Canada – Winnipeg Free Press

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) drives against Charlotte Hornets forward Kai Jones during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, April 2, 2023. Toronto won 128-108. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Nell Redmond

Toronto Raptors clinch NBA play-in birth

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:23 PM CDT

The Toronto Raptors have clinched a spot in the NBA's play-in round.

Toronto's 128-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets earlier Sunday, coupled with the Brooklyn Nets' 111-110 victory over the Utah Jazz, locked up the Raptors' post-season spot.

The sixth through 10th-place teams in each conference advance to the play-in portion of the NBA's post-season.

The play-in format sees the seventh and eighth seeds play each other and the ninth and 10th seeds face off.

Advertise With Us

Weather

WEATHER ALERT Tonight:

-6°c Drifting snow Monday morning:

-7°c Scattered flurries

Winnipeg MB
-1°C, Light snow

Full Forecast

Canada's Corey Conners wins Valero Texas Open

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Canada's Corey Conners wins Valero Texas Open

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:00 PM CDT

SAN ANTONIO - Canada's Corey Conners has won the Valero Texas Open for a second time.

Conners, from Listowel, Ont., saved par on the par-5 18th hole to secure the one-stroke win on Sunday.

Sam Stevens of the United States was second at 14-under overall.

Conners also won the Texas Open in 2019.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 6:00 PM CDT

Corey Conners of Canada hits out of a fairway bunker on the 14th hole during the second round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament, on Friday, March 31, 2023, in San Antonio. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rodolfo Gonzalez

Inquiry calls for action on violence 'epidemic'

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Inquiry calls for action on violence 'epidemic'

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:37 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The sweeping calls for change stemming from the public inquiry into the 2020 deadly mass shootings in Nova Scotia include a push to overhaul Canada's approach to the "epidemic" of gender-based, intimate-partner and family violence — something one advocate says will require transformative change.

The Mass Casualty Commission — which examined the shooting spree in rural Nova Scotia that left 23 people dead, including the gunman — released a report last week that makes 130 recommendations aimed at improving public safety and policing.

The commissioners singled out their findings about domestic violence, saying they believe it to be the "single most important" lesson to be learned.

There is growing evidence, the report says, "that many men who commit mass casualties have previously committed gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, or family violence," and that many mass violence events begin with an attack on a specific woman, as it did in Nova Scotia.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 5:37 PM CDT

Family, friends and supporters of the victims of the mass killings in rural Nova Scotia in 2020 gather following the release of the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry's final report in Truro, N.S. on Thursday, March 30, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Six children to return from Syria alone: advocates

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Six children to return from Syria alone: advocates

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:44 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Six Canadian children are set to leave a Syrian prison camp and fly to Canada without their mother who cannot come with them because federal officials have not completed her security assessment, advocates for the family say.

The federal government gave the Quebec woman until Sunday to decide whether her children would join other Canadians on the repatriation flight expected to depart any day now or remain with her in Syria, said Alexandra Bain, director of the group Families Against Violent Extremism.

"I'm shocked. It doesn't make any sense," Bain said Saturday in an interview. "It's not how I expect Canada to behave."

The Canadians are among the many foreign nationals in Syrian camps run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the war-torn region from the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 5:44 PM CDT

A general view of Karama camp for internally displaced Syrians, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022 by the village of Atma, Idlib province, Syria. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Omar Albam

RCMP hopes 150th anniversary boosts recruitment

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

RCMP hopes 150th anniversary boosts recruitment

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:12 AM CDT

OTTAWA - The RCMP is hoping to boost recruitment numbers in marking its upcoming 150th anniversary — even as the national force's structure and practices come under damning new scrutiny.

The Mass Casualty Commission released its final report last week into the April 2020 shooting rampage that left 22 people dead in Nova Scotia.

It named a litany of RCMP fallings and issued a call for the force to "finally" undergo the fundamental changes previous probes have demanded.

That finding came less than two months ahead of the Mounties' 150th anniversary on May 23.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 5:12 AM CDT

Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are seen during a parade in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth as it makes its way down Wellington St., in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022. The RCMP is hoping to boost recruitment numbers in marking its upcoming 150th anniversary — even as the national force's structure and practices come under damning new scrutiny. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Search continues for missing Akwesasne resident

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Search continues for missing Akwesasne resident

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:53 PM CDT

MONTREAL - Akwesasne Mohawk Police continued to search Sunday for a local man whose boat was found where the bodies of eight migrants were pulled from the St. Lawrence River last week.

Police said in a statement they would continue searching the area until sunset for Casey Oakes, 30, whom officers have been seeking since Thursday when the first of the migrants' bodies were discovered.

Police have said the eight victims consisted of two families, one of Romanian and another of Indian descent. Authorities said they were allegedly attempting to illegally cross into the United States from Canada through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles provincial and international boundaries and includes regions of Quebec, Ontario and New York State.

Oakes was last seen Wednesday night operating a boat that was found next to the migrants' bodies, but police have made no direct connections between Oakes and the deaths. Some items of clothing that belong to Oakes have also been found and the boat has been placed in secure storage for inspection.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 8:53 PM CDT

Searchers dock at a marina in Akwesasne, Que. Friday, March 31, 2023. The search continues for a man missing from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne in an area of the St. Lawrence River where the bodies of eight migrants were recovered earlier this week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Canada readies to send an astronaut to the moon

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Canada readies to send an astronaut to the moon

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

WASHINGTON - Ask Marc Garneau if he'd go back to space and the first Canadian to ever make the trip doesn't hesitate: "In a wink."

It's another matter entirely, of course, whether the now-retired former astronaut and Quebec MP — at 74, he finally gave up his seat in the House of Commons just three weeks ago — still has the right stuff.

"You always wonder, when you reach a certain age, whether you would still have that capability that you had when you were younger," said Garneau, who flew three Space Shuttle missions between 1984 and 2001.

"Having flown three times, I consider myself blessed beyond any reasonable expectation in life."

Read

Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

NASA's Orion spacecraft flew past the moon on Monday, December 5, 2022. The crew capsule and its test dummies took part in a three-week test flight that set the stage for astronauts on the next flight in a couple years. That flight, currently scheduled for November 2024, will include a Canadian astronaut whose identity will be revealed Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/NASA via AP

Go all in on LNG for low-carbon future: report

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Go all in on LNG for low-carbon future: report

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:57 AM CDT

WASHINGTON - As the world struggles to find the right balance between a carbon-free future and a present that still runs on fossil fuels, Canada could be leveraging its natural-gas riches to help fuel both, a new report suggests.

The report, to be released Monday by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, urges the federal government to finally get serious about building the infrastructure necessary to fast-track the extraction and export of liquid natural gas.

The carbon-credits clause of the 2015 Paris climate accord could be a "key driver of growth" for the LNG sector if Canadian natural gas were to become a viable alternative for coal-fired power plants around the world, it suggests.

"This initiative could not only support natural gas exports but an array of services, technology, and materials exports," writes Eric Miller, president of the D.C.-based Rideau Potomac Strategy Group and the report's author.

Read

Yesterday at 11:57 AM CDT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrive for a dinner in Toronto on Monday, August 22, 2022. A new report suggests Canada should be doing more to make its abundant natural gas riches a key component of the world's effort to move to a lower-carbon future. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

B.C. radio personality Red Robinson dies at 86

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

B.C. radio personality Red Robinson dies at 86

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

VANCOUVER - The family of Vancouver radio personality Red Robinson says he has died after a brief illness.

In a statement posted online, Robinson's family says he passed away on Saturday shortly after 8 a.m. He was 86.

Robinson began his radio career in 1954 at Vancouver’s CJOR, and his website credits him as the first DJ in Canada to play rock ’n’ roll music on a regular basis.

It says Red jumped to Vancouver CKWX station in 1957, where he met American singer Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley.

Read

Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

VANCOUVER - The family of Vancouver radio personality Red Robinson says he has died after a brief illness.

In a statement posted online, Robinson's family says he passed away on Saturday shortly after 8 a.m. He was 86.

Robinson began his radio career in 1954 at Vancouver’s CJOR, and his website credits him as the first DJ in Canada to play rock ’n’ roll music on a regular basis.

It says Red jumped to Vancouver CKWX station in 1957, where he met American singer Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley.

Political will for national pharmacare questioned

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Political will for national pharmacare questioned

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

OTTAWA - Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the government's plans for pharmacare are moving forward, but experts who study government drug plans suggest the Liberals may have lost the political will to take bold steps toward a national program.

People like Marc-André Gagnon were still holding out hope that spending would be set aside in Tuesday's federal budget to create a national, single-payer drug plan.

But though the Carleton University health policy professor said he was optimistic, he also admitted he wasn't surprised when there was no mention of pharmacare in the document.

"We don't see the political willingness anymore," Gagnon said in an interview Friday.

Read

Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos waits to appear before the Standing Committee on Health on Thursday, March 23, 2023 in Ottawa. Duclos says the government's plans for pharmacare are moving forward, but experts who study government drug plans suggest the Liberals may have lost the political will to take bold steps toward a national program. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

EI reform left out of federal budget

Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

EI reform left out of federal budget

Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

OTTAWA - The Liberal government left employment insurance reform out of the federal budget this week over concern that reforming the program amid a slowing economy could drive up premiums for workers and employers.

That's according to a spokesperson for Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, who said the federal government "remains committed to modernizing the EI system."

"However, the current and near-term economic context caution against measures that could put pressure on EI premiums and we needed to be careful about any decision that could make it harder for workers and employers to make ends meet," the spokesperson said in an email.

After the last federal election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handed out a mandate letter that tasked Qualtrough with bringing forward and implementing a plan to "modernize the EI system for the 21st century" by summer 2022.

Read

Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

A man walks though a downtown Toronto office building with other buildings reflected in a window in this June 11, 2019 photo. The future of Canada's social safety net is pending after the federal budget made no mention of employment insurance reform, despite the Liberals having promised to modernize the program. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Here's what 'friendshoring' means for Canada

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Here's what 'friendshoring' means for Canada

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

OTTAWA - This year's budget reveals the federal Liberals envision Canada relying more on its allies for trade in the future, economists and geopolitical experts say — even if that could result in higher prices or missed opportunities.

"It's a reframing," University of British Columbia professor Vina Nadjibulla said after the budget's release this week. "It's essentially saying what we've been doing for the last 30 years of engagement is over."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen coined the term "friendshoring" a year ago, saying allies should rely on each other to make supply chains more resilient, and defang hostile actors from taxing or withholding goods.

The Liberals have sent mixed messages in the past year on the extent to which they agree with that approach. Last October, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canada was "decoupling" from China, but days later Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she wanted to "re-establish ties" with Beijing.

Read

Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, March 27, 2023. Economists and geopolitical experts say this week's federal budget is confirmation that the Trudeau government sees the future of Canadian trade as relying more on allied countries, even if it is results in more expensive goods. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Police name 2 of 8 migrants pulled from water

Marisela Amador, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Police name 2 of 8 migrants pulled from water

Marisela Amador, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

QUEBEC - The Akwesasne Mohawk Police identified two of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River earlier this week, but said Saturday they're still searching for a local resident whose boat was found near the victims.

An afternoon Facebook update from the force said one of the adult males, identified as 28-year-old Florin Iordache, was carrying Canadian passports for a one-year-old and a two-year-old child, both of whom were previously recovered.

They also identified one of the adult females as Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, who was also 28.

The identities of four Indian nationals have not yet been confirmed and their families have not yet been notified, the update read.

Read

Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

Searchers look for victims Friday, March 31, 2023. The bodies of eight migrants were pulled from the St. Lawrence River in Akwesasne, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

One winning ticket for Friday's Lotto Max jackpot

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

One winning ticket for Friday's Lotto Max jackpot

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

TORONTO - Someone in the Prairies is waking up $60 million dollars richer.

One winning ticket was drawn for Friday's Lotto Max jackpot.

There was also one Maxmillion winner from Ontario out of six possible $1 million prizes.

The jackpot for the next draw on April 4 will be an estimated $15 million.

Read

Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

TORONTO - Someone in the Prairies is waking up $60 million dollars richer.

One winning ticket was drawn for Friday's Lotto Max jackpot.

There was also one Maxmillion winner from Ontario out of six possible $1 million prizes.

The jackpot for the next draw on April 4 will be an estimated $15 million.

Smith's phone call raises court case questions

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Smith's phone call raises court case questions

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

EDMONTON - A phone call between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and a Calgary pastor where they discussed his criminal trial raises questions about whether she has compromised the case, the Opposition NDP said Friday.

Smith is heard on a leaked cellphone video telling Artur Pawlowski that charges such as those he was facing were politically motivated.

“I think it actually probably compromises the case itself,” said NDP Leader Rachel Notley, who is also a lawyer. “You may actually find that it ends up being something that jeopardizes the independence of the case."

The call centres around Pawlowski’s looming criminal trial for his role in a protest over COVID-19 health measures that blocked the United States-Canada border-crossing at Coutts, Alta., in January 2022. The blockade paralyzed Alberta's main U.S. border-crossing for more than two weeks.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Alberta NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley addresses the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. She says Danielle Smith’s phone call to an accused pastor to discuss his criminal trial raises questions about whether the premier has compromised the case. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Global News served libel notice by MP's lawyer

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Global News served libel notice by MP's lawyer

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

OTTAWA - A lawyer for Han Dong has served Global News and its parent company Corus Entertainment with a libel notice after the media outlet published an allegation the Toronto MP spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians.

Lawyer Mark Polley says he is demanding that Global News make a "full apology and retraction" for publishing what he describes as "false, malicious, irresponsible and defamatory statements" about Dong, now an Independent MP for Don Valley North.

Global published a story last week, citing unidentified security sources who alleged Dong told a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were detained in China, would benefit the federal Conservatives.

The media outlet has also published allegations that Dong benefited from Chinese foreign interference in his successful bid to become the Liberal candidate for his riding in 2019.

Read

Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023

Provincial Liberal candidate Han Dong celebrates with supporters while taking part in a rally in Toronto on Thursday, May 22, 2014. A lawyer for Dong has served Global News and its parent company Corus Entertainment with a libel notice after the media outlet published an allegation the Toronto MP spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Migrant deaths and injuries along the border

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Migrant deaths and injuries along the border

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

MONTREAL - The deaths this week of eight people of Indian and Romanian descent in the Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne have underscored the dangers related to illegal immigration.

Over the past year, a number of deaths and close calls have occurred along the nearly 9,000-kilometre Canada-United States border. Here is a look:

March 31, 2023

Akwesasne Mohawk Police say eight people, including two children under the age of three, whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River, were trying to enter the United States illegally from Canada.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Searchers look for victims Friday, March 31, 2023 after a boat capsized and left six people dead and one infant missing in Akwesasne, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Freeland says drop in foreign aid is not a cut

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Freeland says drop in foreign aid is not a cut

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

OTTAWA - Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland insists the government's projected $1.3-billion drop in foreign aid spending does not amount to a cut.

The Liberal budget released this week projects that Ottawa will spend nearly $6.9 billion for international development in the coming fiscal year, which is a 16 per cent drop from last year's allocation.

That's despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tasking International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan to increase aid spending every year.

The Liberals had delivered a historic boost in aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, speaks during a news conference at Powertech Labs, in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 30, 2023. Freeland insists the government's projected $1.3-billion drop in foreign aid spending does not amount to a cut. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Vancouver wants children's shoe memorial to go

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Vancouver wants children's shoe memorial to go

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

VANCOUVER - Officials in Vancouver said they plan to meet with the artist and volunteers who are keeping vigil on a children's shoe memorial on the steps of the city's art gallery in an effort to end the tribute to children who didn't return from residential schools.

The city said in a statement on Friday that it notified the artist in November that the growing memorial needed to come down ahead of the two-year anniversary of the announcement of the Kamloops discovery this May.

It said the decision is supported by the local Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations.

"The City acknowledges there is still a need for healing and mourning spaces," the statement said. "While the temporary memorial cannot remain on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery, the City will continue to work with (Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and Urban Indigenous communities to create a more permanent and culturally appropriate memorial."

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Two hundred and fifteen pairs of children's shoes are placed on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery n Vancouver on Friday, May 28, 2021, as a memorial to children who did not return from residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Doctors to get more funds for after-hours care

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Doctors to get more funds for after-hours care

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

SASKATOON - Saskatchewan's health minister says a move to increase compensation for family doctors offering after-hours care will help people get access to physicians while the province continues to deliberate how to reform a payment model.

The province announced Friday an agreement in principle with the Saskatchewan Medical Association that will see additional funding available to eligible after-hours urgent care and walk-in clinics.

There will also be an additional $8 to $12 per visit in after-hours funding for fee-for-service family physicians.

"We have heard the physicians concerns, as well as those of Saskatchewan residents, and we are responding to those concerns," Merriman said in Saskatoon.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Saskatchewan Minister of Health Paul Merriman speaks to the media after the budget is presented in Regina, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

N.S. gunman's spouse revictimized by RCMP: inquiry

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

N.S. gunman's spouse revictimized by RCMP: inquiry

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

HALIFAX - The final report of the public inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting says the gunman’s partner — a survivor of his violent domestic abuse — was revictimized by the RCMP investigation into the tragedy.

Gabriel Wortman's rampage left 22 dead in April 2020 and began when he assaulted his partner, Lisa Banfield, who escaped and survived by hiding in the woods.

The inquiry's report released Thursday said the Mounties' treatment of Banfield during their investigation is an example of the kind of revictimization that makes it less likely that women survivors of gender-based violence will seek help from police. One of the report’s main findings is that “the RCMP did not treat Lisa Banfield as a surviving victim of the mass casualty.”

"It’s clear (that) for 19 years Lisa Banfield was abused by her spouse and it culminated on April 18, (2020),” inquiry commissioner Michael MacDonald said Thursday.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Lisa Banfield testifies at the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry into the mass murders in rural Nova Scotia on April 18/19, 2020, in Halifax, on Friday, July 15, 2022. The public inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting says that Banfield — the gunman’s partner and a survivor of his violent domestic abuse — was revictimized by RCMP in their investigation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

The 'slippery slope' of indicting an ex-president

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

The 'slippery slope' of indicting an ex-president

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

WASHINGTON - The United States found itself in uncharted territory Friday, confronting the as-yet-unknown political, judicial and social repercussions of having an ex-president face criminal charges for the first time in its history.

The indictment of Donald Trump was generating far more questions than answers, thanks to the fact that it will remain sealed until the former commander-in-chief is arraigned next week in New York City.

But whatever happens, the complex executive-branch relationship between America's elected leaders and its prosecutors may never be the same.

"It is potentially terrifying," said Neama Rahmani, a former assistant U.S. attorney who now operates a personal injury practice in California.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Former president Donald Trump listens as he speaks with reporters while in flight on his plane after a campaign rally at Waco Regional Airport, in Waco, Texas, Saturday, March 25, 2023, while en route to West Palm Beach, Fla. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Evan Vucci

Man charged in alleged Ontario labour trafficking

Kiernan Green, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Man charged in alleged Ontario labour trafficking

Kiernan Green, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Fifteen workers who were promised work permits and a good salary in Ontario were made to live in cramped, dirty conditions, weren't paid properly and were threatened if they complained, police said Friday as announced human trafficking charges in the case.

The investigation by Ontario Provincial Police was among the latest in a series of recent human trafficking and labour exploitation probes that have resulted in charges in the province.

Police said they began investigating after receiving a tip in November about alleged labour abuses related to a subcontracting company in Orillia, Ont.

Investigators found that 15 people – all from Mexico and ranging in age from 21 to 54 – were brought over to Canada with the promise of work permits, training, housing and good pay.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Public servants' return-to-office deadline is here

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Public servants' return-to-office deadline is here

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

OTTAWA - The federal government's return-to-office deadline has arrived — and on cue, a major public-sector union is holding a rally in Ottawa to call attention to workers' concerns.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which is hosting the demonstration and represents 165,000 federal workers, says women are disproportionately affected by the government's mandate.

The union says that parents have been struggling to find affordable child-care and get adequate accommodations from the government.

Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced a mandatory hybrid work model in December that required public servants to return to the office two to three times per week, to be implemented by March 31.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Treasury Board President Mona Fortier rises during Question Period, Tuesday, January 31, 2023 in Ottawa. The federal government's return-to-office deadline has arrived, but members of a union representing 165,000 public servants are rallying in support of women who are disproportionately impacted by the mandate.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Liberals' online-streaming bill closer to passing

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Liberals' online-streaming bill closer to passing

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

OTTAWA - A Liberal government bill that would require online streaming services to contribute to Canadian content is one step closer to passing after the House of Commons approved most of the Senate's amendments to the proposed legislation.

If passed, Bill C-11 would update broadcasting rules to include online streaming and require tech giants such as YouTube, Netflix and Spotify to make Canadian content available to users in Canada — or face steep penalties.

On Thursday evening, the House agreed to adopt Senate amendments that reinforce the promotion of Indigenous languages and Black content creators, and seek to ensure that funds collected from tech giants go toward promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

The move received quick praise from those who advocate for the arts and media industry.

Read

Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

April 3, 2023