In the news today: gun review lags, Quebec cabinet swearing-in, Wainwright vigil held
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …
Group assisting long-planned review of firearms — including SKS — has yet to meet
An advisory group that's supporting a federal review of firearms classification — including a look at the SKS rifle — is expected to hold its first meeting this fall, almost a year after Ottawa announced the review.
Public Safety Canada says members of the Firearms Classification Technical Advisory Group, appointed to provide expert advice to the department and the RCMP, will meet later this fall.
The Liberal government has faced fresh questions about the SKS after a document filed in a U.S. court said Jesse Van Rootselaar, the killer in the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting, talked about having one.
The SKS is commonly used in Indigenous communities to hunt for food, and it has also been used in police killings and other high-profile shootings.
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Quebec premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to be sworn in and unveil cabinet
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is set to be sworn in as Quebec's 34th premier.
He will also unveil his cabinet, officially bringing the Parti Québécois back to power after more than a decade.
The sovereigntist party won 59 seats in the Oct. 5 provincial election, falling short of the 64 needed for a majority government.
The party’s elected representatives were sworn in last week and took an oath of allegiance to the people of Quebec rather than the King — a requirement dropped in 2022 when St-Pierre Plamondon refused to take the oath.
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'Hurting': Vigil in Wainwright, Alta., for soldiers caught in deadly fire
A group of churches in Wainwright are organizing a vigil tonight, four days after the deadly fire on the nearby Alberta military base.
Four men were killed in the fire and 33 soldiers remain in hospital.
Residents have been handling the grief with a military-inspired resolve, but Ryan Wood, lead pastor at Church of the Nazarene, says people are looking for a way to come together.
Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh says the vigil may not close the book for many involved in the tragedy, but hopes it may at least close a painful chapter.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to take questions for first time since separation vote
Premier Danielle Smith will take questions today for the first time since Albertans overwhelmingly rejected separating from Canada in Monday's referendum.
Smith said she voted to stay in Canada and had little choice but to call the referendum to quash a burgeoning and divisive debate over Alberta's role in Confederation.
About three-quarters of voters marked an X to say yes to staying in Canada rather than holding a second, binding referendum on leaving.
In a provincewide TV address Tuesday, Smith said she now considers separation to be a dead issue in Alberta and there will be no more such votes as long as she is premier.
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Young anglophones are still leaving Quebec, but at much lower rates, find researchers
Two researchers from the Quebec English-speaking Communities Research Network have found the number of English-speaking Quebecers leaving the province has slowed down in recent years.
In research going back several decades, they identified many reasons that push young anglophones to leave the province and confirmed that the French language is a factor.
Meanwhile, the study shows that francophones are less likely to leave.
Simon-Pierre Lacasse, one of the authors of the paper, says that the exodus of English-speaking Quebecers was especially strong in the 1970s and 1980s, but has slowed down since then.
He says research appears to show that young English-speaking Quebecers are getting better integrated into the province's culture.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
'Hurting': Vigil in Wainwright, Alta., for soldiers caught in deadly fire
Almost every church in Wainwright, Alta., has a parishioner who's a soldier at the nearby military base.
Ryan Wood, pastor of the town's Church of the Nazarene, said it's important those in the Armed Forces know they're not alone after a fast-moving grass fire during training on Saturday killed four and injured dozens more.
"They're hurting. They're struggling just like everybody else," Wood said.
"We want to have a message that we're together in supporting our military. We're together in grieving. We're together is seeking a sense of peace and even hope in all of this."
His church is hosting a vigil Wednesday night, organized by local faith leaders, for the town of roughly 7,000 people.
It's to be the first opportunity for the public and those on the base to formally gather and grieve.
The four killed have been identified as: Pte. Shaun Farrell, 23, of Prince Albert, Sask.; Pte. Aidan Goulding, 23, of North Vancouver; and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, of Langley, B.C.; and Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton.
Isaiah Mast, pastor of the Evangelical Free Church, said Albertans like to think they're tough.
But they need to know that it's all right not to be all right.
"These things will live with the person," Mast said. "I think what we hope to do is to be available for those who are going to be wrestling with this for a few weeks.
"This isn't something that just goes away."
Flags in the town, across the country and on all federal buildings were lowered to half-mast to honour those in the fire.
A pile of flowers has also grown at the Wainwright cenotaph.
Mayor Bruce Pugh said he's relieved church leaders are organizing the vigil.
It will go a long way toward healing, he said.
"I think this will be a big piece. We are doing things for our first responders. We're supporting them, our health-care professionals, by just going and visiting," Pugh said.
"I think for some, it won't close the book, but it will help close this chapter in a sense."
"I think for some it will be a recognition of the strength of this community and allows us to hear messages of faith."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Bill Graveland and David Baxter | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Group assisting long-planned review of firearms — including SKS — has yet to meet
An advisory group that's supporting a federal review of firearms classification — including a look at the SKS rifle — is expected to hold its first meeting this fall, almost a year after Ottawa announced the review.
Public Safety Canada says members of the Firearms Classification Technical Advisory Group, appointed to provide expert advice to the department and the RCMP, "will be meeting later this fall."
The Liberal government has faced fresh questions about the SKS after a document filed in a U.S. court said the killer in the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting talked about having an SKS gun.
Eighteen-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people in the Feb. 10 Tumbler Ridge attack before taking her own life.
The RCMP has declined to release details about firearms used in the shootings, saying its investigation is ongoing.
The SKS has been used in police killings and other high-profile shootings.
It is also commonly used in Indigenous communities to hunt for food.
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently indicated the government would look at the advice of the classification advisory group before making any decision on the status of the SKS.
Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed approximately 2,500 types of guns on the basis they belong only on the battlefield. It has not banned the SKS.
Gun control advocacy group PolySeSouvient has long called on the government to impose an immediate ban on new sales of the SKS, to remove from circulation modern, assault-style versions of the rifle, and to implement a voluntary buyback of older models. It calls for an exemption for Indigenous hunters who use the SKS primarily for sustenance.
In early December last year, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the government would "shortly be launching a comprehensive review of the firearms classification regime" with an emphasis on simplicity and consistency.
"This review will be supported by an expanded advisory group, and will involve dedicated consultations with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, including on the SKS, to ensure Indigenous perspectives and traditions are an active part of the process," he said in a statement.
"The review will take a broad view of the legal framework for firearms, devices, magazines and ammunition to modernize the regime and ensure Canadians' safety."
In response to questions this month from The Canadian Press, the Public Safety Department said more information on the Technical Advisory Group and on engagement activities related to the classification review will be made available "in the near term."
"Members will bring diverse technical knowledge, experience, and expert views from a wide range of perspectives," the department said.
PolySeSouvient said this week that instead of implementing a comprehensive ban on assault-style firearms and high-capacity magazines, "the government keeps announcing new consultations and panels, and each one becomes another reason to postpone actual change."
"Lives are at stake," the group told The Canadian Press. "The government needs to stop consulting and start acting, before more people are killed in mass shootings."
In a recent commentary on its website, the Canadian Shooting Sports Association said many questions remain about the Tumbler Ridge shootings, including which firearms were used, how they were obtained, and which — if any — had been seized by police previously.
"Reclassifying another firearm before answering those questions may satisfy the demand for immediate action," the commentary said. "It does not prove that banning another firearm would have prevented this mass murder."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Jim Bronskill | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Kiari a commenté une photo de Naadei d'OD sur Instagram il y a 2 ans
Le monde est petit, comme on dit, et surtout à Occupation Double. Alors qu'on a appris que Jamie et Kevin pouvaient avoir eu une histoire du passé, qu'Éloïse et Émilia avaient fréquenté le même homme, et que Karine et Charles se connaissaient avant l'aventure, une nouvelle information sur Kiari et Naadei a fait surface.
En fait, les fans de l'émission ont découvert que Kiari a commenté une photo de Naadei il y a 117 semaines, soit il y a un peu plus de deux ans sur Instagram.
La sélection de l'éditeur : Il faut parler du malaise lors de l'annonce de la gagnante à La Voix
[rebelmouse-image 25998980 alt="Naadei Liones et Kiari" photo_credit="naadeiliones | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="1712x1188"] naadeiliones | Instagram
C'est sous une photo de Naadei publiée le 23 juillet 2018, alors qu'elle pose à Paris, que Kiari a commenté « Caption game 💯👌🏿 ».
Un commentaire que Naadei a aimé.
Le caption de cette photo était « alors du coup ».
Impossible de savoir si les deux se connaissent, ou s'il n'a que commenté la photo d'une jolie femme à l'époque.
[rebelmouse-image 25998981 photo_credit="Occupation Double | Noovo" expand=1 original_size="2854x1464"] Occupation Double | Noovo
Une chose est certaine, Kiari semblait dire ne pas connaître Naadei lors de sa vidéo de présentation aux candidats :
« Naadei, déjà qui est sublime. Je me suis trompé de saison. Where was she all my life? What's going on? »
Naadei avait déjà plusieurs contacts dans le milieu artistique avant son arrivée à Occupation Double. En plus de travailler comme mannequin pour des marques connues comme Simons ou Dynamite, elle aurait fréquenté l'ancien joueur des Canadiens de Montréal, PK Subban.
Elle s'est aussi fait connaître pour sa musique en travaillant notamment avec Lil Jon, Booba, Wyclef Jean, 2 Chainz et Dead Obies.