National

OTTAWA—The International Monetary Fund is advising Canadian policy-makers against pulling too hard on the reins of austerity, saying in a new forecast that the economy remains weak and vulnerable to shocks.
The IMF said today that Canada’s economy likely will slow to about 1.5 percent this year from 1.8 percent last year, before picking up to 2.4 percent in 2014.

OTTAWA—Justin Trudeau’s decision in 2011 to stage a mock strip-tease in the name of charity proves he’s not fit to be prime minister, the Conservatives suggested yesterday in their first volley of attack ads against the newly-elected Liberal leader.

BOSTON—The FBI’s investigation into the bombings at the Boston Marathon was in full swing today, with authorities serving a warrant on a suburban Boston home and appealing for any private video, audio, and still images of the blasts that killed three and wounded 140.

OTTAWA—Justin Trudeau is vowing to usher in a generational shift in Canadian politics—younger, more hopeful, less negative—after winning the federal Liberal leadership by a landslide yesterday.

VANCOUVER—Lotto officials were waiting to hear from the four ticket-holders who won a share of what is touted as the largest lotto jackpot in Canadian history.
A spokesman for the British Columbia Lotto Corporation said three of the winning tickets for Saturday’s $63.4-million 6/49 jackpot were purchased in B.C.’s lower mainland.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—Justin Bieber raised eyebrows again this weekend with his life off the stage—the latest hiccup to hit his tumultuous worldwide tour.
The Canadian pop star was taking a beating online yesterday for a note that the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam said he left in its guestbook after touring the museum with his entourage for more than an hour on Friday.

MONTREAL—Tom Mulcair is calling his party’s weekend policy convention a critical pivot—one where the NDP wheeled away from stridently socialist language and solidified its embrace of cutting-edge campaign techniques in advance of a 2015 election.

OTTAWA—The Conservative government is ending a seven-year waiver on gun licence renewal fees next month in an effort to collect about $18 million annually from firearms owners.
New changes to the firearms regulations quietly were posted in the Canada Gazette on the weekend that restore the $60 licence fee for non-restricted weapons.

Royal Bank’s top executive moved to salvage the bank’s reputation yesterday, issuing a public apology over a week-long outsourcing controversy that also has rebounded on the federal Conservative government.

HALIFAX—The cousin of a young woman who committed suicide after an alleged assault and months of bullying yesterday issued an emotional appeal to people not to use violence to avenge her death.
Angella Parsons stood before a sombre crowd of about 300 people in a Halifax park to reflect on the short life of Rehtaeh Parsons and the lessons that should be learned from her loss.