National News

VANCOUVER — More than 50 poultry farms in British Columbia have been infected with avian flu since October, but animal health officials say that rate is slowing as the fall migration of wild birds ends.

OTTAWA — The Palestinian ambassador in Ottawa is praising Canada's vote at the United Nations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, while urging the Canadian government to becomethe catalyst for global work toward a two-state solution.

MONTREAL — Quebec says it will raise tuition by 30 per cent for out-of-province Canadians and force universities to ensure most of those students are proficient in French when they graduate, a decision the head of McGill University says is "devastati

OTTAWA — Members of the House of Commons immigration committee say the government should set a deadline to clear immigration application backlogs and appoint an ombudsperson to hold the department accountable.

OTTAWA — The NDP and Liberals have agreed to a new March 1 deadline for the federal government to introduce pharmacare legislation in the House of Commons, as part of the parties' deal to keep the minority government in power.

OTTAWA — Legislation that lifts GST charges off rental developments and amends the country's competition law has passed in the Senate and is poised to become law.

TORONTO — The Ontario government has announced sales of beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink cocktails will be allowed in convenience stores and all grocery stores in Ontario by 2026.

MONT-LAURIER, Que. — Authorities say work carried out by government engineers has stabilized a dike northwest of Montreal that was at risk of bursting.

VANCOUVER — For thousands of years, a breed of white, woolly dog played an important and cultural role for Coast Salish people in Western Canada but when colonists moved in the animal quickly became extinct, a new study says.

OTTAWA — If there is a walk in the snow coming for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this winter, he's not planning on using it to reflect on his future. There is also no sign he's being pushed out from within.