National News

Wildfires raging throughout British Columbia have damaged or destroyed hundreds of properties and forced more than 25,000 people from their homes. The province remains in a state of emergency as crews battle the more than 375 active blazes.

British Columbia's emergency management minister is calling for unity in the fight against the province's wildfires, as she decried people defying evacuation orders to try to defend their properties.

VANCOUVER — The Chinese mother of a 13-year-old girl found dead in a Burnaby, B.C., park six years ago has taken the witness stand at the murder trial of her accused killer.

North Shuswap resident Kyle Boppre offers a simple explanation when asked why he defied an evacuation order issued as a wildfire bore down on his neighbourhood. "It's just, I guess, in my blood to fight," he said. "We were able to save our home.

Nourished by a helicopter airdrop of granola bars, Poomba the pig has survived the wildfire devastation that surrounds her on what remains of the Broken Rail Ranch in West Kelowna.

OTTAWA — Liberal cabinet ministers are suggesting the federal government is ready to tackle long-standing problems related to the international student program, including cases of fraud and exploitation by shady educational institutions.

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the prime minister will soon receive his report outlining the response to recommendations from a public inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act.

OTTAWA — As conservative premiers change the rules around pronoun use in schools, members of the federal Conservative grassroots want Pierre Poilievre to wade further into the debate around gender expression.

OTTAWA — Canada has been pondering a new way to settle First Nation land claims, newly released internal documents show.

QUEBEC — It's the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province's education minister plans to ban the devices in most teaching settings, calling them a distraction for students.