North·New Mearns, who lives in Iqaluit, currently serves as senior director of Inuit relations for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and has previously held senior positions with the government of Nunavut. Mearns’ appointment Thursday is the latest development in Canada’s new Arctic foreign policy CBC News · Posted: Jul 24, 2025 10:41 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago Virginia Mearns has been named Canada’s Arctic ambassador. She currently serves as senior director of Inuit relations at the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and has previously held senior positions with the government of Nunavut. (Virginia Mearns/Facebook) Prime Minister Mark Carney has named…

Alberta’s immigration minister says he’s concerned about the federal government’s plan this year to accept thousands of parents and grandparents of immigrants already in Canada. Joseph Schow responded Tuesday to a federal notice that Ottawa plans to take in 10,000 applications from those who have previously expressed interest in sponsoring family members. Schow took issue with the 10,000 figure. In a statement, Schow said provincial health-care systems, housing and social services don’t have the capacity and could be overwhelmed. Federal Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s office said the federal government’s actual countrywide target for approvals this year for the parent and…

There was a remarkably salient moment at a recent journalism conference in Seoul where participants from 50 countries debated climate change and its effect on both the literal and political landscape of the world. The consensus, albeit a rough one, was that the public — from Azerbaijan to Zaire — was exhausted by the issue. It was tough to get their attention and people increasingly tuned out, even though in some cases their homes had literally been blown away. As the matter was debated, the hills outside of the Journalists Association of Korea hall last spring were being ravaged by…

Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting Inuit leaders Thursday in Inuvik, N.W.T., as he ramps up his outreach to Indigenous communities about his plan to fast-track major nation-building projects. Carney arrived on Wednesday, attending a community gathering before meeting with Inuit leadership from across northern Canada. Inuvik, one of Canada’s northernmost towns, is hosting the prime minister, several cabinet ministers and Inuit leaders for what’s known as the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee on Thursday.  Carney and Natan Obed, the president of the national Inuit organization, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, are co-chairing the meeting, which is expected to have a heavy focus on the…

A $68-million project led by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that was meant to revamp Canada’s outdated asylum system and enhance the integrity of the country’s borders was quietly shut down last year — an “unexpected” move for some in the government because it was only partly completed, internal documents show.  Now, some critics fear the outcomes that were achieved may be more harmful than beneficial for people seeking protection in Canada. IRCC’s “asylum interoperability project” began in 2019 and was supposed to wrap up by 2022. It came during a surge of asylum seekers entering Canada, putting pressure on an already struggling system that relied…

The Crown says it’s seeking an extraordinary sentence for an unprecedented crime, as court began hearing sentencing submissions Wednesday in the mischief case of Ottawa truck convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher asked Justice Heather Perkins-McVey to impose a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber. But Barber’s lawyer called that “cruel and unusual punishment.” Instead, she argued her client should walk free with an absolute discharge. Barber was found guilty in April of mischief and counselling others to disobey a court order, while Lich was convicted of mischief alone. Wetscher admitted the…

The Canadian who died while in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had several health concerns in the weeks leading up to his death, according to a report published on Wednesday. The report comes exactly a month after Johnny Noviello, 49, was found unresponsive at a federal detention centre in Miami. The day after Noviello was taken into ICE custody, he was diagnosed with a seizure disorder and hypertension. He was prescribed anticonvulsant and blood pressure medications, according to the report. Noviello had been in the U.S. since 1988 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1991. The Canadian citizen…

Canada’s military police watchdog will hold a public interest hearing following allegations that a civilian employee was “affected and brutalized” by officers’ conduct during an active shooter exercise at Canadian Forces Base Montreal last November. A complaint alleges three or four military police members pointed weapons at the employee. It alleges one officer ordered him to lie down on the ground and dragged him by his coverall and sweater, tearing the clothing. The employee, who was painting on site, claims the event happened so quickly he believed a serious incident was unfolding and he was the prime suspect. He had been informed…

Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit his hometown of Fort Smith, N.W.T., on Wednesday — his first official visit to the territory since he was elected. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Carney and Premier R.J. Simpson will meet with local families Wednesday morning in Fort Smith to discuss affordability challenges and food insecurity. Carney is also scheduled to meet with local leaders there about the impact of wildfires in the N.W.T. Though this wildfire season has been relatively calm so far, the territory has been hit hard by fires in recent years, including the evacuation of Fort Smith, Hay River and Yellowknife in…

After two days of strategizing on how to respond to the trade war U.S. President Donald Trump is waging on Canada, the premiers sat down Wednesday to discuss violent crime, drug trafficking and health care.  They’re calling on the federal government to make good on its promise to introduce legislation in the fall sitting of Parliament that will make it harder for repeat violent offenders to get bail.  The provinces have “moved in every aspect that we feel we can,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said on his way into Wednesday’s morning meeting.  “The significant change that will have significant consequences…