Minority government predicted for Canadian election

    Canada column for Sunday, Sept. 19/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Canada appears headed to electing another minority government in the general election on Monday (Sept. 20).

   Polls show a virtual tie for Prime Minister/Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives.

   The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. poll tracker shows the Liberals and Conservatives are effectively tied at 31 percent with a small edge given to the Liberals.

   “Justin Trudeau’s party is favored to win the most seats and has roughly a three-in-five chance of being re-elected with (another) minority government.

   “The Conservatives are holding their support but are trailing in some key battlegrounds while New Democratic support is rising and the party could see a big increase in its seat count.

   The Bloc Quebecois has recovered from a slide in support but the surge appears to have stalled.

   The Peoples Party of Canada (PPC) and Green vote has steadied in single digits in recent days,” it said.

   Trudeau’s campaign stops have been dogged by PPCand anti-vaccine protesters to the point where he was pelted with rocks and obscene chants and gestures in London, Ontario.

   The opposition parties have made a big issue with Trudeau saying he wouldn’t hold an election during the pandemic but now says he needed a clear message on policies from voters.

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    Two socialist New Democratic Party (NDP) candidates have resigned after posting “anti-semitic” social media comments.

   As well, a Liberal has left the race over allegations of unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate comments in his office.

   NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said the comments by two of his party’s candidates were “completely wrong and we’ll confront it.”

   Out of the race are Dan Osborne of Nova Scotia Cumberland-Colchester and Sidney Coles of Toronto’s St. Paul.

   In Ontario’s Kitchener Center, Raj Saini has ended his bid for re-election and left the Liberal party while saying abuse allegations are “unequivocally false.”

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    News in brief:

   Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has declared a public health emergency for his province while apologizing for his efforts that failed to control the pandemic.

   The emergency comes with strict new limits on gatherings and a vaccine passport as the province is at risk of exhausting intensive care beds and staff within 10 days, he said.

   “With unvaccinated patients overwhelming our hospitals, this is now the only responsible choice that we have,” he added.

   Alberta lifted almost all public health restrictions two months ago and faces skyrocketing COVID-19 outbreaks with 18,000 active cases, the most of any province.

   Kenney now says that lifting the restrictions was the wrong move.

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   Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is lower at 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.28 in Canadian funds before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is unchanged at 0.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 2.45 percent.

   Canadian stock markets are lower, with the Toronto index at 20,493 points and the TSX Venture index at 886 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1.385 a liter (Canadian) or $5.26 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Sept. 14) 17, 24, 27, 33, 38, 41 and 48; bonus 39. (Sept. 10) 11, 28, 38, 40, 43, 45 and 48; bonus 33.

   Lotto 6/49: (Sept. 15) 7, 11, 14, 15 and 27 and 41; bonus 49. (Sept.11) 15, 18, 31, 33, 34 and 41; bonus 45.

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    Regional briefs:

   - The Ontario government is cracking down on partying students at colleges and universities as it updates sexual violence policies on reporting incidents and enforcement. This follows an investigation into reports that possibly up to 30 female students were drugged and assaulted at parties at Western University in London, Ontario. “We let our students and their families down,” said university president Alan Shepard. Administrators supported a student walkout on Friday to show support for survivors of sexual violence and confront the issue.

   - British Columbia has lifted the wildfire state of emergency. It was put in place July 20 after one of the worst wildfire seasons on record with 1,585 blazes. That was after the town of Lytton and surrounding countryside burned to the ground.

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 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com