Canada
column for Sunday, July 8/12
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THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
The resignation of federal politician Bev Oda in a spending scandal has
led to an unexpected Cabinet shuffle.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper replaced the embattled Oda, Canada’s first
Japanese-Canadian Member of Parliament, with Julian Fantino in her former post
as International Cooperation Minister.
Fantino,
now a politician and former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, is
succeeded as Associate Minister of National Defense by Bernard Valcourt, who
also continues as Minister of State for Atlantic Canada and La Francophonie.
“These
changes to the ministry ensure continuity as we focus on creating jobs, growth
and long-term prosperity,” Harper said in a statement.
Oda’s
resignation followed intense pressure from politicians and the public for her
to quit after information was revealed about “excessive” spending.
Harper praised Oda’s accomplishments while she said it was a “privilege
to have served” in her Toronto-area Durham district. She did not say why she
was resigning.
Oda
billed the government for swanky hotel accommodations in London, hired a luxury
car and driver at $1,000 a day and even charged a $16 glass of orange juice. Reports
said she also modified expense statements from earlier trips.
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Canada’s 145th birthday was marked last Sunday by thousands of people
dressed in red and white on Parliament Hill.
Governor General David Johnston, Queen Elizabeth II’s official
representative in Canada, and his wife, Sharon, rode in an open horse-drawn
carriage accompanied by Mounties on horseback and dressed in red serge.
There was a 21-gun salute and fly pasts by two CF-18 fighter jets and
the Canadian Forces Snowbirds’ aerobatic team to launch the day-long party.
Canadians
can be “proud of a strong and growing economy” and a caring and compassionate
society, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the crowd.
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News
in brief
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The Canadian government is cutting access to health care by immigrants seeking
asylum in Canada to save money. Those seeking admission to Canada from
yet-to-be defined “safe countries,” likely to include Mexico, Hungary and Czech
Republic, as well as refugee claimants awaiting appeals and deportation, would
be denied free health care that now also includes hospital, medical, dental and
vision needs.
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About 200 workers from Ontario and 50 from Quebec are helping utility companies
in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. restore power. Storms left about
three-million people without power in a record-breaking heat wave. The workers said
they were thanked and warmly welcomed to the U.S. as they crossed the border to
help out.
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Facts and figures:
The
Canadian dollar was lower Friday at 98.02 cents in U.S. funds while the U.S. dollar
returned $1.0201 Canadian, before bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate remains at 1 percent while the prime-lending
rate is 3 percent.
Stock
markets have advanced, with the Toronto exchange index at 11,661 points and the
TSX Venture index at 1,206 points.
Lotto
6-49: (July 4) 15, 20, 22, 25, 27 and 41; bonus 28. (June 30) 12, 22, 31, 32,
35 and 47; bonus 4. Lotto Max: (June 29) 10, 14, 20, 28, 35, 40 and 42; bonus
44.
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Regional briefs:
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A human head found in a park lake in Montreal has been identified as that of
Jun Lin, a university student from China. Earlier his torso was found in a
suitcase and other body parts were mailed to offices of political parties in
Ottawa and to two schools in Vancouver. Porn movie actor Luka Rocco Magnotta was
arrested for murder in the case.
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Police in Ontario have begun a criminal investigation into the collapse of part
of a roof killing two women June 23 at Algo Center Mall in Elliot Lake. Shopper
Doloris Perizzolo, 74, and lottery ticket agent Lucie Aylwin, 37, were killed.
Police, the coroner’s office and building inspectors are investigating aspects
of the building’s stability and physical condition before the collapse.
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British Columbia place names have been given to seven African penguins now
residing at the Vancouver Aquarium. Enjoying their new home are Hope, Nelson,
Tofino, Lillooet, Steveston, Sechelt and Salt Spring. In a month-long contest,
the aquarium received more than 600 suggestions for names.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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