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Deputy PM Freeland to oversee relations with U.S. and provinces in Trudeau’s new cabinet

Justin Trudeau is leaning heavily on one of his star performers from his last cabinet, Chrystia Freeland, as he seeks to promote national unity, improve relations with China and address concerns over environmental and economic policies that cost the Liberals their majority. Praising Ms. Freeland’s work as foreign affairs minister during the trade talks, the Prime Minister described her as a trusted confidant who will take the lead in attempting to quell anger in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where not a single Liberal MP was elected on Oct. 21.

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‘We followed the President’s orders’: Sondland tells impeachment inquiry Trump withheld aid to press Ukraine on probes

President Donald Trump ordered U.S. diplomats to push Ukraine to investigate his political opponents, a high-ranking envoy told a congressional impeachment inquiry. Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, said there was a “quid pro quo” to withhold nearly US$400-million in military aid and a White House invitation for Ukraine’s President to put pressure on Kyiv to launch the probes. And he said several people at the highest levels of the administration knew about the plot and, in some cases, encouraged it.

Canadian doctors diagnose new vaping-related lung disease in Ontario teen: report

Canadian doctors say they have diagnosed a new type of severe vaping-related lung disease. The Ontario case, published Thursday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, involved a previously healthy 17-year-old boy from the London, Ont., area who nearly died.

Doctors are focusing on flavour ingredients in the e-cigarettes he used because his illness, called bronchiolitis obliterans, is remarkably similar to the serious, chronic lung disease experienced by some workers who were exposed to the chemical flavouring agent diacetyl in microwave popcorn factories.

Prince Andrew stepping back from royal duties after much-criticized interview about relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

After a controversial interview on BBC television, the Duke of York said that he regretted his association with Mr. Epstein, who died in jail while awaiting trial on charges of sex-trafficking dozens of girls. Police are still investigating whether his former girlfriend groomed girls, and several alleged victims have come forward to urge Prince Andrew to co-operate with the probe. The Prince had hoped the interview would address allegations that he slept with a teenaged girl procured by the financier. Instead, the interview only raised more questions. Since then, a growing number of charities and companies around the world have begun cutting ties to him.

Maple Leafs fire Mike Babcock amid six-game losing streak

Mike Babcock, who was expected to change the fortunes of the Maple Leafs, was fired as head coach on Wednesday with the team in the midst of a six-game losing streak. He will be replaced by Sheldon Keefe, who was in his fifth year as coach of the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. Handed the richest coaching contract in NHL history in 2015, Babcock was unable to get Toronto beyond the first round of the playoffs. The team stumbled out of the gate this season and was 9-10-4 when he was dismissed.

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Federal Court of Canada launches internal investigation over telephone scammers: Victims who answer these calls are being told that they owe money, and are being asked to provide personal information including their social-insurance number.

Spirit of the West singer John Mann dies at 57: Diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease when he was 50, Mr. Mann died Wednesday in Vancouver.

Archdiocese of Vancouver set to release recommendations after investigation into clerical sexual abuse: In the letter, Archbishop J. Michael Miller confirmed that the online release of the clerical sexual-abuse case review committee will include responses from the archdiocese to each recommendation.

Allegations that China tortured British consulate employee add to rising pressure on Hong Kong: Simon Cheng said Chinese authorities subjected him to sleep deprivation and stress positions while demanding he confess that both himself and Britain instigated the protests in Hong Kong by providing money and equipment.

Israel protests against Canada for UN vote supporting Palestinian state: Nimrod Barkan, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, told The Globe that his country intends to lodge a formal protest after Canada joined 165 other countries by voting Yes for a resolution that calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

MORNING MARKETS

Stocks stumble as Hong Kong bill poses hurdle in US-China trade deal: Global stocks slid further on Thursday as the standoff between the world’s two largest economies extended beyond trade, reducing the odds of a “phase-one” deal this year and forcing investors to seek shelter in safe-haven assets. Tokyo’s Nikkei lost 0.5 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng 1.6 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite 0.3 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were down by between 0.4 and 0.7 per cent by about 4:45 a.m. ET. The Canadian dollar was above 75 US cents.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

In Bolivia, democracy has been thrown to the lions

Editorial: It’s hard to see how that is not a coup. Countries backing the Anez government should withdraw their support and demand a new election immediately.”

Why is it okay that cars kill?

Denise Balkissoon: “That’s fairly callous, when the vast majority of pedestrians killed in Toronto so far this year have been seniors attempting to cross in the meagre time allotted to them.”

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

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Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail

LIVING BETTER

Picking apples is a fall tradition, but what happens when you end up with 20 pounds of them? Ian Brown revived an unexpected gift of apples from an acquaintance who owned a farm. Then he had to figure out what to do with all of them. If you went apple picking with the kids, or need a recipe for apples, you can read how he found a culinary solution here. “The point is that an unexpected gift of 20 pounds of apples is still a gift. If you pass the gift along, you also pass along the sweetness of random and unexpected generosity,” said Brown.

MOMENT IN TIME

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Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press

Nov. 21, 1988

Indigenous men such as Louis Riel had come before her. But when Ethel Blondin-Andrew was elected as a member of Parliament on Nov. 21, 1988, she became the first Indigenous woman to win a seat in the House of Commons. By then, it had not even been three decades since First Nations people could vote without relinquishing their treaty status. A former teacher and public servant from the Northwest Territories, Blondin-Andrew unseated Progressive Conservative MP Dave Nickerson in the expansive riding then known as Western Arctic. She served as opposition critic on Indigenous affairs and, after she was re-elected when the Liberals rose to power in 1993 under Jean Chrétien, she became the first Indigenous woman to serve in cabinet, as the secretary of state for youth and training. Her tenure as an MP was marked by several controversies, including criticism for her handling of a public-expense account, and allegations – which she denied – that she tried to dissuade the mother of an alleged sexual-assault victim from pursuing charges against Chrétien’s son (Michel Chrétien was found not guilty in that case). After five terms, Blondin-Andrew was defeated in 2006 by Dennis Bevington of the NDP. — Kathryn Blaze Baum

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