In the news today, Mar. 1

A senior government source has confirmed to The Canadian Press that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to shuffle his cabinet today to fill the void left by the resignation of Jody Wilson-Raybould as veterans affairs minister. The source says no new ministers will be brought in and that only a small number of ministers will change roles. On Wednesday, Wilson-Raybould told the House of Commons justice committee that she was pressured by Trudeau, his senior staff and others to halt a criminal prosecution of Montreal engineering giant SNC-Lavalin.

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PM’S FORMER TOP ADVISER TO TESTIFY IN SNC-LAVALIN AFFAIR

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary, Gerald Butts, wants to give his side of the story in the SNC-Lavalin affair. In his request to appear before the House of Commons justice committee, Butts says he believes he has evidence that will help the committee get to the bottom of the matter. The Liberal-dominated committee says it will invite Butts to appear next Wednesday or soon thereafter and will also recall Michael Wernick, clerk of the Privy Council, and Nathalie Drouin, the deputy minister of justice, both of whom testified last week.

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CANADA, MEXICO DIVIDED ON VENEZUELA

Canada and Mexico may be united in wanting to bring closure to North America’s unresolved trading future, but they are diametrically opposed on how to solve Venezuela’s political and economic crisis. The cleavage between Canada and Mexico over the upheaval enveloping their broader hemispheric neighbourhood — the meltdown of once prosperous Venezuela that has spawned a three-million-plus refugee crisis — was on full display this week as lawmakers from both countries met in Ottawa to discuss their shared interests.

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19TH-CENTURY NAVAL MAPS HELP MONITOR B.C. KELP

Researchers at the University of Victoria are looking to the past to help them understand the future of the so-called rainforests of the oceans. Geography professor Maycira Costa and her research team have created the first historical digital map of British Columbia’s coastal kelp forests. They used British admiralty charts from 1858 to 1956 to understand where kelp forests were once located along the province’s coast. Costa is comparing the historical maps with current satellite images of coastal areas to understand how the habitats have changed and why the forests have decreased.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Atlantic Canada premiers and federal cabinet ministers hold a news conference after meeting in Halifax.

— Statistics Canada releases fourth-quarter GDP by income and expenditure results and December GDP by industry results.

— The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada hosts a major mining conference in Toronto.

— Alberta Education Minister David Eggen to provide an update on seclusion rooms in schools.

— The Better Business Bureau holds its annual Top 10 Scams news conference at Vancouver police headquarters.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, Mar. 1

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