By Canadian Press

The Friday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Nov 25, 2016 | 1:15 PM

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Nov. 25

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TRUDEAU IN MADAGASCAR FOR LA FRANCOPHONIE MEETING: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Antananarivo, the capital city of the island nation of Madagascar, where he is heading up the Canadian delegation at the summit of la Francophonie. The Liberal government is viewing la Francophonie as yet another place to get the world talking about solutions to challenges such as terrorism, the impacts of climate change on developing countries and the migration crisis they help to fuel. The gathering tends to get less attention than economic summits like the annual meeting of the G7, but Canada is the second-largest contributor to la Francophonie.

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U.S. PRODUCERS REVIVE SOFTWOOD LUMBER DISPUTE: The U.S. Lumber Coalition has formally petitioned the American government to impose duties against Canadian softwood lumber producers. The coalition alleges that provincial governments provide trees to Canadian producers at rates far below market value, along with other subsidies, resulting in Canadian lumber is sold for less than fair value in the U.S. Canadian softwood producers have disputed the U.S. Lumber Coalition’s arguments. Softwood lumber is excluded from NAFTA.

HOUSING TARGETS

Nanaimo named in new group of communities for provincial housing targets

12h ago

unprovoked attack

Vulnerable man blasted with bear spray in quiet Nanaimo neighbourhood

14h ago

more housing

Nanaimo council endorses significant south end redevelopment

16h ago

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STATCAN SAYS MOTHERS MORE LIKELY TO BECOME SELF-EMPLOYED: A new study from Statistics Canada says that new mothers are more likely to become self-employed than other women who work in full-time or part-time jobs. The study released Friday finds that the probability of new mothers making the jump to self-employment is 1.2 percentage points higher than other working women, which the researchers say is a statistically significant difference. The researchers at the national statistics office say the findings suggest that becoming self-employed helps women with young children improve their work-family balance and tailor their hours to their child-care needs.

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RCAF HEAD SAYS CF-18s GOOD TO 2025: The head of the Royal Canadian Air Force says all of Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets will be able to fly until 2025 — and even later. Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood also says Canada’s allies are developing ways to upgrade the aging aircraft to reduce the risks and costs if they are needed for longer periods of time. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s office says Hood’s comments don’t address the fact many of the aging CF-18s are out of service on any given day because of maintenance issues. But others say the general’s comments are a clear indication he is comfortable with the state of Canada’s fleet.

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FEDS DELAY MAKING PIPELINE DECISIONS: The Liberal government is delaying announcing the fate of two pipeline projects, saying only that the decision will come “soon.” Friday was the government’s deadline to decide whether to move ahead with Enbridge’s proposed Line 3 pipeline replacement and Northern Gateway pipeline. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, who was speaking at an event hosted by the Toronto Board Region of Trade, said she wasn’t ready to make an announcement. She wouldn’t say whether the decision had been made or when it would become public.

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MANITOBA MLA APOLOGIZES FOR COMPARING MINISTER TO NAZI: A member of Manitoba’s opposition New Democrats is apologizing for comparing a government minister to a Nazi. Ted Marcelino came under fire after accusing Crown Services Minister Ron Shuler of repeatedly stating false information about Manitoba Hydro — comparing him to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister. Premier Brian Pallister called the remark an insult to all Manitobans and demanded an apology. Marcelino retracted his remarks and apologized for what he called a perceived slight.

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TRUMP CONSIDERING CABINET PROSPECTS: U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is connecting with foreign leaders and considering new cabinet prospects Friday as he gathers with family for the long Thanksgiving weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate. As the incoming president looked ahead, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein made progress on her push to force recounts in three Midwestern battleground states that fuelled Trump’s stunning victory. Stein announced on her website that she has raised enough money to fund recounts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and was pursuing additional funding to do the same in Michigan.

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REPORT SAYS FAKE NEWS MAY HAVE COME FROM RUSSIA: Some of the fake news that Americans have been seeing on Facebook and elsewhere may have come from Russia. The Washington Post says a group of independent researchers found that a Russian propaganda effort may have been aimed at hurting Hillary Clinton and helping Donald Trump, while weakening faith in U.S. democracy. The group found the stories were viewed more than 200 million times on Facebook alone. Facebook and Google have said they are taking steps to stop the spread of misinformation on their sites.

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ENGLISH SOCCER SEX ABUSE VICTIMS SPEAK OUT: Former English soccer players who were subjected to years of sexual abuse by youth team coaches entrusted with their care are breaking cover to expose the game’s dark secrets. Harrowing stories of assaults on young players by men they relied on to turn them into professionals are forcing authorities and clubs to finally address how child abusers were able to exploit their positions of power and why the behaviour wasn’t confronted earlier.

The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly identified the portfolio of Environment Minister Catherine McKenna.