Canada's spends to boost economy: Deficit doubles in September

   Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 27/16

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Canada’s spending deficit under the new Liberal government doubled to $2.4 billion in September from a year earlier.

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier backed away from his election campaign vow for a balanced budget by the end of the government’s four-year term.

   Instead, the current budget spending plan is said to help create 100,000 jobs and boost national economic growth.

   Revenues in the month were about $21.7 billion, down from $22 billion, with lower corporate income taxes, non-resident income taxes and excise taxes, and duties, the Finance Department reported.

   Infrastructure and other program spending to stimulate the economy rose to $22.2 billion, up from $21.2 billion a year ago.

   In the first half of the fiscal year, there was a deficit of $7.8 billion compared with a surplus of $1.6 billion in the April-to-September period last year with the previous Conservative government.

   For the current fiscal year, the government has forecast a $25.1-billion deficit.

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Canada urged to respond "in an intelligent way" to any NAFTA changes by Trump

   Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 20/16

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Concerns that a Donald Trump presidency will result in changes or the end of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) should prompt Canada to respond in an “intelligent way.”

   Former Cabinet minister Perrin Beatty, now president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, made the comment and said “the world has changed” as a result of Trump’s election victory.

   The president-elect spoke of renegotiating “our horrible trade agreements” with China and NAFTA to get “a much better deal for America.”

   Speaking to the Confederation Club, Beatty said Canada should be prepared to move on its own trade agreements should there be a collapse of U.S. participation in such deals as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

   Steps should include Canada diversifying its trade, maintaining openness to the global economy, and removing barriers to Canadian goods and services, he suggested.

   NAFTA, enacted 22 years ago between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, is the “envy of the world” and Canada should fight for a deal to benefit all.

   “Revisiting the agreement could provide an opportunity to modernize the deal and to present Canadian requests,” Beatty said.

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Moving to Canada website crashes after Trump win

   Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 13/16

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   There’s been some unprecedented interest by Americans in moving to Canada since Donald Trump became the U.S. President-elect.

   For some time, numerous celebrities and people have expressed an interest in getting to know Canada better.

   It hasn’t been this way since the era of the Vietnam War when thousands of draft dodgers and resisters fled to their northern neighbor’s country.

  The Canadian immigration website crashed on U.S. election night and until 8:30 a.m. the next day when it couldn’t handle a huge surge in traffic from Americans looking for advice on how to move north.

   There were more than 200,000 users accessing the website, five times higher than usual, said department spokesperson Sonia Lesage.

   Upsetting to some U.S. residents are comments by Trump about deportations of illegal immigrants and reopening international trade agreements.

   Moving company HireAHelper, operating in Lakeland, Florida and other U.S. cities, is advertising “free help loading the truck” for people relocating to Canada and has a guide on how to make the move. hireahelper.com

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Trump on his victory and said “we offer our hand in partnership with our neighbors as friends and allies as they move forward.”

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Former "confidant" of PM fined for illegal lobbying

   Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 6/16

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   A “confidant” of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been fined $50,000 for illegal lobbying.

   Ontario Court Judge Catherine Kehoe said the fine for Bruce Carson is a necessary deterrent.

   He was convicted on three counts for his work on the national energy strategy while a director of the Canada School of Energy and Environment and later vice-chair of the Energy Policy Institute of Canada.

   Court was told he was under a five-year prohibition from lobbying public office holders since he had worked in the Prime Minister’s Office until February 2009.

   He had been paid about $600,000 for lobbying work from 2009 to 2011 and the judge ruled he had contact with officials of numerous government offices.

   “It is necessary to impose a significant fine to deter Mr. Carson and others who would engage in lobbying and ignore the law, which goes to the heart of the integrity of government and public trust of government,” the judge said.

   Carson was found not guilty last year of influence-peddling for attempting to have government officials buy water filtration systems from a company that employed his former escort girlfriend.

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