Canada column for
Sunday, Jan. 27/19
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
After insisting
that he wouldn’t replace John McCallum as Canadian Ambassador to China over
damaging comments, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has done just that.
Trudeau announced
Saturday that McCallum has resigned at his request over comments he made about
a Huawei executive awaiting extradition to the United States.
The move follows
demands that McCallum be replaced after he told Chinese media that it would be
“great for Canada” if the U.S. dropped an extradition request against Meng
Wanzhou.
She was taken into
custody in Vancouver and has legal arguments that could help her avoid
extradition, McCallum said.
A possible defense
could be political interference after President Donald Trump said he might
intervene in Meng’s case if it would help get a trade deal with China, he
added.
Canada will honor
its extradition treaty with the U.S. out of respect for its legal obligations
and focus on securing the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael
Spavor, detained in China, Trudeau said.
McCallum later said
he “regrets” his comments that don’t accurately represent his position and that
he “misspoke.”
---
The Mounties have
arrested a teenager, who came to Canada with his family as church-sponsored refugees
from Syria two years ago, for planning a terrorist act.
The youth, who
lives in Kingston, Ontario and isn’t being identified due to his age, allegedly
tried to persuade someone to plant a bomb, police said.
Working with
assistance from the FBI, the youth was arrested for facilitating a terrorist
activity and with counseling someone to use an explosive or lethal device to
cause death or serious bodily injury.
A device was found
but was never planted and “no specific target was identified,” said Mountie
Supt. Peter Lambertucci.
A second young person,
also in Canada as a refugee, was arrested but later released.
---
News in brief:
- Record cold, snow
and freezing rain aside, Canada has taken the top spot for the second year for quality
of life over 65 countries, according to U.S. News and World Report. Switzerland
was on top across all categories, while Canada earned the third best overall
and the United States took eighth spot. Topics included affordability, economic
stability and jobs, family friendliness, income equality and quality of life. “Stunning
wilderness” and scenery also gave Canada high scores.
- The Quebec
government is planning an investigation into what went wrong in the death of
the mother of former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe. The body of Helene
Rowley Hotte, 93,
was found in a
snowbank outside her Montreal seniors’ residence. It’s believed she mistakenly left
her apartment overnight after hearing a fire alarm nearby and couldn’t get back
in.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
is higher at 75.66 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.3251 Canadian before
bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s
key interest rate remains at 1.75 percent while the prime-lending rate is unchanged
at 3.95 percent.
Stock markets are higher, with the Toronto
exchange index at 15,366 points while the TSX Venture index is 604 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is slightly
lower at $1.01 a liter or $3.83 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Jan. 23) 3, 19, 20, 26, 31 and 38; bonus 6.
(Jan. 19) 2, 13, 32, 39, 44 and 49; bonus 10. Lotto Max: (Jan. 18) 3, 19,
22, 30, 32, 37 and 40; bonus 20.
---
Regional briefs:
- Reeling over General
Motors’ decision to close the assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario with the loss
of 3,000 jobs, the union is calling for a boycott. Jerry Dias, president of
Unifor, aims it at GM vehicles made in Mexico. He said the move is against the
decision to close the plant and shift production to a country where worker pay
is a “disgrace.”
- A paltry $25 and
a well-worded pitch could earn someone a $1.7-million Southern Alberta home. Alla
Wagner wants to give away her 5,000 square-foot Millarville estate to “the most
deserving candidate.” The woman has been unsuccessful in selling her
three-level lakefront home near Calgary built in 2011 and overlooking the
Canadian Rockies.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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