Bank of Canada expected to deliver second consecutive rate cut today

OTTAWA – The federal government is giving Canada Post the ability to store and transport restricted firearms in new regulations that bring the retail gun buyback program one step closer to beginning.

An order-in-council dated Oct. 16 allows for restricted assault-style firearms to be removed from safes at firearms retailers, transported and ultimately destroyed.

More than 1,500 models of firearms were restricted in May 2020 after a mass shooting in Nova Scotia left 23 people dead, including the gunman.

Since then, retailers that have the now-banned weapons have been required to securely keep them in their inventory.

“Once the program launches, the updated shipping regulations will make the affected firearms and devices mailable matter and will temporarily permit businesses taking part in the program to ship firearms or devices via post,” said Gabriel Brunet, spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, in a statement on Friday.

LeBlanc previously said that the long-promised gun buyback would begin this fall.

First, the government will buy restricted firearms from retail stores and have them destroyed. An individual buyback program for people who own restricted weapons begins next year.

In a statement, Canada Post said it is prepared to take part in the first phase of the buyback program, because retailers are already familiar with the strict rules required to safely mail firearms.

The Crown corporation maintains it will not take part in the second phase of the buyback program, involving individual firearm owners, because of concerns with employee safety.

The Criminal Code amnesty for owning restricted assault-style firearms has been extended twice so far, and is now set to expire on Oct. 30, 2025. The regulations allowing these firearms to be mailed expires on the same date.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 25, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VICTORIA – Elections BC is expected to provide a breakdown today of the number of uncounted mail-in and absentee ballots in each of British Columbia’s 93 ridings, potentially making clearer the outcome of the weekend’s nail-biting vote.

There are about 65,000 of the ballots to count between tomorrow and Monday, which could solidify results from election night, or may even flip some ridings.

A handful of ridings remain too close to call after Saturday’s election, in which neither the NDP nor the B.C. Conservatives secured the 47 seats needed for a majority.

Two full recounts will also start this weekend for the ridings of Juan de Fuca-Malahat and Surrey City Centre because there were fewer than 100 votes separating the NDP and B.C. Conservative candidates.

For now, the NPD is elected or leading in 46 ridings, while the B.C. Conservatives have 45 seats, and two members of the Green Party have been elected.

Elections BC says the counting of mail-in and absentee ballots starts Saturday, while the recounts, which will be conducted by hand, start Sunday.

The Surrey City Centre result is expected Sunday, while the result in Juan de Fuca-Malahat is expected on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada’s long-held consensus on immigration is under threat, but has not disappeared.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans to slash Canada’s immigration targets by 20 per cent next year and admitted his government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the Liberals of trying to correct course after destroying the national consensus on immigration Conservatives and Liberals have held for 150 years.

He says attitudes toward immigrants have soured thanks to the policies of the last several years, as Liberals ramped up the number of permanent residents and the number of temporary residents ballooned.

Miller says concerns about social cohesion and anti-immigrant sentiments exist in Canada, as they always have, and the new targets won’t entirely assuage people’s fears.

He says the government needs to respond to Canadians who are concerned about the volume of newcomers but he also hopes people, provinces and institutions who have benefited from immigration will speak up.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.