The weekend is nearly here and CTV News has all of the day's top stories. Here are the five things to know: the Canadian Armed Forces is looking for new recruits; with the job boom in the oilpatch ending, Maritimers are heading home; the federal government has restored health benefits to refugees and asylum claimants; Republicans are gearing up for the South Carolina primary; and a Grade 5 student has taken on an unusual task.
And for "Flashback Friday," a look at the toonie and how it became a staple of our change.
1. Growing: The Canadian Armed Forces is preparing to launch a new ad campaign to boost recruitment numbers. The ads will roll out on TV and online in 2016. The move comes as sources tell CTV News that senior military officials are complaining about a lack of personnel.
2. Heading home: With job opportunities in the oil patch drying up, more Maritimers are heading back home. The move back home has also forced career changes on some.
3. Benefits restored: The Liberal government says it is restoring the Interim Federal Health Program to provide health-care coverage to all refugees and asylum claimants. Provinces say that since cuts were made, they've been picking up the slack. The changes will take effect on April 1, 2016.
4. Primary fever: Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for the primary in South Carolina and Nevada. Republicans will vote on Saturday in South Carolina while Democrats will that same day in Nevada. The Republicans’ vote comes amid a nasty war of words between the frontrunners, including a lawsuit threat from Donald Trump against Ted Cruz.
5. Diverse heroes: When a Grade 5 student told her mother she was having trouble finding books that had black girls as protagonists, her mother put out a challenge: "What are you going to do about it?" The result is the #1000blackgirlbooks project, which seeks to promote diversity in children’s literature. The books will also be delivered to kids in Jamaica.
And one more thing for "Flashback Friday": You may have one in your pocket, but did you know the "toonie" was put into circulation on this day in 1996? Check out reaction from when the coin was first introduced.
