Politics

Ontario has reworked OSAP to replace much of prior grant support with loans for students in need, and the province is lifting a tuition cap while promising $6.4 billion in additional operating funding for colleges and universities over the next four years.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said 26,305 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Global Affairs Canada, an increase of nearly 8,000 from the previous day, and she said her Mexican counterpart expects the security situation to normalize in the coming days.

By his first anniversary Mark Carney had spent 68 days abroad, about 20% of his first year after excluding election days, compared with Justin Trudeau's 34 days (9.3%).

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Mexican officials expect unrest linked to a military operation that was reported to have killed a cartel leader to calm in the coming days, while warning the situation remains fluid and Canadians should follow local authorities.

Campaign records show Matthew Moroun gave $1 million USD to MAGA Inc. on Jan. 16; that disclosure came weeks before President Trump posted a Feb. 9 threat to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Undetermined at this time.

President Trump posted that a U.S. hospital ship would be sent to Greenland; Greenlandic and Danish leaders publicly rejected the offer and defended their health-care systems. Officials said the U.S. Navy hospital ships were reported docked in Mobile, Alabama, and Danish authorities said they had not been notified of any incoming U.S. ship.

EU foreign ministers and policy chief Kaja Kallas will meet Board of Peace director Nikolay Mladenov in Brussels to discuss Gaza's reconstruction and related topics; the meeting follows debate within the EU over engagement with the U.S.-led board.

Alberta has committed to add classroom complexity teams to 476 elementary schools and says the plan draws on Saskatchewan’s specialized support classrooms and complexity teachers, which officials say have added hundreds of staff; Alberta has not set a hiring timeline and says it will outline a separate approach for secondary schools later.

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation has asked the federal government to match dollar-for-dollar private donations to its 2026 humanitarian appeal, and says it has raised and deployed more than CAD 100 million since February 2022.

Corb Lund relaunched a provincewide petition seeking a ban on new coal mining in Alberta's eastern slopes, and the campaign needs 177,732 signatures by June 10 to proceed to a vote.

King Willem-Alexander swore in Rob Jetten as prime minister of a three-party minority coalition that holds 66 of 150 lower house seats, meaning the government will need opposition support to pass legislation.

A petition opposing coal exploration on the eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains has been relaunched, and the provincial government said it could be included in a referendum in October.

Vancouver International Airport says NEXUS and Global Entry access at its U.S. pre-clearance is suspended and several Canadian airports reported similar outages; officials link the interruptions to the ongoing partial U.S. government shutdown.

Mexican authorities reported the military killed cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," and the Canadian government issued a shelter-in-place warning for Canadians in Jalisco while several airlines cancelled flights to Puerto Vallarta.

Steve Witkoff, speaking for President Trump, said the president is 'curious' why Iran has not agreed to curb its nuclear program as the United States increases forces in the Middle East; Iranian officials report differing views with the U.S. over sanctions relief and talks are ongoing but unresolved.

Hungary's foreign minister said Budapest will block the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia until Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline resume, and EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss the package.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is holding an event on Parliament Hill today as part of about 60 gatherings across Canada marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's Feb. 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Pakistan said it carried out strikes along the Afghanistan border early Sunday; the Afghan Red Crescent and provincial officials reported 18 people killed and said civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika were hit.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is holding an event on Parliament Hill today as part of about 60 gatherings across Canada to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Milan has established mosques like Al-Wahid that hold open iftars and evening prayers, while mountain host areas around Cortina have fewer formal prayer spaces, with some Muslims traveling to Brunico or using improvised rooms to pray.

A 21-year-old Moroccan woman who received a U.S. immigration judge’s protection order was deported from the United States to Cameroon and later returned to Morocco, where she says she is now in hiding; the Department of Homeland Security confirmed deportations to Cameroon and said it is applying the law as written.

The parents of 12-year-old Kylie Smith cancelled her funeral after receiving threats, and the RCMP say they are investigating and have safety plans in place for affected families and the community.

Hezbollah officials said Israeli airstrikes near Rayak killed eight of their members; Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 10 dead and 24 wounded.

Vancouver councillors will move a motion on Feb. 26 asking the city to oppose ICE agents performing security duties during the 2026 World Cup; there are no confirmed plans for ICE to operate in Vancouver.

After a leadership debate, five NDP hopefuls focused on rebuilding the party while showing limited French ability and offering few clear plans to regain lost support.

Itrat Anwar, a Bangladeshi-born resident of Steinbach, Manitoba, writes that speaking Bangla connects her to home, memory and history, and she notes Feb. 21 is observed as International Mother Language Day.

Four years after Russia's Feb. 24, 2022 invasion, Ukraine continues to face frequent attacks and rising drone strikes while international military support has declined.

City planners have proposed a master plan for the 1,400-acre Vision Lands West that projects about 14,000 housing units and significant green space, with a public hearing set for April 7.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the president cannot use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs, and the administration has announced a temporary 10% global import duty that lasts 150 days and would require Congress to extend it.

Veterans and the Veterans Ombud say parts of the Budget Implementation Act would retroactively alter how benefits were calculated and could nullify ongoing lawsuits; the bill is before Parliament with clause-by-clause debate set for Feb. 23 and a possible House vote on Feb. 25.