By Canadian Press

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

Nov 16, 2016 | 3:30 PM

Highlights from the news file for Wednesday, Nov. 16.

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CANADA, MEXICO DISCUSSED NAFTA AFTER U.S. ELECTION: Canada and Mexico reached out to each other while preparing similar public messages last week about working with Donald Trump before declaring themselves willing to talk with the U.S. about NAFTA. Two federal sources say the two governments spoke by phone prior to Canada’s public comments about NAFTA the day after the U.S. election — comments that were followed by a similar statement later in the week from Mexico. A purported transition memo obtained by CNN reportedly says Trump would inform Canada and Mexico on Day 1 of his presidency of his intention to change NAFTA or have it cancelled.

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TRUDEAU SAYS CANADA’S STANCE ON CUBA WON’T CHANGE EVEN WITH TRUMP IN POWER: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a group of Cuban students in Havana Wednesday that he won’t change Canada’s stance on Cuba, even though his views are at odds with the man set to lead Canada’s biggest trading partner. When asked about the U.S. embargo on Cuba, the election of Donald Trump and concerns about the future of Canada-Cuba relations, Trudeau said Canada doesn’t see a contradiction or issue with being a steadfast and unflinching friend to Cuba and being an ally of the United States. Trump has promised to roll back the steps Barack Obama has taken to revive relations with Cuba that were cut off in 1961.

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TRUMP SAYS TRANSITION ‘VERY ORGANIZED’: U.S. president-elect Donald Trump rejected claims of chaos and infighting straining his transition, declaring that he is running a “very organized process.” His son Eric Trump said new appointments were likely to be announced Wednesday, though other aides suggested a slower process. Trump has kept a low-profile since his stunning victory a week ago, letting advisers and allies to set the tone. Despite Trump’s assurances, people close to the transition process described advisers “fighting for power.”

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CANADIAN TROOPS DESTROY IRAQ SUICIDE BOMBERS: Canadian troops have destroyed three vehicle-borne suicide bombers with anti-armour missiles in Iraq. Senior military officials revealed the detail during a briefing Wednesday in which they doubled down on their defence of Canadian troops being able to fire at enemy forces first. Maj.-Gen. Mike Rouleau says there has been a substantial increase in the number of times Canadian forces have used force in Iraq in recent months, but that only a small minority involved shooting first. Rouleau says the Canadians were always firing to defend themselves, their allies or civilians.

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ADVOCATES SAY A GREEN CANADA CAN’T EXPAND FOSSIL FUELS: Environmental advocates at a U.N. climate conference in Morocco are calling out Canada’s competing policy priorities. Benson Ireri of Christian Aid Africa is concerned Canada is still pursuing fossil fuel projects. The Trudeau government made a big splash at last December’s United Nations-sponsored meeting in Paris by helping to push aggressive global ambition in the battle against a warming planet. But some environmental groups want Canada to do all it can in domestic emissions reduction, to stop all expansion of fossil fuels and to do an immediate transition to renewable energy.

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OPIOD OOVERDOSE HOSPITALIZATIONS RISING: An analysis of opioid overdoses in 2014-15 found 13 Canadians per day were hospitalized after taking pain-killing opioid medications like oxycodone and morphine.The report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse found opioid-related hospital admissions rose more than 30 per cent between 2007-08 and 2014–15.  Accidental poisonings with opioids accounted for almost half of opioid-related hospitalizations in 2014-15, while intentional overdoses accounted for a third.

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GROCERY CHAINS SAYS FOOD PRICES DECLINING: Two major grocery chains, Metro and Loblaw, say food costs, especially those for meat, are coming down from their recent highs. Food inflation was particularly high last year and Loblaw noticed shoppers switching to cheaper items during that period. It said it has reduced prices to draw customers back. Metro says the growth in food prices has been slowing, with little increase in the price of produce and meat costs coming down year-over-year.

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STUDY SAYS KIDS WHO DRINK WHOLE-FAT MILK ARE LEANER: Researchers say young children who drink whole cow’s milk are leaner and have higher vitamin D levels than those who consume low-fat or skim milk. Their study of more than 2,700 children aged one to six found those who drank whole milk had a body mass index score almost a full unit lower than kids who drank one per cent or two per cent milk. Principal researcher Dr. Jonathon Maguire of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto says that’s comparable to the difference between having a healthy weight and being overweight. He speculates that children who drink whole milk may feel fuller than those who drink the same amount of low-fat or skim milk, and may not end up eating as many high-calorie foods.

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The Canadian Press