March 8 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** Canada's central bank has put interest rate hikes on hold as it weighs the fallout from a slowdown in household borrowing and looming U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. As widely expected, the Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate unchanged at 1.25 percent on Wednesday. https://tgam.ca/2FxrSbL
** Canadian National Railway Co CNR.TO issued a rare apology to its grain customers on Wednesday, amid a freight slowdown that has seen the head of Canada's largest railway step down and drawn a rebuke from the federal government. "We apologize for not meeting the expectations of our grain customers, nor our own high standards," said JJ Ruest, named CN's interim chief executive after Luc Jobin departed on Monday with less than two years on the job. https://tgam.ca/2FyDL18
NATIONAL POST
** Investors and analysts have grilled both Canadian politicians and oil executives this week on pipeline projects, and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr tried to soothe concerns over the issue Wednesday. "The government of British Columbia doesn't like the pipeline much," Carr said on Wednesday, adding that "the government of Canada is as committed to the project as it was the day we approved it."
Liberal members of Canadian parliament on Wednesday rejected an Opposition motion aimed at easing a months-long backlog in grain shipments, saying it is too soon for Ottawa to impose stiff quotas on rail companies.