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Canada Report

Push onto honor nation's war role

By JIM FOX
Published May 21, 2006

Calling it a sign of enduring friendship, Indiana Republican Dan Burton wants legislators to support a resolution recognizing Canada's vote to extend the mission by two years.

He noted the 24 Canadians killed in New York in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the deaths in Afghanistan - the most recent being the first of a woman soldier.

Capt. Nichola Goddard, 26, of Calgary, an officer with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, was killed by enemy fire. The Memorial Cross in her honor will be presented to her husband, Jason Beam.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper gambled on the fate of his minority Conservative government by calling a quick vote on extending the mission.

He then crossed the floor of the House of Commons to shake hands with Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal leadership candidate whose supporters gave Harper the numbers he needed for approval.

This is Canada's most intense combat role in 50 years and is expected to result in taking over the lead NATO role there for a year.

U.S. delay on border policy pleases Canadian officials

Canadian government officials are relieved the United States appears to be delaying by 18 months to June 2009 requirements for upgraded border documents.

The U.S. Senate's vote to delay new rules on documentation to cross the Canada-U.S. border allows the time to develop driver's licenses with required security features and proof of Canadian citizenship.

Ontario Tourism Minister Jim Bradley said new licenses would possibly include identification technology that could be electronically scanned at border crossings.

News in brief

- A planned mid-June meeting in Washington between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Bush is off because of a scheduling problem. The meeting between Harper, who wants to improve relations with the United States, and Bush could be delayed until the fall. The two will spend time together in July at the Group of Eight meeting in Russia and had their first official meeting in Mexico in March.

- Auto-parts giant Linamar Corp. will add 3,000 jobs at its Guelph, Ontario, headquarters over the next five years. The company is creating a new research and development complex.

Facts and figures

There's speculation the Bank of Canada won't increase its key interest rate on Tuesday as planned because of a lower core inflation rate of 1.6 percent in April. The interest rate now is 4 percent while the prime lending rate is 5.75 percent.

Canada's dollar dropped back to 89.25 cents U.S. Friday before the Victoria Day holiday weekend and the U.S. dollar was up at $1.1204 in Canadian funds before bank exchange fees.

Stock markets are lower, with the Toronto composite index at 11,566 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange 2,748 points.

Lotto 6-49: Wednesday 9, 19, 20, 24, 36, 48; bonus 10. (May 13) 2, 10, 11, 16, 42, 43; bonus 21.

Regional briefs

- Former Saskatchewan Cabinet minister Colin Thatcher, serving a life sentence for the 1983 murder of his ex-wife, JoAnn Wilson, has been granted day parole. The National Parole Board said Thatcher, 67, can live at a halfway house in Regina.

- Paul Lepage, 55, described by police as a "transient," was arrested in the kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl in Armstrong, British Columbia. The girl, who disappeared from a video store, was found a day later. She was treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries.

- Some 600 police officers from Toronto and across southern Ontario rounded up 106 suspected members of the Jamestown Crew, one of the city's most violent gangs. They face trial on more than 1,000 offenses including attempted murder, conspiracy, firearms and drug violations.

Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

[Last modified May 21, 2006, 07:54:47]