National News

VANCOUVER — The British Columbia provincial election campaign is expected to officially kick off Saturday, but party leaders have been vying for votes for months in the lead up to the Oct. 19 fixed election day.

FREDERICTON — As New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs started his election campaign Thursday, he claimed his main rivals were already planning a power-sharing deal similar to the now-defunct one between the federal Liberals and NDP.

OTTAWA — The head of Via Rail repeatedly told MPs a train delay over the Labour Day long weekend was an isolated incident, despite a similar event two years ago.

OTTAWA — The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan has pulled out of a national body representing Métis, citing problems with an Ontario group and throwing the future of the Métis National Council into question.

OTTAWA — MPs on the public safety and national security committee voted unanimously to launch an investigation into an alleged Russian ploy to dupe right-wing influencers into sowing division among Americans. A U.S.

OTTAWA — The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won't help Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories' non-confidence motion.

WINNIPEG — A court has been asked to declare Lake Winnipeg a person with constitutional rights to life, liberty and security of person in a case that may go further than any other in trying to establish the rights of nature in Canada.

OTTAWA — Several federal political parties are expressing reservations about the prospect of fresh regulations to prevent foreign meddlers from tainting their candidate nomination processes.

MONTREAL — Quebec's public services are becoming "dehumanized," the province's ombudsperson said in his annual report released Thursday, adding that a growing number of people are reaching out to his office to signal problems.

Health Canada authorized Novavax's updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus on Thursday. The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, targets the JN.