🇨🇦🇮🇷 MPs vote unanimously in support of designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group

The House of Commons has voted unanimously in support of a motion to add Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps to an official list of terrorist organizations.

The motion came from a House justice committee report that, among other things, called on the government to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity in Canada. MPs voted 327 to 0 to accept the report on Wednesday.

#Iran
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🌱NDP leader slams Liberals for giving nearly $26-million to Costco, Loblaw in recent years

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is slamming the federal Liberals for giving nearly $26 million to Costco COST-Q and Loblaw L-T for energy-efficient appliances.

Newly released data from Environment and Climate Change Canada show Costco was also given more than $15 million for efforts to reduce emissions, including new fridges. Loblaw was ultimately given more than $10 million.

The Opposition Conservatives accused Singh of faking outrage over the issue.

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Federal unions file complaints over increase to office time

Several federal public service unions are putting together formal complaints arguing that by mandating federal public servants return to offices at least three days a week in September, the federal government is undermining collective agreements.

The government directed all public servants, with few exceptions, to be in the office three days a week starting Sept. 9.

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🛩 Air Canada ranks near bottom on customer satisfaction: survey

Air Canada ranks below most other major North American airlines on customer satisfaction, with airfares a particular sore point, according to a new survey.

The country's largest carrier placed last in both business class and premium economy.

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🏦 Bank of Canada warns of steep jump in mortgage payments

Homeowners who are due to renew their mortgages over the coming years will face steep jumps in payments, according to the Bank of Canada, with the median monthly payment increasing by more than 60 per cent for those with a variable rate mortgage.

The report warns that the ability of households and businesses to service their debt has become one of the main risks to the stability of the country’s financial system.

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Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India

Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year while a former Air Canada employee involved in the scheme remains outstanding, police say.

Police said Archit Grover, a 36-year-old man from Brampton, was arrested on May 6. He was taken into custody after flying into Toronto from India and arrested for theft over $5000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

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Canada gains a net 90,400 jobs in April, jobless rate holds at 6.1%

Canada's economy gained a net 90,400 jobs in April, both in full-time and part-time work, and the jobless rate held at 6.1%, Statistics Canada data showed on Friday.

Employment in the goods producing sector fell by a net 10,400 jobs, largely in construction. The services sector was up by a net 100,700 positions, mostly in professional, scientific and technical services, as well as accommodation and food services.

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🏦 Bank of Canada says households can cope with higher rates

The Bank of Canada says households can weather higher borrowing costs, but flagged rising asset valuations and financial stress among renters as risks to the outlook.

Canadians are “proactively” adjusting to higher interest rates, and the financial system “remains resilient,” the central bank said in its annual review of the system published Thursday. And while payments have risen for about half of the country’s mortgages, households have higher wages and savings, officials said, and they’re adjusting their spending patterns.

Overall, the evidence suggest that households have the flexibility to continue servicing their debt at higher rates.

Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers said at a news conference.

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Trudeau, Singh have led their parties to 50-year-low poll numbers

A new data analysis from the Angus Reid Institute has combed through 50 years of political polls and uncovered some historical trends and oddities. Most recently, it found that the popularity of Canadian federal party leaders is at a five-decade-year low. And that’s not one of them — it’s all of them.

Going back to 1974, there has never been a time when the leaders of the three main federal parties have polled as low as this year.

#Trudeau #Poilievre #Singh
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🏠 April asking rent prices up 9.3% across Canada

The average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January, a new report says.

Based on the report, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom unit in Canada was $1,915 in April, up 11.6 per cent from a year ago, while the average asking price for a two-bedroom unit was $2,295, up 11 per cent from April 2023.

#housing
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Decrease number of temporary residents by making them permanent, federal immigration minister suggests

One way Canada plans to shrink the number of temporary residents is to offer them the opportunity to remain permanently, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Friday, but that doesn’t mean everyone who wants to stay will be able to.

#immigration
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💸 Canada fines Binance $4.38 mln for money laundering violations

Canada's anti-money laundering agency on Thursday said it had imposed a nearly C$6 million ($4.38 million) fine on cryptocurrency exchange Binance for violating the money laundering and terrorist financing laws.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) said Binance had failed to register as a foreign money services business with the intelligence body despite several deadlines.

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💸 Trudeau government spends $8 million searching for bodies at Kamloops residential school after viral ‘mass graves’ story, finds nothing

Canada has spent about $8 million to try to discover the "heartbreaking truth" about mass graves, or unmarked graves at the Indian Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia, only to find that there were no bodies recovered at all.

Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolane Gratton said that the substantial funding was used for fieldwork, records searches, and securing the grounds of the school, Western Standard reports, but no remains have yet been uncovered.

#BritishColumbia
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4th man arrested and charged in killing of B.C. Sikh leader

A fourth Indian national living in Canada has been charged in last year's killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside of a temple in British Columbia.

The province's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a release Saturday that 22-year-old Amandeep Singh was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges.

#BritishColumbia #Ontario
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B.C. man detained in child-luring case after being arrested four times in a month

A B.C. man facing child-luring charges, arrested four times in less than a month, has now been ordered to remain in custody.

Is there a standard for how many times you have to commit a crime to actually get arrested?

#BritishColumbia
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Wildfire evacuation notice issued for Fort McMurray

An evacuation alert has been issued for Fort McMurray, Alberta, as an out-of-control fire rages southwest of the major oil town.

The Alberta government said the wildfire danger is "extreme" in the Fort McMurray Forest Area and out of control at 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) in size.

#Alberta #wildfires
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Trudeau backs away from tax threat on apartment owners

The government of Justin Trudeau pulled back on a threat to hit some real estate investment trusts in Canada with a new tax regime after opposition from the industry.

The finance department posted a statement, saying that “no changes to the tax treatment of REITs are being considered at this time.” That removes a risk that’s hung over Canadian apartment REITs in particular for more than two years.

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