In the news today: Federal leaders debate in Montreal, interest rate decision due out

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Party leaders square off in first debate tonight

Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s French language skills will be put to the test, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will seek to turn his numbers around, when the four main federal party leaders square off in Montreal tonight in the first of two debates ahead of election day on April 28.

The two-hour French-language debate will be moderated by Radio-Canada’s Patrice Roy and will focus on five themes: the cost of living, energy and climate, the trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration and foreign affairs.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet are the only two leaders with previous federal debate experience, though Carney and Poilievre participated in their respective parties’ leadership races.

Carney struggled at times during the Liberal leadership race’s French debate and was saved by opponent Chrystia Freeland when he tripped up while discussing Hamas.

The Leaders’ Debate Commission rescinded its invitation to the Green Party to participate in the two federal leaders’ debates. The commission said because the party intentionally reduced its number of candidates running in the federal election, it “no longer meets the intention of the participation criteria.”

Bank of Canada rate decision expected today

The Bank of Canada is set to make an interest rate decision today amid looming trade war impacts to the economy.

The central bank cut its policy rate by a quarter point to 2.75 per cent at its most recent decision in March.

Market bets were nearly evenly split between a rate hold and a cut heading into Wednesday’s meeting.

The decision comes a day after Statistics Canada reported the annual rate of inflation cooled to 2.3 per cent last month.

Quebec on verge of declaring measles outbreak over

Quebec’s ministry of health says it’s on the verge of declaring its measles outbreak over just as cases reach new heights in other parts of the country.

The province says it has not recorded a new measles case since it reached 40 infections on March 18.

If no additional cases are reported by Saturday – 32 days after the last contagious case – the ministry says it will signal the end of the outbreak.

That’s a stark contrast to Ontario, where measles cases have exceeded 800 since an outbreak began in the fall, and Alberta, which has recorded 74 cases since the beginning of March.

Four injured in hit-and-run at TMU campus

The driver of a vehicle that struck several pedestrians on Toronto Metropolitan University’s downtown campus may have been targeting a specific individual on the walkway before speeding away from the scene, police said Tuesday.

Four people were injured in the hit-and-run and two of them were taken to hospital, but none were university students or staff, police said.

It happened shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday on the campus’s Nelson Mandela Walk, a treelined pedestrian walkway beside the university library connecting Gould Street and Gerrard Street.

Toronto police duty Insp. Todd Jocko said while the investigation is still in its early stages, it appears that the vehicle was intentionally targeting a person on the walkway.

He said the driver and the targeted person may have known each other, but the exact nature of their relationship was not immediately clear.

Project Runway Canada returning for third season

The Canadian version of the fashion competition series “Project Runway” is set to return after more than 15 years off the air.

Crave has announced that Season 3 of “Project Runway Canada” will consist of 10 episodes, with production set to begin this summer at Toronto Metropolitan University.

The show features designers taking part in challenges as they compete to impress a panel of experts.

Supermodel Coco Rocha and TV personality Jeanne Beker have been announced as judges, with Rocha also serving as host.

Countrywide casting is now open for the show, which last aired in 2009.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2025

The Canadian Press