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

Highlights from the news file for Monday, Feb. 27

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O’LEARY BACKS OUT OF TORY LEADERSHIP DEBATE: Conservative leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary says he won’t take part in Tuesday’s official party debate in Edmonton, citing the format. But the news is being greeted with cries of foul from rival candidates who dismiss O’Leary’s claim that one among them refused to agree to change the format. O’Leary says he believes the party’s preferred format of having all 14 candidates on stage answering the same questions allows no time for ideas to be explained. He says he worked with other candidates in hopes they would agree to adopt the same small group format used at this past weekend’s Manning Centre conference, but one campaign refused to make the switch. Some of his opponents, however, say they were never formally approached by the party about making a change. Lisa Raitt, who has been directly attacking O’Leary’s candidacy for weeks, is calling him “chicken” for refusing to show up at the bilingual event.

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QUEBEC’S GUY CARON SEEKING NDP LEADERSHIP: Quebec MP Guy Caron has joined the race to lead the NDP, bringing to three the number of candidates so far in the race to succeed Tom Mulcair. Caron, an economist who is positioning himself as a contender with financial smarts, made the announcement Monday at a log cabin in Gatineau, Que. He chose the location because it was the scene of a campaign event by late NDP leader Jack Layton in 2011, the same year Caron was first elected to the House of Commons as part of the so-called “Orange Wave” in Quebec. On Monday, Caron also unveiled the first plank of his plan, proposing to establish a basic income for all Canadians. He plans to spend the week making stops in Ottawa, Montreal, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec City and his home town of Rimouski, Que. The race to replace Mulcair, which got off to the slowest of starts, has been gaining steam in recent weeks, with northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus and B.C. MP Peter Julian also in the running. A leadership debate is scheduled for March 12 in Ottawa. A new leader is to be chosen by the end of October.

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CYBERSPY AGENCY EYES POLITICAL BLACKMAIL RISK: A senior official from the national cyberspy agency says the threat of political blackmail could figure in a wide-ranging review of risks to Canada’s electoral system. Scott Jones of the Communications Security Establishment says safeguarding personal information on voters lists and ensuring election ballot tallies aren’t manipulated might also be part of the study. Jones says the agency is thinking in very broad terms about the risk assessment the government has requested. But he adds the agency is looking to federal ministers for direction on how sweeping the exercise should be. The Liberal government recently asked the CSE to analyze risks to Canada’s political and electoral activities from hackers, as well as provide cybersecurity advice to political parties and Elections Canada. The disclosure of stolen Democratic Party emails, published by WikiLeaks, proved embarrassing last year to U.S. presidential contender Hillary Clinton.

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OSCARS FLAP ECLIPSES MOONLIGHT WIN: The 89th Academy Awards got off on the right foot, with a song and dance, but ended with the most stunning mistake ever to befall the esteemed awards show when the best picture Oscar was presented to the wrong movie. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, holding an incorrect envelope, wrongly presented the top prize to “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight.” The moment at the conclusion of the Sunday-night show was so jaw-dropping, it eclipsed everything else in a ceremony that was packed to the brim with Donald Trump jabs, fun stunts, heartfelt positivity and a stunning upset by “Moonlight” over what had been a “La La” juggernaut throughout the awards season. Yet somehow, even the embarrassing moment pivoted into grace. As confusion and bafflement overwhelmed those in the Dolby Theatre and at home on their couches, “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins and “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle shared a hug on the back of the stage, out of sight from the television cameras. Oscar tabulators PwC are investigating.

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MANULIFE CONFIRMS IT WAS PENALIZED BY WATCHDOG: Manulife Financial Corp. confirmed Monday its banking unit was penalized last year after Canada’s money-laundering watchdog concluded it failed to report a suspicious transaction and various money transfers. Last year, Fintrac fined the bank $1.15 million, but it withheld the bank’s identity, saying it was exercising its discretion to do so. Manulife Financial issued a statement Monday saying Manulife Bank was fined for “administrative lapses.” Experts speculated Fintrac’s decision to not name Manulife Bank could have come from an agreement whereby Manulife agreed not to pursue an appeal and pay the $1,154,670 fine in exchange for anonymity. Neither Fintrac nor Manulife have confirmed such a deal took place. The office of Finance Minister Bill Morneau deferred comment to Fintrac, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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SUBBAN TO GET GOVERNOR GENERAL’S AWARD: Defenceman P.K. Subban will receive an honour from Gov. Gen. David Johnson to acknowledge his charitable work. The former Montreal Canadiens star will be given a Meritorious Service Decoration (civil division) while 12 others will receive the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in a ceremony on Wednesday in the P.K. Subban Atrium at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Subban was traded to Nashville last year and on Thursday will play his first game in Montreal since the deal. On Sept. 15, 2015, Subban pledged to raise $10 million over seven years through a program called P.K.’s Helping Hand to aid families struggling financially due to a child’s illness. The hospital named its atrium for the Toronto native to mark what it called “the biggest philanthropic commitment by a sports figure in Canadian history.” Subban vowed to honour the pledge after he was traded on June 29.

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TAKATA PLEADS GUILTY TO FRAUD IN AIR BAG SCANDAL: Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp. has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge and agreed to pay $1 billion for a scheme to conceal a deadly defect in millions of its air bag inflators. Takata admits to hiding problems that can cause inflators to explode with too much force, hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers. U.S. prosecutors still are seeking extradition of three former Takata executives from Japan to face criminal charges. Detroit federal Judge George Caram Steeh accepted a guilty plea to a fraud charge Monday. Takata has agreed to pay $850 million in restitution to automakers, $125 million for victims and families and a $25 million criminal fine. Separately, the company faces dozens of consumer and state lawsuits that could run into millions of dollars.

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FEDERAL LIBERALS ACCUSED OF GAMES IN ONTARIO RIDING: A would-be Liberal MP who’s vying for the chance to take over John McCallum’s House of Commons seat is accusing the party of playing favourites. Juanita Nathan has put her name forward to be the Liberal candidate in Markham-Thornhill, a Toronto-area riding that was vacated when McCallum stepped down to become Canada’s new ambassador to China. One of her competitors is Mary Ng, a senior staffer to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Nathan says it looks like the contest is being run in her favour. Nathan says more than 2,000 people she has registered as Liberals will be barred from voting Saturday because the party retroactively set the registration cut-off date for Feb. 14 — the day before she started entering names into the system. The Ng campaign says their candidate learned of the deadline on Feb. 20, the same as everyone else, and that “hundreds” of their supporters will also be unable to vote. Liberal party spokesman Braeden Caley says the retroactive cut-off date was explained in rules that have been available online for months, and that candidates are encouraged to turn in their new-member paperwork as early as possible.

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RALLY IN ST. JOHN’S PROTESTS ACQUITTAL OF OFFICER: Demonstrators converged on police headquarters in St. John’s on Monday, demanding the firing of an officer acquitted of sexual assault in a case that has sparked outrage and intense debate. About 200 people chanted as they held signs saying: “Not my definition of consent” and “I believe her.” A jury Friday found Const. Carl Douglas (Doug) Snelgrove not guilty after he drove an intoxicated woman home from the bar district — while on duty — and had sex with her in December 2014. The St. John’s Telegram covered the trial, reporting the woman testified she could not recall if she gave consent. She testified that she had passed out and came to as Snelgrove was having anal sex with her. The Crown argued the 10-year veteran of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary took advantage of a vulnerable woman, but the case turned on consent.

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TORONTO MAYOR SAYS FILM INDUSTRY BROUGHT IN $2B IN 2016: Film, television and digital productions contributed more than $2 billion to Toronto’s economy in 2016, Mayor John Tory said Monday as he promised to streamline regulations, helping the city compete with other global destinations. Calling the industry a “key economic driver” for the city, Tory said that 2016 topped the previous high of $1.5 billion in 2015. Tory said $800 million of last year’s total came from Los Angeles-based productions, adding that Toronto will have to fight to keep the business. The mayor said he met with the studios to thank them for their business and to find out what would help them return to Toronto. “They told me that we had to continue to invest in facilities,” he said. Vancouver has a full-time person promoting the city in Los Angeles, Tory said, adding that Toronto’s other competition includes Atlanta, New York and London.

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