Canada
column for Sunday, April 28/13
---
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
The Canadian government has passed a tougher anti-terrorism bill just after
police arrested two men for plotting to blow up a New York-Toronto passenger
train.
Civil-rights’
advocates oppose the bill that gives authorities more powers to detain and
question suspected terrorists and prohibit them from leaving Canada to commit
terrorism crimes.
The Mounties arrested Raed Jaser, 35, of Toronto and Chiheb Esseghaier,
30, of Montreal in what they said was a terrorist plot guided by al-Qaida in
Iran.
A
year-long investigation alleged the two were conspiring to derail a passenger
train that sources said was the Amtrak-Via Rail Canada Maple Leaf train over
the Niagara Gorge bridge in Niagara Falls.
New York congressman Peter King said that Canada-U.S. counterterrorism
partners prevented a “major terrorist plot, which was intended to cause
significant loss of human life, including New Yorkers.”
Immigration documents show Canada wanted to deport Jaser in 2004 for
criminal offenses but didn’t because he was a “stateless” Palestinian.
When both were remanded in custody for a bail hearing next month,
Esseghaier, a Tunisian, told the judge he doesn’t recognize Canadian laws
because they are “not a holy book.”
---
The Conservative government plans to use taxpayers’ money to pay for mailing
attack ad against new Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.
Prime
Minister Stephen Harper said there is nothing wrong with the move as it is part
of allowed partisan messages sent to the public.
As
soon as Trudeau, son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was named
leader on April 14, Conservatives began televised and newspaper attack ads
suggesting he is too “inexperienced” for the job.
“Canadians are sick and tired” of this kind of mudslinging that “distorts
the facts, tells lies and attacks,” Trudeau said.
---
News
in brief:
- The
Canadian Chamber of Commerce said a proposal to charge travelers a fee to cross
land borders into the U.S. would be “bad for individuals and for the economy.” The
new tax, contained in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s proposed 2014
budget, is said to help offset increased security costs. The 70,000-member
Canadian Snowbird Association said the government should instead be looking at
ways to “reduce obstacles at the border that hinder trade and tourism.”
-
The Ontario government wants to join other provinces in protecting consumers
from cellphone bill shock. Consumer Services Minister Tracy MacCharles said a
proposed bill would require plain-language contracts that clearly outline terms
and limit cancellation charges to $50 maximum. Federal regulators say there are
thousands of complaints from cellphone users who say they’re being held hostage
by three-year contracts.
---
Facts and figures:
The
Canadian dollar has advanced to 98.32 cents U.S. while the U.S. greenback returns
$1.0170 in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 1 percent while the
prime-lending rate is 3 percent.
Stock
markets were higher on Friday with the Toronto exchange index at 12,206 points and
the TSX Venture index at 960 points.
Lotto 6-49: (April 24) 10, 20, 30, 38, 41 and 44; bonus 15. (April 20)
1, 10, 11, 19, 21 and 41; bonus 27. Lotto Max: (April 19) 2, 3, 8, 20, 28, 31
and 34; bonus 42.
---
Regional briefs:
-
Rock band Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is calling on the Alberta government to
cancel chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede. On behalf of People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, Lee said horses are injured or killed in the
races every year, referring to it as a “bloody spectacle.” Canadian-born
celebrity Pamela Anderson, who was once married to Lee, also opposed the races
last year.
-
The wit of singing legend Rita MacNeil, who died from complications from
surgery at age 68, came through at her funeral in Big Pond, Nova Scotia. As to
her wishes, she was cremated, with her ashes placed in a tea pot from her tea
room. After the service, several hundred people gathered at the town fire hall
for a big party with a “cash bar” to celebrate her life.
- Toronto
police are looking for a thief with expensive taste. The man slipped out of a
downtown liquor store’s vintage section with a rare bottle of 50-year-old
Glenfiddich Single Malt scotch. He paid for a less-expensive bottle of wine and
also left with the scotch in a glass case that is – or was – worth $26,000.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment