Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Several Canadians could leave the Grammy Awards with an armful of trophies on Sunday, but most of them aren't household names.
While Bryan Adams, Drake and Michael Buble are all contenders this year, many of the other homegrown nominees on the leaderboard are professionals behind the scenes who added pop and fizz to some of last year's biggest records.
They include Winnipeg-born mixer Jesse Ray Ernster whose work on Doja Cat's "Woman" is up for record of the year, and Bragg Creek, Alta.-raised music engineer Shawn Everett who contributed to Adele's "30," among the album of the year contenders.
There's also North Vancouver's Tobias Jesso Jr., a musician who found success writing songs for others, including Adele and Harry Styles who together earned him three nods, including one for songwriter of the year.
Adele also proved a good-luck charm for visual maestro Xavier Dolan, the acclaimed Montreal filmmaker who directed "Easy on Me," which cradles a best music video nomination.
Most of the 91 Grammy categories will be awarded Sunday at an industry ceremony before the broadcast. The premiere ceremony, as it's called, streams live on the Grammys website hosted by U.S. comedian Randy Rainbow, who's up for best comedy album. The 65th Grammy Awards air on Citytv and CBS.
Here are five other Canadian highlights to watch for on Sunday:
Audio engineer and mixer Serban Ghenea isn't as recognizable as the pop stars he helps sound their best, but you've probably heard some of his work. This year's six-time nominee was born in Romania before moving to Canada. And he has a staggering four projects named in the album of the year category -- Coldplay's "Music Of The Spheres," Lizzo's "Special," Adele's "30" and Mary J. Blige's "Good Morning Gorgeous." His studio time with Blige also secured a slot for record of the year. The Grammys also recently added Ghenea to the list of names in the running for best dance/electronic recording on David Guetta and Bebe Rexha's chart smash "I'm Good (Blue)." Those nominations put him ahead of Montreal classical conductor and pianist Yannick Nezet-Seguin who has five this year.
Drake's plan to sit out the Grammys hit a snag when his collaborations with other artists locked him four nominations. Even though the Toronto rapper didn't submit his own 2022 album "Honestly, Nevermind," in line with his Grammys boycott in recent years, he couldn't escape the accolades. He earned two spots in the best rap song category for his collaboration with Jack Harlow on "Churchill Downs" and his role on Future's "Wait For U." He's also an album of the year contender for his contributions to the song "Heated" on Beyonce's "Renaissance." And he's up for best melodic rap performance for Future's "Wait For U."
Speaking of Beyonce, she's just one of the many musicians who've benefited from the magic touch of Toronto producer Boi-1da, born Matthew Samuels. He has four nominations this year, including two in the album of the year category for Bey's "Renaissance" and Kendrick Lamar's "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers." He also received a nod as part of the Drake and Harlow nomination for best rap song, and his prolific work landed him in the producer of the year category.
Justin Bieber's feature-length concert film "Our World" and Neil Young's documentary "A Band A Brotherhood A Barn" are both chasing the best music film prize. Both of them already have two Grammys to their name. Four-time Grammy winner Michael Buble's "Higher" is up for traditional pop vocal album, while Bryan Adams has a best rock performance nod for his song "So Happy It Hurts." And the Weeknd's tour opener Kaytranada, a two-time Grammy-winning DJ and producer, could scoop a third for "Intimidated," featuring H.E.R., which is going for best dance/electronic recording. Rising Montreal star Allison Russell, who last summer played alongside Joni Mitchell at the Newport Folk Festival appearance, is looking for her first win with a nomination for best American roots performance for "Prodigal Daughter," alongside Aoife O'Donovan.
Montreal band Arcade Fire's "We" landed among the best alternative music album contenders, which caused a stir in some circles because last year lead singer Win Butler faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied. While those allegations led some radio stations to pull the band's music from the airwaves, Arcade Fire's nod appears as a vote of support from the music industry. Arcade Fire is also nominated at the 2023 Juno Awards for group of the year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
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.