Canada column for Sunday, Oct. 29/17
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
The negotiations to
rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement are “in real peril,” says
Canada’s former Conservative prime minster.
In a memo titled
“Napping on NAFTA,” Stephen Harper said he fears the negotiations are going
badly and it is no bluff that President Donald Trump might move to end the
agreement.
“I believe this
threat is real,” Harper said in a letter to clients of his firm Harper &
Associates Consulting and obtained by the Canadian Press news service.
He criticizes the government
of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for too quickly rejecting U.S.
proposals and having a too-close negotiating partner in Mexico.
“In fact, the U.S.
is both irked and mystified by the Liberals’ unwavering devotion to Mexico,”
Harper wrote.
Harper, whose government
was ousted by the Liberals in 2015, said another misstep is Canada’s priorities
on labor, gender, Aboriginal and environmental issues.
Liberals call the
memo “ill-timed and perplexing,” and accuse Harper of negotiating publicly
against the government of Canada.
While evaluating
the U.S. demands, the government should consider whether it is “worth having a
trade agreement with the Americans or not,” Harper said.
---
Two prominent
Ontario Liberal Party supporters were found not guilty of bribery in connection
with the 2015 provincial by-election in Sudbury.
Before hearing
further evidence, Judge Howard Borenstein ruled there was no point in
continuing with the trial of businessman Gerry Lougheed and former Liberal CEO
Pat Sorbara.
The Election Act
case involved the selection of a candidate and could not result in a
conviction, the judge ruled.
---
News in brief:
- Popular St. John,
New Brunswick dentist Cindy McCormick, 46, owner of Bayside Dental Clinic, was
founded slain in a hotel room while attending a conference in Lake Louise,
Alberta. Police were calling it a murder-suicide after finding the body of her
live-in partner in a car near Emerald Lake. He was identified as Bobby Kaine,
52, a member of the St. John fire department.
- The Ontario
government hasn’t so far intervened in the strike that has closed the
province’s 24 colleges. More than 12,000 professors, instructors, counselors
and librarians left their jobs on Oct. 15 to back demands such as job security
and to limit the hiring of part-time workers. Talks have broken off and no new
sessions are scheduled. It affects about
500,000 full-time and part-time students.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
lower at 78.95 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.281 in Canadian
funds before exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is
steady at 1 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.2 percent.
Stock markets are mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index up at 15,953 points while the TSX Venture index was down at 787
points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at
$1.136 a liter or $4.31 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Oct. 25) 6, 31, 37, 40, 41 and 42; bonus
44. (Oct. 21) 3, 24, 26, 30, 34 and 49; bonus 47. Lotto Max (Oct. 20) 1, 4, 12,
27, 35, 38 and 46; bonus 8.
---
Regional briefs:
- The Calgary area
is getting a boost from Amazon as the Seattle-based company plans to open a
“fulfilment center” in Balzac and hire about 750 people. The facility will pack
and ship orders to online customers. Amazon has 4,000 full-time workers in
Canada and Calgary is among those bidding for the company’s second North
American corporate headquarters.
- It might be an
understatement to suggest a Montreal driver’s singing hit a sour note with the
police. Taoufik Moalla, 38, was given a $149 ticket for screaming in public and
violating “peace and tranquility.” Moalla explained he was singing in his car
to the ’90s classic “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).” He plans to
contest the ticket in court but his wife said “if it was for singing, I’d have
given you a ticket for $300.”
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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