Canada
column for Sunday, Dec. 1/13
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
The Senate expenses scandal is viewed as a major factor in the Liberals
emerging as the overall victor in recent federal by-elections and taking a lead
in opinion polls.
Notable in the mid-term elections to fill vacancies in the House of
Commons was the increased share of the votes for the Liberals.
They were expected to win those districts in Toronto and Montreal while
the ruling Conservatives won, as expected, in Manitoba’s Brandon-Souris and
Provencher but with diminished support.
“Canadians
grow weary of the deceit, the mistrust and the cover-ups of the Conservatives,”
a jubilant Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said.
He
was referring to the suspension of three Conservative senators appointed by Prime
Minister Stephen Harper for making inappropriate expense claims amounting to
about $278,000.
Public opinion polls also show growing Liberal support at the expense of
the Conservatives and the socialist New Democratic Party (NDP).
The latest polling averages give the Liberals
35.7-percent support, the Conservatives 28.9 percent and the NDP, 23 percent.
(For more Canadian news of the week, click "Read more)
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Retailers in Canada are fighting back against the U.S. Black Friday sales
that draw hundreds of thousands of Canadians over the border.
Cadillac
Fairview opened its 21 malls across Canada as early as 6 a.m. Friday with great
deals, said marketing director Wendy Greenwood.
Amazon.ca
and Sears Canada were offering up to 70 percent discounts on their merchandise.
“Canadian retailers are rising to the challenge of the lure of
cross-border shopping . . . and the significant gap between Canadian and U.S.
retail prices and the more generous duty-free limits," said Doug Porter,
chief economist, BMO Capital Markets.
---
News in brief:
-
Sears Canada is laying off another 800 employees in its repair, parts and
service departments and the Toronto head office. The company, with 111 stores,
had a net loss of $48.8 million in the last quarter. It announced earlier it is
closing the Toronto Eaton Center store as well as Sherway Gardens, Toronto; Markville,
Toronto-Markham; Masonville Place, London, Ontario; and Richmond Center,
British Columbia.
-
Canada will appeal a ruling by the World Trade Organization in favor of aspects
of Europe’s ban on imported seal products. The ruling said it undermines fair
trade but can be justified on “public moral concerns” for animal welfare.
Anti-sealing advocates called it a landmark victory in upholding the European
Union embargo.
-
The Ontario government is making carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in all
houses. The effort was spearheaded by relatives of a Woodstock, Ontario family
poisoned in 2008. Police officer Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard, their
14-year-old daughter Cassandra and 12-year-old son Jordan died after a blocked
chimney allowed carbon monoxide to seep into their house.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s
dollar has dropped to 94.39 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.0593 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 are lower, with the Toronto exchange index at 13,489 points and the TSX
Venture index 931 points.
Lotto 6-49: (Nov. 27) 8, 9, 15, 23, 40 and 48; bonus 19. (Nov. 23) 3, 5,
13, 16, 44 and 48; bonus 2. Lotto Max: (Nov. 22) 2, 24, 35, 38, 39, 41 and 48;
bonus 20.
---
Regional briefs:
-
The British Columbia government is again making attempts to correct some
historic wrongs committed in the late 1800s against Chinese nationals. Community
forums are planned to discuss the wording of an apology and legacy efforts over
the head tax imposed to discourage Chinese immigration.
- A meteorite is believed to have crashed to
earth in a bright flash of blue light between Ottawa and Montreal. Police in
Ontario and Quebec received numerous reports of the light and what sounded like
a sonic boom. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada said it appears that it
was a “meteor event.”
-
A self-proclaimed satanic preacher is offering Rob Ford tours to the spots made
famous by Toronto’s crack cocaine smoking mayor. Morgan Wilkes said his “RoFo
Bus Tour” travels to the locations shown in police surveillance videos
including a house where an incriminating video with the mayor and drug dealers
was shot. The one-hour tours cost $20 and include a performance by an “intoxicated”
Ford look-alike.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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