Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
On the heels of a modest prediction that it will take up to two years before Canada can fulfill its promise to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says political will is not the reason for the delay.
Speaking to CTV National News, Fraser says the government remains committed to its promise, but notes it faces unique challenges in Afghanistan and other countries where refugees have fled.
Here is what Fraser said regarding the effort to resettle 40,000 Afghanistan refugees:
CTV National News: There is an urgency to get people out of Afghanistan and Canada has promised to help those who served with Canada, those who are vulnerable. Why is it taking for long?
Fraser: It’s important that we reflect on the fact that there are people moving right now. We’ve got about 4,700 people resettled in Canada to date. Just last week, we saw the first chartered flight of privately sponsored refugees arrive in Canada at Pearson airport. By the end of this week an additional 520 will be arriving, and I expect that you’re going to see a more regular pace of arrivals going forward.
For the people that are in the country today, let’s remind ourselves that we’re dealing with a territory that has been seized by the Taliban – a listed terrorist entity by Canadian law. They are in no mood to do any favours to the government of Canada and if they were, I don’t think they’d be any good at it.
CTV National News: Have they been left behind? You’re talking about challenges that seem insurmountable and those left in Afghanistan feel as though they’ve been left behind.
Fraser: I’m very hopeful. But the enormity of the task is not lost on me. These are people that we want to help. I can tell you if it was a matter of political will, these people would be here yesterday. The bottleneck is really not the internal processing capacity of the government of Canada, its situational and environmental factors either on the ground in Afghanistan, capacity of partners in the region, or other kinds of logistical challenges along the way.
CTV National News: Forty-thousand people over two years is not the same as getting them out of danger now when their lives depend on it. What do you say to those people?
Fraser: We’re dealing with navigating a war zone in which we do not have a presence. And as soon as we have concrete information that we can share about the steps an individual person may take in the process, we’re going to communicate that with them. And in the meantime, we’re going to continue to work to see these arrivals, increase their pace, and have more people settled in our communities as soon as possible. We’ve made a commitment, and we’re going to make good on that commitment no matter what it takes. There’s an awful lot of people that have done a world of good for the Canadian Forces during our time in Afghanistan. There’s an awful lot of people that we’ve made a very public commitment to resettle in Canada. Canada is a nation that does not go back on its word.
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.