The Canadian Press

A trio of federal cabinet ministers is in Washington today making a last-ditch attempt to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing economically devastating tariffs on Canadian imports.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Immigration Minister Marc Miller are all in the U.S. capital, making a final diplomatic push to convince Republican lawmakers and Trump's team to sway the president.

Trump has signalled he's prepared to slap 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports as early as Saturday.

The deadly mid-air crash in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night is likely the result of unique air traffic patterns in the area and shouldn't cause wider fears over air safety, says an aviation expert.

John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, said the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has seen rising activity over the years while military aircraft also frequently fly in the area to make it a higher-risk airspace.

Zebra mussels appear to be here to stay in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, a popular boating destination for summer tourists.

Parks Canada says hundreds of live juvenile zebra mussels were found in the fall, attached to docks and infrastructure near the east end of Clear Lake.

That is a different part of the lake from where they were first found and where a containment curtain had been installed to try to prevent them from spreading.

The Bank of Canada delivered another interest rate cut on Wednesday, reducing its policy rate by a quarter-percentage point to three per cent. But looming U.S. tariffs are weighing on the central bank’s economic outlook.

The cut, the central bank's sixth consecutive one since June, comes as the bank said inflation is sitting around its two per cent target and the economy is picking up speed.

"There are signs economic activity is gaining momentum as past interest rate cuts work their way through the economy," Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said in prepared remarks.

Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney secured three more endorsements from cabinet on Saturday, with Defence Minister Bill Blair and Transport Minister Anita Anand backing Carney in statements on X and Housing Minister Nate Erskine-Smith hosting an event for the candidate in Toronto.

The Royal Canadian Navy says a sailor has died in the Bedford Basin after a boat capsized.

The Navy says two sailors were operating a rigid-hull inflatable boat in the Halifax-area bay when it overturned and capsized around 10 p.m. on Friday.

It says a rescue effort by the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre Halifax dispatched two ships from the Canadian Coast Guard, and pulled both sailors from the water. 

The Navy says the sailors were met by paramedics and transferred to a Halifax hospital, but one of the sailors could not be resuscitated. 

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has shuffled one of his cabinet ministers and appointed a new one.

The change was necessitated by the death last week of Nello Altomare, who served as minister of education and early learning.

That role is being taken by Tracy Schmidt, the environment minister who also served as acting education minister after Altomare went on leave last fall.

With Schmidt in education, backbencher Mike Moyes has been appointed to cabinet and the environment portfolio.

Both Schmidt and Moyes were sworn-in at a private ceremony.

Mounties in Manitoba say six people from multiple countries were caught last week trying to illegally cross into Canada from the United States.

Police say the group was spotted from the air crossing the border on foot near Emerson on Jan. 14. 

Officers say some were not dressed for the freezing temperatures, and an ambulance was called to ensure their safety. 

The six were from Jordan, Sudan, Chad and Mauritania. 

They were put under arrest and transferred to the Canada Border Services Agency. 

Manitobans are going to pay a bit more for natural gas as well as propane used for home heating.

The province's Public Utilities Board has approved an increase for natural gas by Centra Gas as of Feb. 1.

The board says the annual bill for a typical residential customer will go up by roughly 2.6 per cent, or $15 a year.

It says the increase is being prompted by higher purchasing costs.

The board has also approved a hike in propane sold by Stittco for heating in Thompson, Flin Flon and Snow Lake that will start Feb. 1.

The Supreme Court of Canada will hear a challenge of Quebec's secularism law, setting up a final legal battle between the provincial government and minority and civil rights groups that say the legislation is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

The country's top court announced Thursday morning it has granted leave to appeal to several groups that oppose the law, which prohibits civil servants in positions of authority, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols on the job.