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2004

Wednesday, December 29, 2004 gaz For a change, let's look at things that are going right
WILLIAM WATSON
A consensus is emerging that our election gave us a ditherer prime minister. Even Paul Martin, in his year-end interviews, seemed to agree he lacks focus, though, true to form, he couldn't quite make up his mind. But again, there are worse fates than being led by a ditherer. Too many countries suffer from leadership that is overly decisive. Robert Mugabe's subjects could probably stand a little dithering from time to time. Our new friend Muammar Ghadaffi's, too. .... We support missile defence and want control over it but won't actually help pay for it and if it ends up involving the weaponization of space, we'll take back our support and go home. Although Washington is probably more amused than angry, in the end it might be dithering that requires the most courage: Martin's finely calculated decision has offended everybody, supporters and opponents of missile defence alike.
Another good thing about the federal election was that the Tories got clobbered for fiscal irresponsibility. [which is to say we don't have a choise?]

Dec 29, 2004 ts Eco-clock ticking for Canada
Will 2005 be the year that Canada finally measures up on environmental protection? Don`t hold your breath.

Saturday Dec 25, 2004 cbc
STRONG DOLLAR STALLS ECONOMY AGAIN; GDP FLAT There was no growth at all in Canada's economy in October – the second month in a row that GDP has stayed flat, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

Wednesday Dec 22, 2004 ts
Indicator of economic strength flat last month
OTTAWA—The composite leading index, an early measurement of how the economy is performing, showed no growth in November — the first time it has not risen since May, 2003.

Tuesday Dec 21, 2004 OTTAWA: IMF SAYS CANADIAN ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IS ENVIABLE The International Monetary Fund fund is urging Canada to clarify rules governing bank mergers and to adopt a single securities regulator to replace a patchwork of provincial statutes. In its annual review of the country's economic policies, the IMF said a clear framework on bank mergers would reduce uncertainty and promote efficiency. And it said a single securities regulator would reduce administrative costs. The IMF report also called Canada's economic performance enviable and said the country is on track to produce the lowest government debt to GDP ratio among the G-7. But the world body also said the recent strength of the Canadian dollar and expected slow growth in the United States are likely to dampen real growth in Canadian exports. Federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale applauded the findings but acknowledged Canada needs to be prudent and balanced in its planning

Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary
Clogged Ports Could Have Big Effects - December 15, 2004
Reports have been hitting the news lately of the overburdened port of Vancouver, where goods coming from China are piling up awaiting their transfer to a train bound for eastern Canada. The situation is undoubtedly annoying – but there are significant implications for the economy, too. Past issues

Friday Dec 17, 2004 cbc MODERATE GROWTH SEEN FOR CANADIAN ECONOMY IN 2005 Canada's big banks are forecasting economic growth in the range of 2.5 to 3.2 per cent in the coming year. The more pessimistic among them cite the strong Canadian dollar as a major drag on the economy.

Friday Dec 17, 2004 cbc
CANADA HAS FEWER POLICE OFFICERS PER PERSON THAN U.S., BRITAIN Canada has far fewer police officers per person than the United States, England and other countries, Statistics Canada says.

Friday Dec 17, 2004 cbc
TRADE SURPLUS FALLS AGAIN IN OCTOBER Canada's trade surplus has fallen to its lowest level in a year, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.

Sunday Dec 12, 2004 cbc
MAJORITY OF RETIREES DON'T WANT TO GO: STUDY More than half of recently retired Canadians would have been willing to keep working under different circumstances, says Statistics Canada.

Wednesday Dec 8, 2004 central bank on Tuesday left its key overnight rate – what major banks charge each other for overnight loans – steady at 2.5 per cent.
Last week, Statistics Canada reported that November's jobless rate climbed to 7.3 per cent as 18,000 manufacturing jobs disappeared. Since July, Statistics Canada noted, 52,000 factory jobs have been lost.

FROM Nov. 30, 2004: Economic growth eases in Q3 Economists had been looking for real GDP to slow to between 3.1 per cent and 3.5 per cent annualized from 4.3 per cent in the second quarter.

Tuesday Dec 7, 2004 ts Canada`s wealthiest citizens reported richer than ever Canada`s rich are getting richer, according to Canadian Business magazine`s sixth annual Rich 100, a ranking of Canada`s wealthiest citizens that hits newsstands today.

Tuesday Nov 30, 2004 ts
Current account surplus beats Bay St. Canada`s current account surplus is running ahead of expectations, but a rare strong day for the U.S. greenback prevented the loonie from cashing in.

From Wed 1186
CANADA

The Canadian dollar reached a new twelve-year high today (Wednesday, Nov. 24), closing at 84.70¢ U.S. and should reach 85¢ U.S. sooner than expected, perhaps before month end. The outlook for 87¢ U.S. has been advanced to mid-year next year, with 89½¢ by the fall of 2005, its high reached in the Fall of 1991. Leading economic indicator increased for the fifty-seventh consecutive month in October, although at a more moderate pace. Retail sales (September) have risen for the fifth consecutive monthly record, despite weaker auto sales. The economy is growing at full capacity. G.D.P. for the third quarter, to be reported next week, is likely to show real growth of 3½%. The housing sector was very strong in the third quarter, as was business spending on machinery and equipment. Inventory rebuilding continues to rise gradually. Corporate profits have been very strong, productivity outlook is good and business confidence is solid. Over 75,000 new jobs have been created in the last two months. Foreigners continue to buy Canadian stock (almost $30 billion in the first nine months of this year). The stock market has only gained 100 points this month so far, but is at its highest level in almost four years. Nortel and Bombardier, both of junk status, have really affected the T.S.X., which should recover about 500 points next year.

Behind the strength of the currency is the fact that Canada has still averaged almost $6 billion of monthly trade surplus in the third quarter, despite the decline of almost 5% in our exports. That compares to an average record monthly trade surplus of almost $7 trillion in the second quarter. Also, the fiscal side is the strongest on record, with nine billion dollars of back-to-back surpluses and major debt repayment. In the first six months of this fiscal year, Ottawa has repaid $10.6 billion of debt by running down its cash balances by $11.5 billion to $5.7 billion. Bank of Canada is likely to tighten policy by another 1% next year, given the G.D.P. outlook of 3.2% average expected by the private sector.

Friday Nov 26, 2004 OTTAWA: FARM INCOME PLUMMETTING
Statistics Canada reports that farmers' income is at its lowest level in a quarter of a century. The agency attributes the situation to droughts in 2001 and 2002 and the mad-cow scare in the following year. Its report says that farmers' revenue in 2003 dropped by 39 per cent to $4.4 billion. The provinces hardest hit are Alberta and Manitoba.

Nov 12, 2004 ts
Canada needs to redefine its place in the world
OTTAWA—Key business leaders have an important message for us: We can`t be complacent about our economic future, no matter how well things appear to be going right now.

Nov 10, 2004 cbc
TRADE SURPLUS FALLS AS SOARING LOONIE HURTS EXPORTS A soaring Canadian dollar helped drive down Canada's trade surplus in September, as exports declined sharply and imports edged up.

Friday Oct 29, 2004 PARIS: CANADA DROPS IN PRESS FREEDOM RANKINGS
A Paris-based journalists' lobby has ranked Canada in 18th place on its yearly list of press freedom, down from 10th last year. Reporters Without Borders explained that there were several events over the past year to justify the downgraded ranking, including a police raid on the home of a reporter in Ottawa, the apparent leak of information by Canada's security forces to the U.S. in the Maher Arar case, and the imposition by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission of restrictive conditions on television stations that would be interested in carrying the Arab-language al-Jazeera TV network.

Friday Oct 29, 2004 GENEVA: CHINA OUTSTRIPS CANADA ECONOMICALLY
The World Trade Organization says China has replaced Canada economically as the world's fourth-biggest country or trading bloc. This emerges from the WTO regular evaluations of its members' economies. When it joined the WTO in 2001, China ranked fifth. The top four economies are now the U.S., the European Union, Japan and China.

Oct 17, 2004 QUEBECERS WATCH MORE TV, WORK LESS: SURVEY Quebecers sleep more and work fewer hours, according to a new survey. They also spend less time reading and exercising.

Tuesday Oct 19, 2004 MONTREAL: NEW STUDY DESCRIBES CANADIANS' WORK AND LEISURE HABITS Quebecers work fewer hours than any other Canadians while those in Atlantic Canada worked the most, according to a new survey. The study by Leger Marketing showed that Quebecers worked on average 38.3 hours a week compared with 42.7 hours for Atlantic Canadians. The second-longest average work week was in Ontario---41.7 hours. The poll also described Canadians daily sleeping times: 7.3 hours in Quebec; 6.8 hours in Ontario; 7.1 hours in Atlantic Canada. Reading and TV watching habits were also surveyed. People in British Columbia are the biggest readers, averaging 11.3 hours a week, but they are also the biggest TV watchers---14.2 hours. Quebecers read the least, 7.3 hours, and were second only behind British Columbia in hours in front of the TV---13.2 hours. People in British Columiba are also first in time spent on exercise---eight hours a week. Quebecers were last, exercising only 5.6 hours a week.

Sunday Oct 17, 2004 ts
Canada needs to be at the leading edge of change
Canada`s disappointing rankings in the World Economic Forum`s latest Global Competitiveness Report underline the fact that we have to do much better if we are to have a successful future economy that generates well-paying jobs and the wealth to sustain a high quality of life.

Friday Oct 15, 2004 ts Big trade surplus sends small warning Canada`s trade surplus swelled to $7.42 billion in August, much stronger than expected but economists aren`t happy.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004 cp$9.1-billion surplus goes to debt: Goodale The federal government confirmed Wednesday that its tax intake massively outweighed spending in the past fiscal year -- producing a budget surplus of $9.1 billion.

Monday Oct 4, 2004 Canada's finance minister, Ralph Goodale, talked tough about cattle exports to his American counterpart, John Snow, during the meeting of the G-7 industrialized nations in Washington over the weekend. Mr. Goodale told the treasury secretary that scientists had proved Canadian cattle to be safe and that it was time to lift the American ban on Canadian live cattle imports. The ban was imposed last year after a single case of mad cow disease was discovered in the Canadian province of Alberta. Mr. Goodale warned that Canada was ready to defend itself against what he called "unjustifiable" import bans. He also raised two other thorny export issues---softwood lumber and wheat. "We simply have to find solutions to chronic outstanding aggravations," said Mr. Goodale. He and Mr. Snow will meet again later this year or early next year. The G-7 countries met on Sunday along with representatives of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Mr. Goodale urged action to cut the foreign debt of developing countries. It was a sentiment echoed by several other nations, but despite much discussion, the G-7 was still not able to agree either on a timetable for the reduction or on the amount. The G-7 members urged each other to reduce their own long-term debts, a goal that Canada reached in 1997. "We were the only one of the G-7 sitting around that table with balanced books," declared Mr. Goodale. Canada further supports increasing relief aid to poor countries.

Thursday Sep 23, 2004 CALGARY: OTTAWA EXPECTS FINANCIAL WINDFALL
Canada's finance minister, Ralph Goodale, says federal finances are in splendid shape and will continue to be because of extra tax revenue due to the better-than-predicted performance of the Canadian economy. He says that data released by Statistics Canada at the end of August showed the economy growing at an annualized rate of 4.3 per cent. That compares with only 2.8 in the U.S. Mr. Goodale says it was the awareness of that encouraging financial outlook that gave the federal government flexibility to negotiate a $41-billion health care deal with the provinces and territories last week. The accord came after three days or arduous and often fractious debate. The minister also says that the expected windfall will provide resources for the federal government to offer $33 billion more over 10 years to the provinces in "equalization" payments. The payments are designed to help the less wealthy provinces maintain social services at a level comparable to those of rich provinces.

Thursday Sep 23, 2004 cbc
OTTAWA MAY SELL OFF BILLIONS IN REAL ESTATE The federal government is considering selling billions of dollars worth of real estate and leasing back the space for tens of thousands of its employees.

Wednesday Sep 15, 2004 CANADIANS AMONG WORLD'S MOST EDUCATED
A study by the Organization of Economic Progress and Development has found that Canadians are among the world's best educated people. The study says that 43 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 25 and 64 earned a post-secondary degree, 20 percentage points higher than the average of OECD member states. The research also indicates that 83 per cent of Canadians have had at least a secondary education. However, the study also shows that women in all 30 OECD states earn on average less than men.

Wednesday Sep 8, 2004 ts
Canada ranks 10th on economic security index Family stress and economic insecurity appear to be growing, even though we are much better off in per capita income than 20 to 30 years ago.

Sunday Aug 1, 2004 cbc
ECONOMY GREW 0.3 PER CENT IN MAY The Canadian economy grew by 0.3 per cent in May, following a slim advance of 0.1 per cent in April, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

Jul 29th 2004 ec Long-term unemployment
When Americans become unemployed, relatively few stay jobless for long. That is not the case in several European countries such as Italy and Germany. This is one reason why their labour markets are malfunctioning. The longer that people are out of work, the less effectively they compete with those in employment, so overall unemployment has to be higher in order to keep wage inflation under control. economist. chart

Jul 22nd 2004 From The Economist print edition ec Human Development Index
From The Economist print edition Norway is still the best place to live, according to the UN's annual Human Development Index. Sierra Leone is the country to avoid. The index takes into account life expectancy and education as well as GDP per person. So Equatorial Guinea, where life expectancy at birth is 49 years, is ranked 109th even though its oil riches mean that it apparently comes sixth in a conventional comparison of GDP per person.

Saturday Jul 17, 2004 Hi David,
Since you said you liked statistics, here are some you might enjoy. It's the Human Development Report by the UNDP, rating 170 countries on a slew of criteria.
BTW, Canada comes out on place 4 overall (behind Norway, Sweden and Australia).
You can download the complete report here: hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/ Accommodating people’s growing demands for their inclusion in society, for respect of their ethnicity, religion, and language, takes more than democracy and equitable growth. Also needed are multicultural policies that recognize differences, champion diversity and promote cultural freedoms, so that all people can choose to speak their language, practice their religion, and participate in shaping their culture—so that all people can choose to be who they are. Norbert

Top 10 countries in the UN Human Development Index

Norway Sweden Australia Canada Netherlands Belgium Iceland United States Japan Ireland

Sunday Jul 18, 2004 cbc
CANADA REGAINS GROUND IN UN DEVELOPMENT RANKING Canada is No. 4 on the United Nations Human Development Index, which ranks 177 countries in terms of health, education, life expectancy, income, poverty levels and environmental quality.

Friday Jul 16, 2004 ts Canada 4th best place to live
OTTAWA—We`re number four!Canada has been ranked the fourth best country in the world in which to live on the United Nations` annual Human Development Index, behind Norway, Sweden and Australia.
...Canada rated 12th on the Human Poverty Index, behind Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Japan and Switzerland.

Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary
Canada’s Exporters Pretty Bullish - July 14, 2004
EDC’s latest survey of exporter sentiment shows solid confidence and expectations of rising export sales. All signs suggest that the export recovery can be sustained well into 2005. see his wn page. Past issues

Thursday 8 Jul 2004 cbc
CANADA'S ECONOMY TO GROW BY 3.2% IN 2004: RBC Spending by consumers and businesses will help Canada's economy grow by 3.2 per cent this year and 3.6 per cent in 2005, RBC Financial Group is predicting.

Sunday 13 Jun 2004 OTTAWA: CANADA TRADE SURPLUS CLOSE TO RECORD LEVEL Canada's trade surplus reached the second-highest level in history in May, according to Statistics Canada. The surplus was CDN$7.6 billion, about CDN$1 billion less than the record set in January, 2001. Exports increased by 4.4 per cent to a total of CDN$36.6 billion, reflecting a growth six times faster than imports. Notable increases were recorded in exports of aircraft, industrial machinery, passenger automobiles, and petroleum and coal products. Exports to Canada's biggest trading partner, the United States, grew by 3.3 per cent to CDN$24.9 billion. Labour productivity grew by .4 per cent in the first quarter of 2004 after three quarters in which productivity either fell or stayed the same.

Tuesday Jun 1, 2004 Canadians took part in various activities on Monday connected to World No Tobacco day. Forty-five-thousand 45,000 Canadian die each year of sicknesses caused by tobacco products A United Nations agency has raised the alarm over the growing toll from cigarette use in poor countries.
The World Health Organisation claims the use of tobacco kills someone every-six-and-a-half seconds, while many others succumb to related diseases. The organization says the death toll is occurring mostly in developing countries, adding significantly to their burden of disease and poverty. Tobacco use claims nearly five million lives a year and the number is expected to double over the next 25 years. see wn Smokes

Tuesday Jun 1, 2004 Statistics Canada, the federal gatherer of data, reports that the Canadian economy grew .6 per cent ???in the first quarter of the year. StatsCan attributes the growth to consumer spending and and an increase of exports. Most of the growth took place in March.

Tuesday Jun 1, 2004 cbc CANADIAN ECONOMY GROWS 2.4 PER CENT IN FIRST QUARTER The economy grew at an annual rate of 2.4 per cent in the first three months of the year, Statistics Canada reported on Monday.

Friday May 28, 2004 cbc FARM INCOME HITS 25-YEAR LOW IN 2003 Canada's farmers saw their net cash income tumble last year to its lowest level in 25 years as drought and the mad cow crisis took their toll.

Friday May 28, 2004 cbc CURRENT ACCOUNT SURPLUS HITS 3-YEAR HIGH Canada's current account surplus climbed to its highest level in three years, rising $2.8 billion during the first three months of this year to $9.5 billion.

Thursday May 27, 2004 rci OTTAWA: AVERAGE TWO-PARENT FAMILY EARNS $61,200
Statistics Canada, the federal gatherer of statistics, reports that the average two-parent Canadian family earned $61,200 in 2002. StatsCan added, however, that the average revenue for single-parent families was only $28,100. For the second year in a row, two-parent families in the Ottawa-Gatineau region had the highest revenue with $78,400.

Thursday May 27, 2004 cbc
NORTEL ADDS FORMER FINANCE MINISTER JOHN MANLEY TO BOARD Nortel Networks announced the addition of former federal finance minister John Manley to its board of directors on Wednesday. see NT

Thursday May 13, 2004 TORONTO: CANADA CALLED A HAVEN FOR MONEY-LAUNDERING
A federal agency says terrorists and other criminals consider Canada a haven for money-laundering. That assessment comes from Sandra Brown of the federal Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre. Mrs. Brown says the agency suspects that terrorists moved $22 million through Canadian financial institutions last year. She told a conference in Toronto sponsored by the Investment Funds Institute of Canada that the agency has located $500 million in laundered money hidden in Canadian banks, mutual funds and other financial institutions. Under legislation now in place, such institutions must report all transactions over $10,000

Thursday Apr 8, 2004 OTTAWA: OPPOSITION QUESTIONS CHINA AID
Certain members of Canada's opposition parties are angry the country continues to send foreign aid to China.
China ranks as Canada's fourth-largest beneficiary in aid funding behind India, Bangladesh and Cameroon. Several members of parliament have questioned the aid package especially with the knowledge that China has sent an astronaut into space and spends billions of dollars annually to build up its military. The Conservative Party foreign critic, Stockwell Day, says that it's not acceptable that China be receiving Canadian aid when that country has the world's second-largest economy after that of the United States. However, the office of International co-operation minister, Aileen Carroll, says Canada is committed to provide aid to China because 20 per cent of the world's poor live there.

Thursday Apr 8, 2004 TORONTO: GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR WIDENS
There are indications that the financial gap between the wealth and the poor in Canada is growing wider. Statistics Canada, the federal collector of data, bases its assessment on census date gathered in 27 cities between 1980 and 2000. Its report says that the top 10 per cent of Canada's richest families had an average pre-tax income of $131,000 in 2000, an increase of $20,000 over two decades earlier. At the same time, the country's poorest families had an average income of only $21,700, an increase of only $800. The StatsCan report also says immigrants, natives and single-parent families are most likely to find themselves in poverty.

Saturday 28 Feb 2004 OTTAWA: GDP DOWN IN 2003
Statistics Canada, the federal collector of data, reports that the country's gross domestic product grew by only 1.7 per cent in 2003. That's only one-half of the growth rate for the Canadian economy in the previous year. However, StatsCan also reports that the economy grew by .5 per cent in December compared with the previous month, growth which the agency attributes to a recovery of the country's exports.

Thursday 26 Feb 2004 OTTAWA: TOURISM DOWN LAST YEAR Canada's tourism industry suffered an alarming slump last year. Foreign visitors spent 12 per cent less here than they did the previous year. It was the first time in 15 years that tourism spending in Canada had declined. Tourism industry analysts blame several reasons for the drop. There was an outbreak of the SARS virus in Canada's biggest city, Toronto, and major summer fires spread across the forests of British Columbia and Alberta. But the worst slump in tourism was in Prince Edward Island with a drop of 33 per cent. A stronger Canadian dollar made visits to the island province more expensive for Americans. Americans are Canada's biggest tourist market. At the same time, Canadian tourists exploited their stronger dollar to spend more money abroad. Canada's best year for tourism was 2002, when tourists spent almost $10.5 billion.

Thursday 19 Feb 2004 MEXICO CITY: CANADIAN CENTRAL BANKER CALLS FOR BETTER PRODUCTIVITY Mexico have to make efforts to improve labour productivity. In a speech before the Mexican Council of Commercial Co-ordination, Mr. Dodge said both countries are facing intense competition from China, where labour costs are far lower. He also says the Canadian government must continue to act to reduce its national debt so as to have the eventual wherewithal to pay the health costs of an aging population.

Friday Feb 6, 2004 cbc
Jobless rate remains at 7.4 per cent
Statistics Canada said 15,000 jobs were added to the country's payrolls last month. That marked a substantial slowdown from the strong gains made in the last four months of the year, when 219,000 new jobs were added.

Tuesday Jan 13, 2004 cbc
GOODALE SAYS CANADIAN ECONOMY LOOKING UP After a year of shocks to the economy such as SARS, mad cow disease and a soaring dollar, Canada's finances are heading for better days, said Finance Minister Ralph Goodale on Monday.

2003

Tuesday Dec 30, 2003 gaz
Immigrants filling the gaps Three provinces and two major cities are dependent on immigrants to keep their workforces from shrinking, a business and labour think-tank says in an analysis to be released today.

Thursday Jan 2, 2003 cbc
ECONOMY GREW 0.2 PER CENT IN OCTOBER Canadian economic growth slowed in October, as the country's gross domestic product expanded by 0.2 per cent. That was down from 1.1 per cent in September.

Monday Dec 29, 2003 cc
Canadians ringing up huge debt Canadians' household debt now equals 115 per cent of disposable income -- which is income consumers have left over after paying off their household expenses.

Saturday Dec 20, 2003 cbc
INFLATION HOLDS STEADY AT 1.6 PER CENT
Canada's annual inflation rate held steady at 1.6 per cent in November - unchanged from the month before - as lower gasoline prices continued to keep a lid on the cost of living.

Friday Dec 19, 2003 OTTAWA: CANADIAN POPULATION UP
Statistics Canada, the federal collector of data, reports that the Canadian population continues to grow. StatsCan says the population of Canada now numbers 31.7 million, an increase of 266,000 from a year earlier. The agency reports that most of the increase came in the country's most populous province, Ontario. However, the provinces of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick lost population.

Monday Oct 13, 2003 cbc
ONTARIO WILL BE $5.6-BILLION IN RED: LIBERALS
Ontario is on track to be $5.6 billion in the hole this year, with Finance Minister Greg Sorbara blaming the economic policies of the previous provincial government.

Monday Oct 13, 2003 cbc
NEW TECHNOLOGY, SHIFTING PRIORITIES REFLECTED IN HOUSEHOLD SPENDING: STATSCAN
The average Canadian household spent $60,090 last year, according to figures released by Statistics Canada. That's up 2.2 per cent from the year before.

Friday Dec 12, 2003 OTTAWA:
CHINESE LEADER SEES ROSY FUTURE FOR CANADA, CHINA
Mr. Chrétien also met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who was making a two-day visit to Ottawa. In a speech before the Canada China Business Council, Mr. Wen said there are good prospects for closer trade and cultural between the two countries. The premier says the economic goal is to double trade to $8 billion by 2010. Mr. Wen says the two economies are complementary because Canada has expertise and resources, while China has labour and a huge market. Mr. Chrétien described Mr. Wen as "a good friend." Mr. Chrétien visited China six times while prime minister. There were several demonstrations during the premier's visit by groups protesting against China's treatment of Tibet and the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Wednesday Dec 10, 2003 IMF GIVES CANADA HIGH ECONOMIC MARKS
The International Monetary Fund has congratulated Canada for having been able to steer the country's economy through the international economic downturn of recent years. The IMF predicts that the Canadian economy will grow by three per cent in 2004. In its annual report on Canada, the Fund recommends that federal and provincial government continue to focus on debt reduction. The report also suggests granting the private sector a great role in health care and obliging patients to pay more of the costs of medicare.

Saturday Dec 6, 2003 ts
Jobs jump for third consecutive month
Factories cope with loonie's leap
U.S. employment data disappoint

Friday Nov 28, 2003 bbc
STRENGTH UNDERLIES WEAK GDP NUMBERS: ECONOMISTS Canada's economy grew by an annual rate of 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, less than half the growth rate economists had been expecting, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

Friday Nov 14, 2003 OTTAWA: FEDERAL SURPLUS DOWN SHARPLY
Canada's finance department reports that the federal surplus for the first half of the year is only $1.6 billion, almost two-thirds lower than the figure for the first half of 2002. Finance department officials attribute the latest figure to increased spending and lower revenues. The finance minister, John Manley, says he's not surprised by the lower surplus because the economy suffered a series of blows early this year. He cited the outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the single case of mad-cow disease that devastated Canada's beef industry, a major power blackout in Ontario and forest fires in the province of British Columbia. But Mr. Manley says the continuing rise in value of the Canadian dollar proves that investors have confidence in Canada's economy. This year, the dollar has gained 20 per cent in value in trading against its U.S. counterpart.

Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary
November 12, 2003 Canada’s Other Economy
Other weekly commentaries

Saturday Nov 8, 2003 gaz
Report on economy 'a pleasant surprise'
The Canadian economy defied expectations in October, adding 65,000 jobs and dropping the national unemployment rate to 7.6 per cent from eight per cent in September. ...in Quebec, where 26,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate fell to 9.3%

Monday Oct 27, 2003 OTTAWA: $700 MILLION OFFERED TO UPGRADE PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE Canada's transport minister, David Collenette, has announced the federal government will spend $700 million of new funding over five years for Via Rail, the country's passenger rail service. Mr. Collenette says the money will be used to buy new rail cars and locomotives with a top speed of 175 kilometres an hour. The minister says the plan will keep open the option of eventually establishing a high-speed train line in the corridor between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont., the nation's most heavily travelled. It appears possible that politics within Canada's governing Liberal Party will derail the planned spending. A spokesman for Paul Martin, who is widely expected to succeed Jean Chrétien as prime minister in February if not sooner, warns he will want to review the spending. The spokesman has advised Via it would be imprudent to counting on spending a penny before the former finance minister has time to study the matter.

Monday Oct 27, 2003 QUEBEC: PREMIERS GIVE GREEN LIGHT TO 'COUNCIL OF THE FEDERATION' Eight of Canada's provincial premiers have decided that they and their two other counterparts will create amongst themselves a "Council of the Federation." Its purpose will be to present a united front toward the federal government in matters of mutual concern. The idea of the Council came from Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who says it's not meant to be a constitutional body but will be a useful tool for his province. For the past 40 years, the largely French-speaking province has been at loggerheads with Ottawa over constitutional matters. Mr. Charest also says it will be hard for the Council to approach other matters until the years of federal-provincial squabbles over health care are resolved. The provinces want Ottawa to pay a far bigger share of the cost of medicare. The provinces will formally launch the Council when they meet next month in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Sunday Sep 28, 2003 cbc
Cartier's squandered peace
A Huron author says the explorer bungled a meeting with Iroquois chief Donnacona, after the native leader offered his niece in marriage to the European to cement peace. Randy Boswell reports. ...French explorer was actually married to a native girl in a fleeting bid for peace between the original inhabitants of the country and the newcomers from Europe.
Mr. Sioui explains that in the "matrilineal system" of the Stadacona people, Donnacona's children would have belonged to his wife's clan, but the young girl offered to Cartier -- the child of Donnacona's brother -- would have belonged to the chief's own clan and was thus "the highest, as well as the purest, gift that could possibly have been offered to the first man among these Frenchmen."

Sunday Sep 28, 2003 cbc
MAGAZINE SAYS CANADA IS 'COOL' A leading financial magazine is shining a favourable spotlight on Canada, saying the country has changed for the better over the past decade.

Monday Sep 8, 2003 globe
Unemployment rate rises to 8% in August A drop in the number of available jobs pushed up the unemployment rate to an even eight per cent in August from 7.8 per cent the month before. Employment fell by an estimated 19,000 in August, the fourth decline in a row.

Wednesday Sep 3, 2003 PARIS:
OECD WARNS OF IMPACT OF DISEASE ON CANADIAN ECONOMY The Organization of Economic Development has issued its biannual report on Canada's economy. It says that it's growing faster than most of the members of the OECD's 30 member states. But the report also warns that this year's outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Toronto and the discovery of a single case of mad-cow disease in the province of Alberta could have a short-term negative effect. The OECD says the Bank of Canada may have to react by lowering interest rates. However, the report also predicts that Canada's economy will improve at the end of the year and through next year, and that the improvement will be world-wide. On another subject, the report says that while Canadian economic productivity has improved, it still lags behind that of the United States. The OECD says that one way to remedy the situation is to allow more foreign competition in Canada. The report cites the sectors of telecommunications, cable and broadcasting, airline and banking.

Sunday Aug 31, 2003 cbc
CANADIAN ECONOMY DECLINES IN SECOND QUARTER The Canadian economy shrank by 0.1 per cent in the second quarter of the year, marking the first contraction since 2001, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

Sunday Aug 31, 2003 WASHINGTON:
CANADA REJECTS UNITED STATES RULING ON WHEAT TARIFFS
The United States Department of Commerce announced on Friday it will raise contested tariffs against Canadian wheat imports. The tariffs were imposed in the spring and had been between 10 and 12 percent. After Friday's ruling they will be 14 percent. The raise is part of a long-running dispute between Canada and the United States. U.S. farmers claim Canada unfairly subsidises Canadian producers through the Canadian Wheat Board and then dumps the wheat on U.S. markets. Pierre Pettigrew, Canada's minister of international trade, said he was disappointed by Friday's ruling, saying Canadian wheat exports are not unfairly subsidised.

Sunday Aug 31, 2003 cbc
U.S. RAISES TARIFFS ON CANADIAN WHEAT Tariffs imposed by the United States on Canadian wheat will be raised, following a decision by the U.S. Commerce Department on Friday.

Tuesday Aug 26, 2003 OTTAWA: CANADA'S FOREIGN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY ADMITS MISMANAGEMENT Managers at the Canadian International Development Agency, or CIDA, awarded tens of millions of dollars in untendered contracts from 1999 to 2001, a Toronto-based newspaper reported on Monday. The National Post reported the managers knew their actions were contrary to government guidelines, but they told government auditors they knew what was best for their sections and for CIDA. CIDA is the Canadian federal government's overseas development assistance agency. It has an annual budget of about $2.2-billion and employs approximately 1,500 people. According to an internal audit obtained by the National Post, CIDA signed 104 untendered contracts worth $62-million. But the auditors concluded CIDA is reducing the number of untendered contracts it signs.

Saturday Aug 16, 2003 OTTAWA: MAY SURPLUS RECORDED
Canada's finance department says the government enjoyed a budget surplus of $166 million in the month of May. In the previous May, the government had a deficit of $225 million. The finance department attributes the turnaround to increased revenues and lower payments on the national debt.

August 14, 2003 cbc
TRADE SURPLUS SLIDES IN JUNE The trade surplus fell in June to $3.6 billion, its lowest level since October 1999, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.

Tuesday Aug 12, 2003 OTTAWA:
GOVT. SET TO ANNOUNCE GLOBAL WARMING BLUEPRINT
The Canadian Press news agency reports that the Canadian government will announce on Tuesday $1 billion of spending to reduce Canada's industrial emissions that contribute to global warming. CP says the spending is aimed at reducing the emissions by as much as 20 megatonnes over the next five years. According to the agency, $100 million will be spent to increase production of ethanol. More than $131 million will be spent to persuade consumers to use more energy-efficient vehicles and household appliances. And another $320 million will go to provinces, territories and aboriginal peoples to help them come up with their own ideas on how to cut industrial emissions. If successful, the various programs would take Canada only about one-eleventh of the way to meeting its commitment to cutting emissions by 240 megatonnes by the year 2010.

Tuesday Jul 29, 2003 ts Working longer, feeling poorer? Join the crowd Inflation increase beats pay hikes
But economist sees relief ahead
Statistics Canada reported yesterday average weekly earnings were up 1.8 per cent to $691.38 in May compared with the same month last year — while the cost of living, also known as the inflation rate, was up 2.9 per cent.
However, with inflation falling to 2.6 per cent in June and expected to keep sliding in the coming months, Canadians shouldn't get too upset about their wages being outgunned.

Wednesday Jul 16, 2003 cbc
RICH CANADIANS FEEL POOR: SURVEY The more money Canadians earn, the less likely they are to think they're well off, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

Wednesday Jul 16, 2003 cbc
CANADA RATED TOPS FOR BUSINESS OVER NEXT FIVE YEARS Canada will be the best country in the world in which to do business over the next half decade, according to a new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit.
TORONTO: CANADA TOPS FOR DOING BUSINESS
A new study says that Canada will be the best place to do business for the next five years. The study was carried out by Global Insight (Canada) Ltd., an affiliate of the British weekly magazine The Economist. The study praises Canada's infrastructure, its openness to foreign trade and capital and market opportunities. The document also cites lower taxes over the coming five years and the election of a federal government in the largely French-speaking province of Quebec, where separatist governments have often been elected in past decades. The other countries in the study's top five are the Netherlands, Finland, Britain and the U.S. At the bottom of the list is Nigeria, joined there by Iran, Venezuela, Algeria and Pakistan.

Saturday Jul 12, 2003 cbc
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE EASED TO 7.7 PER CENT IN JUNE Canada's unemployment rated edged down in June to 7.7 per cent - a drop of 0.1 of a percentage point from May as the service sector added jobs. [we pay people not to work 7.7% is very bad! DTN]

Sunday Jul 6, 2003 w-n
CANADA'S RANKING SLIPS LOWER ON UN LIST
See what Jean Chretien did for us

Saturday Jun 28, 2003 OTTAWA: HIGH COURT STRIKES DOWN FEDERAL ELECTORAL PROVISION The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a provision of federal electoral law is unconstitutional. The high court has ruled that the requirement that federal political parties must present candidates in at least 50 electoral districts to be registered as an official party is illegal. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court said that all political parties are capable of representing particular interests and bringing a unique viewpoint to election campaigns. The judgment also says that when important ideas are defended by small parties, it increases the likelihood that government will take them seriously. The case was taken to the Supreme Court by the Communist Party of Canada.

Monday Jun 16, 2003
Economic news takes 'ugly' turn Weak U.S. economy, strong dollar are blamed.....Statistics Canada said that in April factory shipments plunged 3.4 per cent to $43 billion, while inventories continued to edge up and unfilled orders declined for the eighth straight month.

Sunday Jun 15, 2003 bbc
FALLING ENERGY EXPORTS DROP TRADE SURPLUS TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE DEC. 2002 Canada's trade surplus tumbled again in April, dropping for the fourth time in six months. The surplus stood at $4.1 billion, down from $5.3 billion in March, Statistics Canada said.

Sunday Jun 1, 2003 globe
Waste: Where tax dollars go to die The federal government collects $180 billion in assorted taxes and revenues each year, and, if you believe the critics, squanders far too much of it.
The federal government collects $180 billion in assorted taxes and revenues each year, and, if you believe the critics, squanders far too much of it.
Which is why the Opposition in the House of Commons has made much of Chrétien government boondoggles and why the ever-vocal Canadian Taxpayers' Federation has its annual Teddy Awards, named after Ted Weatherill, former head of the Canada Labour Relations Board, dismissed five years ago for spending $149,000 of taxpayers' money on meals -- or what his bosses florally described as "spending incongruent with his position."

Sunday Jun 1, 2003 cbc
CLOTHING LABEL INFO WON'T DISCOURAGE SWEATSHOPS: COMPETITION BUREAU The Competition Bureau has rejected a call to change the way clothes are labelled in Canada. The Ethical Trading Action Group wanted labels to contain more specific information on where the clothes you wear are made. [WHY?]

Wasted: $200 million
Tuesday, May 27, 2003 -- A 12-year project to streamline a bewildering civil service job classification system cost at least $200 million, but can't be implemented, the auditor general said Tuesday.

Monday Apr 22, 1996 OTTAWA: LOSS OF FULL PENSION BENEFITS LOOMS ON THE HORIZON
A federal official in Canada has warned that some Canadians may not receive the full pension benefits to which they're entitled. The warning was given on Wednesday by Nick Le Pan, the head of the federal Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. Mr. Le Pan says difficult market conditions have drained billions of dollars from both public and private pension investments. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions oversees 1,200 large and small companies across Canada. Mr. Le Pan says his Office is tightening its regulation of pension funds, but that that task is growing more difficult and that regulators are being forced to intervene more frequently. There have been published reported that Canada's largest pension funds suffered shortfalls of $18.7 billion last year. Those recording them included Nortel Networks Corp., Bombardier Inc. and Air Canada.

Wednesday May 14, 2003 cbc
1990S A GOOD DECADE FOR THE RICH: STATISTICS CANADA The rich got richer in the 1990s, while everyone else's before-tax income stayed just about the same, as did the number of children living in low income families, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. The final installment of data from the 2001 Census shows the income of the 8,371,020 families across Canada was nearly unchanged from 1990 to 2000, increasing less than $500 to $55,016.

Sunday Apr 20, 2003 economist
Economic forecast
Yet more job growth-14,000 jobs added in March-reflects the continuing strength of Canada's economy. Still, world events may have an impact: The Economist's monthly poll of forecasters revised its GDP growth projections for 2003 downward to 2.8% (from 3%), with 3.3% growth projected for 2004. This revision may reflect the uncertainties of war with Iraq, which is now nearly over.

Thursday Apr 17, 2003
OTTAWA: U.S. AMBASSADOR SAYS CANADA'S IRAQ POLICY CAUSED BUSH CANCELLATION
The U.S. ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, says U.S. President George W. Bush cancelled his visit to Canada which had been set for May 5 because of Canada's decision not to take part in the U.S.-led war against Iraq. Mr. Cellucci says the president will first and foremost consult on the reconstruction of Iraq the with coalition partners. The ambassador says Mr. Bush feels it's important to talk in the first instance to allies who are in Iraq fighting the war. Canada's position is that the country cannot fight in a war without the sanction of the United Nations. One the day after Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien confirmed that Mr. Bush's planned visit was off, the president invited Australian Prime Minister John Howard to visit the U.S. Mr. Howard strongly supports the war and ordered several thousand Australian soldiers to Iraq.

Tuesday Apr 8, 2003 cbc
WAR WILL COST BILLIONS: CANADIAN TOURISM OFFICIALS The Canadian Tourism Commission says the Iraq war could cost the country's tourism sector up to $4.5 billion over the next four years.

Sunday Apr 6, 2003 CALGARY: TOURIST INDUSTRY WARNS OF BIG FINANCIAL LOSSES A report done for the Canadian Tourism Commission says the war in Iraq could deliver a blow to Canada's tourism industry. The report says the industry could lose between $1.3 billion and $4.5 billion in the next four years. It says weaker economic conditions, including lower consumer and business confidence, outweigh the positive impact of Canadians vacationing within Canada for safety or economic reasons. The report was prepared in March by the Canadian Tourism Research Institute, a division of the Conference Board of Canada, before hostilities in Iraq broke out. The analysis looked at two scenarios -- a contained war and a disruptive war -- and how each would affect the tourism industry. It found a contained war without significant complications would be less costly to the tourism industry than a disruptive war. Meanwhile, an estimated 4,000 people staged an anti-war rally in Toronto Saturday. Earlier demonstrations have been bigger, but with war ongoing the message of the rally was a demand to end the fighting. Activist groups and unions made up the bulk of the crowd that marched from a square across from the Eaton Centre, to the British and US consulates.

Saturday Mar 22, 2003 OTTAWA: DEBATE ABOUT WAR STAND CONTINUES ACRIMONIOUSLY Two of the five opposition parties in Canada's House of Commons continued on Thursday to attack the Liberal Party government's decision not to support the American-led war against Iraq. The Liberal Party prime minister, Jean Chrétien, announced on Monday that the government would not back the Americans because they should have given United Nations weapons inspectors more time to do their work in Iraq. The leader of the official opposition party, the Canadian Alliance, again attacked the government over that stand. Stephen Harper says the Liberals have betrayed Canada's history by standing aloof from the British and Americans. Mr. Harper accuses the government of indulging in "a juvenile and insecure anti-Americanism."And the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Joe Clark, attacked the government for failing to stop some of its MPs from making anti-American remarks. On Tuesday, the natural resources minister, Herb Dhaliwal, accused U.S. President George W. Bush of failing to play the role of statesman in the Iraq crisis. Canada's foreign affairs minister, Bill Graham, responded by saying he doubted Canada's position would do enduring harm to bilateral relations. He says he spoke this week to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who he says understands Canada's position. The two other opposition parties, the Bloc Québécois, and the New Democratic Party, support the government's stand.

Thursday Mar 20, 2003 MONTREAL:
OTTAWA ASKED TO PROTECT JOBS BY BOLSTERING BORDER SECURITY
An influential business institute has urged the Canadian government to protect industries that might be harmed by increased security at the U.S. border. The C.D. Howe Institute says 390,000 Canadian jobs are at risk unless the federal government takes steps to improve cross-border security. Recently, truck traffic between Canada and the U.S. has been slowed by new U.S. border regulations. Trade with the U.S. is a vital part of the Canadian economy. It is estimated $1 billion of trade crosses between Canada and the U.S. every day.

Monday Mar 17, 2003 OTTAWA:
CIDA MAKES BIGGEST SINGLE-COUNTRY COMMITMENT EVER
Canada is pledging $250 million in new aid to Afghanistan over the next two years. The amount will be the largest single-country commitment ever made by the Canadian International Development Agency. The minister for international co-operation, Susan Whelan, will formally announce the pledge Monday in Brussels, where a Canadian delegation is attending an Afghanistan Development Forum with other donor countries. Federal officials say that since Sept. 11th, 2001, Ottawa has committed $116.6 million in aid to Afghanistan, according to federal officials. The new pledge brings Canada's contribution to $500 million in aid to Afghanistan since 1990. The money will support four areas identified as priorities by the Afghan government. These include improving food security and community-driven development, managing natural resources, strengthening security and rule of law, and providing support to the national government.

Sunday Mar 9, 2003 OTTAWA: CANADA'S ECONOMY MAINTAINS STRENGTH Canada's economy continues to be robust. Statistics Canada, the federal data-gathering agency, says 55,000 jobs were created in February. But StatsCan says the unemployment remained at 7.4 per cent because more unemployed people began looking for jobs than in the past 13 years. StatsCan reports that since the beginning of last year, 613,000 jobs have been created, an increase of four per cent. The job increase in February was led by factory employment, finance, insurance and real estate.

Friday Mar 7, 2003 Supreme Court ruling cancels more than $1.3B in income tax debts If you owe the government money that it hasn't tried to collect for six years, you're probably off the hook.

Sunday Feb 23, 2003 ts
Manley has spread spending resources too thinly ... It was clearly on the spending side with much less for tax cuts or debt reduction. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but it does provide a basis for assessing the budget.

Thu, 20 Feb 2003 CANADA'S 2002 TRADE SURPLUS SHRINKS TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1999 Canada's trade surplus slumped in 2002, falling to its lowest level in three years as merchandise exports for the year as a whole declined and imports rose, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.
Canadian companies exported $410.7 billion in goods, off about one per cent from 2001. It was the second year of export declines from the record high in 2000. Meanwhile, Canadian firms imported $356.1 billion worth, a 1.6 per cent increase.
Overall, Canada's trade surplus fell by more than $9.4 billion to nearly $54.6 billion, the lowest level since 1999.

Friday Feb 14, 2003 cbc
CANADA TO WAIT BEFORE DECIDING ABOUT IRAQ The federal government won't rush into a decision about whether to support military action against Iraq, Deputy Prime Minister John Manley said Friday.

Thursday Feb 13, 2003 cbc CANADA BANS TERRORIST GROUPS, NOT PLANNING TO INCREASE SECURITY The federal government has added three groups with links to terrorist activities to Canada's list of outlawed organizations.

February 6, 2003 cbc DEMAND FOR WORKERS CONTRACTED IN JANUARY Help-wanted advertisements continued to disappear in January, extending a string of six consecutive monthly declines, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.

Mon, 20 Jan 2003 WHOLESALE TRADE GREW IN NOVEMBER FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT ADVANCE Canada's wholesale trade of goods and services grew by 0.3 per cent November to $35.9 billion, rising for a sixth consecutive month, Statistics Canada reported Monday.

Friday Jan 17, 2003 ts
Could be twice the amount Manley predicted 3 months ago

Friday Jan 17, 2003 cbc
TRADE SURPLUS SLIDES IN NOVEMBER Canada's trade surplus retreated by three-quarters of a billion dollars in November, pulled down by a fall in exports, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Monday Jan 13, 2003 OTTAWA: REPORT SAYS COPPS REFUSING TO ALL HER BOOKS
-The Sun Media group is reporting Heritage Minister Sheila Copps is refusing to open her expense books all the way. Last spring Prime Minister Jean Chretien ordered his ministers to hand over detailed expense accounts when requested through Access to Information. The directive followed criticism ministers were hiding padded expenses behind privacy rules. A Sun Media request for Ms. Copps's expenses for a 22-month period ending last October 31st revealed she spend nearly $180,000 in travel, hospitality and other expenses. But almost $81,000 of that fell under the category of unspecified other expenses. The Toronto Sun reported Sunday several other cabinet members have kept some expenses secret, but it didn't name them. Ms. Copps is considering running for the leadership of the governing Liberal party but has not yet announced a decision on the matter.

Monday Jan 13, 2003 cbc
JOBLESS RATE HOLDS STEADY AT 7.5%, STRONG JOB GROWTH CONTINUES Another 58,000 jobs were added to Canadian payrolls in December, far surpassing expectations. But Statistics Canada reported Friday the country's jobless rate remained at 7.5 per cent as many more people entered the booming labour force looking for some of that new work.
OTTAWA: JOBLESS RATE UNCHANGED DESPITE THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS Canada's unemployment rate remained unchanged last month. The government agency Statistics Canada says the jobless rate was 7.5 per cent in December, th