In the news today, April 20

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FREELAND: AUTOS DRIVING NEW NAFTA DEAL

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says new automotive rules will be the centrepiece of a new NAFTA agreement. Speaking in Washington, D.C., Freeland said she and her peers are now down to the finest details on auto rules of origin, but wouldn’t commit to a timeline for a final agreement. Mexican and U.S. officials are saying a new deal is likely within weeks.

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LIBERAL CONVENTION SWINGS INTO HIGH GEAR

Thousands of federal Liberals have descended on Halifax for what’s billed as the unofficial launch of the party’s re-election campaign. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is scheduled to deliver a keynote address today and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to arrive today after attending a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in England. This is the first time Liberals have held their convention in Atlantic Canada.

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CP RAIL BEGINS SHUTDOWN AHEAD OF POSSIBLE STRIKE

Canadian Pacific Railway says it has begun shutting down train operations ahead of a possible strike by two unionized workforces. The company says it continues to bargain with both the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which have given strike notices for this Saturday. Both unions had reached a tentative deal with CN Rail last month.

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SENTENCING HEARING TODAY IN HALIFAX SHOOTING PLOT

An American woman who plotted to go on a shooting rampage at a Halifax mall in 2015 is due in court today for a sentencing hearing. Lindsay Souvannarath pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit murder in a plan that would have seen two shooters open fire at the Halifax Shopping Centre food court. Her co-conspirator killed himself and a third accomplice was sentenced to a decade in jail.

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TODAY’S 4-20 EVENTS LIKELY THE LAST BEFORE POT LEGALIZATION

Cannabis activists say although this year’s 4-20 celebrations will likely be the last before recreational pot use becomes legal, there’s still a lot to fight for. Ottawa has committed to making recreational marijuana legal this year, but regulating it is up to the provinces and territories. Lisa Campbell of the Ontario Cannabis Consumer and Retail Alliance says battles will continue over cannabis lounges, consumption spaces and special events permits.

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RABID-DOG SALIVA TREATMENT UNDER SCRUTINY

British Columbia’s top doctor and an alternative-medicine group are both concerned about a Victoria naturopath who treated a four-year-old boy with the saliva of a rabid dog. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is urging Health Canada to review its approval of lyssin, a naturopathic product that claims to contain the infected saliva. The B.C. Naturopathic Association has filed a complaint against practitioner Anke Zimmermann, claiming she may have breached the codes of conduct and ethics for naturopathic doctors.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Statistics Canada will release retail trade data for February and the consumer price index for March.

— Finance Minister Bill Morneau takes part in the G20 Finance Minister and Central Bank Governors meeting in Washington.

— B.C. Premier John Horgan will give the keynote address at CUPE BC’s annual convention.

— Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer visits Trois-Rivieres, Que.

— Man accused of hurling a vulgar slur at a female reporter during a live broadcast to appear in Halifax court.

— Gov. Gen. Julie Payette will help unveil a stamp to commemorate the 65th anniversary of The Queen’s coronation.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, April 20

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