Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Even as Russian warships carried out target practice in the Black Sea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to cool its rhetoric about a potential invasion, saying that it's putting his country's economy at risk.
"We should have no panic. We have a powerful army," he told reporters on Friday.
These statements appear to clash with the U.S. President Joe Biden on the assessment of the security threat. In a call on Thursday, Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart there was "a distinct possibility" of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
When asked about Zelensky's remarks urging the West to tone it down, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stood by the administration's messaging, noting the presence of more than 100,000 troops at Ukraine's borders.
"It’s a dangerous situation. And we’ve been saying for over a week that Russia could invade at any time," she said on Friday. "This has been our message, and we’ve been really consistent."
Biden also told reporters on Friday that he plans on moving some U.S. troops to NATO allies in Eastern Europe "in the near term."
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov again rejected that claim, insisting Moscow doesn't want a war but is prepared to launch one. Lavov said Russia will respond if it can't get security guarantees from Europe, but didn't elaborate on how
Zelensky also criticized several countries, including Canada, for withdrawing families of diplomats working at their embassies.
"I think it was a mistake," he said. "I think embassy employees should be here."
NATO on Friday threatened again to slap severe economic sanctions on Russia if it invades. Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance's secretary general, told CTV News Channel's Power Play that Ukraine’s military has more muscle and backing than it did eight years ago, when Russia annexed Crimea.
“The Ukrainian army will actually be able to defend themselves and defend Ukraine in a totally different way than they were in 2014," he said. "Ukraine has of course the right to self-defence."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced that Canada would be extending Operation UNIFIER in Ukraine and will continue to send Canadian soldiers to train Ukrainian armed forces and the national guard, a move praised by Stoltenberg.
“Canada is one of the lead countries in NATO when it comes to providing support for Ukraine and you have been that for a very long time,” he said. “There are not many other countries at the equal level of efforts, doing as much as Canada.”
However, the NATO chief dodged questions about whether Canada should provide Ukraine weapons as other NATO countries have.
"Different allies have different positions on that. What Canada does makes a huge difference already," he said.
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.