Sikh independence vote takes place in B.C. amid Canada-India tensions
SURREY, B.C. -
Thousands of Sikh voters are expected to turn out today in the Metro Vancouver municipality of Surrey, to vote in an unofficial referendum at the centre of Canada's ongoing tensions with India.
Organizers say the referendum on Khalistan -- an independent state in India proposed by some Sikhs -- is taking place at the same Surrey gurdwara where activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in June.
Today's vote is the second round of the referendum in British Columbia, after organizers said the first ballot on Sept. 10 was so popular that voting couldn't be completed in one day.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Sept. 18 that there were "credible allegations" potentially linking India's government to Nijjar's killing.
Ballot spokesman Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says Trudeau's statement has created more open conversations around India and its handling of the Khalistani independence movement, while allowing its supporters to become more vocal without fear of retribution.
Nijjar was an organizer of the Khalistan referendum in Canada, and votes have also been held in several other locations around the world.
The Indian government has denied involvement in Nijjar's death and has long maintained that the Punjabi independence movement undermines India's national security.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Billions for home building back-loaded, deficit projected at $40B in 2023-24: fall economic statement
The federal government's fiscal update presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday includes billions of dollars in new spending and targeted policy measures aimed at increasing Canada's housing supply in the years ahead.
Canada doubling carbon price rebate rural top-up, pausing charge on heating oil: Trudeau
The Canadian government is doubling the pollution price rebate rural top-up rate, and implementing a three-year pause to the federal carbon price on deliveries of heating oil in all jurisdictions where the federal fuel charge is in effect, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
As it happened: Zelenskyy visits Canada, addresses Parliament as PM pledges $650M in Ukraine aid
During his historic visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered repeated thanks to Canada for its continued support for his country as it continues to defend itself from Russia's invasion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada will be making a $650 million 'multi-year commitment' for further Ukraine aid. Recap CTVNews.ca's minute-by-minute updates.
ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS What do the policies Poilievre's party passed say about the Conservatives' future?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent the summer speaking about housing affordability, a core focus that attendees at the party's Quebec City convention were quick to praise him for. But by the end of the weekend, delegates opted to instead pass policies on contentious social issues. What does that say about the Conservatives' future?
Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau separating, after 18 years of marriage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating after 18 years of marriage, and while they plan to co-parent their children, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will no longer be considered the prime minister's spouse in any official capacity.
Opinion
opinion
opinion Don Martin: Greg Fergus risks becoming the shortest serving Speaker in our history
House Speaker Greg Fergus could face a parliamentary committee inquisition where his fate might hang on a few supportive NDP votes. But political columnist Don Martin says this NDP support might be shaky, given how one possible replacement is herself a New Democrat.
opinion
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: For squandering their hard-earned income tax, we owe our kids an apology
'Its bi-annual work of fiscal fiction rolled out Tuesday as the fall update staged a desperate bid to reverse the Liberals' downward spiral in the polls while trying to soften its drunken-sailor-spending image.'
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: Life in Trudeau's brain defies imagination
Getting inside Justin Trudeau's head these days requires a vivid imagination. The prime minister's bizarre statement on the Middle East war this week reflects a distorted view that human-shielded resistance by Hamas terrorists can be overcome with "maximum restraint" by Israel's military.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: As much as Poilievre wants it, he will not get his election wish for 2023
It’s been 100+ hours of brutal aftermath since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turned carbon pricing from a national principle into regional graft by lifting the tax on home heating oil and using free heat pumps to buy back the Liberal loyalty of Atlantic Canada voters.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives poised to prompt marathon voting session on government spending
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives are poised to prompt what could become an overnight marathon voting session in the House of Commons, signalling Thursday afternoon they plan to make good on their threat to delay the government's agenda by forcing votes on more than 100 line items from the latest spending plans.
Canada doubling cost-of-living requirement for international students
Canada will more than double the cost-of-living financial requirement for incoming international students on Jan. 1, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller announced today.
Flight safety in Canada is plummeting, a confidential UN agency report finds
A draft report from a United Nations agency gives Canada a C grade on flight safety and oversight, down from an A+ and far below most of its peers.
Russian girl shoots several classmates, leaving 1 dead, before killing herself
A Russian girl shot several classmates at school Thursday, killing one person and wounding five others before killing herself, state news agencies and authorities said.
'The Brick' is at the centre of our galaxy. An unexpected new finding may help unlock its mysteries
A box-shaped cloud of opaque dust that lies at the centre of our galaxy has long perplexed scientists, and observations that reveal a new detail about its composition are deepening the mystery — possibly upending what’s known about how stars form.
Amid concern over Canadians going hungry, Conservatives criticized for voting against school food bill
As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre continues to voice concern over the increase in food bank usage, his party is being criticized by some for voting against a private member's bill that would advance a framework for a national school food program.
Canada being hit by 3 separate storm systems: Here's where
Winter weather is underway in parts of Canada with three storm systems bringing messy conditions from B.C. to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Von Miller declines to comment on domestic assault allegations after returning to Bills practice
Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller declined to take questions at his locker on Thursday, a week after turning himself in to police in a Dallas suburb after allegedly assaulting the mother of his children, who is pregnant.
Judge rules in favour of NBA star, nullifies purchase of $8M Burlington mansion once occupied by 'crypto king'
A judge has ruled in favour of NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his lawsuit against a company that sold him a Burlington mansion previously occupied by self-proclaimed ‘crypto king’ Aiden Pleterski.
Canada
-
Surge in newcomers putting pressure on inflation via housing demand: BoC official
The recent surge in newcomers is adding to inflation through housing demand, a senior Bank of Canada official said Thursday, warning rental and home prices could continue to rise without a boost to housing supply.
-
Canada doubling cost-of-living requirement for international students
Canada will more than double the cost-of-living financial requirement for incoming international students on Jan. 1, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller announced today.
-
R.J. Simpson chosen as next Northwest Territories premier
Newly elected members of the Northwest Territories legislature have chosen their next premier.
-
Judge rules in favour of NBA star, nullifies purchase of $8M Burlington mansion once occupied by 'crypto king'
A judge has ruled in favour of NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his lawsuit against a company that sold him a Burlington mansion previously occupied by self-proclaimed ‘crypto king’ Aiden Pleterski.
-
Amanda Todd's mom urges more jail time for tormentor, as Dutch court mulls sentence
The mother of B.C. teenager Amanda Todd, who was bullied into suicide by a Dutch national, says she'll be “so angry” if a court in Amsterdam doesn't give him significant extra jail time on the basis of his Canadian conviction last year.
-
Moose family doesn't seem to want to leave Alberta town
Taber police are working with Fish and Wildlife officers to relocate a family of moose that has seemingly taken up residence in the southern Alberta town.
World
-
Armenia and Azerbaijan announce deal to exchange POWs and work toward peace treaty
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed Thursday to exchange prisoners of war and work toward signing a peace treaty in what the European Union hailed as a major step toward peace in the long-troubled region.
-
Texas judge grants pregnant woman permission to get an abortion despite state's ban
A Texas judge on Thursday gave a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis permission to get an abortion in an unprecedented challenge over bans that more than a dozen states have enacted since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
-
Putin moves a step closer to a 5th term as president after Russia sets 2024 election date
Lawmakers in Russia set the country's 2024 presidential election for March 17, moving Vladimir Putin a step closer to a fifth term in office.
-
Judge says ex-Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut plane's engines can be released before trial
An ex-Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight while off-duty and riding in an extra seat in the cockpit can be released from jail pending trial, an Oregon judge said Thursday.
-
U.K. says Russia's intelligence service behind sustained attempts to meddle in British democracy
Russia's intelligence services targeted high-profile British politicians, civil servants and journalists with cyberespionage and "malicious cyberactivity" as part of sustained attempts to interfere in U.K. political processes, Britain's government said Thursday.
-
UNLV shooting suspect had list of targets at that campus and another university, police say
The suspect in the deadly shooting at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, had a list of targets at the school and at East Carolina University in North Carolina, police said Thursday.
Politics
-
Conservatives poised to prompt marathon voting session on government spending
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives are poised to prompt what could become an overnight marathon voting session in the House of Commons, signalling Thursday afternoon they plan to make good on their threat to delay the government's agenda by forcing votes on more than 100 line items from the latest spending plans.
-
Oil, gas emissions to be cut by at least one-third by 2030: Guilbeault
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the oil and gas industry will have to cut emissions more than one-third by 2030. A framework outlining the cap is being published today with plans to publish draft regulations next spring and get the final regulations in place in 2025.
-
Amid concern over Canadians going hungry, Conservatives criticized for voting against school food bill
As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre continues to voice concern over the increase in food bank usage, his party is being criticized by some for voting against a private member's bill that would advance a framework for a national school food program.
Health
-
More Canadians have been using virtual care since the pandemic. Is it effective and safe?
Since the rise of virtual care in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients and doctors were able to use this alternate form of care 'safely and effectively,' new research from McMaster University suggests.
-
HIV diagnoses hit 10-year high in Montreal, cases more than double between 2021-22
Public health officials say they recorded in 2022 the highest number of new HIV diagnoses in 10 years in the city of Montreal and its on-island suburbs. Data shared last week shows the number of new reported HIV cases more than doubled between 2021 and 2022, to 310 from 141.
-
'I'm so broken': Grieving family speaks out after B.C. cancer patient awaiting treatment chooses MAID
A devastated family says long waits for cancer treatment led a beloved father and grandfather to choose medically assisted death 13 days ago.
Sci-Tech
-
New orca calf off B.C. bolsters record-breaking year for sightings
A new transient orca calf has been spotted in the waters off British Columbia, adding to what's already been a record-breaking year for sightings of the Bigg's killer whales.
-
Key testing completed at Nova Scotia's proposed retirement home for captive whales
An ambitious plan in Nova Scotia to build North America's first coastal refuge for captive whales has reached a critical phase.
-
'The Brick' is at the centre of our galaxy. An unexpected new finding may help unlock its mysteries
A box-shaped cloud of opaque dust that lies at the centre of our galaxy has long perplexed scientists, and observations that reveal a new detail about its composition are deepening the mystery — possibly upending what’s known about how stars form.
Entertainment
-
Rapper Kodak Black is arrested on cocaine charges in South Florida
Rapper Kodak Black has been arrested again in South Florida, this time on charges of possessing cocaine, jail records show.
-
Jonathan Majors' ex describes 'substantial' pain caused by actor as defence questions her drinking
Jonathan Majors' former girlfriend testified Wednesday about the "substantial" pain she suffered after he allegedly assaulted her in the backseat of a cab this spring, as photos of the woman's injuries were shared with a Manhattan jury for the first time.
-
Price is Right contestant arrives on expense-paid visit to New Westminster
When Phillip Fitzpatrick overbid and lost out on a trip to New Westminster on The Price is Right, he figured he would never get to visit the Royal City.
Business
-
Flight safety in Canada is plummeting, a confidential UN agency report finds
A draft report from a United Nations agency gives Canada a C grade on flight safety and oversight, down from an A+ and far below most of its peers.
-
Here's how much more it's expected to cost to feed a family of 4 in Canada next year
A new report by more than 30 researchers is estimating how much food will cost in 2024 and how much money it will take to feed families.
-
Surge in newcomers putting pressure on inflation via housing demand: BoC official
The recent surge in newcomers is adding to inflation through housing demand, a senior Bank of Canada official said Thursday, warning rental and home prices could continue to rise without a boost to housing supply.
Lifestyle
-
A massive garden light display is one of the newest holiday traditions in St. John's
The Merry and Bright light festival has illuminated the botanical gardens in St. John's, N.L. for seven years, and it just keeps getting bigger.
-
Are you pronouncing that right? Most mispronounced words and names in 2023
Some of the words tied to this year's hottest topics were also among the most mangled when it came to saying them aloud
-
The stunning 30-hour train ride that sells out in seconds
Historically a commuter train from Ankara to Kars, the train has gone viral among Turkish influencers in recent years for its stunning scenery through the east, full of off-the-beaten-path treasures.
Sports
-
Soccer icon Christine Sinclair launches foundation to help 'girls with goals'
The night after her international farewell game, Christine Sinclair was back at B.C. Place Stadium -- this time for an evening with family, friends and sponsors to mark the launch of her foundation.
-
Von Miller declines to comment on domestic assault allegations after returning to Bills practice
Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller declined to take questions at his locker on Thursday, a week after turning himself in to police in a Dallas suburb after allegedly assaulting the mother of his children, who is pregnant.
-
Ohtani, Soto and Yamamoto still up for grabs as teams head home from winter meetings
Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were still up for grabs as team officials started to head home Wednesday evening following a baseball winter meetings of much talk and little action.
Autos
-
Ontario G driving test changes done without safety evaluations, auditor finds
A decision to remove certain elements of the G class driving test in Ontario was done without safety evaluations or formal approval from cabinet, the province’s auditor general says.
-
GM's Cruise robotaxi service faces potential fine in alleged cover-up of San Francisco accident
California regulators say a San Francisco robotaxi service owned by General Motors covered up an accident involving one of its driverless cars, raising the specter they may add a fine to the recent suspension of its California license.
-
BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driver
BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver's air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people in the vehicles.
