Canada's re-elected minority government will have to rely on opposition party support

   Canada column for Sunday, Oct. 27/19

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   It’s going to take some compromises for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government to continue after the election results.

   The Liberals will have to rely on support from the other parties to get legislation passed and avoid being defeated and a new election called.

   Trudeau’s Liberals had 157 members elected – short of a majority in the 338 seat House of Commons.

   Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives failed to catch the number of Liberals elected but did receive the most votes in the election.

   The Conservatives had 121 elected, Bloc Quebecois 32, New Democrats 24, Green 3 and 1 Independent (former Liberal cabinet minister Jody Wilson-Raybould).

   Upon his re-election, Trudeau said: “You’re sending us back to work for you,” and ruled out any suggestion of forming a coalition government.

   He said the government would instead work co-operatively and form alliances with the other parties.

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   A lawsuit to be filed in the Federal Court claims that young people disproportionately suffer the effects of climate change.

   The suit in which the David Suzuki Foundation is acting as a partner wants the government to implement a plan that reduces Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

   This is “needed for the federal government to protect young Canadians,” it said.

   As well, the suit calls for politicians to do their “fair share to stabilize the climate system and avert the catastrophic consequences of climate change.”

  

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   News in brief:

   - Many people in Alberta are feeling alienated and isolated, that’s leading to talk of the western province wanting out of Canada. There was a near Conservative sweep in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the federal election, leading to fears of the western voice not being heard in parliament in Ottawa in the east. A movement called VoteWexit has a motto “The West Wants Out” and seeks a vote on independence.

   - Northwest Territories politicians have selected Caroline Cochrane to be the incoming premier. The two-term member of the legislature and former social worker now heads the territory’s consensus government in Yellowknife. She is one of eight children in a Metis household. With the appointment, she became the only current female premier in Canada.

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   Facts and figures:

   The Canadian dollar is higher at 76.58 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.305 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.

   Canadian stock markets are higher with the Toronto exchange index at 16,404 points and the TSX Venture index 546 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is lower at $1.15 a liter or $4.37 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Oct. 22) 1, 4, 6, 9, 25, 31 and 43; bonus 10. (Oct. 18) 3, 21, 29, 37, 40, 43 and 44; bonus 38.

   Lotto 6/49: (Oct. 23) 11, 13, 24, 28, 40 and 46; bonus 44. (Oct. 19) 2, 16, 28, 47, 48 and 49; bonus 35.

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   Regional briefs:

   - A strike by Nova Scotia’s federal prosecutors (Crown attorneys) has led to dropped cases. As 100 strikers protested in the rain in Halifax, the courts withdrew cases of domestic violence, impaired driving, assault, threats and fraud due to a lack of prosecutors. The major issue is the government’s planned move to prohibit their right to binding arbitration to settle contract disputes.

  - An avid Star Trek fan won’t be getting back his personalized “offensive” Manitoba license plate. The Public Insurance office said the plate “ASIMIL8” is considered to be offensive to Indigenous people. A complaint was received about the message that is a well-known saying by the fictional alien race the Borg.

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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com