Canada column for Sunday, June 14/15
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
Two Russian military ships shadowed a Canadian warship with Prime
Minister Stephen Harper aboard in the Baltic Sea.
The incident occurred as Harper and his wife, Laureen, spent 20 hours on
HMCS Fredericton, a Canadian frigate that’s part of a North Atlantic Treaty
Organization mission.
The exercise is to reassure Eastern Europe alliance members that they
will be protected should Russian aggression in Ukraine spread.
Canadian Defense Minister Jason Kenney pointed to the two Russian
vessels in the distance that changed course as the Fredericton did.
It’s not unusual for the Russians to monitor NATO exercises from a
distance and they “kept a respectful distance and weren’t acting in a
threatening way,” Kenney said.
They came within seven nautical miles of the Canadian vessel and
earlier a Russian helicopter flew along the port side of the ship.
Harper
told crew members that he is concerned about Russia and President Vladimir
Putin.
“Mr. Putin’s recklessness threatens global stability, regional
stability and has spread fear among our Eastern allies,” he said.
---
The expenses’ scandal involving Canada’s senators is out of hand,
Auditor General Michael Ferguson says.
In
a 116-page report, Ferguson called for independent oversight to teach the upper
chamber respect for public spending.
He
outlined almost $1 million in questionable spending, much of it for travel.
Suspended senators Mike Duffy, Mac Harb and Patrick Brazeau have their
cases before the courts for housing expenses claimed.
Ferguson has referred others to the Mounties for criminal investigation
and repayment.
---
News
in brief:
-
Edmonton police Constable Daniel Woodall was shot and killed and a second
officer wounded by a man they were trying to arrest at his home. Woodall, 35,
of the hate-crimes unit, was one of eight police officers shot at by Norman
Raddatz, a 42-year-old refrigerator repairman. Police said the gunman then set
the house on fire and killed himself. They were investigating Raddatz for
anti-Semitic bullying.
-
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that medical marijuana can legally be
consumed in ways other than smoking such as in cannabis-infused cookies and
brownies, cooking oils and tea. The unanimous decision, opposed by the federal
government, removes limitations on what constitutes legally acceptable medical
marijuana. Until now, authorized users of physician-prescribed cannabis could
only consume dried marijuana.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s
dollar has gained to 81.15 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.2321 in
Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The
Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 0.75 percent while the
prime-lending rate is 2.85 percent.
Markets
are again lower, with the Toronto Stock Exchange index at 14,747 points and the
TSX Venture index 681 points.
The
average price of gas is higher at an average of $1.19 a liter or $4.52 (Canadian)
for a U.S. gallon across Canada.
Lotto 6/49: (June 10) 26, 37, 40, 43, 44 and 45; bonus 3. (June 6) 8,
12, 22, 35, 38 and 44; bonus 27. Lotto Max: (June 5) 2, 10, 13, 16, 30, 33 and
48; bonus 44.
---
Regional briefs:
-
Jacques Parizeau, Quebec’s former separatist premier who pushed the mainly
French-speaking province to the brink of separation, has died at the age of 84.
He was the Parti Quebec premier during the 1995 provincial referendum in which
Quebecers narrowly rejected independence.
-
The Ontario Superior Court has ruled that Hamilton can’t pass laws to prohibit
the post office from locating group mailboxes. Judge Alan Whitten said Canada
Post’s strategy to install community mailboxes on city property is “merely
exercising a federal right.” In a cost-cutting move, the post office is
installing the boxes as it eliminates home mail delivery.
-
Brother and sister Lindsey and Danielle Petersen of Saskatchewan, who were
among 10 people who posed naked on Mount Kinabalu, were jailed for three days
and fined $1,600 for obscene behavior. Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph
Pairin Kitingan said their act was disrespectful to the sacred mountain and
caused an earthquake a day later that killed 18 climbers.
-30-
Jim
Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment