National News

OTTAWA — A spokeswoman for Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole confirms he will allow a free vote on a caucus member's push to ban "sex-selective abortions.

OTTAWA — There is enough evidence to say the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine may cause very rare blood clots but the shot is still extremely safe, very effective and will remain on the Canadian market, Health Canada said Wednesday.

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern): 2:40 p.m. Yukon is reporting a new case of COVID-19, its second new case this week and the 76th in the territory since the start of the pandemic.

WATERLOO, Que. — Quebec provincial police have issued an Amber Alert for a missing two-month-old boy. Police say Wesley Labrecque went missing this morning in Waterloo, Que., located about 100 kilometres southeast of Montreal.

OTTAWA — Alberta's Jason Kenney became the fourth Canadian premier to sign an agreement supporting the development of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in Canada on Wednesday.

Ontario blamed a vaccine shortage in some areas on a delayed shipment Wednesday as Ottawa pledged to keep pumping out Oxford-AstraZeneca shots following a safety review that found the product's benefits far outweigh its rare risks.

LAVAL, Que. — A suburb north of Montreal has become the first city in Quebec to ban the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in weed killer Roundup. Officials in Laval, Que., adopted the new bylaw on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is starting the clock today on the long-awaited withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Biden will set Sept. 11 as the deadline for the pullout — the 20th anniversary of the 2001 attacks on U.S.

OTTAWA — The Trudeau Liberals have told stakeholders in the affordable-housing sector to look for funding in next week's budget to help expand the stock of units for Indigenous people in urban centres.

New expert analysis suggests greenhouse gas emissions from Canada's oil and gas industry will make up an outsized chunk of the remaining carbon the world's atmosphere can take.