In the news today: Truth and Reconciliation, Poilievre urges unity, Quebec vote nears

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …

Canadians mark fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Canadians across the country will mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation today to honour the survivors of residential schools, their families, and those who never made it home.

More than 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and communities and sent to church-run residential schools where abuse, malnutrition and inadequate health care were rampant.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found in its landmark 2015 final report that the school system was a central element of a state-backed attempt at cultural genocide.

The commission documented 3,200 deaths of children attending residential schools, though the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says the actual number could be much higher.

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Mark Carney is banking on economic reconciliation but critics say he’s not on track

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has made economic reconciliation a focus of efforts to rebuild relations with Indigenous Peoples.

But the former co-chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission says Carney has missed the mark.

Wilton Littlechild says the prime minister has ignored the rights of Indigenous Peoples and sidelined traditional economies such as hunting and fishing in favour of securing overseas investments in Canada.

Hayden King of the Yellowhead Institute says economic reconciliation can’t be achieved until Indigenous groups no longer have to fight for their rights and their land in court. 

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‘Separation will not solve problems’: Poilievre speaks in Alberta ahead of referendum

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Alberta leaving Confederation is not the answer to long-standing issues like affordability. 

Poilievre spoke before an audience in downtown Edmonton last night as the province gears up for a vote on separation on Oct. 19.

He says separatists don’t have a problem with Canada, but rather federal Liberal policies, and that the solution is for Albertans to double down and fight for what they want.

Poilievre’s speech is among others he has already given or plans to give as part of his efforts to convince Conservative voters that Alberta is stronger within Canada.

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Party leaders continue appeal to voters as Quebec election campaign enters 35th day

The leaders of Quebec’s main political parties are continuing to appeal to voters with less than a week to go in the provincial election campaign.

The Coalition Avenir Québec, the Quebec Liberal Party, the Parti Québécois, Québec solidaire and the Quebec Conservatives are all expecting to win seats in the election.

Élections Québec said Tuesday that nearly a quarter of all eligible voters had cast their ballots in advance polls.

Immigration has dominated much of the campaign and was a flashpoint for the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Conservatives on Tuesday.

Quebecers go to the polls this Monday.

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From chocolate to coin purses, Lake Ontario merchandise proves a hit with consumers

One month after Lake Ontario wound up in U.S. President Donald Trump’s crosshairs, Canadian businesses say interest in merchandise linked to the body of water remains hearty.

A Lake Ontario chocolate bar made by Nova Scotia-based Peace by Chocolate has become one of the business’s bestsellers, sparking interest from coast to coast and a flurry of requests from south of the border.

Meanwhile, Ontario-based companies Hides in Hand and Province of Canada say their Lake Ontario coin purses and sweatshirts are flying off shelves.

Recent interest in Lake Ontario products stems from Trump’s August decision to rename the body of water Lake America. 

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.