Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet (front row from left to right), Carolyn Bennett, Filomena Tassi, Melanie Joly, Mary Ng, Maryam Monsef, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, Seamus O' Reagan, Jim Carr, Catherine McKenna, Pablo Rodriguez, Ginette C. Petitpas Taylor, Scott Brison, (middle row, from left to right,), Jody Wilson-Raybould, Carla Qualtrough, Bardish Chagger, Diane Lebouthillier, Francois-Philippe Champagne, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Jane Philpott, Lawrence MacAulay, Patty Hajdu, Ralph Goodale, (back left to right), Bill Morneau, Harjit Singh Sajjan, Bill Blair, Jean-Yves Duclos, Marc Garneau, Dominic Leblanc, Navdeep Singh Bains, Ahmed D. Hussen, Jonathan Wilkinson and Amarjeet Sohi pose for a family photo at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre during the Liberal cabinet retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Seven stories in the news for Wednesday, Aug. 22

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TRUDEAU CABINET MEETS AMID WILDFIRE CRISIS

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his newly shuffled cabinet have gathered for a retreat on Vancouver Island, under smoke-filled skies and a province-wide wildfire emergency. The ministers are to discuss plans for the fall sitting of Parliament, including proposals to beef up measures aimed at protecting Canadian elections from foreign interference. Trudeau's first order of business was to meet with B.C. Premier John Horgan, who had toured one of the hardest hit fire zones in the northern part of the province earlier in the day.

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U.S. TO SLAP DUTIES ON CANADIAN PIPE

The U.S. has opened a new front in its trade war with the world, announcing preliminary anti-dumping duties on large-diameter welded pipe from Canada and five other countries. The United States will immediately begin collecting 24.38 per cent cash deposits on imports from Canada that were worth almost US$180 million in 2017. The other countries being hit with duties are China, Greece, India, Korea, and Turkey.

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BIG BANKS SET TO REPORT QUARTERLY EARNINGS

The big banks are expected to report yet another strong quarter as the housing market shows signs of stability and rising interest rates add to their bottom line. Royal Bank of Canada will be the first to report its third-quarter results today, and most analysts expecting earnings-per-share growth as high as 10 per cent year-over-year. CIBC will report its earnings on Thursday, followed by Scotiabank next Tuesday, National Bank next Wednesday and the TD Bank next Thursday.

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RCMP TO PROBE HISTORIC ABUSE LINKED TO MANITOBA HYDRO

The Manitoba government is asking the RCMP to investigate accusations that hydro development in northern Manitoba decades ago led to sexual abuse of Indigenous women. The allegations are in a report from the province's arm's-length Clean Environment Commission, which held hearings earlier this year on the environmental and social effects of energy development from the 1950s to the 1980s. Much of the development was centred around the community of Gillam and the nearby Fox Lake Cree Nation.

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BARBECUE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR DANFORTH VICTIM

A barbecue will be held today in a Toronto park to raise money for a scholarship and to support the family of a woman killed in a mass shooting last month. Reese Fallon, 18, and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis were killed and 13 others were injured when a gunman opened fire on Toronto's Danforth Avenue. Organizers say they expect more than 1,000 people at the barbecue.

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SMOKE A CHALLENGE FOR WINERIES

Winemakers can only hope the wildfire smoke in the air across British Columbia won't affect this year's vintages. UBC chemistry student Matt Noestheden is working on tests to help winemakers assess the quality of smoke-shrouded grapes. He says it's too early to predict how smoke in 2018 will affect B.C. wines, but the longer it lingers the greater the possibility of an unpleasant outcome.

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CATTLE PRODUCERS TIGHTEN BELTS AS FEED PRICES RISE

Prairie cattle producers hope for the best but are preparing for the worst as an ongoing drought continues to diminish pastures. Last year's season ended extremely dry and there wasn't enough snow to increase moisture levels. The spring was not much better. Charlie Christie, chairman of the Alberta Beef Producers, says feed crops just haven't grown well, so costs to feed cows have skyrocketed.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel will make an announcement in Ottawa about immigration.

— Trans Mountain pipeline protesters will rally at the federal Liberal cabinet meeting in Nanaimo, B.C.

— Statistics Canada will release the retail trade figures for June.

— A vice principal at a Grande Prairie, Alta., school will appear in court on sexual assault charges.

— A woman charged after climbing a crane in Toronto is scheduled to appear in court.

— Barry Trotz, the former head coach of the Washington Capitals, will bring the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Dauphin, Man.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2018