First" trade policy. Just weeks later, he announced sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.

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Updated: 6:26 AM CST

U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Raids carried out at Mexican homes linked to former Olympian Ryan Wedding

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Raids carried out at Mexican homes linked to former Olympian Ryan Wedding

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:05 PM CST

MEXICO CITY - Mexican authorities have executed four raids on homes linked to a suspect whose description matches that of former Olympic snowboarder and alleged Canadian drug kingpin Ryan Wedding.

Mexico's Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection says in a release that multiple agencies including the Attorney General's Office, the Navy and the National Guard carried out the raids at the homes, located in Mexico City and the surrounding State of Mexico.

The release does not mention Wedding by name, but describes the raids and seizures as related to a former Olympic athlete and a fugitive on the United States' 10 most wanted fugitives list.

Wedding — who is originally from Thunder Bay, Ont., and competed for Canada in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics — was added to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted fugitives list in March.

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:05 PM CST

A photo of Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding released by U.S. law enforcement as they chase down the alleged Olympian turned drug kingpin. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - X, @FBILosAngeles (Mandatory Credit)

Understanding ice colour and the “1-10-1” rule to prevent drownings

Samira Ait Kaci Ali, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Understanding ice colour and the “1-10-1” rule to prevent drownings

Samira Ait Kaci Ali, The Canadian Press 4 minute read 2:47 PM CST

MONTREAL - Following the drowning of a man in his forties and a child in Saint-Zénon, the Quebec Lifesaving Society is reminding people of certain safety rules to follow when engaging in on-ice activities.

It was a bleak Christmas Day for the loved ones of the two victims, whose deaths were confirmed by the Quebec provincial police on Thursday. The previous day, the man, accompanied by the young child, was clearing snow with a tractor on a section of Lake Ernest when the ice gave way.

A coroner's investigation was immediately launched to shed light on the circumstances that led to this tragedy and possibly make recommendations to prevent this scenario from happening again.

The Quebec Lifesaving Society, mandated to raise public awareness in order to prevent drownings, records an average of six to eight winter drownings per year. So far in 2025, six people have lost their lives in Quebec's icy waters. In addition to the two deaths in Saint-Zénon, there were three drownings earlier this year and the death of a snowmobiler on December 15.

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2:47 PM CST

People play ice hockey on frozen Lake Ontario during sunset in Kingston, Ont., on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Boxing Day draws shoppers despite poor weather in Toronto, much of Ontario

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Boxing Day draws shoppers despite poor weather in Toronto, much of Ontario

The Canadian Press 3 minute read 2:43 PM CST

TORONTO - Shoppers in some Canadian cities braved heavy snow and wintry conditions on Boxing Day, undeterred by the challenging weather in their hunt for a good deal.

Much of southern Ontario stretching from Belleville in the east to Windsor in the south and Sault Ste. Marie in the west was under weather warnings, for either snow close to 15 centimetres in some places, or up 10 millimetres of freezing rain in others.

The Toronto Transit Commission issued a statement urging shoppers to leave their vehicles at home and use public transit, adding it was taking measures such as running anti-icing trains on subway lines to keep the system moving.

The bad weather didn't stop Cornel Fisic, who was on the hunt for a new pair of shoes Friday when he entered the busy Toronto Eaton Centre.

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2:43 PM CST

Shoppers pass through Eaton Centre on Boxing Day in Toronto, on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

Bodies of two family members recovered after a tractor sinks in Lanaudière lake

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Bodies of two family members recovered after a tractor sinks in Lanaudière lake

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:27 PM CST

MONTREAL - The bodies of a man and a child have been found after a tractor sank in a lake in the Lanaudière region, northeast of Montreal.

The Sûreté du Québec says the bodies were recovered around 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The SQ says the two people were on the tractor clearing snow from a path surrounding the lake.

The search began Wednesday night in Saint-Zénon.

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:27 PM CST

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Group of U.S. distillers complains N.S. and other provinces favouring local alcohol

Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Group of U.S. distillers complains N.S. and other provinces favouring local alcohol

Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 5:00 AM CST

HALIFAX - A group of U.S. alcohol producers claims Canadian retailers are giving unfair advantage to local spirits, including what it calls "discriminatory" markups in Nova Scotia and other provinces.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States has sent a 77-page submission to the office of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer outlining obstacles the American sector is facing around the globe. That includes six pages on Canada, where all but two provinces have mostly taken American alcohol off the shelves in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Among other complaints, the distillers take issue with the preferential markup the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. offers to local spirits. They say Nova Scotian rum, whisky and other liquors are marked up between 50-80 per cent depending on how they’re bottled, while all imported products are marked up by 160 per cent.

The U.S. distillers claim the markups are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules as well as the United States-Mexico-Canada free-trade agreement.

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Yesterday at 5:00 AM CST

‘Act one is over,’ says MP who defeated Poilievre in last election

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

‘Act one is over,’ says MP who defeated Poilievre in last election

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 3:00 AM CST

OTTAWA - Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy has a square glass case in his office that holds a spray-painted pair of sneakers he wore while campaigning for the federal election.

He calls it his "Stanley Cup."

Fanjoy became the MP for the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton in the last election after defeating Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who had held the riding more than two decades.

"I think people in Carleton are excited about what happened," Fanjoy said. "Even if people didn't vote for me, they're curious to meet me."

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Yesterday at 3:00 AM CST

Liberal MP for Carleton Bruce Fanjoy rises in the House of Commons, Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Vancouver Island MP Aaron Gunn won’t run for leadership of B.C. Conservatives

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Vancouver Island MP Aaron Gunn won’t run for leadership of B.C. Conservatives

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

VICTORIA - Vancouver Island MP Aaron Gunn said he won't run for the leadership of the Conservative Party of B.C. because he doesn't want to risk giving the federal Liberals a majority government.

Gunn said Wednesday that his departure could "upend the balance of power in Ottawa" and leaving would be too great a risk as Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to pursue a "deliberate and transparent strategy to bribe or otherwise convince morally bankrupt MPs" to cross the floor.

He doesn't want give some media and the federal Liberals an opportunity to "spin" his departure as a "loss of confidence" or "worse, a betrayal" in the leadership of federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, he said.

The decision will ripple across the political landscape of British Columbia, where provincial Conservatives are searching for a new leader and some stability after a year of turmoil.

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

Conservative MP Aaron Gunn asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Manitobans among those sickened by E. coli outbreak linked to Pillsbury brand Pizza Pops

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Manitobans among those sickened by E. coli outbreak linked to Pillsbury brand Pizza Pops

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 12:15 PM CST

The Public Health Agency of Canada is reporting a fifth hospitalization in an E. coli outbreak linked to recalled Pillsbury brand Pizza Pops.

The federal agency says 23 people got sick with the bacterial illness in seven provinces after eating or handling certain flavours of the frozen snack between early October and late November.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled several pepperoni and bacon Pizza Pops on Sunday due to an E. coli contamination that is under investigation.

The outbreak has now reached Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Updated: 12:15 PM CST

A package of Pepperoni and Bacon Pillsbury Pizza Pops are shown in this undated handout photo from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Mandatory Credit)

Quebec school cellphone ban has had positive impact, students and administrators say

Stéphane Blais, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Quebec school cellphone ban has had positive impact, students and administrators say

Stéphane Blais, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

MONTREAL - Quebec's expanded school cellphone ban is getting top marks from some students and administrators who say the measure has improved students' concentration and social interactions.

On a recent day just before the holiday break, students at École Monseigneur-A.-M.-Parent high school on Montreal's South Shore flooded into the hallways at the sound of the lunch bell, as the student radio station played Christmas songs.

Amid the hubbub, some students sat down to play cards, while others played Ping-Pong or board games.

"Before, people were on their phones a lot and playing games, but since they can't do that anymore, now they play together or talk to each other," Grade 11 student Constance Boie told The Canadian Press.

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

High school students Raphael Lortie (left), Hugo Blanvillain, Marianne Laflamme and Rachelle Paquette, play cards at Mgr-Parent in Longueuil, Que., on Thursday Dec. 18, 2025. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s holiday message to Canadians

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s holiday message to Canadians

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney says the holiday season is a time to slow down and reflect and to reconnect with loved ones.

In a recorded message to Canadians, he says the holidays remind people of all traditions that light follows darkness.

Carney, who is Catholic, says Christmas is a special time for Christians to recommit to follow the example of Jesus Christ in service, forgiveness and generosity.

He says this year has brought more than its share of challenges for the country.

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to take part in an announcement with Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Santa cleared for Christmas Eve travel, transport minister says

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Santa cleared for Christmas Eve travel, transport minister says

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

OTTAWA - The federal transport minister says Santa Claus has been cleared for travel in Canadian airspace.

Steven MacKinnon released a video in which he authorizes Santa to deliver Christmas presents in Canada.

It has become an annual tradition for the federal transport minister to release a Christmas Eve video officially permitting Santa's travel.

This year's video is the first to feature Prime Minister Mark Carney.

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

Santa Claus waves to children as they enjoy a Christmas parade in front of La Phare, a palliative care clinic for children in Montreal, on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Amid talk of possible peace deal for Ukraine, Canada’s focus is Ukraine’s sovereignty

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Amid talk of possible peace deal for Ukraine, Canada’s focus is Ukraine’s sovereignty

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

OTTAWA - Europe is watching for a possible breakthrough in U.S.-led talks for a ceasefire in Ukraine, as Canada has repeatedly said it's up to Ukrainians to decide how the war ends.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told reporters he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia's invasion, if Moscow also pulls back.

The proposal would involve creating a demilitarized, free economic zone monitored by international forces, as peace talks have focused intensely on control of the region.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand's office did not have an immediate comment on the proposal. But she has repeatedly said that democracies like Ukraine must be the ones deciding what their own interests are for territorial integrity and sovereignty.

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand responds to a question during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Quebec government to ask Supreme Court of Canada to weigh in on electoral map changes

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Quebec government to ask Supreme Court of Canada to weigh in on electoral map changes

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

MONTREAL - The Quebec government says it will seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in an effort to block a redrawing of the provincial electoral map.

Premier François Legault's government tabled a law in 2024 to prevent the electoral boundaries commission from removing a riding on the Gaspé Peninsula and another in Montreal's east end in favour of two new districts in the growing Laurentians/Lanaudière and Centre-du-Québec regions.

In a statement Tuesday, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette said members from all parties had voted to adopt the law, which was sparked by concerns that the new map would take away political weight from Gaspé and make ridings in eastern Quebec overly large.

"Citizens from all regions and their realities must be well represented," Jolin-Barrette said.

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

December 26, 2025

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