Canada column for
Sunday, Aug. 26/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Disgruntled politician Max Bernier has delivered a political bombshell with a scathing attack on his federal Conservative party.
“This party is too
intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed,” said Bernier as he declared
he was quitting.
Bernier from Quebec
was unsuccessful in his bid to become Conservative leader after a devastating
election loss for the party in 2015.
His startling
announcement came at the party’s policy convention in Halifax when he announced
he will start his own political party.
“It is clear that
Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide
Conservatives,” said former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
“His decision
allows the Conservative Party to move forward united behind our leader Andrew Scheer,”
he added.
Appearing unfazed,
Scheer rallied the party members with attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s
Liberal policies in advance of an expected election next year.
“He (Bernier) has
decided that he is more important than his Conservative colleagues and indeed
the party,” Scheer said.
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British Columbia firefighters
are trying to control 60 wildfires burning in the province that pose a threat
to people and property.
Most of the fires,
including new ones sparked by lightning, are in the southeast part of the
province as crews also work to keep flames away from the Alaska Highway.
One forest fire that
had been initially obscured by smoke from other blazes is threatening the now
evacuated Cathedral Provincial Park and lodge.
Environment Canada said
there is some clearing this weekend of the smoky stagnant air that’s been
hanging over Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
---
News in brief:
- Foreign Affairs
Minister Chrystia Freeland will be in Europe this week on a diplomatic mission
but said she is prepared to return home should free-trade talks resume. Canada
will return to the talks once the U.S. and Mexican governments resolve
bilateral issues mainly concerning automotive rules of origin, she said. The
trip is to focus on Canada’s key relationships with France, Germany and the
Ukraine.
- Philippe
Couillard, seeking to be returned as Quebec Premier in the Oct. 1 election,
advises voters to guarantee stability by voting for his Liberals. He is asking
voters to not compromise the work that resulted in strong economic growth for
the province. The Liberals have 68 members in the National Assembly while the
Parti Quebecois has 28; Coalition, 12; Quebec Solidaire, 3; and there are five
Independents.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
higher at 76.77 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.302 Canadian (before
bank exchange fees).
The Bank of Canada’s
key interest rate is steady at 1.5 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.7 percent.
Stock markets are higher, with the Toronto
exchange index at 16,356 points while the TSX Venture index is 711 points.
The average price for gas is up slightly at $1.308
a liter or $4.97 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 22) 3, 4, 19, 30, 37 and 40; bonus 10.
(Aug. 18) 6, 8, 9, 11, 18 and 48; bonus 13. Lotto Max: (Aug. 17) 12, 17,
22, 27, 28, 29 and 35; bonus 43.
---
Regional briefs:
- The death of a woman
whose house was flattened by a powerful explosion in Kitchener, Ontario was a
murder, Waterloo Regional Police said. Edresilda Haan, 58, was found dead in
the backyard of her home while her husband, Udo Haan, was seriously injured.
Police didn’t say if he is a suspect and haven’t determined the cause of the
blast that damaged nearby houses.
- Things won’t be
the same at quiet Puslinch Lake, west of Toronto, now that singer Justin Bieber has bought a $5-million mansion there. The expansive
9,000-square-foot house on 101 acres has an equestrian center and horse
training track and is on the lake. With a games room, movie theater and
three-car garage, it’s about an hour from his hometown of Stratford, Ontario.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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