Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Scott Morrison said his conservative government had left Australia in a robust condition, even as voters on Saturday punished him for his handling of issues including climate change and the pandemic that helped return the centre-left opposition to power for the first time in almost a decade.
Morrison, 54, said he would step down as head of the Liberal party -- the senior member of the conservative coalition that had ruled since 2013 -- after conceding defeat to the Labor party and its leader Anthony Albanese.
A former tourism marketer before switching to politics, Morrison was labeled the "accidental prime minister" in 2018 when his government colleagues chose him to replace then-leader Malcolm Turnbull. Morrison sprung a major surprise by leading the coalition to victory in a 2019 election said to be unwinnable.
He has since been deeply criticized for dragging the chain on climate change and for not establishing a promised integrity and corruption watchdog overseeing national politicians.
He was also scorned for taking a vacation in Hawaii during Australia's major bushfire crisis in the summer of 2019-20, for his government's bungling of the country's COVID-19 vaccination program, and more lately, for being at the helm while South Pacific neighbors, the Solomon Islands, struck up a strategic partnership with China.
Morrison was also widely condemned for a perceived lack of empathy in relation to the treatment of women in Australian society, an issue that drew intense scrutiny through damaging revelations of sexual harassment scandals that rocked federal Parliament. Analysts pointed to this area as part of the reason for such a strong vote for the so-called teal independents in Saturday's election, the majority of whom were women.
Still Morrison, after congratulating Albanese, struck a proud and defiant tone in defending his and his government's record, focusing on the economy, his administration's work to stop refugees coming to the country by boats, and on bolstering the nation's defenses.
"We hand over this country as a government in a stronger position than when we inherited it when we came to government (in 2013)," Morrison told a gathering of Liberal supporters in Sydney late Saturday night.
"Unemployment today is at the lowest level in 48 years," he said, referencing a rate of 3.9%.
"Australians leaving school, leaving university, getting their trades, know they have the confidence of being out there and able to get a job and to be able to realize their aspirations, and that's what I wish for them, that's what I wish for this country," he said.
"We leave government, having secured our borders many years ago, and we leave government having restored our nation's defenses," he added, mentioning the recently created security alliance known as AUKUS that also includes the United States and the United Kingdom.
Morrison also praised his government's work on health issues, particularly mental health.
He said it had been a "privilege to lead this great party and lead this great nation" but that he, as leader, would "take responsibility for the wins and the losses".
"As a result I will be handing over the leadership at the next party room meeting, to ensure that the party can be taken forward under new leadership," he said.
"It's a night of disappointment,but it's also a time for coalition members and supporters all across the country to hold their heads high. We have been a strong government. We have been a good government. Australia is stronger as a result of our efforts over these last three terms."
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.
A gunman who is accused of killing a young Ontario man and shooting four of his family members at their small Mississauga restaurant in 2021 was allegedly part of a trio who had pledged allegiance to the listed terrorist group Islamic State, a Crown attorney said in an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
A pair of Purolator transport truck drivers from Guelph, Ont. are being hailed as heroes for their efforts in helping a person in crisis.
Stopping short of offering the assurance U.S. senators are seeking, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is aware there's more work to do in order to see Canada meet NATO's defence spending target.
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.