B.C. will only accept 1,100 new immigrant applications with nominations focusing on health care

The British Columbia government says the odds of new applications from immigrants looking to be accepted into its nominee program this year have dropped to near zero for anyone other than health workers or entrepreneurs after the federal government slashed the number of available slots.

The program, which help immigrants already living in Canada gain permanent residency if they fill key jobs, will accept 1,100 new applications this year, mainly for doctors, nurses and other health professionals as well as entrepreneurs.

It says most of the remaining 2,900 slots will be used to nominate some of the applications it has already received.
#BritishColumbia
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Greens not running candidates in certain federal ridings in bid to stop Conservatives: party spokesperson

The Green Party says it has decided not to run candidates in some federal ridings in order to boost progressive parties and stop the Conservatives from forming government in the April 28 election.

The party is facing scrutiny for being included in this week’s federal leaders’ debates because it has only 232 candidates formally nominated with Elections Canada. There are 343 ridings across the country.
#election
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🇺🇸 Trump still wants Canada to be the 51st U.S. state, White House says

U.S. President Donald Trump still wants Canada to become the country’s 51st state, the White House said.

Asked Tuesday if there was a reason for the apparent softening of tone, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied there was any change in Trump’s posture behind the scenes.
#US
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Green Party dropped from leaders' debates for not running enough candidates

The Leaders' Debates Commission, which is tasked with organizing the French and English debates, has removed the Green Party from federal leaders' debates for failing to meet participation requirements.

Parties must meet two of the following three criteria in order to be invited to the debates: having at least one sitting MP who's been elected as a member of that party; having at least four per cent national support in opinion polls; and running candidates in at least 90 per cent of all ridings.
#election
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Ontario to loosen internal trade, remove barriers on alcohol and labour mobility

Ford’s government tabled legislation Wednesday aimed at loosening interprovincial trade and signed memorandums of understanding with the premiers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick agreeing that a good, service or registered worker that is recognized in one province is acceptable in the other.

Why did we have to wait for a trade war to break out to start addressing this problem?
#Ontario #NovaScotia #NewBrunswick
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🇺🇸 Nearly 900,000 fewer people went to the U.S. in March as cross-border travel plummets

The number of cross-border travellers going from Canada to the U.S. dropped by nearly 900,000 in March compared to the same month last year.

The border figures show 4,105,516 travellers crossed the U.S. northern border in March of this year, down from 4,970,360 people who did the same in 2024 — a roughly 17 per cent decline.
#US #border
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🇺🇸 ‘Hold the line’: B.C. government reacts to California governor’s plea for Canadian tourists

The Governor of California Gavin Newsom made a pitch for Canadians to visit his state. The governor went on to distance California from President Donald Trump, pleading for the two million Canadians who typically visit to continue vacationing in his state.

Two thousand miles away from Washington, and a world away in mindset.

- Gavin Newsom.

It comes after B.C. Premier David Eby has repeatedly discouraged British Columbians from travelling to the States, even cancelling his own family’s spring break trip to Disneyland in March.

Our message to British Columbians, to Canadians, is hold the line. It’s working.

- Ravi Kahlon, chair of the B.C. cabinet committee.
#US
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🛢🇨🇳🇺🇸 China pivots from US to Canada for more oil as trade war worsens

Chinese refiners are importing record amounts of Canadian crude after slashing purchases of US oil by roughly 90% amid escalating trade tensions.

A pipeline expansion in Western Canada that opened less than a year ago has presented China and other East Asian oil importers with expanded access to the vast crude reserves in Alberta’s oilsands region.

Chinese crude imports from the port at the pipeline terminus near Vancouver soared to an unprecedented 7.3 million barrels in March and are on pace to exceed that figure this month. Meanwhile, Chinese imports of US oil have collapsed to 3 million barrels a month from a peak of 29 million in June.
#US #China #Alberta
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Debates chief cancels post-debate Q&A after Rebel News clashes with reporters

The head of the Leaders' Debates Commission cancelled a planned question-and-answer session between journalists and party leaders scheduled to take place after Thursday's English-language debate, following heated exchanges between reporters and representatives of the right-wing media group Rebel News.

The commission's executive director Michel Cormier also said Thursday he was not aware that Rebel News had registered as an official third party in the federal election when the commission gave the group more opportunities to question leaders following Wednesday's French debate than most mainstream outlets.
#election
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B.C. premier says talk of Western Canada separation ‘needs to stop’

Talk of the western provinces separating from the rest of Canada is a “tired trope” that needs to stop, British Columbia Premier David Eby says.

Eby told a news conference Thursday he doesn’t think there’s any credible threat to Canadian unity and accused people like former Reform Party leader Preston Manning of “seeking clicks and playing to a political base” that is disavowed by the vast majority of Canadians.

It is a tired trope. It is a waste of time, and it is an attack on the unity that we have right now as a country standing up to the Trump administration, for political, partisan gains. I hate it. I think it’s awful. I want them to stop.

#BritishColumbia
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🏛 Ontario Premier Ford under fire over Ontario Place redevelopment deal

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is facing scrutiny over the Ontario Place redevelopment deal with Austrian spa company Therme Group. The controversy arose after the Auditor-General's report revealed that Therme falsely claimed to own and operate six global facilities—owning only one, with others run by a different company.

This raised concerns about due diligence and political accountability. In response, Ford ordered a review of the contract to ensure it passes a "smell test".

The $2 billion project, part of a broader waterfront revitalization plan, has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and the public, who cite concerns over transparency, fairness, and taxpayer money misuse. Despite backlash, Ford continues to support the project as a major tourist attraction.
#Ontario
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🪖Conservatives pledge three northern Canadian military bases and fleet of surveillance planes for Arctic

The Conservative Party, which has already promised a military base in Northern Canada if elected, says they would in fact build three such installations in the region as part of a defence campaign platform that appears exclusively focused on continental security.

Chris Warkentin, the Conservative candidate for Grande Prairie, Alta., said in an announcement Thursday in Yellowknife that leader Pierre Poilievre’s government would also commit to buying a fleet of airborne early warning and control aircraft to increase surveillance and command abilities for the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Arctic.
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💰Major spending plans unveiled for Canada's 2025 federal election

Mark Carney has proposed a $130 billion spending plan over four years, focusing on defense, housing, healthcare, and tax cuts.

This includes boosting defense spending to meet NATO's 2% GDP target by 2030 and investing in infrastructure for Indigenous communities.

The Conservative Party's Pierre Poilievre critiques the plan, emphasizing fiscal responsibility, while NDP's Jagmeet Singh advocates for core Canadian values and support for vulnerable populations.
#election #Carney
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🗳🚶‍♂️Elections Canada announces record turnout on 1st day of advance voting

Elections Canada has announced preliminary estimates that show nearly two million electors voted Friday, the first day of advance polls.

Representatives of the non-partisan agency said that's a record turnout.
#election
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🚨 Saskatoon's escalating drug crisis

Saskatoon is facing a severe drug poisoning epidemic, with firefighters responding to 901 overdose calls since January—more than double last year’s numbers.

A toxic batch of drugs, including pink and purple pills, has worsened fatalities. Prairie Harm Reduction, the city’s only safe consumption site, temporarily closed due to staff burnout and lacks a required paramedic.

Overdoses and violence also forced two libraries to shut temporarily. The city activated its emergency operation center to coordinate responses like naloxone distribution and paramedic deployment.

#Saskatchewan
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Carney pledges to cap non-permanent resident population at below 5%

A re-elected Liberal government will cap the number of non-permanent residents in Canada at less than 5 per cent of the population, and limit the annual growth of permanent residents to less than one per cent, according to the party’s election platform released on Saturday.
#election #Carney
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📈 Canada population growth likely to be higher than forecast, CIBC says

Statistics Canada expects the population growth rate to slow to 0.3 per cent in 2025, from 1.8 per cent last year, before contracting 0.2 per cent in 2026. But the agency is overestimating the number of temporary residents who will leave once their visas expire, failing to count people holding long-term visitor permits and understating the amount of likely asylum seekers, the bank’s Deputy Chief Economist Benjamin Tal said in a report Monday.

After correcting for those issues, Tal projects the growth rate to be 1.1 per cent this year and around one per cent next year.
#immigration
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Conservatives roll out ads without Poilievre in final stretch of campaign

The Conservatives released two ads with no images of party leader Pierre Poilievre: an endorsement by Stephen Harper, and an ad that shows two golfers criticizing Liberal Leader Mark Carney but making no mention of Poilievre.
#election #Poilievre #Carney
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🩺 🇺🇸 Carney urges Canadian doctors in the U.S. to come home

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is making a direct appeal to Canadian doctors and nurses living in the U.S. to “come home.”

He said his government would streamline credential recognition and look to poach global talent, including doctors working in the U.S.

To the Canadian health-care professionals practising in the U.S., let me say this. If you’ve been thinking about coming back to Canada, there’s never been a better time.

#healthcare #Carney #US
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🗳Record 7.3 million people voted in advance polls, Elections Canada says

A record 7.3 million people voted in advance polls over the long weekend, Elections Canada says, about one-quarter of all registered voters.

This is a 25-per-cent increase over the 5.8 million people who voted in advance polls in the 2021 election, the agency said, noting that the numbers are an estimate as some polls may not have reported yet.

Over all, about 28.2 million people are registered to vote in this election as of March, Elections Canada said.
#election
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