Minister for Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef talks with reporters after Question Period in Ottawa, Thursday, December 1, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Dec. 2

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MONSEF APOLOGIZES TO COMMITTEE: The minister in charge of finding Canada a better electoral system has apologized to the MPs tasked with exploring options after she misrepresented their work and accused them of shirking their duties on the floor of the House of Commons. One day after a raucous question period in which she took the non-Liberal committee members to task, Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef issued an abject apology as the government sought to smooth matters over. Monsef — who was on her feet for much of question period Friday — said she used words that she "deeply regrets" and in no way meant to imply committee members hadn't worked hard or focused on the task at hand.

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CANADIAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DIPS: The Canadian labour market topped expectations by adding another 10,700 jobs last month and dropping the unemployment rate to 6.8 per cent. But Statistics Canada's November employment survey showed yet another monthly decline in full-time work. The report Friday said the market added 19,400 part-time jobs last month and shed 8,700 full-time positions. It was the fourth consecutive month the Canadian workforce saw a net increase in jobs, following gains of 44,000 in October, 67,200 in September and 26,200 in August.

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DODGE SAYS HIGHER RATES COULD HELP GLOBAL ECONOMY: Former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge says the world economy might be better off if policy-makers bumped interest rates a little bit higher. In prepared remarks for a speech Friday, Dodge says boosting borrowing costs would help promote price and financial stability under current global conditions, which include historically low interest rates and stagnant growth. He says rate increases shouldn't hurt employment and growth if combined with more government spending.

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ROWE WELCOMED TO SUPREME COURT: The newest judge to sit on the country's top court was officially welcomed Friday to the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Malcolm Rowe was nominated for the position in October by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and later sworn in. Rowe, the first Newfoundlander to sit on the high court, was welcomed by Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin and several government and legal dignitaries.

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TWO CANADIANS DIE IN U.S. WILDFIRE: A Canadian couple is among those killed by wildfires ravaging the resort city of Gatlinburg, Tenn. John and Marilyn Tegler, originally from Woodstock, Ont., were vacationing in the Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg celebrating the American Thanksgiving long weekend. The couple tried to flee the fast-moving wildfire on Monday night but weren't able to reach safety. More than 14,000 people were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered since Monday.

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WOMAN CHARGED IN DEATH OF CANADIAN IN FLORIDA: A woman arrested in the death of a Canadian legal scholar in Florida has been charged with first-degree murder for her alleged role in what investigators have suggested was a murder-for-hire rooted in a bitter divorce. A U.S. grand jury indicted Katherine Magbanua this week in the 2014 killing of Dan Markel, a law professor at Florida State University who was born in Toronto. In October, Luis Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and told investigators he and Sigfredo Garcia were paid to kill Markel because his ex-wife allegedly wanted full custody of their two children.

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COAST GUARD WANTS OIL REMOVED FROM WRECK: More than 30 years after the cargo vessel Manolis L. ran aground and sank off Newfoundland's scenic Change Islands, the Canadian Coast Guard is recommending the full removal of the remaining oil from the wreck. The Liberian-flagged vessel was carrying a load of paper when it went down off the Blowhard Rocks in Notre Dame Bay in January 1985 with more than 500 tonnes of fuel and diesel on board, most of which has already leaked. The coast guard's regional director, Anne Miller, says the remaining oil poses a risk to the environment.

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AIR MILES SAYS NO RETURNS AFTER POLICY CHANGE REVOKED: Air Miles Canada says it won't reimburse collectors who spent their points in anticipation of an expiration policy that will no longer take effect at the end of the year. The company that runs the Air Miles loyalty points program, LoyaltyOne, announced Thursday it was cancelling plans that would have seen collectors lose miles older than five years. While some celebrated the news, others — who had scrambled to redeem their miles ahead of the expiry — were angered by the about face.

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TRUMP SUPPORTERS MOVE TO HALT RECOUNTS: U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's supporters moved Friday to prevent or halt election recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, involving the courts less than two weeks before the states would have to complete the tasks to meet a federal deadline to certify their election results. The legal actions seeking to block or halt the recounts in three states Trump narrowly won could cause delays that would make them extremely difficult or impossible to complete on time. Even if the recounts happen, though, none would be expected to give Democrat Hillary Clinton enough votes to emerge as the winner.

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MAN RELEASED FROM CUSTODY IN MCKNIGHT SHOOTING: The man police say shot Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Joe McKnight was released from custody overnight. Authorities say they'll be meeting with the district attorney's office to discuss the case. Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, said Ronald Gasser was released and has not been formally charged at this time in McKnight's death. The shooting happened about 3 p.m. Thursday in Terrytown, a suburb of New Orleans just across the Mississippi River.

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News from © The Canadian Press, 2016