Attorney general’s statement on Meta settlement, need for safeguards in Canada

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Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-08-31 18:30:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, National, Technology, Justice, Public Safety]

British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma released a public statement demanding that Meta Platforms, Inc. immediately implement the same youth online safety protections in Canada that the company agreed to deploy for users under 18 in the United States under an $18-billion settlement. The U.S. settlement involves allegations that Meta's platforms contributed to harms experienced by children and youth and misled the public about product safety, prompting mandatory safeguards including age-related content restrictions, age-verification measures, and usage-reduction features. Attorney General Sharma emphasized that B.C. is urging Meta to fix its platforms in Canada without waiting for the outcomes of active lawsuits, while highlighting the province's past advocacy and legislative actions including the Intimate Images Protection Act and the federal Safe Social Media Act.

Voting begins for byelections as Trump trade war looms over Canadians

This article is new today!

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-08-31 13:31:13.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Trade, Governance]

Voting is underway in three federal byelections across the ridings of Beaches-East York in Ontario, Chicoutimi-Le Fjord in Quebec, and North Vancouver-Capilano in British Columbia, which will determine if Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government maintains its slim majority in the House of Commons. According to preliminary figures from Elections Canada, 39,500 Canadians participated in advance polls held from August 21 to August 24. The election takes place amid heightened cross-border economic tensions and trade negotiations involving U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs against Canada.

Voters head to the polls for 3 federal byelections in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.

This article is new today!

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-31 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Governance]

Voters in the federal ridings of North Vancouver-Capilano in British Columbia, Beaches-East York in Ontario, and Chicoutimi-Le Fjord in Quebec head to the polls for three federal byelections. These contests follow vacancies created by former MPs taking ambassadorial or Senate appointments, leaving the governing Liberals holding 170 seats against 166 opposition seats in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration faces an active electoral map with multiple upcoming byelections and parliamentary seat changes anticipated through the fall.

Canadians set to cast their ballots in B.C., Ontario and Quebec byelections

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-08-30 15:43:36.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Governance]

Voters across three federal ridings in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec are casting ballots in federal by-elections following the resignations of their respective Members of Parliament. Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal minority government is seeking to maintain its slim standing in the House of Commons through these electoral contests. The vote serves as an early legislative test for the current federal administration amid ongoing debates over domestic policy, economic strategies, and regional relations.

Helping businesses adapt, grow, create jobs through new grants

Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-08-28 18:15:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, National, Economy, Labour, Industry, Indigenous]

The Governments of Canada and British Columbia have launched a $2.7 million funding initiative under Phase 2 of the Rural and Remote Employment Initiatives Fund to support northern B.C. businesses and First Nations development corporations responding to global tariffs. Administered by the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), the funding is split into two programs opening for applications on September 2, 2026: the Business Diversification and Sustainability (BDS) program, which provides grants of up to $200,000 covering up to 75% of project costs for small and medium-sized businesses totaling $1.8 million, and the First Nations Business Development Capacity Building program, which provides up to $75,000 per applicant covering up to 90% of eligible costs totaling $900,000. The investment is supported by federal funding through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement as part of a broader $5-million provincial response to tariffs.

Minister’s statement about Committee on Internal Trade meeting

Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-08-28 15:38:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, National, Trade, Labour, Economy, Governance]

Federal, provincial, and territorial trade ministers met on August 27, 2026, to ratify amendments to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement establishing a 30-day service standard for labour mobility applications. Ministers committed to signing an agreement by the end of 2026 for the free trade of services and accelerated work on model mutual-recognition legislation by fall 2026. British Columbia previously advanced this domestic trade agenda by passing the Trade Recognition Act (Bill 5) in February 2026, signing a direct-to-consumer alcohol sales agreement targeting implementation by February 2027, and collaborating on the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods in November 2025.

Interprovincial trade barriers are falling. But rewriting old rules will take time

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-28 14:14:49.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Trade, Economy, Industry]

Federal and provincial ministers met in Iqaluit and Prince Edward Island to advance interprovincial trade agreements, building on a recent nine-province accord allowing direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across provincial lines. International Monetary Fund estimates indicate that removing internal trade barriers could increase Canada's real grossD product by up to seven per cent, or approximately $210 billion, over the long term. Priorities for ongoing discussions include securing a freer flow of services by the end of the year, harmonizing approval processes for prefabricated homes and building materials, and facilitating food trade. Meanwhile, University of Ottawa professor Wolfgang Alschner is utilizing artificial intelligence to catalogue approximately 17,000 regulatory texts across Canada to systematically identify and eliminate unnecessary trade divergences.

Canada recruited 64 professors with new research fund. Three-quarters are from U.S. schools

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-08-27 21:58:07.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Education, Industry, Technology]

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced a federal investment of $541 million through the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative to recruit 64 academic research leaders to Canadian universities, with three-quarters coming from United States institutions. Of this funding, $504 million is allocated to the initial tranche of professors, while $37 million will support the recruitment of 63 additional emerging leaders over the next year under the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada and Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders programs. Participating professors will receive either $500,000 or $1 million annually over eight years to build research teams and laboratories at institutions including the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.