Canada report

By JIM FOX

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 26, 2000

Alliance claims abuse of power

Prime Minister Jean Chretien, seeking his third term of office in Monday's Canadian election, is being accused of abusing his powers by seeking a loan for a friend.

Canadian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day and Conservative Leader Joe Clark are demanding a public inquiry into Chretien's involvement in obtaining a mortgage for a friend from the Business Development Bank.

Chretien, who explained he was acting properly on behalf of someone in his home district, was cleared by Howard Wilson, Canada's ethics counselor, of the allegations first made public by Day.

The prime minister admitted making calls to the president of the government-run agency in search of a loan to help the hotel business, something Day said was an abuse of power and possibly criminal.

"He was let off on a technicality because the rules he wrote did not cover the abuse that he committed," Clark said.

The incident has taken a toll on the Liberals with some pollsters suggesting Chretien might be returned with a minority government -- not the majority earlier predicted -- as the Alliance and Conservatives gain some strength.

Student, 16, held in school stabbing death

A Calgary student is being held for the stabbing death of a classmate in a fight over a debt.

The youth, who cannot be named because of his age, was remanded in custody for his next court appearance on Dec. 5.

Attorney Noel O'Brien said he would try to have the boy, 16, remain in youth court to face the second-degree murder charge.

Samer Jaber, 17, died after being repeatedly stabbed in the throat with a kitchen knife just before classes began Monday at Lester B. Pearson High School.

In brief

The border city of Fort Erie, Ontario, joined its neighbor, Buffalo, N.Y., in digging out from the first major snowfall of the season. Storms picking up moisture from Lake Erie dumped about 2 feet of snow on the city, a little less than Buffalo's total. North of Toronto in the Muskoka area, about a foot of snow fell as another storm passed over Georgian Bay.

Quebec is about to come of age by allowing its drivers to make right turns on red lights. Transport Minister Guy Chevrette said residents in 26 municipalities will be allowed to turn right on red starting in January.

New York City is thought to be the only other place in North America with such a ban.

Facts and figures

Canada's dollar has made some gains but still lingers below 65 cents U.S. The dollar ended the week at 64.94 cents U.S. while the American greenback returned $1.5398, before bank exchange fees.

Stock markets were mixed, with the Toronto 300 Index higher at 9,024 points Friday while the Canadian Venture Exchange index was lower at 3,023 points.

There's no change in the Bank of Canada key interest rate of 6 percent or the 7.5 percent prime lending rate.

Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 4, 32, 36, 37, 40 and 49; bonus 42. (Nov. 18) 5, 9, 23, 28, 29 and 48; bonus 26.

Regional briefs

Frustrated farmers in a mile-long protest convoy of tractors, grain trucks and pickup trucks slowed traffic to a crawl along the Trans-Canada Highway near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan boundary on Wednesday. The grain farmers are seeking a better deal from the federal government as their income has dropped due to reduced subsidies, flawed aid programs, plummeting commodity prices and what they term unfair competition from heavily subsidized producers in Europe and the United States.

New Brunswick nurses have accepted a contract offer from the provincial government, ending fears of a possible strike at 37 hospitals.

The new deal will give them a wage increase of about 14 percent in the next 3 1/2 years to make the rate comparable with other Atlantic provinces.

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