Toronto MP Marco Mendicino, a former high-ranking cabinet minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, says he will not run in the next federal election.
Mendicino says in a statement posted on social media that he has disagreed with the direction of the federal government, particularly when it comes to Canada's foreign policy on the Israel-Hamas war.
Please see my statement. pic.twitter.com/lFWsfavLzT
— Marco Mendicino (@marcomendicino) January 2, 2025
Canada's warmest winter on record is unlikely to make a repeat performance this year, The Weather Network's chief meteorologist says, as a new seasonal forecast suggests the season will try to "salvage its reputation." Chris Scott says the forecast suggests this winter will be generally colder and more impactful than last year, which saw the warmest winter on record — but it still won't be a "start to finish blockbuster" for any of Canada's regions.
The Quebec Court of Appeal ruled in December 2022 that the provincial and federal governments owed almost $1.6 million to the First Nation in Mashteuiatsh, Que., to make up for years of underfunding. The federal government agreed to pay its share of the money, but Quebec asked the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says responders have fielded more than 300,000 calls and texts since the launch of the national 988 suicide helpline a year ago. Dr. Allison Crawford, the chief medical officer for the helpline, says people having suicidal thoughts or other mental health distress can get help 24 hours a day, seven days a week no matter where they live in Canada.
Some Liberal MPs say they think their government should consider expanding the eligibility for an upcoming government rebate to include seniors who are no longer working. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week said the government was responding to concerns about the cost of living by temporarily taking the federal sales tax off certain goods and sending $250 cheques to working Canadians in the spring.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said sending the matter to binding arbitration "is not in the cards," even though he invoked that authority only a few weeks ago to resolve the ports dispute and a few months ago to resolve the rail dispute.
Police in Vancouver are warning the public that a high-risk offender has been released to a halfway house in the city. Police say David Morin was released yesterday after being arrested earlier this week for violating the terms of his release.