National News

MONTREAL — Close friends of a Montreal teen killed in an apparently random act of gun violence last month have banded together in an effort to push the federal government to ban handguns.

OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces is facing fresh calls to create an “explicit exception” for victims of sexual misconduct and their confidantes from having to report incidents to their commanders.

MONTREAL — COVID-19 testing centres in Quebec are being overwhelmed by the pandemic's fifth wave, with long lineups to get a test and delays in results as the Omicron variant pushes daily case counts to record levels.

OTTAWA — The federal fee to apply for a criminal pardon will drop to $50 from almost $658 as of the new year.

Mercury contamination in freshwater fish populations falls quickly once new sources of the toxic chemical are cut off, says new research.

OTTAWA — A Liberal minister struck a last-minute deal with the Conservatives before the holidays to extend bereavement leave for grieving parents who work in federally regulated industries.

IQALUIT, Nunavut — Nunavut has two active COVID-19 cases after the infections were identified in a hamlet on Baffin Island.

OTTAWA — Canada’s housing minister says the federal government plans to take a tougher stand on investment properties to help cool housing prices.

OTTAWA — The Defence Department's top procurement official is warning of fresh delays in the delivery of already overdue warships and other new equipment to the Canadian Armed Forces because of COVID-19.

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals have put the White House on notice that Canada will officially challenge the legality of an American decision to hike duties on softwood lumber heading south of the border.