Canada
column for Sunday, March 16/14
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
Canadians would be welcome to visit an independent Quebec and the
province would continue to use Canada’s currency should it someday separate.
So
says Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois, who is seeking a majority
government in the April 7 provincial election.
While not confirming her separatist party will seek a third vote on
sovereignty for the mainly French-speaking province, Marois has engaged in
“what-if” conversations.
It
would be of benefit to Canada to keep the currency, Marois suggested, as there
are “eight million people living here in Quebec and we have an economy that is
a rich one.”
On
ways of boosting tourism to an independent Quebec, she said there will be no
borders or tolls, without elaborating.
Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard said the “mechanics of a referendum
are already underway – it’s all planned,” and such rhetoric only serves to
“hurt the province.”
The Parti Quebecois got a big boost when Quebecor media mogul Pierre
Karl Peladeau said he would be a candidate in Saint-Jerome.
Le
Journal de Montreal newspaper said Peladeau delivers instant credibility to the
pro-independence Parti Quebecois.
---
The harsh winter that continues giving is leading to much-higher heating
costs in central Canada.
Enbridge
is seeking approval for a nearly 40-percent hike in the natural gas rates it
charges – up an average of $400, plus tax, for a “typical” $1,000 annual bill.
If
approved by the Ontario Energy Board, the rate increase would take effect April
1.
Union Gas is seeking an increase on average of about $200 annually in
Ontario and other gas utilities are expected to seek approval for higher
prices.
Homeowners heating with propane in eastern Ontario and western Quebec had
prices nearly double this year.
---
News in brief:
-
After a loss of the lives of 158 soldiers, a diplomat, journalist and two
civilian contractors, Canada has officially ended its 12-year military tour of
duty in Afghanistan. Canadian commandos hunting al-Qaida were the first troops
dispatched, followed by 40,000 more. Canada’s new focus is to help rebuild the
nation’s economy, especially in resources.
-
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, just back from signing a free-trade deal in South
Korea, said a strike by truck drivers at container terminals in the Vancouver
region is a threat to Canada’s economy. Hundreds of unionized truckers parked
their rigs to back demands for higher pay and were joined by about 1,000
non-unionized truckers who left their jobs last month. British Columbia Premier
Christy Clark called on Harper to move quickly to end the strike but he said it
was a provincial government matter.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is lower at 90.11 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns
$1.1096 in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The
Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 1 percent while the
prime-lending rate is 3 percent.
Stock
markets are mixed, with the Toronto exchange index lower at 14,222 points and the
TSX Venture index up at 1,034 points.
The average price of a liter of gasoline across Canada is down at
$1.3212 (Canadian).
Lotto 6-49: (March 12) 6, 12, 14, 17, 30 and 49; bonus 16. (March 8) 11,
16, 18, 33, 34 and 35; bonus 28. Lotto Max: (March 7) 1, 6, 7, 16, 22, 31 and
33; bonus 25.
---
Regional briefs:
- Alberta
Premier Alison Redford said she has repaid $45,000 for her trip to South Africa
to attend Nelson Mandela’s funeral. The controversy over what opposition
politicians said was an excessive amount, resulted in “revelations” of abuses
of the use of government airplanes. Redford also repaid $3,100 for using the
planes to fly her daughter’s friends, including home from a vacation in Palm
Springs.
-
Saying that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is “no role model for my granddaughters,”
veteran left-wing politician Olivia Chow entered the race for mayor. Chow, the
widow of the late New Democrat leader Jack Layton, has quit her job as a
Toronto Member of Parliament to run in the Oct. 27 election.
-
The Canadian Coast Guard said ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and
Atlantic Canada are the worst in decades. Icebreakers are confronting 10
percent more ice than the 30-year average and the guard is asking merchant ship
captains to plan their voyages well in advance.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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