The Bank of Canada is holding its key interest rate at 0.25 per cent in response to what it calls the ``extremely uncertain'' economic outlook from the COVID-19 pandemic, and plans to keep it there until the picture improves.In its updated outlook, the bank expects the economy to contract by 7.8 per cent this year.The central bank's report pegs the annual inflation rate at 0.6 per cent this year, rising to 1.2 per cent in 2021 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.Its inflation target is 2 per cent, and the bank says it will maintain the current rate until that target is achieved.The forecasts come with a

There are 108,486 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 56,730 confirmed (including 5,633 deaths, 26,025 resolved) Ontario: 36,950 confirmed (including 2,723 deaths, 32,785 resolved) Alberta: 8,912 confirmed (including 163 deaths, 8,048 resolved) British Columbia: 3,128 confirmed (including 189 deaths, 2,730 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,066 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 1,000 resolved) Saskatchewan: 876 confirmed (including 15 deaths, 785 resolved) Manitoba: 319 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 318 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 262 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 258 resolved)

The national Conservative party says it has 269,469 members eligible to vote in the current leadership race.About 100,000 of those memberships were purchased since the start of the year, when the contest to replace current leader Andrew Scheer officially began.The party released the figures today and says it is the largest membership in party history.Tories say the largest growth in membership has come in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta.Conservatives use a points system to elect a leader — each riding gets 100 points, and how many points a candidate receives depend

The Senate's finance committee says the Trudeau Liberals need to tell people very soon what they will do for those who max out a key federal COVID-19 benefit in the fall without jobs to go back to.The $500-a-week Canada Emergency Response Benefit is set to run out in September for millions of workers who have seen their incomes shrink or dry up entirely.The committee's report recommends the government provide declining CERB payments as incomes rise, rather than applying the current strict cut-off.Senators are also calling on the Liberals to consider a guaranteed income program to make sure all

Sources say Canada and the United States are likely to agree to extend their mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries for another 30 days. The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to so-called "discretionary" travel like vacations and shopping trips since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the continent in mid-March, an agreement that's set to expire July 21. Officials familiar with the ongoing talks, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet public, say another extension until Aug. 21 is all but inevitable. News of the likely extension, initially reported

Federal opposition parties are demanding to know why the Liberal government created a $900-million program to help students find volunteer positions rather than putting the money into an existing summer jobs program.The government says the new Canada Student Services Grant is intended to reward tens of thousands of students who are having a hard time finding work and want to help with the COVID-19 pandemic.Opposition parties say the Liberals could have accomplished the same task by putting the money into the existing Canada Summer Jobs program, through which thousands of jobs for students are

There are 108,155 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 56,621 confirmed (including 5,628 deaths, 25,911 resolved) Ontario: 36,839 confirmed (including 2,722 deaths, 32,663 resolved) Alberta: 8,826 confirmed (including 161 deaths, 7,989 resolved) British Columbia: 3,115 confirmed (including 189 deaths, 2,718 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,066 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 1,000 resolved) Saskatchewan: 871 confirmed (including 15 deaths, 766 resolved) Manitoba: 314 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 317 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 262 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 258 resolved)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's very sorry he didn't recuse himself from the government's decision to award a contract to WE Charity to manage a major student-volunteering program.He says his and his family's longtime involvement with the WE organization should have kept him out of the discussions.And he says he's particularly sorry that the delay in the program caused by WE's eventual decision to withdraw will harm students looking for ways to help in the COVID-19 pandemic.Trudeau has faced accusations of cronyism and allegations of a conflict of interest over his past connections wit

A Quebec man charged last December in connection with alleged online threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Muslims is facing two new charges.The RCMP said 62-year-old Andre Audet of Boucherville, Que., will appear in court south of Montreal today to face charges of intimidating a justice system participant and advocating genocide.Cpl. Charles Poirier says the justice system participant Audet is accused of intimidating the prime minister.The RCMP says the investigation that began last year found about 100 online posts containing hate, threats or incitement to violence, allegedly ma