Canada column for
Sunday, Nov. 18/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
c) By Jim Fox
Online retailers
led by eBay have called on the Canadian government to end a five-week labor
disruption by postal workers as people are being urged not to mail anything to
Canada.
There are 407
truckloads of mail and parcels backlogged at Toronto sorting terminals and 100
in Vancouver as rotating strikes continue.
The latest offer to
settle the dispute was rejected for the 50,000 workers.
Retailers want to
see some effort to end the strike as Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s big
selling dates approach.
In a bid to end the
job action, the post office sweetened its contract offer but the Canadian Union
of Postal Workers said it was “unsatisfactory” and wouldn’t put it to a vote.
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau has warned the Liberal government might be forced to legislate
an end to the strikes before they disrupt the holiday shopping and greeting
card season.
“We have been
forced to request that international posts, including the United States Postal
Service, refrain from shipping items until we can clear the backlog,” said
Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton.
More than 200
cities and towns have been hit by the rotating strikes.
---
Canada is moving
forward with plans to reach a free-trade agreement with a bloc of 10 Asian
nations by next spring.
Prime Minister Trudeau
said exploratory talks have begun on a pact with the countries that combined
have a population of nearly 650 million and an economy of $2.8 trillion U.S.
The nations – the
Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia and Burma – are already Canada’s sixth-largest trading partner.
“Canada is
resolutely pro-trade and is very aware that the center of economic gravity in
the world is certainly shifting towards Asia and specifically towards Southeast
Asia,” Trudeau said.
---
News in brief:
- Ontario Member of
Parliament Tony Clement, 57, has resigned from Parliamentary duties after
revealing he sent sexually explicit images and a video of himself to a woman
who allegedly turned out to be an extortionist. The respected long-time Conservative
politician from Parry Sound-Muskoka is married with three children. As police
investigate the issue, Clement has apologized for his “very poor judgment” and
said he plans to seek treatment.
- A strike has been
averted at the Toronto Globe and Mail, “Canada’s National Newspaper,” only
hours before a deadline. Unifor, the union representing 320 reporters, editors
and other staff, said the two sides have reached a tentative agreement. Details
weren’t released but the union wants pension protection and an end to a “pay
gap” between male and female employees.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is higher
at 76.06 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.314 Canadian before bank exchange
fees.
The Bank of Canada’s
key interest rate is steady at 1.75 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.95
percent.
Stock markets are lower, with the Toronto
exchange index at 15,160 points while the TSX Venture index is 625 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is lower at
$1.13 a liter or $4.29 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Nov. 14) 5, 10, 20, 23, 35 and 42; bonus 44.
(Nov. 10) 6, 9, 16, 20, 31 and 41; bonus 49. Lotto Max: (Nov. 9) 2, 12,
31, 34, 39, 48 and 49; bonus 1.
---
Regional briefs:
- Former New
Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant is resigning as Liberal leader after narrowly losing
last September’s provincial election. He continued on after the vote with a minority
government that was toppled in a non-confidence vote. That resulted in Blaine
Higgs becoming premier with his minority Conservative government.
- The Supreme Court
of Canada will hear the case of a Quebec woman suing the Montreal Transit Corp.
after being arrested for refusing to hold an escalator handrail. The incident
involved Bela Kosoian and a police officer at a subway station in Laval. The
officer pointed to a sign saying “Hold the handrail” but she refused,
considering it not to be a law. Kosoian was fined $100 for disobeying the sign
and $320 for obstructing an officer, but was acquitted.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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