Canada will grant permanent and temporary residency to more than a million people in 2027 under its new immigration plan. Almost 660,000 will receive permanent status, including many already living and working here. The regular annual target of 380,000 permanent residents is supplemented by temporary initiatives, including transitions for 200,000 existing temporary residents. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the numbers exceed Canada’s capacity for housing, jobs and health care. Prime Minister Mark Carney calls the approach sustainable, arguing it recognizes established workers and families. Ottawa also plans 370,000 temporary residents annually, alongside the regular permanent intake, over three consecutive years.
Canada's unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in October, a six-month high, as the economy shed a net 4,700 jobs, Statistics Canada said. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a gain of 13,600 jobs and an unchanged 6.5% rate. All losses were in full-time work, down 18,100 positions, driven almost entirely by private-sector employees. Wholesale and retail trade lost 28,800 jobs, while construction added 16,000. Youth unemployment climbed to 13.7%. Wage growth for permanent employees slowed to 2% year over year. Job losses this year total 46,000. Money markets pushed expectations of the next Bank of Canada rate hike to March.
Shell Canada's heavy participation in Newfoundland and Labrador's latest offshore land sale could open the Flemish Pass to exploration, says St. John's analyst Rob Strong, calling it a "basin opener." The offshore regulator announced 10 successful bids on Nov. 4, worth more than $260.6 million in work commitments across 2.2 million hectares, the most winning bids since 2000. Shell was involved in eight, including two with Equinor, its partner on the proposed Bay du Nord project. Provincial Crown corporation OilCo won two Orphan Basin parcels and plans to seek partners. Shell said securing acreage does not commit it to drilling.
P.E.I. Finance Minister Jill Burridge says government projections suggest a return to balanced budgets will take "closer to six years," after Premier Rob Lantz told the legislature the province had a three-year plan. Lantz later told The Guardian he may have misspoken, calling it a multi-year effort. A fall fiscal update projects a $459-million deficit this year, $49 million more than budgeted. Burridge cited pressures from health care, education, population growth and climate-related costs. The province is targeting a five per cent spending reduction in the spring 2027 budget. Opposition parties and some Progressive Conservatives have criticized the growing deficit.
Nova Scotia's seafood industry is relieved after China extended tariff-free access for Canadian lobster, crab, canola meal and peas until the end of 2028. The arrangement, set to expire this year, removed 25 per cent tariffs in exchange for Canada admitting up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles annually at a 6.1 per cent tariff. Live lobster exports to China fell from 23,000 tonnes in 2024 to 8,500 tonnes in 2025, but have rebounded since tariffs lifted in March. Kris Vascotto of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance called the extension "a really positive outcome" ahead of the Nov. 30 season opening.
A Saint John open house on a proposed AI data centre became an impromptu town hall Thursday as protesters and Lorneville residents took the stage to voice opposition. Beacon AI and Voltagrid's Spruce Lake project includes a 390-megawatt data centre and a 190-megawatt natural gas plant, which its environmental assessment says would produce emissions equal to 6.6 per cent of the province's 2023 total. Speakers raised concerns about water use, noise, air quality and climate impacts. Beacon executive Joseph Shovlin said the project has no tenant or approval yet and is fully self-funded. Organizers estimated more than 250 people attended.
Quebec's government says it will not put more public money into the troubled Nemaska Lithium battery plant under construction near Bécancour, which has reportedly run into funding problems. Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said the project has "eaten away $1.2 billion in public funds for a risky venture into battery making." He said his government is keeping an election pledge to take a different approach to economic development and megaprojects, such as Northvolt, that were favoured by the previous Coalition Avenir Québec government. He said ending the "open bar of subsidies" would help finance lower taxes for small and medium-sized businesses.
Premier Doug Ford has ruled out a new funding deal for Toronto, leaving Mayor Olivia Chow searching for a long-term solution to the city's finances. In 2023, Chow secured $7.6 billion in provincial capital funding and $1.2 billion for transit and shelter operations, but that support expires in March. Ford said the province has given Toronto $9 billion and the city must be responsible for its own budget. Chow, facing a billion-dollar shortfall, said she still expects to keep property tax increases near inflation and has imposed a hiring freeze on non-frontline positions. Ford remains open to funding specific priorities.
Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a plan to spend $1 billion from the federal budget tackling homelessness in Manitoba, starting with a $200-million centre for mental health and addictions in Winnipeg that could open by 2029. The facility, operated by the province, will combine acute and outpatient care with permanent housing and support services. Ottawa will provide up to $800 million for more than 2,000 supportive and transitional homes on public land, while Manitoba will spend $84 million a year on the units. Premier Wab Kinew said the plan can end a status quo that isn't working. Locations remain undetermined.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to resume trade negotiations with the United States, using Team Canada's existing approach as the foundation. Speaking in Saskatoon on Friday, Moe said both countries were close to deals last October and again this year, and believes an agreement could come quickly. About 94 per cent of Saskatchewan's U.S. exports are exempt from tariffs, but forestry and steel manufacturing are hit hard, with some forestry products facing duties near 35 per cent. Moe said SaskPower is buying locally made steel products early to help manufacturers avoid layoffs while negotiations continue.
Alberta has become Canada’s first province to allow qualified optometrists to perform certain minor surgical procedures in their offices. Changes effective November 1 cover benign skin lesion removal, stye treatments and some laser procedures for cataracts and glaucoma. Optometrists must complete additional approved education, examinations and clinical supervision, with oversight from their provincial college. The government says expanded services will improve access, especially for rural patients, while freeing ophthalmologists for complex cases. The Canadian Ophthalmological Society wants the decision reversed, raising training and patient safety concerns. CBC reported the ministry did not provide requested evidence demonstrating existing patient access problems.
A potent storm hit B.C.'s South Coast on Friday, prompting B.C. Ferries to cancel several sailings between Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. Cancelled departures included routes between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen and Duke Point, and Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay. Environment Canada issued wind warnings for Greater Victoria, eastern Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and parts of Metro Vancouver, with gusts of 70 to 90 km/h in the Strait of Georgia. Rainfall warnings forecast up to 175 millimetres in higher areas of western Vancouver Island. Strong winds also threatened the Coquihalla Highway and Okanagan Connector.
Nunavut's child welfare system needs rebuilding under Inuit leadership, say a foster care survivor, a researcher and an advocate responding to the federal auditor general's latest report. Tuesday's report, the fifth in 15 years, found the territorial government still fails to account for children in its care, conduct consistent check-ins and ensure appropriate placements. Jeremy Young, taken from his mother in Pangnirtung as a child, blamed overcrowding and poverty. Rankin Inlet researcher Peter Williamson said fixes would be "Band-Aid solutions" ignoring root causes like unstable housing and unemployment. Advocate Arlene Hache called for an Inuit-led, community-based model that supports families.
Ottawa's commitment to fully fund the Mackenzie Valley Highway is drawing excitement from Northwest Territories leaders, though some say other priorities were left out of the federal budget. Premier RJ Simpson and deputy premier Caroline Wawzonek praised the "historic" $3.1 billion for the highway but noted missing asks, including a northern mineral exploration tax credit and a fix for education funding gaps tied to Jordan's Principle changes. Inuvik Mayor Peter Clarkson said the road will shorten supply chains and boost tourism. Dene National Chief George Mackenzie welcomed the funding but urged support for community readiness, policing and safety before construction.
Yukon's legislature voted 18-1 for a motion asking the territorial government to work with Transport Canada on passenger security screening for flights to Old Crow, Dawson City and Inuvik. Liberal leader Debra Leigh-Reti, the MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin, said screening could curb alcohol and illicit drugs reaching northern communities, including dry Old Crow, and that airline staff should not handle it informally. Klondike MLA Brent McDonald opposed the motion, saying Dawson City residents were not consulted. The government noted aviation security is federal, with screening currently only at Whitehorse's airport, and said it has written to federal ministers about screening.
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