Canada – Winnipeg Free Press

Steven MacKinnon, government House leader, responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, April 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Liberals move to take control of House committees now that they’ve secured majority

Sarah Ritchie and Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:53 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The Liberals are moving to take control of House of Commons committees now that they've secured a majority government.

House leader Steven MacKinnon said in a social media post Tuesday that the Liberals will seek to change the standing orders, the rules that govern the Commons, to ensure they have the most votes on committees.

"Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government are determined to work constructively both in the House and in parliamentary committees," he said.

Majority governments traditionally hold a majority of seats on House committees.

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‘Stay away from the water’: Communities across Canada on flood alert

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘Stay away from the water’: Communities across Canada on flood alert

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:14 PM CDT

Communities across the central and eastern parts of Canada are on high alert as officials warn of spring flooding caused by rainfall and rapidly melting snow.

Medically vulnerable residents of a First Nation community located 180 kilometres north of Winnipeg are being moved out in advance of anticipated flooding.

Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor says Peguis First Nation is proceeding with the partial evacuation in case rising water levels of the nearby Fisher River render local roads impassable.

The community has been sandbagging since last week, but Chief Stan Bird said Tuesday it remained to be seen whether all of the 200 or more homes that might need protection will get barriers.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:14 PM CDT

A view from near the Carleton Street River Lookout as rising water levels of the Saint John River closed trails this week, in Fredericton, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eli Ridder

‘A serious threat’: RCMP dismantle synthetic drug lab in hamlet north of Edmonton

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

‘A serious threat’: RCMP dismantle synthetic drug lab in hamlet north of Edmonton

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:22 PM CDT

ATHABASCA, ALBERTA, CANADA - For Mounties in northern Alberta, it was a crime scene that should have come with a big hazardous-materials warning label.

Police in Athabasca say it took them three days last week to clean up a synthetic drug laboratory after they heard about it through a tipster.

They say the chemicals they found were so toxic, they had to be handled with extreme care for disposal.

It was a big job, with specialized chemists and hazardous waste experts called in.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:22 PM CDT

Royal Canadian Mounted Police in northern Alberta say they found a clandestine drug laboratory that took about three days to dismantle. The interior of a clandestine drug lab in Colinton, a hamlet about 140 kilometres north of Edmonton, is shown in an undated police handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - RCMP (Mandatory Credit)

Mexico boosts security at tourist spots after Canadian killed, others hurt on pyramid

Dean Bennett and Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Mexico boosts security at tourist spots after Canadian killed, others hurt on pyramid

Dean Bennett and Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:23 PM CDT

Mexico bumped up security at multiple tourist sites Tuesday, a day after a Canadian woman was killed and at least 13 other visitors were hurt as a gunman opened fire from one of the country’s most visited and hallowed ancient pyramids.

Officials were also working to understand the motive of the shooter, who reportedly planned the attack, played strange music, ranted about hating tourists and fired randomly as visitors jumped, dove down or ran for their lives from the famous Pyramid of the Moon at the Teotihuacan site northeast of Mexico City.

The government said the gunman had books and notes about an April 1999 gun attack in the United States, a reference to the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado in which 12 students and a teacher were killed.

Monday was the 27th anniversary of the school massacre.

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Updated: Yesterday at 11:23 PM CDT

Forensic workers remove a victim's body from a pyramid after authorities said a gunman opened fire in Teotihuacan, Mexico, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Slain Mountie’s family decries ‘systemic failure’ after suspect ruled unfit for trial

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Slain Mountie’s family decries ‘systemic failure’ after suspect ruled unfit for trial

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:01 PM CDT

VANCOUVER - The family of British Columbia RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang says they fear she'll be "erased" from the legal record after the man accused of her killing was found unfit to stand trial.

Shiling Yang, the aunt of Burnaby RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang, said in an email to The Canadian Press on Tuesday that court proceedings dealing with a suspect's mental fitness don't allow for victims to have a "formal role."

"If a defendant is found 'unfit' and never recovers to a 'fit' status, the victim is effectively erased from the legal record," she said. "The case stalls indefinitely, and the victim is silenced."

Jongwon Ham was charged with first-degree murder after Yang's stabbing death in a Burnaby, B.C., park in October 2022, but a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled Monday that Ham's "delusions prevent him making rational decisions" in his defence.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:01 PM CDT

RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang's parents and other loved ones watch as her casket is carried to a hearse after her regimental funeral, in Richmond, B.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. The 31-year-old officer was stabbed to death two weeks ago while she helped a City of Burnaby employee issue an eviction notice to a man living in a tent at a local park. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Anand: Global Affairs called in Israeli ambassador after Canadian killed in Lebanon

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Anand: Global Affairs called in Israeli ambassador after Canadian killed in Lebanon

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:18 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has issued a formal notice to Israel's envoy in Ottawa following the death of a Canadian in Lebanon, which her spokeswoman says will be investigated by Israeli officials.

"We did speak with the Israeli ambassador and we requested that Israel undertake a full and transparent investigation into the killing of a Canadian citizen on Lebanese soil," Anand told reporters Tuesday on Parliament Hill.

"We were very adamant that this investigation is extremely important."

The family of 38-year-old Windsor, Ont. resident Hassan Haidar said an Israeli drone shot him in the head on April 10, during its ongoing military campaign in Lebanon, which has killed thousands.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:18 PM CDT

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand makes her way to cabinet on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

MPs approve Annette Ryan as the next Parliamentary Budget Officer in House vote

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

MPs approve Annette Ryan as the next Parliamentary Budget Officer in House vote

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:40 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Members of Parliament voted Tuesday to approve the appointment of Annette Ryan as Canada's next Parliamentary Budget Officer.

MPs approved her appointment in a 164 to 153 vote, with Bloc Québécois and Conservatives voting against her nomination.

Ryan, a longtime public servant and the current deputy director at Canada's financial intelligence agency, Fintrac, was named as cabinet's pick to lead the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer last month.

Ryan's testimony was clouded at times by MPs' focus on Jason Jacques, the former interim PBO whose term expired earlier this year.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:40 PM CDT

Parliamentary Budget Officer nominee Annette Ryan appears before the Standing Committee on Finance in Ottawa, Monday, March 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

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B.C. court hears Chinese police went ‘missing’ for hours during trip to Vancouver

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

B.C. court hears Chinese police went ‘missing’ for hours during trip to Vancouver

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:17 PM CDT

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's Supreme Court heard Tuesday that three Chinese police officials went "missing" for six hours during an RCMP-escorted visit to Vancouver in 2018, setting off concerns they could be trying to illicitly repatriate someone.

The revelation came during testimony by RCMP Supt. Peter Tsui at the trial of William Majcher, a former RCMP officer who has pleaded not guilty to a security offence in relation to his alleged work for the Chinese government.

Tsui said he had helped facilitate the visit by the delegation from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security during his time as a liaison officer stationed in Beijing.

He said it involved 22 Chinese officials split between Toronto and Vancouver who were being "hosted" by Canadian police as they worked on "mutual files" related to market fraud, money laundering and "economic fugitives" over about nine days.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:17 PM CDT

William Majcher is pictured outside B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver, where his trial got underway on Monday, April 20, 2026. Majcher, a former RCMP officer, has pleaded not guilty to a charge under Canada's Security of Information Act. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Brenna Owen

House ethics committee votes to question finance minister on Alto connection

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

House ethics committee votes to question finance minister on Alto connection

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:56 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne will appear before the House ethics committee next month to answer questions about his connection to the Alto high-speed rail project, after a lengthy Liberal filibuster.

Champagne recused himself from decisions about the project last September, a month after his partner, Anne-Marie Gaudet, became a vice-president at Alto.

The Crown corporation is responsible for the proposed $90-billion high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City.

The conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, Konrad von Finckenstein, has told Champagne that he is not in a conflict of interest and that he would not need to implement an ethics screen. Champagne's office said he decided to recuse himself anyway.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:56 PM CDT

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne speaks with reporters before cabinet on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

High-speed rail pitch draws high levels of support and opposition: poll

The Canadian Press, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

High-speed rail pitch draws high levels of support and opposition: poll

The Canadian Press, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:31 PM CDT

OTTAWA - A new poll suggests the proposed Alto high-speed railway project is both the most-supported and the most-opposed item on the federal government's list of major projects.

Probe Research surveyed 1,300 Canadians earlier this month and found 61 per cent of respondents supported the project, while 19 per cent opposed it to some degree.

The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because it was conducted online.

The controversial project is projected to cost between $60 and $90 billion. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on Ottawa to drop it, calling it a "boondoggle."

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:31 PM CDT

Level crossing signals flash as a CN Rail train passes in Dartmouth, N.S. on Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Former Tory leader to Poilievre: forget the floor crossings, focus on policy

Sarah Ritchie and David Baxter, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Former Tory leader to Poilievre: forget the floor crossings, focus on policy

Sarah Ritchie and David Baxter, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:16 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The last Conservative leader to be ousted by his party says he's advised his replacement to forget the floor crossings and social media trends as speculation heats up over Pierre Poilievre's future at the party's helm.

"My advice to him has always been to put the country first and look at the long term," Erin O'Toole said in an interview on Tuesday.

"Forget about the short-term cycle of political machinations, floor crossings, what's trending on Twitter. None of that stuff really matters."

O'Toole was removed as Conservative leader in February 2022 after he lost to Justin Trudeau's Liberals in the September 2021 election — and after weeks of rumours that members of his own caucus were organizing against him.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:16 PM CDT

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole rises during question period on Dec. 8, 2021, in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

‘More bluster’: Poilievre, LeBlanc dismiss Lutnick’s comments on trade strategy

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘More bluster’: Poilievre, LeBlanc dismiss Lutnick’s comments on trade strategy

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:45 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Top Conservative and Liberal MPs are downplaying U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's comments dumping on Canada's strategy heading into major trade talks with the U.S. and Mexico.

But former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig insists that while Lutnick spoke crudely, he has a point about the risks posed by Ottawa's outreach to China amid the crucial trade talks.

Lutnick turned heads in Ottawa last week when he told a panel event it would be a bad strategy for Ottawa to wait out the clock to reach a good deal with the Donald Trump administration.

“That is like the worst strategy I’ve ever heard. They suck," Lutnick said on Friday, insisting the president views the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement as a bad deal that must be "reimagined."

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:45 PM CDT

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick speaks during a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Some 600 people sign open letter calling for new Quebec law to prevent femicides

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Some 600 people sign open letter calling for new Quebec law to prevent femicides

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:36 PM CDT

MONTRÉAL - Hundreds of people have joined a Quebec politician in calling for stronger measures to prevent femicides.

Québec solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal and some 600 other signatories asked the premier in an open letter for a new law that would allow women to find out if their partner has a history of violence.

The letter to Christine Fréchette published Tuesday in La Presse says that with the law, women would be better able to evaluate their level of risk and make informed decisions.

The signatories want the premier to reconvene the legislature, which is currently prorogued until May 5.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:36 PM CDT

Quebec Solidaire Leader Ruba Ghazal speaks at a news conference at the legislature in Quebec City, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

AFN chief asks UN to support First Nations’ opposition to B.C. Indigenous law change

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

AFN chief asks UN to support First Nations’ opposition to B.C. Indigenous law change

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:50 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is calling on the United Nations to condemn the "regressive" attempt by B.C. Premier David Eby's government to amend or suspend parts of a landmark Indigenous rights law.

That law, based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, has come under fire from Eby's government after it was cited in a court ruling against the province.

The premier has said the B.C. Court of Appeal's ruling on the province's mining rules would force his government to incorporate the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into all of its laws, something he compared to eating an elephant.

First Nations leaders have been outspoken in their opposition to any changes. They rejected a proposal from Eby's government on Sunday for a one-year suspension of the province's DRIPA law, which was then withdrawn.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:50 PM CDT

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak waits to appear at the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs in Ottawa, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Government introduces bill to support space launches from Canadian territory

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Government introduces bill to support space launches from Canadian territory

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:25 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The federal government has introduced space launch legislation to allow Ottawa to regulate and oversee both launches and re-entry on Canadian territory.

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon told reporters Tuesday Canada is the only G7 country without space launch capabilities.

"Currently, we must rely on foreign countries, most often the United States, to get Canadian satellites in orbit," he said.

"This reliance on the U.S. sends investment out of our country, creates costly delays and leaves critical infrastructure exposed to decisions beyond our control."

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:25 PM CDT

Space Canada CEO Brian Gallant speaks after an announcement on Canada’s sovereign space program at the Canadian Space Agency’s David Florida Laboratory in Ottawa on Monday, March 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Turf war: B.C. prison finds drug package disguised as grass patch dropped over fence

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Turf war: B.C. prison finds drug package disguised as grass patch dropped over fence

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 11:18 AM CDT

MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - Authorities in British Columbia's Fraser Valley have foiled an attempt to sneak drugs into a prison by dropping a package disguised as a patch of loose turf onto the facility's grounds.

RCMP say corrections officers at the Mission Institution discovered the package on April 9 after someone dropped it over the fence overnight.

Police say the package was "cleverly" disguised, with real cut grass attached on the entire outside of the bubble-mailer to "seamlessly blend in" with the grass inside the fence of the facility.

Officers then found more than 300 grams of what is believed to be methamphetamine inside, along with an iPhone, razor blades and other contraband.

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Yesterday at 11:18 AM CDT

April 22, 2026

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