Canada column for Sunday, Sept. 15/19
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Justin Trudeau has taken Canada into a federal
election campaign seeking re-election for a second term for his Liberals on
Oct. 21.
Under the
parliamentary system, the Prime Minister officially sets the date for the
election and asks the Governor General (Julie Payette) to “dissolve”
parliament.
This means that
Trudeau is no longer Prime Minister, but known as the Leader of the Liberal
Party.
Trudeau points to
his record of higher taxes for the rich and cutting their child benefits to aid
families and the middle-class while creating one-million new jobs.
“We’ve done a lot
these past four years, but the truth is we’re just getting started,” he said.
The Liberals’
slogan is “Choose forward,” while Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives are using “It’s
time for you to get ahead” and the socialist New Democrats say they are “In it
for you.”
To give a boost to
their campaign, the government over the summer announced $10 billion in new
spending, mostly in Liberal-held areas.
Polls show the
Conservatives with 35 percent of the vote, Liberals at 32, New Democrats, 15,
and the Green Party, eight.
---
The work continues
in Atlantic Canada to restore power to thousands of people still affected by
the remnants of hurricane Dorian.
When the post
tropical storm moved inland near Halifax last weekend with 90 m.p.h. winds, it
brought down trees and power lines, cutting electricity to 500,000 customers in
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Nova Scotia Power said
3,700 trees came down on power lines and there were 300 broken utility poles.
Researchers at
Memorial University recorded a 100-foot wave off Newfoundland during the storm.
There were no deaths or serious injuries reported.
---
News in brief:
- Liberal Leader
Justin Trudeau’s election campaign got off to a turbulent start when his airplane
was damaged by a media bus in Victoria. On the first day of the campaign, the
plane had some damage when the bus drove under one of its wings. Trudeau continued
with stops in Kamloops, Edmonton and Quebec using a replacement Air Transat plane.
- Justin Timmons,
23, of Tallahassee is being held for murder in the death of a Canadian soldier Master
Corporal Martin Brayman, 33. He was beaten outside his apartment by a man he
met at a nightclub in Panama City, police said. Brayman who served in war zones
was with the North American Aerospace Defense Command atTyndall Air Force Base.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
has dropped to 75.35 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.327 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.
The Toronto exchange index closed Friday at an
all-time high of 16,682 points led by tech stocks, while the TSX Venture index was
up at 589 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is up to $1.15
a liter or $4.37 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (Sept. 10) 1, 15, 16, 20, 27, 38 and 50;
bonus 9. Sept. 6) 4, 5, 24, 25, 43, 44 and 50; bonus 41. Lotto
6/49: (Sept. 11) 2, 4, 27, 36, 45 and 49; bonus 41. (Sept. 7) 25, 28,
37, 38, 42 and 48; bonus 34.
---
Regional briefs:
- The nationalistic
Bloc Quebecois is on a campaign to renew itself in mainly French-speaking
Quebec. The federal party is devoted to nationalism and the promotion of Quebec
sovereignty. Years ago its goal was to separate from Canada. Bloc Leader
Yves-Francois Blanchet is working to rekindle interest in the party to fight
“exclusively” for Quebec’s interests.
- Where do
Canadians go once a hurricane has passed? They head out to Tim Hortons, of course.
That’s what they did in Halifax after post-tropical storm Dorian blew out to
sea. Crowds of people and cars lined up to get into the one coffee shop that
still had power. Officials told people to stay away from fast-food restaurants
because traffic jams were hampering the emergency response.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment