National News

BOISBRIAND, Que. — A 91-year-old man and 46-year-old woman are dead after a Friday morning house fire in Boisbriand, Que., a Montreal suburb roughly 25 kilometres northwest of downtown.

OTTAWA — Karina Gould knows how to throw a hefty political punch, and she often does it with a smile. Just six months into her role as government House leader, Gould has redefined what it means to be a prime minister's chief attack dog.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today...

MONTREAL — An unusually mild start to winter in Quebec has discouraged tourists hoping for a winter wonderland, left litter visible on the streets of Montreal and at times diminished traffic to some of the province's popular ski slopes.

OTTAWA — A man who initially sought the Conservative nomination for a Greater Toronto Area riding has instead become the Liberal candidate in an upcoming byelection. The Liberal party announced Thursday that Robert Rock, a councillor in Scugog, Ont.

WHITEHORSE — An on-call teacher in Yukon who worked at 10 different schools over five years has been charged with possession of child pornography.

OTTAWA — A federal inquiry into foreign interference says its initial hearings will help identify ways to make information public, even though much of it will originate from classified documents and sources.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Two New Brunswick men who were acquitted Thursday of a 1983 murder for which they served lengthy prison sentences said they were worried they wouldn't live to see their names cleared.

Scientists fear Canadian polar bears may be threatened by the spread of avian flu after officials confirmed the disease killed a bear in Alaska.

LONDON, Ont. — A relative of the London, Ont.