Canada column for
Sunday, April 7/19
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau has kicked two prominent women politicians out of the Liberal
party over their claims of political interference in a court matter.
“We've taken every
effort to address their concerns and, ultimately, if they can't honestly say
that they have confidence in this team, then they cannot be part of this
team,”' Trudeau said.
With that, he said that
former Attorney-General Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, who gave up their
cabinet positions, were also to be removed from the Liberal caucus.
“I
hoped all along the prime minister would have accepted some responsibility for
wrongdoing in this case and essentially apologized to Canadians,” Wilson-Raybould
said.
This
followed her release of a secret recording of a phone call with Privy
Council Clerk Michael Wernick and four hours of testimony at the Justice
Committee.
He wanted prosecutors
to drop bribery charges against engineering company SNC-Lavalin in favor of a
“deferred prosecution agreement.”
For the
governor-general to secretly record anyone is “unconscionable,” Trudeau said.
Conservative Leader
Andrew Scheer called the firings a “betrayal of justice,” as those who “blow
the whistle on government misconduct and corruption” should be protected.
---
“The party had to
end,” said CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld after word the Canadian economy
lost 7,200 jobs last month.
This followed two
strong monthly job gains although Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate
was steady at 5.8 percent.
Private-sector jobs
fell by 17,300 in March, while public-employee jobs grew by 4,200 and
self-employed positions gained about 6,000.
The average hourly
wage growth was 2.4 percent over the past year.
---
News in brief:
- Legendary
Canadian singer Celine Dion will soon be on the road again with a world tour.
The Quebec-born songstress said her “Courage” tour and album are inspired by
her late husband Rene Angelil. It’s her first tour in more than 10 years with North
American stops of more than 50 cities across Canada and the U.S., starting in Quebec
City in September.
- Anger over the
Ontario government’s plan to reduce education costs by $1 billion led more than
100,000 students at 600 high schools to leave their classes to protest. They
are upset over plans to increase class sizes and require students to do more
work online at home. Organizer Frank Hong said the students held short rallies
on school property and then returned to class.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar’s
value has dropped to 74.67 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.339 Canadian
before bank and credit card 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 higher, with the Toronto
exchange index at 16,396 points while the TSX Venture index is 629 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at
$1.245 a liter or $4.73 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon; $1.18 a liter in Ontario.
Lotto 6/49: (April 3) 12, 17, 29, 35, 40 and 47; bonus 23.
(March 30) 7,14, 18, 26, 31 and 32; bonus 3. Lotto Max: (March 29) 10, 12,
19, 22, 25, 32 and 42; bonus 39.
---
Regional briefs:
- Leadership
candidates for Alberta’s provincial election on April 16 came out swinging in a
debate in Edmonton. Premier Rachel Notley, the New Democratic Party leader, and
United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney accused each other of failing the
public trust. Notley suggested Kenney is a “snake oil salesman” and a cheat on
social issues while he suggested the premier mishandled the economy with higher
taxes and rules.
- Voters will cast
ballots on April 23 in Prince Edward Island to elect 27 politicians as well as
vote in a referendum on electoral reform. Premier Wade MacLauchlan, whose
Liberal party had 18 members elected in 2015, is being challenged by Dennis
King’s Conservatives who elected eight and the New Democrats had one. The reform
could give the Atlantic province a “mixed electoral system” with two votes –
one for the politician and one for the party.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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