National News

VANCOUVER — Rain and cool weather in southern British Columbia is dousing wildfire activity in the province, but firefighters are urging vigilance despite the drop in the number of active blazes.

MONTREAL — A stuck 138-metre cargo ship that had been blocking traffic in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Montreal has been freed. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says two tugboats successfully towed the Dutch ship Heemskerkgracht to safety earlier today.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will kick off a three-day cabinet retreat in Halifax on Sunday, where the themes are fairness and Canada-U.S. relations, but the feelings are all about déjà vu.

OTTAWA — A law professor is urging the Supreme Court of Canada to weigh the constitutionality of "revolutionary and unprecedented legislation" that limits members of a prominent spy watchdog from using their parliamentary immunity to speak out.

The federal government is intervening in a countrywide work stoppage at Canada's two biggest railways, but railworkers are pushing back against Ottawa's move to get them back on the job.

OTTAWA — As railworkers push back on the Liberal government's effort to end a labour dispute that ground trains to a halt, the federal Conservatives have been silent on the strife that poses a major threat to Canada's economy.

MONTREAL — Rail workers fought back Friday against the federal government's move to get them back on the job, with a fresh strike notice and a regulatory challenge making it unclear when most freight traffic will resume.

OTTAWA — In a contest between the Charter-protected freedom of expression and Ottawa residents' right to the enjoyment of their property, there is no contest, the lawyer for "Freedom Convoy" organizer Tamara Lich argued Friday.

MONTREAL — A group of mayors from the Montreal region says the Quebec government has fallen short of its promise to increase financial aid for victims of torrential rain that hit the province earlier this month.

WHITEHORSE — Officials say crews on the site of a major cyanide spill at a mine in central Yukon are facing an intense period of work over the next few months to install environmental protection before winter freeze-up arrives.