Canadian diplomats will be granted access "shortly" to the second Canadian detained in China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, as he predicted consequences for Canada's economy from the U.S.-China trade war. Trudeau addressed the fate of the entrepreneur Michael Spavor, one of two Canadians arrested in China earlier this week, during a wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press. Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were taken into custody this week in Beijing, days after the RCMP arrested a top Chinese business leader transiting through Vancouver at the behest of the United States. The U.S. wants Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, to be extradited to the U.S. to face fraud charges.

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway and the union that represents its 2,100 mechanics, electricians and apprentices in Canada say they have reached a tentative collective agreement.

Federal prosecutors have urged an Ottawa judge to keep the case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman focused on his actions — not his motives — as they seek to limit the release of thousands of government documents. Most of the documents relate to a $700-million contract with a Quebec shipyard to refit a civilian container ship into a support vessel for the navy that was negotiated by the Harper Conservatives and finalized by the Trudeau Liberals in 2015. Crown attorney Mark Covan conceded in court on Friday that some of the documents held by the government could be relevant to the case.

The association representing Ontario midwives is "very disappointed" about the province's decision to cut funding to the birth practitioners' regulatory college, saying the already underpaid workers will likely see a jump in professional fees to help cover the shortfall. "Midwives really do shoulder a proportionally higher burden of professional fees through our regulatory college to begin with," Elizabeth Brandeis, president of the Association of Ontario Midwives, said Friday. Brandeis was reacting to a statement by the College of Midwives of Ontario on its website Thursday that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care would no longer provide it with operational grants.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the biggest challenge associated with the legalization of cannabis has been the supply shortage — but he expects it to disappear within a year. In an end-of-year interview with The Canadian Press Friday, Trudeau predicted the problem would be resolved "during the coming months and perhaps the coming year." He noted the scarcity of cannabis was most pronounced in Ontario and Quebec. Trudeau said he remains unhappy with Quebec legislation introduced this month that would raise the legal age for cannabis consumption to 21 from 18.