National News

VICTORIA — The playwright and actor in a play cancelled by Victoria's Belfry Theatre over potential local tensions linked to the war between Israel and Hamas says he's disappointed, but empathizes with the situation facing the venue.

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — The death of a British Columbia woman who smothered her eight-year-old daughter lifts a “significant burden” from family members who no longer have to face the prospect of her release, the girl’s father says.

OTTAWA — Countries traditionally aligned with Israel are warning its right-wing government against contemplating a displacement of people who live in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli officials repeatedly suggest Canada could take in Palestinians.

OTTAWA — The committee process for a testy piece of legislation that would recognize Métis governments in three provinces has been extended until at least February.

VANCOUVER — An unnamed school district in British Columbia has been ordered by the province's human rights tribunal to pay $5,000 to a student for failing to accommodate her anxiety disorder.

MONTREAL — A Namibian man returning home from church and another man heading to a friend's party have been identified as the victims of a New Year's Day fatal hit-and-run in Montreal.

MONTREAL — An Old Montreal soup kitchen operating since 1877 says it has secured funding from the Quebec government to keep offering hundreds of daily hot meals through at least March.

MONTREAL — Quebec's Crown prosecutor's office says the mother of a one-year-old girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert on Tuesday has been charged with allegedly abducting her child.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office is clarifying that he and his family are vacationing in Jamaica "at no cost at a location owned by family friends," after initially saying the family was paying for their stay.

OTTAWA — Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne spent most of last year doling out big bucks for massive new electric-vehicle battery plants as Canada made some major moves to solidify its green industrial strategy.