National Business

OTTAWA — Canada's national annual inflation rate was 5.2 per cent in February, Statistics Canada says. Here's what happened in the provinces (previous month in brackets): — Newfoundland and Labrador: 5.4 per cent (5.5) — Prince Edward Island: 6.

TORONTO — Nordstrom is expected to begin liquidating its stores across Canada today. The start of the department store chain's closing sale comes a day after the U.S.

PARIS (AP) — Parliament adopted a divisive pension bill Monday raising the retirement age in France from 62 to 64, after lawmakers in the lower chamber rejected two no-confidence votes against the government.

MONTREAL — The Nexus trusted-traveller program will fully ramp back up within five weeks, allowing frequent border crossers to complete their applications and speed up their trips, the federal government said Monday.

MONTREAL — CN Rail and Unifor say they have reached new tentative collective agreements for around 3,000 workers across Canada.

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Anita Anand is dismissing opposition concerns about millions of dollars in contracts between her department and McKinsey & Company, saying the company's work was "not a matter of state secrets.

TORONTO — The number of businesses owned by women is on the rise in Canada, but female entrepreneurs still disproportionately face barriers such as lack of access to capital from financial institutions, according to a new study.

REGINA — A women's organization is asking Regina's tourism agency for another rebrand after the city used slogans criticized for having sexual overtones.

VANCOUVER — Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc. announced it has closed its acquisition of U.S. firm IAA Inc. after a contentious few months that saw shareholders divided over the deal.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (19,519.43, up 131.71): Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Up $1.07, or 2.71 per cent, to $40.61 on 13 million shares.