Canada
column for Sunday, May 11/14
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
Anyone who isn’t pro-choice is not welcome to run for the federal Liberal
party in the 2015 election, says leader Justin Trudeau.
The bombshell announcement to bar candidates who don’t support a woman's
right to choose to have an abortion could dash the comeback hopes of several previously
defeated Liberals.
The only exception is for incumbent Members of Parliament even those
sharing the belief that abortion is morally wrong.
Trudeau, who said the party has been pro-choice since 2012, does not
believe a government should regulate what happens with a woman and her body.
“I
have made it clear that future candidates need to be completely understanding
that they will be expected to vote pro-choice on any bills,” Trudeau said.
Canada’s Supreme Court struck down the country’s abortion law as
unconstitutional in 1988.
Two topless women disrupted an anti-abortion rally Thursday by thousands
of people on Parliament Hill when they rushed the stage shouting “my body, my
rules.”
In
another controversial stand, Trudeau earlier called for the decriminalization
of marijuana.
---
Magna International says it has no plans to open any new auto-parts
plants in Ontario, citing soaring electricity rates, even with a lower dollar.
The company, which has 46 plants in the province, is also concerned
about cost of an Ontario pension plan proposed by the Liberals seeking
reelection next month, said chief executive Don Walker. It plans to open 23 new
plants elsewhere this year.
Meanwhile,
Chrysler has ended talks with the federal and Ontario governments about
incentives to expand its plants in Windsor, where it is dropping production of
the Grand Caravan, and Brampton.
CEO
Sergio Marchionne said he isn’t seeking government aid as a condition for
further investment because “I don't want politicians to screw around with the
capital expenditure program.”
---
News in brief:
-
Author and environmentalist Farley Mowat, whose books sold more than 17-million
copies translated into 52 languages, has died at his home in Port Hope,
Ontario. He was 92. The controversial Mowat had been barred from entering the
United States by immigration officials for a book tour in the mid-1980s over a
security concern.
-
There was an unexpected loss of 28,900 net jobs last month across Canada, the
biggest one-month employment blow to the economy this year. The unemployment
rate remained at 6.9 percent as it was felt many Canadians had given up looking
for work. There was a gain of 42,900 net new jobs in March.
- Unilever
is closing its plant in Bramalea, Ontario that makes dry mixes for soups,
sauces and other foods by March 2016 with the loss of 280 jobs. The company
decided to move production of the Knorr and Lipton brands to its plant in
Independence, Mo. instead of spending the money to upgrade the Canadian
operation.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s
dollar has advanced to 91.76 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.0897
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 14,522 points and the TSX
Venture index at 982 points.
The average price of a liter of gasoline in Canada is lower at $1.3544 (Canadian).
Lotto 6-49: (May 7) 4, 7, 12, 20, 40 and 49; bonus 14. (May 3) 1, 7, 11,
17, 27 and 47; bonus 34. Lotto Max: (May 2) 6, 15, 18, 19, 25, 44 and 46; bonus
28.
---
Regional briefs:
-
A panel reviewing the proposed “Site C” dam in northern British Columbia said
there will be significant adverse effects to fish and wildlife along with
health and social risks. The panel said, however, that construction of the
$8-billion dam on the Peace River is the least expensive of alternatives to
provide new energy resources.
-
Maritime humorist and author Andy MacDonald has died at age 96 in Sackville,
New Brunswick. His popular books of Cape Breton comedic lore included “Bread
and Molasses” and “Don’t Slip on the Soap.” He was also known for his roadside
attraction called “Andy’s Dummies,” hand-made, satirical caricatures of celebrities
and politicians.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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