Canada column for
Sunday, April 14/19
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Once the
friendliest of neighbors, Canada and the U.S. remain in a grudge match
involving expanded punishing tariffs on each other’s goods.
Now a longer list
of tariffs on U.S. products is being readied as Canada seeks the “greatest
possible impact” on the U.S., said Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
“We are certainly
constantly looking at ways to refresh the retaliation list – to have an even
greater impact,” she said.
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau has had no success convincing U.S. President Donald Trump to
drop the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Canada’s initial list
of tariffs on a wide variety of products included orange juice, maple syrup,
whiskey and toilet paper.
David MacNaughton,
Canada’s ambassador to Washington, said Canada would announce a new list of
targets as soon as this coming week.
This is said to
include a significant number of products such as apples, pork, ethanol and wine,
he said.
---
The French-language
“police” in Quebec, “La Belle Province,” are upset over the increased
use of the bilingual “bonjour-hi” greeting in Montreal shops.
There’s concern in
the largely French-speaking province about respecting and keeping its francophone
roots that include language.
The office
Quebecois de la langue francaise worries about “creeping bilingualism” and wants
store clerks to use a simple “bonjour” when welcoming customers.
Montreal Mayor
Valerie Plante is calling on merchants to stick to French when greeting
customers because “everyone understands ‘bonjour,’ and everyone likes it.”
---
News in brief:
- Metro Vancouver drivers
are paying the top price for gas – a record $1.70 a liter or $6.50 a U.S.
gallon. Petroleum analyst Dan McTeague said Canadian retailers are competing
with the U.S. West Coast for gasoline. The supply is affected now by the
shutdown of six refineries in Washington state and California. As well, prices
reflect increases from the province’s carbon tax program.
- A19-year-old man
faces a first-degree murder charge after his mother was fatally stabbed at a
food court in Toronto’s underground PATH system. The victim was Rae Cara
Carrington, 51, a mother of eight who worked at a food outlet. Arrested was her
son Duncan O’Neil Sinclair. The latest incident happened near where Rosemarie
Junor was stabbed to death at a drug store in 2015.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
has climbed to 75.02 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.332 Canadian before
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 mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index up at 16,480 points while the TSX Venture index is lower at 625
points.
The average price for gas in Canada is up to $1.27
a liter or $4.82 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon; $1.21 a liter in Ontario.
Lotto 6/49: (April 10) 10, 16, 23, 38, 39 and 48; bonus 33.
(April 6) 6, 19, 30, 37, 38 and 49; bonus 34. Lotto Max: (April 5) 1, 2,
16, 21, 23, 25 and 28; bonus 48.
---
Regional briefs:
- The Ontario
government is modifying its liquor laws with expanded hours and places of legal
consumption. Premier Doug Ford’s Conservatives government projects a budget
shortfall of $11.7 billion in current fiscal year and is seeking higher revenues
and reduced spending on education and social services. There will be a bigger child-care
tax credit, free dental care for low-income seniors and 15,000 new long-term
care beds.
- A Saskatchewan fitness
studio operator is having to “face the music” over repeated noise complaints
about her business by Canadian rock music icon Burton Cummings. Kyra Klassen,
who is facing six noise bylaw charges spurred by neighbor Cummings in
Moose Jaw, says she will relocate her business and make a fresh start. The
Guess Who singer began complaining about noise to the city and police over her
nearby studio.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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