Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.
Sri Lanka president won't resign despite growing protests
Sri Lanka's president will not step down and instead will face the country's political and economic crisis, a key government minister said Wednesday despite continuing large protests that are demanding his resignation.
Sri Lanka has endured months of shortages of fuel and other essentials, and the protests over the economic troubles have spread nationwide and expanded to criticism of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his politically powerful family.
Rajapaksa has resisted the calls for him to resign even after members of his own coalition made them this week, with governing party lawmakers saying an interim government should replace his and failing to do so would make them responsible for violence.
Rajapaksa 鈥渨ill not resign. We will face this. We have the strength to face this. We are not afraid,鈥 Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando told Parliament on Wednesday.
Hours earlier, Rajapaksa revoked the state of emergency that he had declared last week after crowds of protesters demonstrated near his home in the capital, Colombo. The widely criticized emergency declaration gave him sweeping authority to act to protect public security, including suspending any laws, authorizing detentions and seizing property.
TV and social media images from Monday showed protesters storming into the offices and houses of governing party lawmakers and vandalizing some premises. Lawmakers urged the Parliament speaker to ensure their safety, and Fernando said they were prepared.
鈥淲e are ready to face them if anyone comes to attack us,鈥 Fernando said in Parliament.
Protests continued Wednesday in many parts of the country demanding that Rajapaksa step down.
In Colombo, hundreds of doctors staged a protest march urging the government to solve shortages of medicine at state-run hospitals, while opposition lawmakers demonstrated in Parliament demanding that Rajapaksa resign. The protest caused a 10-minute suspension of Parliament.
Elsewhere in the country, students, lawyers and other groups protested against the government.
Rajapaksa earlier proposed a unity government be formed to handle the crisis, but the main opposition party rejected it. His Cabinet resigned Sunday night, and on Tuesday, nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
The president and his older brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, continue to hold power, despite their politically powerful family being the focus of public ire. Five other family members are lawmakers, including Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Irrigation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa and a nephew, Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa.
The family's immense political clout grew in part from Mahinda Rajapaksa being credited when he was president earlier for ending Sri Lanka's 25-year civil war with the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.
There are now fears the family's control over key state functions has weakened independent institutions and left the government unable to address the crisis.
The government estimates the COVID-19 pandemic has cost Sri Lanka's economy US$14 billion in the last two years. Protesters also allege fiscal mismanagement - Sri Lanka has immense foreign debt after borrowing heavily for infrastructure and other projects that don't earn money. Its foreign debt repayment obligations are around $7 billion for this year alone.
The debts and dwindling foreign reserves leave it unable to pay for imported goods.
For several months, Sri Lankans have endured long lines to buy fuel, foods and medicines, most of which comes from abroad and is paid for in hard currency. The fuel shortage, along with lower hydropower capacity in dry weather, has caused rolling power cuts lasting hours each day.
Rajapaksa last month said his government was in talks with the International Monetary Fund and turned to China and India for loans while he appealed to people to limit the use of fuel and electricity.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.
Former finance minister Bill Morneau questions if it's the 'right time' for emissions cap following Trump re-election
Following the re-election of former U.S. president Donald Trump, former finance minister Bill Morneau says the Canadian government should re-evaluate the timing of some cornerstone Liberal policies.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs 鈥 including hot meals for vulnerable kids 鈥 won't spend any time in jail.
Airlines cancel flights to Haiti after gunfire hits Spirit airplane over Port-au-Prince
A Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire Monday over Haiti鈥檚 capital Port-au-Prince, according to diplomatic source in the country, resulting in what the airline described as 鈥渕inor injuries鈥 to one of its crew members.
A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.
'Your body, my choice': Attacks on women surge on social media following U.S. election
Sexist and abusive attacks on women, like 'your body, my choice' and 'get back to the kitchen,' have surged across social media since Trump鈥檚 reelection.
Man who allegedly staged bear attack arrested for murder in stolen identity scheme
A man accused of killing a person and staging it as a fatal bear attack in Tennessee was taken into custody in South Carolina over the weekend on murder charges, in what authorities described as a plot to steal the victim鈥檚 identity.
Alien-like signal from 2023 has been decoded. The next step is to figure out what it means
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Local Spotlight
Should Toronto tear up its bike lanes to improve traffic flow? Critics say it's not so simple
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.