National News

OTTAWA — The head of the country's largest private-sector union says Parliament should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, and possibly put future increases into the hands of an independent commission.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Friday he sees an opening to begin the next federal election campaign on Aug. 16 if the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

WASHINGTON — Senior officials from Canada, the United States and Mexico will meet virtually next week for the first Free Trade Commission meeting of the USMCA era.

HALIFAX — Canada should respond to a UN committee examining whether it failed to protect Mi'kmaq fishers from racist violence, even though the independence of committee members can be questioned, a former human rights investigator says.

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of May 14 ... What we are watching in Canada ... The U.S.

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Friday, May 14, 2021. There are 1,312,408 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Canada: 1,312,408 confirmed cases (75,475 active, 1,212,108 resolved, 24,825 deaths).

The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Friday, May 14, 2021. In Canada, the provinces are reporting 334,975 new vaccinations administered for a total of 17,239,587 doses given. Nationwide, 1,331,739 people or 3.

EDMONTON — Members of Premier Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party caucus have voted to turf two of their own for challenging the leader.

VANCOUVER — British Columbia's solicitor general says a meeting with representatives from police agencies is an opportunity to get a full sense of the "intolerable" situation facing Lower Mainland communities amid a gang conflict.

VANCOUVER — Leaders of the Chinese-Canadian community say the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across Vancouver and North America suggests the population has not been accepted as a part of the wider society.