In the news today, Feb. 11

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to waive solicitor-client privilege so former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould can publicly talk about what happened with SNC-Lavalin. It follows a report that members of Trudeau’s office leaned on Wilson-Raybould to have prosecutors negotiate a “remediation agreement” with SNC-Lavalin rather than proceed with a criminal prosecution. The Quebec engineering and construction giant has been accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to get government business in Libya.

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TRUDEAU SAYS LIBERALS WILL WIN BURNABY SOUTH

Justin Trudeau promised the Liberal candidate in Burnaby South will be a strong voice for the community, as he campaigned on Sunday in the B.C. riding where New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh is seeking a seat. The prime minister told a crowd of supporters that Richard T. Lee served Burnaby for 16 years as a provincial legislator and continues to work hard every day to put the best face forward for the city. “Nobody make any mistake: The Liberal party is going to win this riding of Burnaby South” Trudeau vowed. The byelection is scheduled for Feb. 25.

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FEDS EXPECTS TRADE INTEREST IN CHINA TO SLOW

Canada’s trade minister says the government expects Canadian business interest in China to slow given current tensions, but Jim Carr predicts the two countries will eventually resolve their differences and allow economic ties to again flourish. Ottawa and Beijing have been locked in a diplomatic feud since the December arrest in Vancouver of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Washington’s request. China responded by detaining two Canadians it accused of endangering its national security, and it upgraded the drug-smuggling sentence of a third from 15 years in prison to the death penalty.

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FORMER FINANCE MINISTER MICHAEL WILSON DIES

Michael Wilson, a former politician, diplomat and longtime mental health advocate, has died at 81. The University of Toronto, where Wilson served as chancellor from 2012 to 2018, confirmed his death Sunday evening. The school’s president, Meric Gertler, called Wilson a “great Canadian” who improved many lives through his “comprehensive excellence, his unassuming generosity and his quiet compassion. Wilson served as finance minister and minister of international trade under then prime minister Brian Mulroney, and later as Canada’s ambassador to the United States.

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DRAKE COLLECTS GRAMMY WIN, CRITICIZES AWARDS SHOWS

Drake surprised many of his fans by showing up last night to collect his Grammy Award for best rap song. The Toronto native acknowledged his turbulent relationship with the Grammys as he accepted his award for the chart-topping song “God’s Plan.” Drake often shuns appearances at awards shows and boycotted last year’s Grammys by not submitting anything from his previous release, “More Life.” During his acceptance speech he said that working in the music industry is like “playing in an opinion-based sport, not a factual based sport.”

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CALGARY WILDLIFE CENTRE AIMS TO ‘PREVENT EXTINCTION’

There should be a do not disturb sign at the hidden gate to the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre located on a remote parcel of land on the southern tip of Calgary. The centre operated by the Calgary Zoo is dedicated to saving endangered species, including a Mongolian wild horse, Vancouver Island marmots and whooping cranes. Zoo curator Colleen Baird says some of the species don’t react well to visitors or outside stimuli, and as a result the centre will be moving to an even more private location east of Calgary within the next couple of years.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will tour the Conrad rental housing development and make an affordable housing announcement in Vancouver, then meet with Telus CEO Darren Entwistle.

— Trade Minister Jim Carr and Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne hold a media scrum in Vancouver on the launch of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, Feb. 11

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